one of my clients is American,he need our plastic product,but we need to open an new mold first ,if we send him samples,can we ask him to pay the mold first?if he refused,what should i do?

Replying to [cynthia hu]:
Depending on the type of mold and plastic used, you must let the customer know is an off spec product requiring tooling to produce.
Can you use wood molds?
Customer needs to understand there is a cost to sample, and the only way to absorb this cost on your end is to eat it upfront if you are confident you will get the business after sample is approved, then maybe pass that incurred price on with the new actual production tool cost to the customer when you go to production.
Or, you make him pay for a mock/sample tooling to produce minimal amount of sample units.
Either way, sample has to be produced and sent and then pass the test no matter who pays for it, you just need to ask yourself what is the best action for the long run.
If it can be great business, repeat ship and bill and meets your requirement for satisfaction, and you are sure you can get the business my recommendation is to eat the sample tool (depending on what type plastic, intricate angles,design etc. my experience has been that sample tooling should be anywhere from $100-10,000 depending on what you are making).
Best of luck to you.

Replying to [cynthia hu]:

Do you spend much money on the mold? If it is an expensive new mold designed only for the customer, I think he should bear it.

If a customer has a firm order, he can understand your charges. As is known, there is no free lunch all over the world.

If the mold is cheap, you can tell him that, after he make firm order, he can deduct the mold fee from the fund.

Best regards.
Julia
sales@fraken.cn

Replying to [cynthia hu]:

There is no other way:
Give him a proforma for the Invoice. Include Shipping costs.compare Air and Sea Transport, and always secure the best for your client based on speed and economy.

It is understable that Samples may be slightly expensive as it is not based on mass production. Let the Client understand this.

You may consider to provide free samples for repeat customers, who have established a line with you. If possible, try and visit them in their countries.

Replying to [cynthia hu]:

Replying to [cynthia hu]:You should learn to judge your clients. Mnay who needs the samples are just only the trading company, or even those who want to collect enough related samples for studying, maybe they are your rivals.So you should judge them carefully! If they are real customer, you can send the sampls, but the freight should be collected--it's business practice.

Replying to [cynthia hu]:You should first bring to the customer's attention the price of the sample, and the cost of shipping it to them. Explain to them that these are the reasons they should incur the costs. If they refuses, ask them to pay for the sample, and you'll incur the shipping; or vice-versa. If they still refuse, invite them to visit your company so they can do an at site product inspection.