Every lighting import begins with the same moment of trust: you are about to pay for a product you have not held. Our sample policy is written to remove the guesswork from that moment — how much a sample costs, when the fee is credited back to your order, what happens if the sample is not right, and how to request one without weeks of email ping-pong. Below is the full policy in plain English, the same terms we put on every quotation.
Sampling Runs on the Same Line as Your Order
Staylighting has operated its own lighting workshop in Guzhen, Zhongshan — China’s lighting manufacturing hub — since 2014. Five production lines and more than 200 production staff handle cutting, forming, wiring and finishing, and every piece is assembled, tested and packed here before it ships. Pieces from these lines have gone into more than 200 completed installation projects across hotels, restaurants and commercial interiors in 11 countries.
Because sampling happens on the same lines, with the same tooling and the same finishers, a sample is not a marketing mock-up. For a custom design, the sample is a pre-production piece made from your drawings with the materials and finishing steps you chose. For a catalogue design, the sample comes from a current production batch, so what you evaluate is what a production run will deliver. When materials or components come from a long-term partner supplier, we say so on the quotation rather than implying that every step happens inside a single building.
This is why we encourage buyers to judge us on a sample rather than on photographs alone. If you want the full picture of how the workshop is organised before you ask for one, our factory overview walks through the layout and the quality checks behind each line.
What a Sample Costs
Sample pricing is quoted per piece, and it depends on three things: the model or drawing, the materials and finishing you specify, and whether the piece already exists as a production item. The price is written as a separate line on your proforma invoice — never hidden inside a bulk price.
What the sample price covers: the materials consumed, machining and labour, the same quality-control checks that bulk pieces receive, and export packing. What it does not cover: international freight and any duties at your end. For a sample shipment you can use your own courier account, or we arrange a courier and invoice the freight at cost.
That separation is part of our wider approach to transparent pricing: the price you approve is the price you pay, with each element — product, quality control, export packing, freight — itemised, and nothing added later that was not on the page. Because every model and finish combination differs, we quote rather than publish a blanket price list.
When the Sample Fee Is Credited
The sample fee is not a surcharge; it is a credit that returns to you. When you place a production order for the same model and that order reaches the product’s MOQ, we deduct the sample fee from your first invoice. The credit is written into the quotation and the proforma invoice together with its validity period, so there is no ambiguity at settlement time.
The credit is attached to the model you sampled, because the sample is proof of that exact product. If you later order the same design again — including through our trade program for repeat hospitality and contract projects — the credit still applies.
If you do not place a production order, the fee is not refunded: the sample is a made-to-measure or low-volume piece that covers its own production cost. You keep it, and you keep the measurements and finish record, which makes re-quoting later considerably faster.
If a Sample Is Damaged or Not What You Specified
Two situations deserve a clear answer. If the sample arrives damaged, keep the original packaging and send photographs; we reproduce or repair the piece, and if the damage happened in transit we support the claim against the carrier with the shipping documentation. If the sample does not match the agreed specification — a finish, dimension or control detail that differs from your approved drawing — tell us before you alter anything, and we rework or remake it at our cost.
A sample that matches the approved drawing but does not suit the site the way you hoped is not a defect. That is exactly why a sample exists: to test scale, finish and light output in the real space before you commit to a production quantity. If you are evaluating a catalogue design such as this custom crystal chandelier, a sample of the actual piece tells you more than any photograph.
Two related assurances come in writing on the same invoice. Production orders carry a warranty that is confirmed per product and configuration and can extend up to 24 months. If your destination market requires formal certification — CE, UL, CCC, RoHS or UKCA — it is arranged per order and destination market and quoted as a separate line item, exactly like the sample fee.
How to Request a Sample: Four Steps
1. Send your brief. A drawing, a photograph or a link to the product page is enough. Include your planned order quantity and destination market, because both affect the voltage, finish and certification we prepare for.
2. Receive a written quotation. You get the sample price, the sample lead time, the freight options and the credit terms on one proforma invoice. If the design is new to us, we confirm the construction and finish details with you before quoting.
3. Confirm and pay. The sample fee is settled before sampling begins, under the payment terms stated on the invoice. This is standard practice and keeps the sample price equal for every buyer, large or small.
4. Approve before production. When the sample is ready, we send photographs for your first review. Production of the bulk order begins only after you approve the sample, and the production lead time is counted from that approval.
Samples are usually requested for one of three reasons: to judge a finish, to test a mechanism, or to approve a drawing. A custom crystal chandelier is the drawing case, a blown-glass project chandelier the finish case, and an oval alabaster bedside sconce the case where one small, inexpensive sample settles an entire guestroom specification.
Sample Policy FAQ
How much does a lighting sample cost?
The price is quoted per piece from your drawing or the catalogue model, and it covers materials, labour, quality control and export packing. International freight is charged separately at cost. The figure is written as its own line on the proforma invoice, so you never have to reverse-engineer it from a bulk price.
Is the sample fee refundable?
If you place a production order for the same model and the order reaches that product’s MOQ, the fee is credited against your first invoice within the validity period stated on the quotation. If no production order follows, the fee covers the cost of making the sample, and you keep the piece.
Can I use my own courier for the sample?
Yes. You can ship with your own account, or we arrange a courier and invoice the freight at cost. Either way the sample price stays the same.
What happens if the sample is damaged in transit?
Keep the packaging, send photographs, and we reproduce or repair the piece. If the carrier caused the damage, we support your claim with the shipping documentation.
How long does a sample take?
Sample lead time depends on the design — a catalogue piece is faster than a custom build from drawings. The lead time is stated on your quotation, and the production lead time for the bulk order is counted from the day you approve the sample.
If you are ready to test a factory properly, start with a sample request. Send our team a drawing or a link to a product page, and you will receive a written quotation with the price, lead time and credit terms spelled out.