While POD allows for greater flexibility and lower upfront costs than traditional manufacturing, it also comes with some challenges. One of the biggest challenges is ensuring the quality of the products and the printing process. This is where requesting free samples can help.
Why Request Free Samples?
There are several reasons why you should consider requesting free samples from your supplier before placing a large order:
- Quality Control: By receiving and reviewing samples, you can ensure that the products and printing meet your standards and expectations. This is especially important if you are new to POD or have never worked with Printful before.
- Product Testing: You can also use the samples to test the durability, fit, and overall feel of the products. This will allow you to make any necessary adjustments to your designs or 3. product offerings before launching your store.
- Customer Satisfaction: Providing high-quality products to your customers is crucial for building a strong brand and repeat business. By ensuring the quality of the products, you can avoid negative reviews and returns.
How to Request Free Samples from Printful
It's important to note that not all print on demand suppliers offer free samples. In fact, very few do. However, Printful is one of the few suppliers that offers this service, making it a popular choice for entrepreneurs and creators looking for high-quality and reliable POD products. For the sake of explaining the process, we will use Printful as our example supplier.
Printful's sample program allows ecommerce store owners to order products with a 20% discount. Sample orders let you test the quality of Printful products and see how your designs look in real life.
Your monthly sample order limit grows with your store:
Each registered Printful customer qualifies for 1 sample order each month, with a maximum of 3 items per order. If your monthly accumulated sales reach $300 or more, you’ll get promoted for a maximum of 5 items per sample order in the following month. Note that sample orders are available for ecommerce store owners only. Sample orders reset on the 1st day of every month.
You get an additional sample order when your monthly accumulated sales reach the following thresholds: $100, $300, $500, or $1,500. The maximum number of monthly sample orders per customer is 5 orders. Your monthly accumulated sales are calculated with this formula: Total order sum − discounts − shipping − tax/VAT + digitization + Printful services (warehousing, design, photo, video, store setup, etc.)
If you reach $100+ in monthly accumulated sales, you’ll also get free digitization for your sample orders during the next month. Your sample program will be reset to the order/item maximum according to your last month’s accumulated sales. You can view your current monthly sample allowance and a forecast for next month in the Discounts section in your Printful Dashboard.
Complete the checkout process and wait for your samples to arrive. It usually takes 5-10 business days for samples to arrive, depending on your location.
Once you receive the samples, inspect them closely and test them out. If you are satisfied with the quality, you can place your order with confidence.
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