Neither, automatically — the deciding factor is who changed the requirement. If the band on your first sample is thinner than the thickness stated on the drawing or CAD you approved, that is a factory-fault re-sample: the factory built off-spec, and a fair sample policy puts the redo — usually including express freight — on the factory. If you looked at the sample and decided you want a heavier band after all, that is a buyer-change re-sample, and most factories charge for it because it means a new wax, a new casting and new setting work. There is no industry-wide rule that one or two physical rounds are free; the number, if any, lives in your PO. On our published terms, revisions before metal is cut are free, and the sample fee is credited against your first bulk order.
My Sample’s Band Came Back Too Thin — Is That the Factory’s Fault or My Change of Mind?
Diagnose it before anyone talks about money, because “who pays” hides in one question: what did the approved document say the band should be? Pull the drawing the factory worked from and look for two callouts: band thickness and shank width; then put a caliper on the sample at the points it names. If the drawing states 1.8 mm and the sample measures 1.4 mm, you are holding an off-spec piece — the factory deviated from the approved document. If the drawing never stated a thickness, you have an ambiguous specification: the factory built something reasonable, you wanted heavier, and neither party is clearly wrong. That second case is a negotiation, not a claim.
Thickness matters beyond taste: a thin band affects comfort, durability and how securely stones sit, so treat “too thin” as a functional finding — write down what you measured and where. And whatever the thickness, the material claim does not move: in the United States, “sterling” may only appear on metal at least 925 parts per thousand pure silver, per the FTC’s sterling silver regulation, so a re-made sample must meet the same fineness standard. The lesson either way: put band thickness and a tolerance on the drawing before the first sample, and have the factory confirm the callouts in writing — we cover how an approved document flows into production in our pre-production sample guide.
How Many Rounds of Free Sample Revisions Are Actually Normal?
No single number is normal: no industry body sets one, and most factories never publish a re-sample policy. What you can rely on is the layered structure almost every workshop follows. At the CAD and wax stage, revisions are effectively always free — nothing in metal exists yet, so a change costs the factory minutes, not material. Our process works this way: you approve a 3D-printed wax model before any metal is cut, and revisions at that stage are free, as our custom OEM/ODM process page states. The first physical sample is normally covered by the sample fee you already paid.
The contested ground is every physical round after that. Some factories absorb one or two minor re-samples to win the order; others invoice the full fee again for each new physical piece, regardless of who asked for the change; and a fair number draw the line we drew at the top of this article — free when the factory missed the spec, charged when the buyer changed it. These policies all exist simultaneously, so never assume: ask how many physical rounds the fee covers and at which stage charging begins, before CAD work starts. Our صفحة الأسئلة الشائعة states what we commit to — sample fees credited on your first bulk order, samples shipped 7–10 days after CAD confirmation — but charged rounds are a negotiation every factory handles its own way.
When Does a Re-Sample Cost the Sample Fee Again — and When Should It Not?
Draw the boundary per round, using these four categories:
- Factory-fault re-sample — should be free. The physical piece deviates from the approved CAD, wax or drawing: band thinner than stated, a stone dropped from the layout, plating shade off the agreed reference. A re-make is the factory correcting its own defect, so the fair terms are: re-made at no charge, with the factory bearing the courier cost. Negotiate freight explicitly — factories that concede free re-makes sometimes still bill shipping.
- Buyer-change re-sample — normally charged. You approved the sample and then changed the spec: 1.5 mm to 2.0 mm, a wider shank, an extra stone row. The factory must print a new wax, cast new metal, set new stones and re-plate, so they re-quote before starting. Expect the second fee to be the cost of remaking, sometimes a bit below the first since the drawings already exist, but never assume the discount; ask for the re-quote in writing.
- Ambiguous-spec re-sample — negotiate a split. The drawing was silent on thickness and the factory’s “reasonable” band disappointed you. Propose splitting one corrective round, and in exchange put the missing callouts on the drawing before round two — a dispute converted into a specification upgrade.
- Rework versus re-sample — cheaper where it applies. A plating shade can be stripped and re-plated, a polish re-done — repairs, not new samples. A thin band is the opposite: metal cannot be thickened meaningfully, so the piece must be cast again. Know which you are asking for before you demand a “free redo.”
One more distinction: a thickness change on a stock-mold design may be impossible, because the mold fixes the band geometry — you would be moving to a made-to-order path. A full OEM build from 3D-printed wax has no mold to re-cut, just wax, metal and bench time. Ask which path your design is on; it changes the price of every later round.
Is the Sample Fee Credited Against the Bulk Order?
On our published terms, yes: the FAQ page states that sample fees are credited on your first bulk order, and the custom process page repeats it — from the production line, credited against the bulk order. That is the pattern worth demanding from any factory: the sample is not a profit center, it is the entry ticket to production. But read the mechanics when you negotiate: is only the first fee credited, or every paid re-sample charge too? Does the credit require a minimum order value? MOQ 30–50 pieces applies on wholesale designs and 50–100 on full custom builds — compare them on our wholesale program page. Factories answer these differently, so write the mechanics into the PO rather than trusting a chat window.
The PO Clauses That Settle This Before It Happens
Copy these five lines into your PO, then fill the brackets with whatever the factory agrees to — the structure matters more than any particular number:
1. Factory-fault re-samples. Any physical sample deviating from the approved drawing/CAD revision [No.] shall be re-made at Seller’s cost, including return courier, within [7–10] days of written notice.
2. Buyer-change re-samples. Changes requested by Buyer after sample approval are quoted as re-make cost before work starts; no work proceeds without Buyer’s written approval of the quote.
3. Included rounds. The sample fee covers [1 / 2] complete physical sample rounds; additional rounds are quoted per Clause 2.
4. Credit against bulk. The sample fee and approved re-sample charges are credited against Buyer’s first bulk invoice on this design; the credit survives [30 / 60] days from final sample approval.
5. Golden sample. The last sample approved in writing becomes the golden sample; the bulk run is inspected against it under [AQL 2.5], and any deviation is treated as a factory fault under Clause 1.
Clause 5 is the one buyers skip and later regret: it turns your round-two sample — the heavier band — into the enforceable standard the bulk is judged against. We film a batch video before the balance payment so buyers can check production against the approved sample from their desk; if your factory offers no equivalent, your golden sample and these clauses are all you have.
The Confirmation Email That Locks the Split
When the thin band lands, send this before any re-work starts — it forces the fee question into writing while you still have leverage:
Subject: Re-sample terms — [design name / SKU], band thickness
Hi [name], thanks for the sample. Measured against drawing rev. A, the band reads 1.4 mm at the stated point against a specified 1.8 mm, so this round is off-spec. Please confirm before starting: the re-make is at no charge as a factory-fault correction, with your courier on the return leg. Separately, we want to revise the spec to 2.0 mm — quote the re-make cost for that change if it differs, and confirm before cutting metal. Also confirm: the sample fee and any approved re-sample charge are credited against our first bulk order, and the re-made sample ships within your standard 7–10 days after we confirm the revised CAD. Photograph the finished piece with its SKU label before dispatch; we will countersign this email as the working agreement.
الأسئلة الشائعة
Is one or two free sample revisions the industry standard?
There is no published standard — most factories simply do not state a policy, which is why the question exists. What varies is the number of physical rounds absorbed after the first, and whether “absorbed” means free or merely discounted. Treat any promise of “one or two free rounds” as a negotiable position, confirmed in writing per round — and move every possible change to the CAD and wax stage, where free revisions are the near-universal layer.
The factory made the band thinner than my drawing — can they charge for the redo?
They should not, and you should not accept it. The sample fee bought a piece built to the approved specification; a band thinner than the stated callout is not that piece. Cite the drawing revision and your caliper measurements, request the re-make free, and get the factory’s yes in writing before they start. If the drawing lacked a thickness callout, expect a negotiation instead — and fix the drawing before round two.
Will a thickness change trigger a new mold fee?
Usually not in a full OEM build, because the model is 3D-printed wax rather than cut tooling — a thickness revision is a new print and cast, not a new mold. The exception is stock-mold designs: if your piece was customized from an existing mold, the band geometry is fixed by that mold, and a real thickness change means leaving the stock path. Our terms store your molds and CAD data free for three years with no tooling fee on reorders, but another factory’s terms may differ, so ask where tooling charges begin before approving a geometry change.
Can the factory just repair the thin band instead of remaking it?
Rarely, and you should not want them to. Plating shade, polish and minor stone-seat issues can be reworked on the existing piece; metal thickness cannot be added back in any way that survives a caliper test. A too-thin band means new wax, casting and setting — which is why it sits in the charged category when you requested the change and the free category when the factory missed the spec.
What if the second sample is wrong too?
Escalate the terms, not just the sample. Invoke Clause 1 again for any repeat factory fault, demand a timeline commitment per round, and if confidence is eroding, convert the next round into a small paid trial order — produced on the production line, not in the sample room — so what you approve is what will ship. Check the trial pieces against your golden sample.
Does the credit survive if I postpone the bulk order?
Whatever the PO says — factories differ on expiry windows and minimum order values; ours tie the credit to your first bulk order. If your launch timeline may slip, negotiate the survival window explicitly; a credit that quietly expires between sample approval and purchase order is the cheapest concession you will ever regret not asking about.
