Why order one unit when the shipping cost makes it uneconomical?

Because it is a test, not a sale. A few hundred taka in freight-floor cost answers quality, true weight, shipping lane and timing — questions a failed bulk order would answer far more expensively.

What should I check when the sample arrives?

The product against the listing photos, the actual packaged weight against the stated gross weight, whether anything in it (battery, liquid, magnet) forces the sensitive freight lane, and the real door-to-door time.

How many units should the second order be?

10 to 20 — enough to measure real demand on your page or marketplace listing. Scale to 50–100 consolidated units once you see sell-through.

When is skipping the sample reasonable?

Restocks of an identical SKU from the same supplier, or true commodities you already know. For a new supplier, SKU or category, always sample.

Sample first: how to test a product before importing in bulk

The one-unit test that saves Bangladeshi importers from expensive mistakes: what a sample actually tells you (quality, true weight, shipping lane, timing) and how to scale from 1 to 100 units sensibly.

Short answer

Order one unit before you order a hundred. A single sample answers the four questions a listing can't: is the quality real, what does the item actually weigh, which freight lane does it ship on, and how long does delivery genuinely take. The sample order will look expensive per unit — the ৳400–600 freight minimum dominates — but it is a test, not a margin exercise, and it is far cheaper than a failed bulk order.

What one unit tells you that photos can't

Quality. Factory photos are marketing. Some products arrive better than pictured, many worse. You only know from the object in your hand.
True weight. Listings state a gross weight (毛重), usually accurate within ±10% — but "usually" is not "always", and freight is billed by weight. The sample calibrates it, including the packaging.
The real lane. A speaker you assumed was general air turns out to have a battery → sensitive lane at ৳1,150/kg instead of ৳750. Better to learn on one unit.
Timing. The stated door-to-door window becomes a real date you can quote your own customers.

Why the sample looks expensive — and why that's fine

Freight has a floor: about ৳400 minimum on general air, ৳600 on sensitive. One 100-gram unit pays the same floor as half a kilo, so per-unit cost on a sample is terrible. Judge the product, not the sample economics — the economics only exist at 20+ consolidated units.

The scale-up ladder

1 unit — quality, weight, lane, timing. Total risk: a few hundred taka.
10–20 units — test actual demand on your Facebook page or Daraz listing. Measure sell-through, not likes.
50–100 units — consolidated into one shipment; per-unit freight drops sharply. This is where margin starts.
Repeat SKUs monthly — at this point negotiate the listing price down via a quote request before each batch.

Skipping from step 1 straight to a large order because the sample looked great is the classic mistake: the sample proved the product, not the demand.

When to skip the sample

Rarely. Restocking an identical SKU from the same supplier, or buying a commodity you already know (plain cotton totes, standard phone cables) — reasonable. New supplier, new SKU, new category: sample first, every time.

Frequently asked questions

Why order one unit when the shipping cost makes it uneconomical?: Because it is a test, not a sale. A few hundred taka in freight-floor cost answers quality, true weight, shipping lane and timing — questions a failed bulk order would answer far more expensively.
What should I check when the sample arrives?: The product against the listing photos, the actual packaged weight against the stated gross weight, whether anything in it (battery, liquid, magnet) forces the sensitive freight lane, and the real door-to-door time.
How many units should the second order be?: 10 to 20 — enough to measure real demand on your page or marketplace listing. Scale to 50–100 consolidated units once you see sell-through.
When is skipping the sample reasonable?: Restocks of an identical SKU from the same supplier, or true commodities you already know. For a new supplier, SKU or category, always sample.