Free tool
Sample Cost Estimator
Most importers underestimate sample budgets. Pick your category and complexity — we'll give you a realistic range based on what we see across hundreds of sourcing projects.
Per sample (incl. courier)
$210 – $460
Total budget (3 iterations)
$630 – $1,380
Estimates per Chinese-factory sample including ~$60 air courier to your office. Custom-tooled samples often include partial mould amortisation; the high end of the range applies for fully bespoke designs.
What sample costs actually include
A factory sample is rarely free. The cost stack typically includes: setup time on a production line that's designed for runs of thousands, materials for a single unit (small-quantity sourcing costs more per kg), engineering review of your spec, plus shipping to your office. For custom tooling, add the partial cost of a one-off mould or fixture.
Standard samples (factory's existing model with cosmetic customisation) run cheapest. Custom samples (your CAD, your spec) run dramatically more — often 10× the unit cost of a production-run unit. Custom-tooled samples can run hundreds or thousands of dollars per piece.
Beware the "free sample"
Factories offering "free samples" are either: (a) sending you their existing standard product (which isn't really your product), (b) pricing it into the unit cost of your eventual production order, or (c) a small percentage of cases, genuinely investing in winning your business — typically only for buyers they expect to place 10,000+ unit orders with. For most importers, paying for samples is a sign of a serious factory relationship.
Sample budget by order intent
For a serious sourcing project, plan for 3–5 sample iterations across 2–4 candidate factories. Total sample budget should be roughly 1–3% of your expected first production order value. Below that you're probably underspending; above that, you're probably over-iterating.
Stop guessing. Start sourcing.
Tell us what you need. We'll come back within one business day with a sourcing plan, supplier shortlist, and an honest read on what it should cost.