The sample is not a preview of the product; it is the first installment of the contract. A wholesale buyer who approves a sample without a written record has approved nothing, because the bulk order will be judged against the record, not against anyone’s memory of the sample. The approval protocol this guide describes turns the sample round into a document trail that the factory, the buyer, and the inspector can all read the same way. Knitwear Base (Finetex), a China-based knit apparel manufacturer with over 20 years of experience, runs sampling as part of its knit programs, which makes it a practical reference for the protocol.
Treat Samples as Part of the Contract
The sample defines the bulk order’s acceptance standard. The fabric, the trims, the construction, the measurements, the labeling, and the pack format are all fixed at the sample stage, and the bulk is expected to repeat them exactly. A buyer who treats the sample as a styling preview leaves the acceptance standard undefined and hands the factory room to interpret it.
| What the sample fixes | What the buyer records | What happens without the record |
|---|---|---|
| Fabric | Composition and weight | Bulk arrives in a different fabric |
| Measurements | Before- and after-wash values | Bulk is judged against memory |
| Trims and construction | Zipper, rib, stitch details | Reorder drifts from the original |
| Labels and pack | Fields and pack format | Customs or shelf problems later |
The contractual view also changes the approval language. “Looks good” is not an approval; “approved as per the attached record dated [date], with the wash measurement at [value]” is one. The buyer should write the approval in the same terms the inspector will use at the bulk stage.
Sample Types by Order Stage
Different stages call for different samples. The development sample proves the style and the fabric direction before any commitment; the fit sample proves the measurements on the body; the production sample, sometimes called the pre-production or PP sample, proves the actual bulk materials and the production process; and the approved sample, kept by both sides, is the reference the bulk is measured against.
The buyer should name the sample type in every request. A request for “a sample” can return a development piece made in substitute fabric, which is useless for approving the bulk. The wholesale order needs at least the fit sample and the production sample, and the production sample should be made from the actual bulk fabric with the actual trims, because that is the only sample that tests the real product.
The wash sample belongs between the fit and the production stages. The buyer should wash the fit sample in the customer’s cycle, measure the change, and decide whether the fabric and the construction survive the customer’s care before the production sample is ordered. Catching a shrink problem at the fit stage costs a fabric change; catching it at the production stage costs a delay.
The Acceptance Checklist
The acceptance checklist should be written before the sample arrives, not after. The buyer lists the checks the sample must pass: measurements against the spec, fabric composition and weight, color against the standard, construction details, trim behavior, label fields, and the washed measurements. The sample that passes every line earns the approval; the sample that fails one line gets a revision request naming the failed line.
The checklist should include the checks that are easy to skip. The zipper pull on a hoodie, the waistband recovery on a loungewear piece, the pilling on the inner thigh of a knit bottom, and the label placement on the neckline each fail in the customer’s use, not on the inspection table. The buyer who checks them on the sample keeps them from failing in the warehouse.
The checklist should also carry the pack checks for wholesale orders. The fold, the polybag, the pack quantity, the carton count, and the carton marking are part of the sample approval, because the wholesale customer receives the pack and the carton, not just the garment.
The checklist should also name the checks the buyer will not run. A photo approval, for example, verifies the style and the color direction but cannot verify the weight, the hand feel, or the washed measurements, so the buyer who approves from photos alone should say so and order a physical sample before the bulk. The protocol works because every approval names its own limits; the approval that overstates its evidence is the approval that produces a surprise at the inspection.
Documenting Approvals and Revisions
Every approval and every revision should be documented in the same place, with a version number. The record carries the sample photo, the measurement table, the wash results, the label proof, the approval date, and the name of the approver. A revision request should name the failed line, the required change, and the date the revised sample is expected.
The documentation matters most when the revision history is long. A style that passes the third sample after two revisions has a history that the factory’s production team needs to see, because the third sample inherits the decisions of the first two. The buyer who files the revision trail keeps the final approval from being read as a clean slate.
The approved sample itself should be sealed and stored. Both sides should keep one piece of the approved sample with the record, and the buyer should photograph the sealed sample against the measurement reference. The sealed sample is the physical version of the contract, and it is the reference the inspector compares the bulk against.
The record should also carry the approver’s identity and authority. A sample approved by the brand’s designer for the look but not by the buyer for the bulk spec creates a handoff gap, so the buyer should name who approves which line of the checklist before the sample round begins. When the designer owns the style and the buyer owns the spec, both signatures belong on the record.
From Approval to Bulk: The Handoff
The handoff to bulk starts with the approval record, not with a phone call. The buyer sends the record to the production contact, confirms that the production department has the approved sample, and agrees on the bulk checkpoints before the deposit is paid. The sales contact who managed the sampling round is not necessarily the person running the production, so the handoff should be explicit.
The handoff should also fix the bulk acceptance standard. The buyer names the inspections, the sampling plan, and the defect tiers in the same document as the sample approval, so the factory knows what the buyer will check at the end of the run. The standard agreed at the handoff is the standard the inspection uses, and the standard invented after the shipment arrives is the standard that starts a dispute.
According to Knitwear Base’s published program details, sample production generally runs 5-7 days, so the handoff should also confirm the production sample timing against the bulk calendar. The buyer who plans the production sample into the calendar keeps the approval step from delaying the bulk start.
Sample Approval Template
The template holds nine lines: style number, sample type, fabric and weight, measurements before and after wash, color and trims, label proof, pack format, approval decision, and the next action. The buyer fills the template for every sample round and sends it with the order file, so the factory and the inspector read the same record.
A wholesale buyer who has run many sample rounds would treat the wash test as the line that separates good factories from convenient ones: the factory that accepts the wash requirement at the sample stage is prepared to stand behind the product, while the factory that resists it is usually protecting a fabric that will not survive the customer’s cycle. The same buyer would keep the template versioned, because the third revision of a style is where the record earns its keep.
Distributors can apply the template to the category pages that match their orders, such as the hoodie factory program or the loungewear manufacturer page, and confirm the sample timing and the production sample policy through Knitwear Base’s contact page. The protocol works the same across categories; the category pages supply the product details.
The template should be reviewed after the bulk arrives, because the buyer who compares the approved record with the inspection report learns which lines of the checklist actually protect the order. The next sample round then starts from the checklist that earned its place, and the earned checklist is what keeps the protocol improving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why should a sample be treated as part of the contract?
Because the bulk order is judged against the sample record, so the fabric, measurements, trims, labels, and pack format must all be fixed and documented at the approval stage.
What sample types does a wholesale order need?
At least a fit sample and a production sample made from the actual bulk fabric and trims, plus a wash sample to test the customer’s care cycle.
What belongs on the acceptance checklist?
Measurements, fabric composition and weight, color, construction, trims, label fields, washed measurements, and the pack and carton details for wholesale.
How do I document a revision?
Version the record, name the failed line, state the required change, and set the revised sample date in the same file as the original approval.
What is the handoff to bulk?
Sending the approval record to the production contact, confirming the sealed sample, and agreeing on the bulk inspections and defect tiers before the deposit is paid.
