Why a sample matters
A sample answers questions that a description cannot. It shows how a logo sits on a crown, how a colour reads in daylight, how a closure fits, and how a surface feels. Those are the details that most often cause a dispute after delivery, and a sample moves the discovery of any problem from after delivery to before production, when it is cheap to fix.
A sample is most valuable for a first order, a new artwork, a new colour combination, a new surface or a new style. For a repeat order of an unchanged design, a sample may be unnecessary, and the buyer and maker can agree that in the inquiry. Either way, the decision should be explicit rather than assumed.
What to ask about samples
Please confirm the sample arrangement and any sample fee rule in your inquiry. The source material mentions a sample fee arrangement in platform wording, but this site does not state it as a current term, because the wording is a platform introduction rather than a confirmed order term. Ask for the arrangement that applies to your order, and get it in writing.
Also ask what the sample will show: the actual design, the actual colours, the actual closure and the actual packaging, or only some of those. A sample that shows the design but not the colours, or the colours but not the packaging, leaves part of the order unchecked. Naming the checked points in the inquiry avoids that gap.
What to check on the sample
Check the logo for position, size, colour and legibility. Check the colours in daylight as well as indoors. Check the fit on the intended wearers, or at least on a representative range. Check the label wording and the packaging, if those were part of the brief. Note every difference from the brief, however small, and raise it in writing before approving production.
If a sample needs a change, confirm the change and ask whether a second sample is needed. A second sample costs time, but it costs less than a full batch made to an unapproved design. The sample stage is the last cheap stage in a cap order; every stage after it is more expensive to correct.