Sample Fees and Deposit Policies in Custom Plush Toy Manufacturing: What’s Normal?

For custom plush toys, a normal sample fee is roughly $80–$300 per design at the factories that publish their policies, with one or two rounds of minor revisions included and the fee credited back once a bulk order reaches a set quantity. The normal deposit is 30%, with the 70% balance due later; some factories ask for 40% or 50%, and small orders are often paid in full. Where policies really differ is in the fine print: how much of the sample fee comes back, at what quantity, and for how long.

We are Xushui Yaoka Plush Toy Factory in Baoding, Hebei, and we make about 500,000 plush toys a year, mainly for buyers in Europe and the US. Below, we compare the sample-fee and deposit policies that nine plush factories publish, set out our own, and walk through two real cases where a sample went wrong.

What a Plush Sample Fee Actually Pays For

A plush prototype costs far more than one finished toy because it is mostly development work. A pattern maker turns your 2D artwork into flat paper pieces that sew up into the right 3D shape. An embroidery file is digitized for the face and logo. Fabric is sourced or matched. The sample is then cut, sewn, stuffed and shaped by hand, often more than once before you see it.

FactoryPlush, for example, attributes about 60% of its prototype cost to pattern engineering, 20% to machine digitizing and 20% to custom sourcing (FactoryPlush). Heyzizi lists pattern making, materials, craft work, sewing, stuffing, shaping and revisions (Heyzizi).

Our sample fee covers one sample, including the pattern making and the embroidery digitizing (the embroidery plate). Courier shipping is separate: sending one sample to Europe or the US by DHL or FedEx costs about $30, paid by the buyer.

What’s Normal: Published Sample-Fee and Deposit Policies Compared

Most articles on this topic describe one custom plush maker’s policy. To answer "what’s normal", we put the policies that plush factories publish on their own websites side by side. We call it the Published Policy Benchmark. Each row links to the page it comes from; policies change, so check the source before you rely on a number.

What the benchmark says is normal

• Sample fee: about $80–$300 per design is the common published range; one factory asks $500 as a prototype deposit.
• Revisions: 1–3 rounds of minor changes are usually included; structural changes are charged.
• Credit: usually against the first bulk order once it reaches a set quantity, anywhere from 500 to 2,000 pieces. Credit may be full or partial, and one factory sets a 12-month limit.
• Deposit: 30% is the most common; 40% or 50% for small or highly customized orders; full payment for samples and small orders.

How Sample Fee Credits Really Work: Thresholds, Percentages and Time Limits

"The sample fee is refundable" is the line buyers remember from a plush toy manufacturer’s quote. The terms that decide whether you actually get it back are less memorable. Before you pay a sample fee, check five things:

1. Threshold: how many units the bulk order must reach before the fee is credited.
2. Percentage: whether the full fee or only part of it comes back.
3. Scope: whether the credit applies per design and to the first bulk order only.
4. Time limit: whether bulk must follow within a set period.
5. Method: whether the fee is deducted from an invoice or paid back separately.

Our own rules, set against those five questions:

• Method: the fee is deducted directly from the balance payment of the bulk order.
• Cap: the deduction cannot exceed 5% of the total value of that bulk order.
• Scope: it applies to the first bulk order only. Repeat orders are not charged the sample fee again, since it has already been credited.
• Time limit: none.
• No bulk order: the sample fee is not refunded.

For example, a formal sample of a 30 cm bear costs ¥800. On a first order of 1,000 units, that ¥800 comes straight off the balance payment.

Case: "Isn’t the sample fee refunded after bulk?"

A domestic e-commerce buyer ordered 1,000 custom corporate mascot bears. The sample fee was ¥1,200, covering the first sample and two free revisions. Sampling went smoothly and bulk was delivered on time. At the balance payment, the buyer paid ¥1,200 less than the contract amount, believing the sample fee "should be credited automatically". Our finance team saw a short payment and asked why. The buyer said: "Isn’t the sample fee refunded once bulk is ordered? I just deducted it." The mix-up itself was minor. The real problem was that the contract only said the sample fee would be credited after the bulk order, without saying how, or up to what limit. The buyer topped up the ¥1,200, and we then refunded the ¥1,200 sample fee separately.

Afterwards we added a clause to our contracts. The version we used at the time read:

The clause we added

The sample fee of ¥____ will be credited in full against the bulk order once the bulk order is confirmed. It will be credited by deducting it directly from the balance payment due, up to a maximum of 5% of the total value of that bulk order. If the bulk order is under 500 units, the sample fee will not be credited.

Today the quantity threshold depends on the sample type, as in the table above, and the 5% cap still applies. Our quotation sheets now also carry the credit rule in a line at the bottom. The lessons we took: saying "it’s refunded after bulk" is not enough; the method, the cap and the conditions must be in the contract. And some buyers genuinely read these lines differently. It is not bad faith; it is ambiguous wording.

Revisions: What the Sample Fee Covers and What Costs Extra

Across the benchmark, the pattern is consistent: small changes are included, structural ones are not. FactoryPlush describes minor revisions as color shade adjustments or embroidery position tweaks, and charges for structural modifications and full pattern reworks (FactoryPlush).

Our rules:

• First sample: 7–10 working days from drawing confirmation.
• Each revision round: 3–5 working days (3 for color or fabric changes, 5 for shape or proportion changes).
• Included: two free revision rounds within the original design.
• Charged: beyond two rounds, or for design changes (new shape, added accessories, a different process), RMB 200–500 per round.
• Pre-production sample: made with bulk materials on the bulk line before production starts, at no charge. The signed version becomes the golden sample that bulk is inspected against.

The cheapest way to stay inside the free rounds is to collect all your comments into one message per round, with measurements where you can ("ears 5 mm longer" rather than "ears a bit longer").

Deposit Policies: Why 30% Is the Norm, and When It Changes

Three deposit patterns show up in the benchmark: 30% with the balance before shipment, 40%–50% for small or highly customized orders, and full payment for samples and small orders.

The 30% figure is not arbitrary. On our orders, the deposit goes mostly on fabric and custom dyeing (40%–50% of it, spent within a week), then accessories, embroidery plates or molds, and labor. Most of it is spent within 2–3 weeks. Custom-dyed fabric cannot be cancelled once ordered, which is why, if a buyer cancels, our deposit becomes a non-refundable deposit.

Our deposit policy:

• Bulk orders: a 30% deposit; the balance is 70%.
• Small orders (under about $1,000): full payment upfront.

One legal note for buyers who sign bilingual contracts. If the contract is governed by Chinese law and the Chinese text calls the deposit (earnest money), the Civil Code caps it at 20% of the contract value, and the earnest-money rules on forfeiture and double return apply to it, which do not apply to an ordinary advance payment (Civil Code, Book III). Read the Chinese wording before you sign.

"Free Samples": When They’re Normal and When They’re a Red Flag

FactoryPlush calls free custom prototyping a supply-chain red flag, arguing that the cost reappears as a markup in the bulk price (FactoryPlush). We agree that a fully custom sample costs real money, and we do not offer free samples, including color changes on existing designs.

Use this table to judge the policy any custom plush manufacturer quotes you. We call it Normal vs. Red-Flag Ranges:

Case: the sample that went quiet

A US buyer developed a Christmas bear range with us. Communication was smooth: three video calls, a full supplier form, and a confirmed design: 30 cm, short-pile plush, a bow and embroidered features. The buyer paid the ¥800 sample fee without hesitation. The first sample was ready in 7 days; the buyer asked for two small changes (ears 5 mm longer, a deeper red fabric), and V2 was ready 4 days later. The buyer replied: "Perfect. Give us a moment to get bulk approved internally." Then silence. We followed up three times. Week 1: "Did the sample arrive? Any feedback, just let us know." Reply: "Still evaluating." Week 3: "Our production schedule is booked to the end of the month; if you’re confirming, we’d suggest deciding in the next couple of days." Reply: "Our budget has shifted a bit, please wait." Week 6: read, no reply. Two months later, a competing Christmas bear appeared on the buyer’s website, almost identical to our sample.

Looking back, the buyer was not an end brand but a middleman who took our sample to a cheaper factory to copy. Counting the ¥800 sample fee and the labor and fabric for the revisions, the work came to about ¥1,200, and we lost money on it. Our pattern maker had also spent about three working days on it, and that capacity was tied up.

What we changed afterwards:

• Sample fees for new customers are not discounted or negotiated. It filters out buyers who are not serious.
• After a sample ships, we follow a set rhythm: on day 3 we check it arrived, on day 7 we ask for test results, and on day 14 we ask directly about intent.
• If there is no clear progress after 30 days, the sample is marked as lost and we stop investing time in it.

Seen from the buyer’s side, this is the other reason a sample fee is normal: it is how a factory tells serious projects from sample collecting.

Budgeting Your First Order: A Worked Example

"How much do custom plushies cost?" is easier to answer with a full first-order budget than with a unit price, and sample fees and deposits are easier to judge that way too. We call this the First-Order Development Budget: list every upfront payment and mark whether it comes back. Here is a worked example using our own numbers for a 30 cm bear developed as a formal sample, with a first order of 1,000 units:

Change one assumption and the picture changes. If the same bear were ordered at 600 units, the order would not reach the 1,000-unit threshold for a formal sample, and the ¥800 would not be credited. That is the single most useful thing to check before you choose a sample type and a first-order quantity.

1. Ask what the fee includes. Number of samples, pattern making, embroidery digitizing, and whether shipping is extra.
2. Count the free revisions. Confirm how many rounds are included and what counts as a structural change.
3. Read the credit terms. Threshold, percentage, first order only or not, time limit and method.
4. Check the deposit. Percentage for your order size, when it is due and what happens if you cancel.
5. Get it in writing. Put the sample-fee credit and the deposit terms in the quotation and the contract.

Our Sample and Deposit Policy at a Glance

As a plush toy maker that publishes its terms, this is what we commit to:

• Sample fee: ¥200–500 for a blank sample, ¥500–1,000 for a formal sample, ¥1,000–2,000 for a complex sample. One sample per fee, with pattern making and embroidery digitizing included.
• Revisions: two free rounds within the original design; RMB 200–500 per extra round or design change.
• Credit: in full on the first bulk order at 500 / 1,000 / 2,000 units by sample type, deducted from the balance payment, capped at 5% of that order’s value, with no time limit. Not refunded if no bulk order follows.
• Shipping: about $30 per sample by DHL or FedEx to Europe or the US, paid by the buyer.
• Free samples: none.
• Pre-production sample: free.
• Deposit: 30% for bulk orders; full payment for orders under about $1,000.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is a normal sample fee for custom plush toys?

Factories that publish their policies charge roughly $80–$300 per design, depending on size and complexity, and one asks a $500 prototype deposit. Our sample fees run from ¥200 for a blank sample to ¥2,000 for a complex sample with multiple accessories.

Is the plush sample fee refunded if I don’t place a bulk order?

Usually not. Among factories that publish their policies, the fee is credited against a bulk order rather than refunded. At our factory, the sample fee is not refunded if no bulk order follows.

Does the sample fee credit have a time limit?

It depends on the factory. The Plush Maker, for example, credits the fee only if bulk follows within 12 months. Our credit has no time limit, but it applies to the first bulk order only.

How many revisions are included in a plush sample fee?

Published policies include between one and three rounds of minor revisions. We include two free rounds within the original design and charge RMB 200–500 for each extra round or design change.

Are free plush samples a red flag?

Free custom sampling deserves questions, because pattern making and digitizing are real costs that usually reappear elsewhere. We do not offer free samples.

Can the deposit for custom plush toys be lower than 30%?

Sometimes, for larger orders or established relationships. On a normal first order, 30% is the common minimum, and small orders are often paid in full. Our small orders under about $1,000 are paid in full.

References

1. FactoryPlush — FAQ for Custom Plush Toys
2. FactoryPlush — Sample Making Cost: Plush Fees Explained
3. Mavo Toys — Custom Plush Toy MOQ and Quote Guide
4. LeelineToys — Cost to Make Custom Plushies
5. The Plush Maker — Terms and Conditions
6. Custom Plush Toys — What to Expect
7. Heyzizi — Custom Plush Toy Budget Guide
8. Weijun Toys — Plush Toy Prototyping: What to Expect
9. Delsney — Payment Methods for Plush Manufacturing
10. Civil Code of the PRC, Book III Contract (English text, China Justice Observer)