How To Get The Best Samples For Amazon FBA Products

3 Reason Why You Should Always Ask for Sample Products Before Selling Them on Amazon

Hey!

Welcome to another article where I am going to discuss one of my favorite topics, and that is how to get the best Amazon FBA samples.

In this guide, I'm going to tell you everything I know about samples, and I will also tell you exactly what the sample is and why you will need samples.

I will share with you my best practices for finding and ordering the best samples.

If you read this guide to its last line, I am sure it will help you establish a better business on Amazon.

Samples are a significant part of Amazon's journey, and by knowing what to order and what to avoid, you can actually save a lot of money, increase your income and eliminate potential problems that may hinder your progress.

My name is Vova Even.

I have been actively selling on Amazon since 2016, and I've been sharing my best practices on my Amazon FBA blog as well as on my YouTube channel, where I now have 500 plus video guides and tutorials.

I am also an instructor on Udemy, where my free Udemy courses about selling Amazon have accumulated thousands of students around the world.

Now, before I start, I want to point out that some people prefer video guides over written guides, so considering that, I am embedding a video as well for today’s topic.

You can learn in whatever way you prefer:

Understanding Product Samples: Why They're Crucial for Amazon Sellers

Let’s first know, what is a product sample?

A sample is the same product that you want to sell on Amazon, but first, you want to check if the product quality is up to par.

It can be anything; kitchen knife, soccer ball, baby toys, etc.

For example, you did your product research and decided that you wanted to sell kitchen knives.

However, as you will have a lot of options for suppliers, you will have to make sure which one is better to go with.

Hence, you ask the suppliers to provide you with a sample of the product to see if there are any flaws or if the product is good to go.

Once you get the sample, you touch it, feel it, and smell it, and after you are satisfied, you ask the supplier to make you say, 500 products like this, and then, off you go – up and high!

Why Do You Need a Sample?

There are tons of reasons why you need a sample so let's start with the primary ones.

1 - It Ensures High Quality

As I mentioned earlier, ordering a sample first before placing the final order helps you ensure the finest quality of the product.

It helps you get rid of all the problems in the product that might occur later in the selling process.

It also gives you an opportunity to process the product from your sensory observation and helps you stay satisfied and confident on what you have to offer to your customers.

2 - It Helps You Pick the Right Supplier

By requesting a sample, you get to check the professional conduct and product quality of the four or five potential suppliers, which eventually helps you pick the right supplier.

Once you finally find such a supplier, you will see your business will start blooming.

It is because a better relationship with the supplier creates confidence, stability, and consistency in your products as well as in your services.

Moreover, the strong professional relationship between seller and supplier means the product quality will not be compromised and essentially, that's going to make you more money in the process.

3 - It Offers You Peace of Mind

When you find a suitable supplier to do business with, it eases your biggest dilemma of finding a product of good quality and a supplier whom you can trust.

After completing our product research, our next goal becomes finding the right supplier.

This sometimes becomes an unending process, because some suppliers charge unnecessarily high prices but offer good quality while others do offer products at a low price but their product quality is not always satisfying.

This is why ordering samples gives you an opportunity to test all the suppliers in your reach and eventually settle for the best of them.

This results in giving you deserving peace of mind. 

I hope these points will be sufficient to help you grasp the significance of the samples.

Let’s now come to the most important question:

How to Order Samples?

Before I explain to you this interesting process of ordering samples, let me introduce you to my 12-hour-long free course on product research, which builds the foundation of your success on Amazon.

In this video, I talk about every single process that you have to undertake in order to make your research effective.

I also suggest a much-needed tool for every Amazon seller, Helium 10, in the video so don’t forget to go through it!

Here you go:

Now, back to how to order samples.

Suppose you've chosen a product after days or weeks of product research and now you need to get a sample to try out this product.

So, you have to contact a few suppliers because obviously, at first, you don't really know who the suppliers are for this product, what are their qualities, and what are the prices of the product.

Your goal in the initial stage is just observing the communication with the factories, the qualities they offer, and their lead times.

Above all, you generally want to have first-hand experience with their products.

Another thing is, that you have to decide how many suppliers you are going to contact.

Different sellers have different suggestions for the number of suppliers.

I, for one, would suggest you reach out to at least three to five suppliers because it will give you a diverse variety of products, allowing you to choose the best one. Also, you will be able to maintain the balance between the product and the price that I mentioned above. 

Furthermore, while establishing first contact with the suppliers you want the sample from, make sure you tell them all the specifications of the product i.e. kitchen knife, water bottles, coffee mugs, etc.

For example, if you want a specific kind of handle in the knife, you must let the suppliers know about it because only then the factories could produce your idealized product.

You can even send them pictures of the product you want suppliers to replicate.

The communication method can be anyone; Alibaba or Skype, or if possible, you can even meet face to face and hammer out a deal. 

In addition to that, you can ask suppliers to send you pictures and videos of the product you want to sell.

After that, once you finalize the suppliers, you can ask all of them to send specific samples your way. 

However, there is one problem that can occur while ordering samples. 

If you select five factories for samples, each one will charge you a shipping price for each sample.

Now, that’s quite a lot of money for a few samples.

But there's a solution to this.

What you can do in order to save money is you can ship all these products from all suppliers to a warehouse in China where the folder will take care of these samples and send them all to you.

That will save you a lot of bucks because suppliers won’t be sending you samples on their own, but you will send the samples to one place in China for a few dollars per factory.

Internal shipping in China is very cheap so it will definitely be cost-effective for you.

Speaking of warehouses in China, I have a recommendation for you.

I know somebody whose service I used for samples and it was really impressive. 

It is run by my friend Alexandr Khudiakov and its name is UnreaL China.

The company offers services for shipments and inspections for products and a lot of other things.

I've been working with them since 2017 so I have known Alexander for so long.

I have also met him in the past in Phuket.

Here's a pic of myself, Alexandr, and his son :)

Here is their Facebook page as well.

Let me tell you why it will be good.

First of all, it will save you money for each sample.

Let me give you a brief example of how much it can save you.

Let’s say, it's $40 first for each sample shipping, and if you send them separately from different factories, the expense would be around $200.

But, with Alexander, you can send all the products to him which will cost you about $5 for each sample in China so that's 5X5 = $25 bucks.

So, you basically saved a lot of money!

Another thing is when you order the sample from the factory, ask them if they charge for the sample or if they do it for free.

Sometimes you will meet with the suppliers who will tell you that you might get the money back for the samples after you place the final order with them.

That’s pretty much it about how to order samples.

To summarize, first of all, you have to do thorough product research to know which product will be the best for you.

After that, research all the suppliers, and boil down your research to three to five suppliers.

Establish your contact with all the suppliers and ask them for sampling details.

If it suits you, place your order for product samples via UnreaL China (or any other service that you might want to use).

If all goes well, I bet you will have a booming start to your business on Amazon!

I have a few more things to suggest to you at last. The first is testing the product, and by that, I mean testing the product exactly in the way that it needs to be used.

For example, if it is a meat-cutting knife, cut the meat with it so as to see if the product is worth it.

Other than that, see how the handle of the product is.

Is it too shiny?

Does your hand feel comfortable while holding it?

Is it a smooth handle or one with a rough surface?

The point is, you have to test the product in every possible way – scratch it, move it, and also smell it!

There have been times where the customers have been seen complaining about the weird smell coming out of the box so it is definitely not going to bode well for you.

Therefore, don’t forget to smell your product. Make sure you take all the necessary measures before extending your product to customers. 

Before ending today’s article, I want to tell you about the Done-for-you Testing service.

This service is also offered by Alexander’s company, UnreaL China.

This service is for those who want to avoid the trouble of ordering samples through different routes to their home country testing the product by themselves and then placing the final order.

Considering that it costs sellers a lot of time and money, companies offer done-for-you testing in which they test the product for the seller by themselves and provide their experience with the seller.

If the seller and companies are satisfied, the final order will be placed. 

So, that’s it for today. I wanted to write an article on this topic because I don’t see many people talk about this important aspect of doing business on Amazon.

Ordering samples and testing them is as important as selling your products.

I do hope I have explained the topic comprehensively.

If you think there is something amiss, you can always go back and watch my video on the best sample for Amazon FBA products.

You can explore more such interesting discussions on my blog, or start taking my Udemy courses if you want to learn the basics. 

Yours,

Vova :)