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How to Buy from China

Step 10The Rules: Sampling

The idea of a sample is that you want to check the quality and suitability of the item before ordering a truckload.

Since the FEDEX charge to ship you anything is at minimum $50, the company of your desire is happy to send you free samples of anything inexpensive. Typically you can get up to about $20 of products for free without any problem.

If the item you want 1 or 2 of is pricey - lets say its an electric car - you will have to pay for it, but you can buy just 1 as a sample unit. Often there will be a surcharge for this low volume sample order. But so what? 10% surcharge on top of a $300 electric car is still a ripping deal.

For particularly cheap items you can often get 5 or 10 of them. But you won't be able to get a quantity that doesn't make sense for a quality check. So - you aren't going to get 100 of the same LED, because nobody needs 100 of it to decide if they want to buy more. they might need 5.

For anything more expensive than $20 or so, you will need to buy it.
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Author:dan(MonkeyLectric)
Dan Goldwater is a co-founder of Instructables. Currently he operates MonkeyLectric where he develops revolutionary bike lighting products. He also writes a DIY column for Momentum magazine.