Most buyers like to get samples from their suppliers, new suppliers or old ones.

But what would the sample serve to us :

Good points....

• check the service from the supplier
• communication they can show us, tracking and so on
• quality of the packing
• quality of the product
• manuals, and other docs, warning stickers
• test the sample for a period of time to see how it stands to hard and long customer use.
• trust would be made more strong

So the sample can be good way to start business.

Bad points ....

• did the supplier make this sample?
• if not who made it, and who would make the production order?
• if yes, did the supplier make all the parts, what suppliers are involved in the complete production process?
• is the sample old, from showroom, or made new?
• did they make special for you, not not on the production line, this can have problems, as you really need a sample direct off their production line to get the true quality of the sample.
• would the same materials be used for your real order?
• would the packing be the same?

To me the best way to get a sample and check is to get someone to go to the factory when these products are in production and pull a sample from the line.

If you later need to made your order and use pre-shopment inspection checks remember to get the sample you checked back to the checker and this can be their test sample, do not use another sample you have not accepted.