Budget for at least three, a rough first sample to check the concept works, a refined second sample that fixes the obvious misses, and a pre-production (PP) sample that should be near-identical to what ships. If you're still rejecting samples after round four, the problem is usually your spec sheet, not the factory. Pay for every sample; free samples train you to accept mediocre ones.
3 resources, 1 India-specific, 3 link-checked.
Makes the direct case for treating the pre-production sample as your last checkpoint before a batch you can't easily undo.
From ninghowapparel.com by Ninghow Apparel
An Indian export house's ground-level account of how many sample rounds are normal and what each one is actually checking for.
From kbexports.com by KB Exports
The clearest explanation of why a physical, signed sample, not a spec sheet, is the real definition of 'correct' once production starts.
From insight-quality.com by Insight Quality
The same ground, over in Build the product, our Starting Up track.
