Quick answer: A sample is not a free preview — it is a small production run. Expect to pay a sample fee that covers the pattern, the graded pattern, fabric and trims, and the machinist's time, typically US$80–350 per style for activewear and US$180–600 for down outerwear. The fee is usually refundable or credited against your bulk order, most often once the order passes a defined quantity such as 300–500 pieces per style. Sample freight is normally paid by the buyer and is not part of the refundable fee.
Almost every first enquiry contains the same question in a slightly different form: "How much for a sample, and do I get it back?" It is a reasonable question, and a supplier who cannot answer it clearly in the first reply is usually a supplier who has not thought carefully about how sampling is actually costed.
This article sets out what a sample fee does and does not include, what drives it up or down, how refunds are structured in practice, and how to keep the cost of sampling under control without weakening the sample itself.
Why a sample costs money at all
It is worth being precise about this, because the misunderstanding usually sits at the root of the argument. A sample is not a document that can be copied. To produce one garment, the factory must:
- Open a pattern. A technician reads your tech pack, drafts the pattern, and produces the graded nest. This is skilled work measured in hours, not minutes.
- Book machine time. A sample line is separate from the bulk line. The machines and the operator are taken off revenue production for the duration.
- Buy material in uneconomic quantities. You need two metres of a fabric, not two thousand. The mill sells a roll, or charges a cutting fee.
- Make trims to order. A woven label, a heat-transfer tag and a hangtag are all tooled items with their own setup cost, and most have a minimum print or weave run.
- Fit and finish by hand. Sample garments are largely hand-guided, which is slower and more expensive per unit than a bulk line.
None of those costs disappear because the order might not proceed. The sample fee is the factory's way of recovering them, and — importantly — of filtering out enquiries that are not serious. A factory that samples for free has to absorb the cost of every speculative enquiry into its pricing, which means you pay for it in your bulk price instead.
What a sample fee normally includes
The single most common source of dispute is a mismatch between what the buyer assumes is included and what the factory has priced. Ask for the breakdown in writing, and expect it to look like this:
| Cost element | Usually in the sample fee | Usually charged separately |
|---|---|---|
| Pattern development and grading | Yes — the first pattern for the style | Re-grading after a spec change is often re-charged |
| Fabric and lining | Yes, in sample-length quantity | Custom-developed or mill-dyed fabric, which carries its own minimum |
| Trims: labels, tags, zips, hardware | Yes, for stock trims | Tooling for custom-branded labels and hangtags |
| Machine time and labour | Yes | Rush or weekend work |
| Sample freight to your address | No | Almost always billed at cost, by courier |
| Lab testing of the sample | No | Billed per test, per accredited lab |
Two lines on that table cause the most confusion. First, tooling: if your label design is new, the factory or the trim supplier has to make a plate or a weave programme. That one-off cost sits outside the sample fee and is usually credited against bulk label production. Second, freight: sample courier costs are real money, they vary by destination and speed, and they are rarely built into the quoted sample fee.
What actually drives the sample fee up or down
| Driver | Effect on the fee | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Product category | Down outerwear sits at the top of the range | Down must be sourced and filled to a stated fill power; baffle construction and quilting add operations; the sample needs its own fill-weight record |
| Fabric source | Customer-supplied fabric lowers the fee | The factory does not have to buy and hold material it may never use again |
| Pattern complexity | More panels, more cost | A raglan sleeve top with five panels is faster to sample than a panel-panelled legging with a gusset and a bonded waistband |
| Trims | Custom tooling adds a fixed sum | A woven label programme, a heat-transfer plate and a printed hangtag each carry setup |
| Number of revision rounds | The main variable cost over time | Each round re-uses the pattern but consumes new material, new trims and new machine time |
| Grading | Size-set samples are a separate, larger fee | A size set is several garments, not one |
How many revision rounds should be included
This is the question buyers under-ask, and it is where sampling budgets actually run over. The industry norm is that the fee covers one sample with two revision rounds. Beyond that, factories either charge per round or negotiate.
Two rounds is workable, but only if you use them properly. The rounds are not there so you can think out loud at the factory's expense — they exist to absorb genuine fit or construction corrections. A few rules make them last:
- Consolidate comments into one pass. If you send fit comments on Monday, add a fabric comment on Wednesday and a trims comment on Friday, you have spent a round on three emails that could have been one.
- Use one fit model. Different models produce different comments, and the factory cannot chase both.
- State tolerances, not preferences. "The waistband should measure 32 cm relaxed, plus or minus 0.5 cm" is actionable. "It feels loose" is not.
- Photograph the problem. A photo of a puckered seam saves a round that a paragraph of description would not.
Worth knowing: a change made after the fit sample is approved is not a revision round — it is a new development cycle. Changing the fabric after fit approval resets the fit, because the same pattern behaves differently on a different base cloth. Avoid this wherever possible; it is the most expensive change in sampling.
How the refund usually works
Most factories apply the sample fee as a credit rather than returning cash, and they do it against a defined trigger. The three structures you will encounter are below.
| Structure | How it works | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|
| Quantity trigger | The fee is credited in full once the bulk order exceeds a stated quantity per style — commonly 300–500 pieces | Most OEM programs; simple and predictable |
| Value trigger | The fee is credited once the order value exceeds a stated amount | Multi-style orders where per-style quantities are low |
| Per-unit credit | A fixed amount per piece is credited until the fee is recovered | Large orders where a single trigger would be reached instantly |
Two details matter more than the structure. First, is the credit applied to the invoice or to the final balance? The former is cash in your pocket during production; the latter arrives at the end. Second, what happens if the order is split across styles? If the trigger is 500 pieces per style and you order four styles at 150 each, you may have ordered 600 pieces and still missed the trigger on every one. Get the trigger expressed in the way you actually intend to order.
Sample freight and duties
Sample freight is almost never refunded, and this is normal. Samples move by express courier — the value is in the speed, not the weight. Budget for it per round, not once: three rounds means three shipments in each direction if you are returning samples for inspection.
On duties: a sample sent as a commercial shipment can attract duty in the destination country. Where your customs regime allows it, a sample declared as such with a nominal value for customs purposes avoids this. Confirm the declaration with your forwarder before the first shipment rather than correcting it afterwards.
Structuring sampling to control total cost
The goal is not the cheapest single sample. It is the lowest total development cost to a garment you are prepared to put into bulk. Five levers do most of the work:
- Sample the difficult style first. If you are developing a leggings program and a down jacket program, sample the down jacket first. It has more variables, more tooling and the longest lead time. Learn the expensive lessons early.
- Freeze the fabric before you sample. Choose a fabric you can actually buy in bulk quantity. A beautiful sample in a mill-exclusive cloth that has a 3,000-metre minimum is a sample you cannot repeat.
- Use stock trims for the fit round. Tooling for your own woven labels and hangtags can wait until the fit is approved. The label does not affect the fit.
- Ask about a size set at the same time. Quoted together with the fit sample, a size set is often better priced than quoted separately later, and it removes a scheduling gap.
- Confirm the credit trigger before you pay. Put it in the PO or the sampling agreement. A credit that exists only in an email thread is a credit you will be discussing again in three months.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I expect to pay for a sample?
For activewear — leggings, tops, shorts, jumpsuits — a workable planning range is US$80–350 per style, moving with pattern complexity and fabric. For down outerwear, US$180–600, driven mainly by fill power, baffle construction and hardware. Treat these as planning figures and ask for a written quote against your actual tech pack, because a simple style and a complex one are not the same job.
Is the sample fee refundable if I place the order?
Usually yes, but as a credit against the bulk order rather than a cash refund, and usually against a defined quantity or value trigger. Ask three questions: what is the trigger, is the credit applied to the deposit invoice or the final balance, and how is the trigger calculated when the order contains several styles.
Do I pay for sample freight?
Yes, in almost all cases, and it is normally billed at cost by courier rather than marked up. It is separate from the sample fee and is not part of any refund arrangement. Budget for it per round.
Can I get a sample without paying anything?
Occasionally, for stock styles a factory already produces and can pull from existing development, or for buyers with an established order history. For a new custom style with a new pattern and new trims, a free sample is not realistic — the cost has to go somewhere, and if it is not on the sample invoice it is inside your bulk unit price.
How long does a sample take to produce?
Typically one to three weeks per round for activewear, and two to four weeks for down outerwear, excluding shipping time in both directions. The pattern, the material booking and the sample line schedule all sit inside that window. A detailed stage-by-stage breakdown is set out in our guide to the sample-to-bulk production timeline.
Will the bulk garment match the sample exactly?
It should match the approved sample, and the approved sample is the reference held against the bulk. This is why the approval step is a formal sign-off, why the sealed sample is kept by both parties, and why major changes after approval need to be treated as a new development round rather than a quiet adjustment. The controls around that are covered in our factory audit and inspection checklist.
Know what your sample will cost before you commission it
Send us your tech pack or a reference garment. We will set out the sample fee broken down by pattern, fabric, trims and labour, the revision rounds included, the credit trigger on bulk, and the timeline for each round — in writing, before you commit.