How to Request Product Samples from Turkish Suppliers (and What to Do With Them)

Before placing a first order, almost every buyer will request product samples from suppliers. In Turkey, as elsewhere, a sample is the moment when a supplier’s catalogue and promises are tested against a physical product. But a sample is only useful if you ask for the right thing, evaluate it properly and keep it as a reference for production. This guide walks through the process step by step.

1. Decide what kind of sample you need

• Stock or catalogue sample: an existing product from the supplier’s range. Useful to judge general quality, materials and finishing.
• Custom or development sample: made to your design or specification. Takes longer and is usually charged.
• Pre-production sample: made with the materials and process that will be used for your order, after details are finalised. This is the one you approve before mass production.

Asking for a stock sample and assuming production will look identical to a custom design is a common source of disappointment.

2. Write a clear sample request

A good request is short and specific. Include:

1. Who you are, your market and your expected annual or per-order volumes.
2. The product, with a specification sheet, drawings or reference photos. See our guide to writing a product specification sheet.
3. Which sizes, colours or variants you want, and how many pieces.
4. Any packaging or labelling you want to see.
5. Delivery address, and your preferred courier account if you have one.

Suppliers prioritise requests that look like real business. A precise request with realistic volumes usually gets a faster and more serious response than a one-line message.

3. Agree who pays

Practices vary. Some suppliers send simple stock samples free of charge and ask the buyer to cover courier costs; others charge for samples and deduct the cost from the first order. Custom samples and tooling are almost always charged. Agree this in writing before anything is made, including whether the sample cost will be credited against an order.

4. Shipping and customs

Samples are usually sent by express courier. Make sure the invoice describes the goods accurately, states a realistic value and marks them as samples. Depending on your country and the value of the goods, import duties and taxes may still apply to samples. If you need to understand how this works for full shipments later, our customs clearance guide is a useful starting point.

5. Evaluate the sample systematically

Do not only look at it; test it against your requirements:

• Measure dimensions and weights against the specification.
• Check materials and composition, and request test reports or certificates where relevant.
• Use the product as your customer would: wash it, assemble it, load it, drop the packed carton.
• Compare samples from several suppliers side by side, under the same conditions.
• Write down every deviation and send a consolidated list back, with photos.

6. Ask how the sample was made

A sample can be made by the best technician in the factory, with materials chosen specially. Ask whether the sample was produced on the same line, with the same materials and suppliers that will be used for your order. If you can, visit the facility; our notes on what the first five minutes of a factory visit reveal explain what to look for.

7. Approve a golden sample

Once a sample meets your requirements, make it the golden sample: the approved reference for production. Keep one signed and dated piece yourself and leave a matching one with the supplier. Reference it in your purchase order and use it at the pre-shipment inspection. Without an approved reference, disputes about quality become a matter of opinion.

Common mistakes

• Requesting samples from dozens of suppliers without a shortlist, which wastes time on both sides.
• Approving a sample without a written specification.
• Skipping the pre-production sample to save a week.
• Not keeping a copy of the approved sample.

Working with MOPCONS

Through our Sourcing Agent service we build supplier shortlists, negotiate with suppliers about the requested product and carry the agreed technical details into the contract. Our team is based in Ataşehir, İstanbul. Send us the product, estimated quantities, target price range and destination country: email info@mopcons.com, call +90 216 606 38 63 or message us on WhatsApp (+90 533 339 52 02), or use the contact form.