Sample Policy: Free Mockup, Physical Sample in 5–7 Days, Credited on Bulk

The sample policy in one table

ZipaSports separates sampling into three stages so that nobody pays for something they do not need. The digital mockup is free for everyone and arrives within 24 hours. The physical sample is optional, takes 5–7 days, is charged at sample cost, and that cost is credited against the bulk order when you proceed. The pre-production check happens inside every bulk order at no charge.

Minimum order for bulk is 20–25 pieces per design, lower on request, with no MOQ limit for sportswear brands and companies. A sample is a single piece and sits outside the MOQ.

Do clothing manufacturers charge for samples? Why ours is charged at cost and credited back

Most cut-and-sew factories charge for physical samples, and ZipaSports does too, at sample cost. The reason is practical: a sample is a one-off garment that goes through every step a bulk garment does. A pattern is drafted or graded, fabric is cut for a single piece, the print is set up and run on the calender or flatbed press for one garment, and a sewing line is interrupted to stitch it. None of that scales down to zero for one piece.

What we do not do is treat the sample as revenue. The amount you pay for the sample is credited against the bulk order for that design, so a buyer who proceeds effectively gets the sample for nothing. A buyer who does not proceed has paid for a finished garment they keep, with no further obligation.

The digital stage is different. Mockups are drawn in-house on the garment template and cost us studio time only, so they are free, with unlimited revisions before approval. Nobody is asked to pay for a physical sample until the mockup is settled. Payment terms and a full quotation, including the sample cost for your garment, are confirmed with your enquiry.

What a physical sample proves, and what it cannot

A sample proves four things a screen cannot: how the fabric feels and drapes at the chosen GSM, how the print sits on real cloth, how the seams are constructed, and how the garment fits a real body against the size chart. Buyers deciding between polyester interlock at 140–180 GSM and a mesh at the same weight, or between cotton-polyester fleece at 280–350 GSM and a lighter performance fleece, settle it in a minute with the garment in hand.

It also proves the decoration. Sublimated colour is matched to your Pantone reference, but a sample lets you check it against your existing kit under daylight rather than under a monitor. Embroidered crests show their stitch density and thread sheen. Tackle twill lettering shows its edge finish. Labels, size tags and hang tags are fitted where they will be in bulk.

What a single sample cannot prove is dye-lot consistency across a bulk run, because the bulk fabric is a different roll; minor shade tolerance between lots is normal and is checked at fabric intake. It cannot prove that your size breakdown is right for your players, only that the chart measures as specified. And it cannot stand in for the size sheet, names list and written approval that actually start production.

Which sample type do you need?

A physical sample is not one thing. The 5–7 day sample can be a finished piece, a fit sample in one size, a small size set, or a fabric and print strike-off. Ask for the type that answers your question; do not pay for more.

A club ordering sublimated match kit for one squad usually needs only the first row. A brand launching leggings at 240–300 GSM with its own labels usually needs the second and third.

When to sample, and when to go straight to bulk from the mockup

Go straight to bulk when the garment is a standard cut from the ZipaSports catalogue, the decoration is sublimation, the fabric is one of the published options, and the buyer has worn something similar before. That describes most club, academy and gym orders, and it saves the 5–7 days of sampling plus 5–10 days of courier time. The mockup, the size chart and the pre-production check cover the risk.

Sample first when any of the following is true:

• The garment carries your own brand and will be sold at retail, so fit and hand are commercial decisions.
• The pattern is new or modified: a custom neckline, a longer hem, a women's cut you have not tested.
• The fabric is heavy or structural: pearl weave gi at 350–550 GSM, satin boxing shorts, 600D bags.
• The decoration is embroidery, tackle twill, rhinestone or puff, where thread, twill and stone finish matter.
• You are grading youth to adult for the first time and want to check the size step.
• The order is large enough that a wrong decision would be costly to correct.

Distributors and kit suppliers often sample once per style, then reorder from the approved reference for every club they serve. The startup brands page explains the sampling route for a first collection.

Timeline and courier shipping for samples

Samples leave the Sialkot factory by DHL, FedEx or UPS with tracking and arrive in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, Europe and the GCC in 5–10 days. A sample is shipped to one address; if two people need to see it, we recommend a video call while it is unboxed rather than forwarding it, which costs days. Import duty or tax on a sample, where the destination charges it, is payable by the receiver unless the quotation states otherwise.

The full sequence with a sample looks like this:

1. Brief received; free digital mockup within 24 hours; unlimited revisions until approved.
2. Sample made in 5–7 days from the approved mockup.
3. Courier 5–10 days to you.
4. You check the sample and confirm in writing, or request a change.
5. Bulk production 15–25 business days after approval, or 7–12 days on express at additional cost.
6. Bulk shipped by courier in 5–10 days, or sea freight in 3–6 weeks for large orders.

Without a sample, steps 2 to 4 disappear. The turnaround times page works the totals for both routes, and how it works shows what happens at each step inside the factory.

How to check a sample when it arrives

Check the sample the way our QC team will check the bulk: against the approved mockup and the size chart, in one sitting, with notes in a single message. The order below catches problems in the sequence that matters.

1. Measure it. Lay it flat and compare chest, length, sleeve and hem against the size chart. Tolerance is ±1–1.5 cm; anything outside is reported.
2. Check the print. Hold colours against your Pantone reference or existing kit in daylight; check crest position, sponsor size, number height and any text for spelling.
3. Inspect the seams. Turn it inside out; look for open seams, skipped stitches, loose trims; confirm flatlock where flatlock was specified.
4. Wash it. One wash at the care-label temperature tells you about shade, shrinkage and print behaviour more than any description will.
5. Wear it. The person who will use it should move in it.
6. Check the labels. Neck label, size tag, care label and hang tag as specified.

A change to colour, placement or wording is revised on the file and does not need a new sample. A change to fabric, pattern or construction does, on the same 5–7 day basis. Once you confirm in writing, the sample is the reference.

The approved sample is the reference standard for QC and reorders

When you approve a sample, a counterpart is retained at the factory as the reference standard for that design. Fabric intake, the print check, in-line stitching checks and the measurement check on the bulk order are all made against it, with the approved mockup and size chart. A garment that departs from the reference is reworked or remade before it ships.

The same reference is used for reorders. A club topping up for new signings, an academy reordering next season, or a brand placing its third run gets garments made to the retained sample, the Pantone references on file and the locked size chart. Send the order reference and the new size breakdown; no new sample is needed unless the design changes.

Quality Guarantee: if any garment arrives with a manufacturing defect, we remake it free of charge — the remake goes into production within 3 days of your report. Bulk that does not match the approved sample or mockup in print, stitching, size, garment or quantity is a manufacturing defect under that guarantee. Report with photos and your order reference within 7 days of delivery. Made-to-order pieces carry your own design and labels and cannot be returned for change of mind, which is why the sample stage exists. See the Quality Guarantee and quality control for the full checkpoints.