F.A.Q on The Provision of Samples from Manufacturers.

1. Why do we request samples?

We ask for samples of the products that you wish us to promote for the following reasons:
Our clients prefer to see the actual product rather than just a picture, as with the actual product the client can see the quality and value of a product before committing themselves to placing an order.  Clients will also want to see that the product is safe for them to sell onto their customers, and that it will pass any UK safety standards.
Clients will not purchase goods that could cause injury to their customers, resulting in law-suits against the client, our company and also the manufacturer. The manufacturer would be seen at most fault as they produced the goods.
All products must reach the regulated safety standards or have received a CE Certification.

Manufacturers currently with us are receiving orders because the clients have seen their actual products.

2. Does our company pay for samples?

We do not pay for samples under $200 value, as our company incurs a great deal of expenses in the promotion of any given product. We produce leaflets and data sheets for the clients, and we also take samples to the clients, to show them on a face-to-face basis. Our sales team travel to the clients, trade shows and exhibitions to gain the maximum exposure for the products, which costs a great deal more than the sample price.

We promote many different products, and if we had to pay for samples of every product, our company would not be able to keep running.

We ask manuacturers to understand that as we are working hard and spending a great deal to get orders for them, it is beneficial for them to provide samples. The manufacturers that we already work for, who have provided samples, are receiving orders regularly because of their cooperation in providing sales literature and samples to assist with the promotion.

3. What if a potential customer requests a sample to keep?

If a client requests a sample, they will be informed that it must be paid for. This can be done in 2 ways.
Either the client pays first for the sample, and when they place a full order the sample charges are deducted from that order.
Or the customer receives the sample free of charge first to see the quality, if they then place an order, the charge is added to the order. If the customer does not place an order, they will be asked to pay for the sample they received.

If the client has paid for a sample, and does not wish to keep the sample after seeing the product, and they are not placing an order, the manufacturer will be asked to reimburse the client the charges for the sample. Once the client receives their payment back, our company will return the sample to the manufacturer.

4. What about problems with clients requesting free samples just to get free products without ordering?

Because we ask clients to pay for samples, we do not usually encounter this problem. We do understand that many people, including companies ask for samples just to get something free for their own use. We also receive requests regularly for free samples of products we promote, but we make it clear to customers, that samples have to be paid for.

5. So if customers have to pay, why do we not pay for samples?

A customer is one person buying a product. As your contracted agent, we would be using the sample to show to many customers, not just one, all under our own expenses as mentioned in point 2. We do not keep samples for our own use, and we do not sell the samples for profit. All samples are used purely for the promotion of the products.

6. After the initital promotion, what do we do with samples?

Once the initial product introduction is completed the samples are kept currently on our premises for viewing from any new customers. We are in the process of opening a showroom where all samples and sales material will be on display for potential customers to view.

When a product is discontinued by a manufacturer, the samples we have are given to charitable organisations for either fund raising, or for the use of someone supported by a charity. To see the type of charities we help, click here.

We hope that this has made clear the reasons why we do not pay for samples under a certain amount. On larger items, we will negotiate with the manufacturer on our company paying either the sample price, but the manufacturer covers the freight, or we pay the freight but manufacturer provides sample under their own expenses. This only applies to large items over $200 product value.

If you have any further queries or enquiries, please email us at pwta.ltd@freeuk.com