How to Order a Backpack Sample Before a Bulk Run

Short answer: ask for the sample in the same message as your quote request, and name the exact style and version you plan to order. It leaves within 3 business days and is usually in your hands 7 to 10 days after you ask. Then use it for a few days the way your customers would, check six things, and only then confirm the bulk order.

A sample costs you two weeks. Skipping it can cost you a stockroom of bags you cannot sell. Below is how the sample stage works with us, what to put in the request, and what to look at when the bag arrives.

• 3 daysSample leaves, business days
• 7 to 10Days until it is in your hands
• 10 NovAsk by, 500+ or logo only
• 25 NovAsk by, up to 300 units

Why sample before a bulk order

Product photos show shape and colour. They do not show weight, how stiff the fabric feels, how the zips run or how the straps sit on a shoulder with a laptop inside. Those are the things your customers notice in the shop, and the things that bring bags back as returns.

A trade order is also harder to undo than a retail one. Our terms are for business buyers, so the consumer cooling-off period does not apply, and a logo order cannot be cancelled once production has started. The sample stage is the easiest point in the whole order to change your mind.

How long a sample takes

Ask on a Monday and the sample usually reaches you between Monday and Thursday of the following week. Give yourself a few days with the bag, not ten minutes on the desk. If you are ordering for a date, count backwards: two weeks for the sample, then the production time, then about 40 to 45 days by sea.

How to ask for a sample

The fastest requests are the specific ones. Put this in your message and you will not need a second round of emails:

1. The style and the version. Several styles come in more than one version. The MR9299, for example, comes standard, expandable, with YKK zips, with a raincover and with air compression. Sample the one you will actually order.
2. The colour, if the style comes in more than one.
3. How many you plan to order, so the quotation shows the right price rung.
4. The delivery address, with a company name, the person receiving it and a phone number.
5. Plain or with your logo, and if with your logo, your artwork file. The sample times on this page are for the standard bag. If you want to see your logo on a sample, say so and we will tell you what is possible and how long it takes.

Ask about the sample cost and the shipping in the same message. If you are comparing styles, list them all in one request.

What to check when it arrives

Pack the bag first with what your customers would carry: a laptop, a charger, a water bottle, a jumper. An empty bag always looks good.

Then the tests that only take a few minutes:

• Laptop fit. Put your own laptop in the compartment and close it. A sleeve that only just fits will be too tight for customers with a bigger laptop.
• Water resistance. Splash the front panel under a tap for a few seconds and check inside. Water-resistant fabric keeps out rain, not a soaking.
• Features. If the style has a USB port, a combination lock or an expanding section, use each one a few times.
• Wear it. An hour on your back tells you more about the straps and back panel than any spec sheet.

Write down what you find. If something is not right, tell us before you confirm. It is much easier to talk about a change at this stage than after 300 bags are made. Our quality control checklist covers what we check on the bulk order.

Samples for logo orders

With your logo, the minimum is 100 units with your logo next to ours, or 300 units with your logo only. Send the artwork with the sample request. Production does not start until the artwork is approved, and once it has started, a logo order cannot be cancelled.

So use the sample to settle the details before you approve the artwork: where the logo sits, how big it is, and which logo colour works on that fabric. The custom logo guide goes through the options.

From sample to bulk order

Once you are happy, confirm the order and keep the sample. It is your reference for the delivery. When the bulk order arrives, open a few cartons and compare the bags with it. Small differences in shade or stitching between batches are normal under our terms. Report any damage, defect or shortage within 48 hours of delivery, with photos.

If the bags are for spring 2027, the sample has to fit in before Chinese New Year:

The full dates are in our Chinese New Year 2027 guide.

Three styles to compare first

MR9299from $19.50MR9103from $26.50MR2958from $42.00

Prices are the starting prices on each product page and drop with volume: 4% from 100 units, 7% from 300 and 12% from 500. See every style in the business backpacks and travel backpacks collections.

The short version

Ask for the sample with your quote request and name the exact version you plan to order. It leaves within 3 business days and is usually with you in 7 to 10. Load it, wear it and check the zips, handle, fabric, pockets, stitching and straps before you confirm. For a spring 2027 order, ask by 10 November for 500 units or more or your logo only, and by 25 November for orders up to 300 units. Between 301 and 499 units, ask as early as you can and the quotation gives the dates. Ask for a sample and a quote today.

FAQ

Related: Quality control checklist · DDP vs EXW: who pays what · Chinese New Year 2027 deadlines