You buy the zippered tool pouch you liked at Canton Fair and put it in your suitcase. Back home, your technical colleague plans to cut it open to examine the lining. The factory says it will make the order "like the sample", but the piece you bought was the one its salesperson had been showing. Before anyone destroys it, agree which physical reference the factory and eventual inspector will use.

The purchase and sample records below are fictional illustrations, not customer transactions or a mandatory inspection standard. This article is general information, not legal, tax or investment advice. Preserving a reference does not guarantee product quality or establish all requirements for your destination.

Record the booth piece before approving it

Give the pouch a buyer-assigned identifier and record where you obtained it, its condition and the seller's description. Photograph the whole piece and the features you want to compare later. Include any wear from display or differences from the proposed production version.

The purchase establishes that you acquired this item. Your buyer must still decide whether to approve it for a defined purpose. The sample-order guide covers paying for a sample and keeping that purchase separate from production approval.

For the pouch, your colleague might accept the visible stitching and handle construction while requiring a different lining and printed label. Record those exceptions before the seller makes another sample. Otherwise, one person may approve the appearance while another treats the same approval as permission to reproduce the entire object.

Decide which features the physical reference controls

Identify the traits your team will compare with the pouch, and put the other requirements into a specification or agreed test method. An inspector cannot examine the lining or handle the zipper in a photograph. Holding the pouch will not establish a material's chemical properties or prove a required performance test passed.

Harris Sliwoski's manufacturing-contract commentary recommends measurable standards, identified specifications and a physical golden sample held by the buyer.71 This is practitioner guidance, not a universal legal requirement. Use it to discuss the evidence your purchase needs rather than assuming "golden sample" is a recognised approval status on its own.

If the physical piece, drawing and written specification differ, agree which requirement controls each feature and how to resolve a conflict. Your technical reviewer should assess the method. Agree that the new label artwork controls even if the retained display pouch has an old label.

Match the copies before people take them away

Give the buyer, factory and inspector access to the reference copies they need. Agree the number of copies and any seals for your product and checks.

Ask the factory to supply proposed reference copies and compare them against the approved piece using the agreed criteria. Identify each copy and record any accepted differences. Two pouches with the same model number may still have different lining, stitching or labels. Have the buyer and supplier acknowledge the copies they intend to use rather than treating the factory's "same sample" message as a completed comparison.

If the booth piece does not represent the revised product, request a new approval sample. Preserve the old piece's history and mark its role as superseded or limited. Letting the factory substitute a reference during production without approval leaves the inspector comparing against a different object.

Put a named person in charge of each reference

For the fictional pouches, a short custody record could say:

  • Buyer sample P-A stays with the technical colleague at the buyer's office; it is the retained appearance reference.
  • Factory copy P-B stays with the named QC contact at the agreed site; the parties record its comparison with P-A and any accepted differences.
  • Test sample P-T goes to the testing colleague for cutting; its results and photographs stay linked to its identifier.
  • The buyer records the reference supplied to the inspector, the handover date and the inspector's receipt and condition check.

Include the specification revision, approval date and permission for testing or transfer alongside these illustrative identifiers. Agree how the custodian reports loss or damage, who approves a replacement and how people distinguish a replacement from the former reference.

Arrange access before booking the inspection

Ask the inspection contractor whether it needs the physical sample, where to send it and how much notice it requires. QIMA's sample-management page describes receiving samples for reference and comparison.67 That shows one provider's arrangement; it does not establish the terms, storage period or availability of the contractor you hire.

Agree shipping, custody, return or disposal with that contractor. Have it acknowledge the correct identifier and condition. If the factory will present its own copy during inspection, confirm the inspector can identify it and access the approved specifications and comparison records. Note any limitation if the intended reference is unavailable rather than letting the factory choose an unrecorded replacement.

The factory payment-plan guide explains connecting sample references to acceptance criteria. Give the inspector the accepted reference package before its visit, so your buyer can assess the report against the same requirements.

Preserve a reference before the destructive test

For the pouch, cutting the only retained piece would remove the object you wanted for later comparison. Agree the test-piece arrangement first. If testing damages a reference, record what changed and obtain approval of a suitable replacement before using it for comparisons that the damage affects. Photographs cannot reproduce all physical properties.

After inspection, use the inspection-release guide for the separate payment decision. Use pay an invoice to ask A2vanta about an approved supplier payment before funding. Payment handling does not store your sample, appoint an inspector or certify that production matches the reference.

Sources

[67] https://www.qima.com/consumer-products/sample-management: Sample Management | QIMA [71] https://harris-sliwoski.com/chinalawblog/china-manufacturing-contracts-when-one-agreement-is-not-enough: Harris Sliwoski: China Manufacturing Contracts: When One Agreement Is Not Enough