Committing to a bulk order purely from catalogue photos, before you've physically handled a design, is a reasonable thing to do with a supplier you trust and a design you know well - and a genuine gamble with a new supplier or an unfamiliar design. A small order first is how experienced wholesale buyers manage that risk.
What a sample actually tells you that photos can't
- True weight and dimensions - photos can't confirm a design matches its stated weight and size; a gram scale and a ruler can.
- Finish quality in hand - polish quality, oxidation depth on textured pieces, and how clean the edges and joins are, all read differently in person than in a product photo, especially a well-lit catalogue photo.
- Consistency of hand-finished detailing - for hand-finished designs (see our guide to casting vs hand-finishing), a single sample shows you the level of natural variation to expect across a batch.
- How the supplier actually handles a small order - packaging quality, communication clarity, and how closely the shipped piece matches what was described, all before you've committed real capital.
How this fits with minimum order quantities
Whether a "sample" is even possible depends on the supplier's MOQ policy (see our MOQ guide). Suppliers with a strict per-design minimum often can't fulfil a true single-piece sample without an exception; suppliers with no fixed MOQ let you order a genuinely small test batch through the normal ordering process, no special sample program required. We work on the second model - there's no fixed minimum order quantity on any design in our catalogue, so a small test batch of one or two pieces is simply a normal order at normal terms, not a separate request.
What to expect on terms
A sample order isn't free product - it's a small paid order, priced and confirmed the same way as any other: against the day's silver rate, with full payment required in advance before dispatch, per our standard terms. Don't expect a supplier to absorb sample costs as a sales expense unless they've explicitly offered to; treat a sample as a deliberately small, low-risk purchase rather than a free trial.
How to request one
Browse the catalogue, add the specific design (or a small handful of candidates) to your inquiry list using "Add to Inquiry," and note in your message that you'd like a small quantity first to verify before a larger order - we'll confirm pricing and lead time against that quantity directly. If you'd rather just ask a question first, get in touch and we'll talk through it.