You pay $180 for samples. The salesperson says “we will deduct it from the first bulk PO.” The bulk PI arrives three months later with a clean unit price and no credit line. You ask. They say the sample was a separate sale, or the person who promised it has left, or the deduction only applies above a higher MOQ you never heard of.
This piece is how to write the sample fee so it actually comes off the invoice — or so you stop expecting it to.
1. Treat the sample as its own small contract
A sample order is money, freight, and a spec. Write it down even if it is one page:
- what you are buying (model, color, material, whether it is a working unit or a look-alike)
- sample price and who pays freight
- whether that price is deductible, and against which future PO
- an expiry: deductible only if the bulk order is placed by date X, for quantity not less than Y
Without the expiry and the minimum, “deduct from first order” means whatever is convenient when they quote the bulk.
2. Put the credit on the bulk PI, not only in chat
When the bulk PI is issued, it should show a line: sample fee paid on [date / sample PI number], credit $X against this invoice. If that line is missing, the bulk PI is a new deal. Do not rely on the old WeChat promise once a new stamped page exists.
If you place bulk with a different legal entity than the one that sold the sample — a sister trading company, a factory instead of the agent — say whether the credit still travels. Often it does not, unless both names are on the sample paper.
3. Freight on samples is usually gone
Even when the unit sample fee is deductible, courier cost is commonly not. Write that split: product charge credited, shipping not credited — or both credited, if they agreed. Ambiguity here is how a $180 sample becomes a $40 credit after they subtract DHL.
4. A free sample is not a free spec
If they waive the sample fee, still write what the sample represents: production-intent materials or a mock-up. A complimentary unit made from leftover resin is a poor golden sample. Deduction language does not fix that. Sign the sample you will inspect against, separately.
The bottom line
A sample fee comes off the bulk invoice only if the sample paper says so, the bulk PI repeats the credit, and the names, dates, and minimum quantity match. “We’ll deduct it later” is not a term.
If you need the sample-fee and bulk-credit wording written in English and Chinese, I can prepare the clause and issue a stamped set under our bilingual translation company seal when you need one. See what this covers.
Sample and credit terms depend on the documents you actually sign. This article is general sourcing guidance, not legal advice.