A wooden toy order is really two purchases. The first is a sample: one unit that exists so you can hold the product, check the finish, work the mechanism and show it to your buyer or your marketing team. The second is the production run. Most of the disputes we see three months later trace back to something that was never settled at the sample stage - a colour that was "close enough", a joint that was hand-fitted for the photo, or a retail box that was designed after the toy had already been approved.
This guide sets out how sampling works on our side: the two kinds of sample, what the fee actually pays for, how long each step takes, and what to inspect on the day the parcel arrives.
Two different sample requests
"Can I have a sample?" means one of two very different jobs, with different lead times and different costs.
| Catalogue sample | Custom or OEM sample | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | An item already in our range, made to its standard specification | A new item, or an existing item changed in size, material, colour, finish, mechanism or packaging |
| What must happen first | Nothing. The drawings, jigs and paint colours already exist | Drawing review, a feasibility comment, a costed quote and your approval to proceed |
| Typical dispatch | Usually within 48 hours for items shown on this site | Around 10 days, longer where a new mould, a paint match or printed packaging is involved |
| What arrives | A production-representative unit | A pre-production sample of the actual product, in the actual material, colour and packaging |
| Best used for | Judging quality, finish and scale before committing to a range | Approving the item that production will be measured against |
What the sample fee pays for
A sample fee is not a markup on the toy. It pays for work that exists only because the order is a single unit.
| Item | Why it only appears at sample stage |
|---|---|
| Drawing and specification work | Someone has to turn a sketch or a reference photo into dimensions, tolerances and a bill of materials before anything is cut |
| Jigs, templates and tooling | Shapes and profiles that will later be run on a jig are, at sample stage, set up for one piece |
| Material in small quantity | Timber, hardware and paint are bought in sample quantities, not at the price a tonne of beech carries on a production order |
| Hand work | Cutting, sanding in two or three passes and assembling one unit takes an experienced worker far longer per piece than a line does |
| Colour matching | Matching a Pantone reference or a physical colour sample costs time and test pieces |
| Packaging mock-up | A printed box or a bag and header card for one unit is a very short print run, which is the most expensive way to print anything |
| Courier | A single parcel to your door, sometimes with duties paid, is not a container freight rate |
Why two quotes for the same sample can differ
It is normal to ask two or three factories for a sample price and get numbers that look nothing like each other. In our experience the gap is almost always scope rather than margin. Before comparing, check that each quote covers the same list:
- The whole product. A ride-on toy with a steering mechanism, a jointed figure or a working latch is a much bigger sample job than the same outline with a fixed part.
- Finishing. A sanded, unfinished sample and one painted or waxed to a colour reference are two different jobs.
- Branding on the product. Printed, laser-engraved and left blank are three different prices.
- Packaging. A plain carton, a printed carton and a retail-ready box with an insert sit at very different costs.
- Delivery terms. Ask whether the quote is ex-works, FOB or delivered to your address.
- Revisions. Ask how many rounds of comments are included.
- Credit against production. Ask whether the fee comes back off the bulk order, and at what quantity.
Send the same checklist to every supplier and the numbers usually converge to within a small range. Where they still differ, one of the quotes is leaving something out.
From drawing to approved sample
| Stage | Typical time | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Feasibility and quotation | 1 to 2 days | We read the drawing, flag anything that will not hold a tolerance or survive a safety test, and send a costed quote with the sample fee as a separate line |
| Specification confirmed | 1 to 2 days | Material, paint reference, hardware, packaging and the point at which you want to comment are agreed in writing |
| Sampling | about 10 days | The sample is made in the workshop: cutting, sanding in two to three passes, finishing and assembly |
| Internal check | 1 day | We measure the sample against the drawing and send photographs before it ships, so the parcel holds no surprises |
| Courier | 3 to 7 days | Air express on most sample shipments, with tracking |
| Your review | your call | Approve in writing, or return comments for one revision round |
In practice a custom item runs about three to four weeks from drawing to a sample in your hands, roughly ten days of it in our workshop. Production then starts against the approved sample, on a typical cycle of around 30 days after order confirmation, subject to complexity, material and quantity.
What to inspect when the sample arrives
Photographs hide exactly the things that cause arguments later. Ten minutes with the sample and a ruler settles most of them.
| Check | What goes wrong if it is skipped |
|---|---|
| Dimensions against the drawing | A few millimetres is nothing on one toy and fatal on a stacking set or a set of trays |
| Material and grain direction | Grain running the wrong way on a thin part is a breakage waiting to happen |
| Edges and surface | Run a finger along every edge, inside every hole and along every groove. A sample that has been hand-sanded twice can hide a finishing step that has to be built into the production standard |
| Colour, in daylight | Check against the reference under a window, not under a desk lamp or on a phone screen |
| Moving parts, worked hard | Open and close wheels, latches and joints 20 to 30 times. The first five movements are not a test |
| Small parts and age grading | If the item is for children under three, look at every eye, knob and peg, and at the size of the parts the toy can come apart into |
| Hardware and joints | Screws sitting proud, glue lines on a visible face, dowels not flush with the surface |
| Markings | The CE mark, the age warning, the importer name and address, the batch code and the barcode have to appear on the product or its packaging, and the sample is the cheapest place to discover a missing field |
| Packaging fit | Does the toy move inside the box, and does the box close without being forced |
| Smell and finish inside closed areas | Paint or oil smell that lingers, or finish pooling inside a drilled hole, is easier to catch now than in a container |
The sample is not the production run
An approved sample is a specification, not a guarantee that every unit will be identical to it. Samples are often made in small batches with more hand fitting; the production run uses jigs, a line and material from a new bundle. Three simple things close that gap:
- A signed approval sample, kept by both sides. One unit is marked, dated and kept as the reference, and you hold the same specification.
- The comments written down. Measurements, colour reference and photographs attached to the approval, rather than agreed on a call.
- An agreed inspection standard before production. The sampling plan is agreed up front, with the option of a third-party inspection before the goods ship.
What counts as a revision, and what counts as a defect
These two are often mixed together, and they are priced differently.
- A defect is a part that does not match the approved drawing: a wrong dimension, a colour that misses the reference, a joint that is loose straight out of the box. That is our problem, and it is remade at our cost.
- A change is a new decision: a different colour, a larger size, an extra feature, a different box. That is a new sample, and it is quoted again.
One round of comments against the agreed specification is normal and is included in how we quote the work. Three rounds usually means the specification was not finished before sampling started, and it costs everyone time. Bringing the packaging and branding decisions into the first sample removes the most common reason for a second one.
How the sample fee is credited
Our own terms, so you can quote them back to us: samples are charged per item. For items already shown on this site, samples are generally available and are usually dispatched within 48 hours. For custom and OEM/ODM development, allow about 10 days. The sample fee is deducted from the bulk order once the order quantity for that item reaches 1,000 pieces. If you need the credit to start at a lower volume, say so when you ask for the quotation and we will confirm what is workable for that item - it is a much easier conversation before the order than after it.
Questions we are asked about samples
How much does a wooden toy sample cost?
There is no single figure, because sampling a plain sanded shape and sampling a painted, jointed item with a printed box are two different jobs. Send the drawing, sketch or reference photo together with your target quantity, and the sample is quoted as its own line item, separate from the production price, so you can see exactly what you are paying for.
How many revisions are included?
One round of comments against the written specification is normal. Further changes to the design - a different colour, size, feature or packaging - are quoted as a new sample, because the work starts again from the changed parts.
Can we approve the sample from photographs or a video call?
For a catalogue item, photographs are often enough to say yes. For a custom item we recommend the physical sample, because weight, edge feel and paint gloss do not survive a screen. Where speed matters more than the courier, a video call with the sample in hand covers most of the checklist above.
Does the sample come with test reports?
A test report is issued for the item that was tested, so reports are normally raised against the production sample or from the shipment rather than the development sample. Some buyers test the development sample early to get an indication before committing to the order; it is worth treating that result as an early signal rather than the document your market will ask for.
Sampling sits in the middle of the process that turns a drawing into a shipment: the stages either side are set out in the wooden toy manufacturing process and in wooden toy lead times. The order volume that the sample fee is credited against is explained in wooden toy MOQ, and the criteria buyers usually measure a factory against are in how to choose a reliable wooden toy manufacturer. If you already have a drawing or a reference photo, send it through our OEM wooden toys page with your target quantity and market, and you will get a costed proposal with the sample priced separately.
The approved sample is the reference a pre-shipment inspection measures against, and where that check runs out is worth knowing before the order is placed.
What the sample is for is different on each route: OEM against ODM for a branded development, crowdfunding where the prototype decides the campaign, and brand orders where the approved sample becomes the production reference.
What a sample commits you to on price is worked through in what drives the price of a wooden toy.