Mobility
One unit, end to end: what a sample order actually involves
A single chair is a poor use of a container and a very good use of a decision. Here is the sequence, and the four points where first-time buyers lose time.
Our minimum is one unit for a stock configuration. That is low enough that most buyers start with a sample — and most of the friction in a sample order comes from expectations set wrong at the start, not from the factory.
The sequence
- Specify. Model, battery capacity, colour, accessories. The more you fix now, the fewer questions later.
- Quote. EXW or FOB, with the carton dimensions and gross weight stated per unit. If freight is not quoted, ask for it separately.
- Pay. Terms are stated on the quotation; a sample order is normally settled before production.
- Produce. Stock configuration versus customised matters here — a crystal sticker logo does not change the schedule the way a powder coat does.
- Ship. One chair usually goes by air or courier, not by sea. That means the battery becomes the constraint.
- Clear. Commercial invoice, packing list, and the battery documents.
- Assess. Ride it, fold it, weigh it, and check it against the specification sheet.
The four places first-time buyers lose time
- The battery. A single chair shipped by air needs UN38.3 and an MSDS, and the airline assesses the pack. A 20 Ah (480 Wh) pack is a harder shipment than a 12 Ah (288 Wh) one. If the sample is for evaluation rather than resale, specify the smaller pack.
- Incoterm confusion. EXW means you arrange everything from our door. FOB means we get it to the port. The gap is not just cost — it is who is responsible when something goes wrong at the terminal.
- Address and consignee. A sample shipped to a residential address, cleared as a commercial import, will sit in customs while someone explains it.
- Expecting container economics on one unit. One chair by air can cost a large fraction of the chair's value. That is the price of a decision, not the price of the product.
Use the sample to answer the questions a brochure cannot: does the fold work one-handed, does the controller feel right, does the upholstery survive a week of real use, and does the carton arrive intact. Those four answers decide whether you place a container order.
What to have ready before you ask for a quote
Destination country, expected annual volume, sales channel, and whether you intend to private-label. Those four lines turn a price list into a quotation — and they are the same four lines that decide which of our six models you should be looking at in the first place.