Cost For Samples?

[Guest Liberty Bar - Seattle]

Hey, what's your experience with paying for samples? Most samples for bottles/etc. have always been free - but now I am seeing companies try to charge for this otherwise common situation.

Is it that they will charge you if they don't think that you are serious? I have never been charged before for samples, but now have been asked to pay an astronomical amount for samples...

Anyone else have any guidance for this issue? I mean, if I am going to buy thousands of bottles from someone, why am I going to pay for the pleasure to do my testing so that I can purchase these bottles from them? That seems crazy - that's like any of us charging distributors or bars for samples of our products...who in their right mind would ever ask that?

Any thoughts?

[CFry]

It seems like an instrument of control and, of course, a means of increasing profit. The high cost of tasting will dissuade one from trying different products. That will shift one's reliance on one's palate to outside sources, such as the sales push from the middle man. And everyone knows artisan distillers are paying billions to middle men to push their product and provide kick backs for sales.

As a side note, I am jealous you are so close to Walla Walla. I still have some bottles stored from a handful of years back. Just a handful of years more until I am on Leonetti's list. CFry

[Paul Tomaszewski]

I may be reading into your inquiry the wrong way, but here is my take on it. If you're talking about nip bottle (50 ML) samples, then I can understand me sending someone that free of charge. However, overhead for me is far different from a larger distillery. Like many on this forum, our operation is truly artisan in that every step of our process from grain to bottle. Therefore, if I sent you an entire bottle, plus add in any shipping, I'm out quite a few bucks. Now multiply that times however many people/places would like samples and you can see how I could be out out several hundred dollars a month. Keep in mind that no matter what we have to pay federal excise taxes whether we sell it, drink it, or give it away.

[Guest Liberty Bar - Seattle]

Hey there, Paul.

Well, I'm planning on purchasing thousands of bottles, so it seems odd to me to PAY for samples... I have dealt with other similar-sized companies, and they had no problem sending samples, one company even sent the wrong case of samples and then just sent another case without a hiccup or comment. THAT is good customer service, 'eh?

The reality is that this bottle is not their bottle, they are reps, so someone else can rep this bottle too. I'd rather deal with someone that from the get-go had a first customer service experience as positive... So far, I'm not very impressed with this company at all.

Anyway, I just wanted to see other's experience with samples.

Thanks -

Andrew

[Mike Fiore]

Let me put my two cents in, because this is a subject that bothered me for awhile, we own a winery and a distillary, and we produce 22 brands of wine, as well as grappa and limoncello, we have what we call professional tasters around here, they go every weekend when you are the busiest and go from winery to winery and they want to taste everything you produce and then walk out with one or two bottles of wine. There were other wineries in Maryland that got fed up and started charging for their samples, and in the beginning I didn't like it, however, we had come to a point that we had to do something, so we felt that charging for a sample and then reumbrse it when they bought a case of wine was the right thing to do. We have our regular case club customers, and those people do not get charged to sample, as a matter of fact, because they are case club customers and we know how much wine they buy from us, when they come over here we give them a glass of wine of their choice, and they sit enjoy the afternoon outside here at the winery, and when it's time to leave, they buy 1 or 2 cases, and we don't see them until the next time. So after two years of charging for samples, it has been the best thing we could have done. It eliminated the professional tasters, gave special privelage to our steady customers, and controlling how much booze these people can intake in the small amount of time they are on your premises. I would hate to see it if I would be making 5 or 6 types of brandy at an average 40% alcohol and some of these jokers come in feeling that he's entitled to a sample of each, that is not going to happen at our place.

[daveflintstone]

I think there are two different conversations going on here.

The original post is about manufacturers/distributors charging a distillery for samples of empty bottles.

The replies are talking about distilleries charging for samples of their distilled product.

That said, I have refused to follow up with any bottle distributor who wanted to charge for samples. There are plenty who want my business. I will pay a plating fee for samples of screen printed bottles.

[Collin]

Sorry misunderstood the original question and got involved with the second conversation.

[Guest Liberty Bar - Seattle]

... I have refused to follow up with any bottle distributor who wanted to charge for samples. There are plenty who want my business.

Exactly. It just seems...odd. I can understand it if they think that the person making the request is full of crap, but then they should do take some effort to ask the correct kind of question to see if that person is a serious customer, or just someone who is ... not quite as serious.

For instance, I am working with Derek Payne of Unipack, and he was able to get me cases of one bottle that I needed to test...(a really beautiful bottle which may not work, unfortunately). I mean, that guy went over and above - and if it can work out with his company, I'd love to be able to use them because they obviously understand customer support and customer expectation.

But...when someone wants to charge me $400 for a case of ONE bottle because that's how much international shipping is...? Come on... If I'm going to spend $10K+ on my first order, it's not crazy to send me a case of the bottle so that I can do testing on it... I don't want to name this company as that'll not help me in the long run, but I hope that there's a general consensus that sample bottles are just that... Hell, charge me SOMETHING, but...come on now...$400 for a case? Really?

[cowdery]

I'm joining the conversation about paying for samples from suppliers, like bottle suppliers.

The only way it makes sense is if they up front agree to credit back the cost of samples against any future order, but even there if their competitors give free samples then screw them. If they are reps who want to charge for samples because they have to buy them from the manufacturers, then they have a problem with their business model and I would be wary of doing business with them just based on that.

[Guest Liberty Bar - Seattle]

I'm joining the conversation about paying for samples from suppliers, like bottle suppliers.

The only way it makes sense is if they up front agree to credit back the cost of samples against any future order, but even there if their competitors give free samples then screw them.

Exactly. For instance, this is a Saverglass bottle, and there are a lot of reps for Saverglass, right? Even if they want to credit me back...I still think that this is nonsense. I don't know if I will a) use that bottle, or use that company. If it's the right bottle and a great company, I'll buy tens of thousands of bottles from whomever I end up going through...but...I have to test them, f'r goodness sake...

If they are reps who want to charge for samples because they have to buy them from the manufacturers, then they have a problem with their business model and I would be wary of doing business with them just based on that.

Ha. Well, I won't name any names, but I hope that they are reading this thread...

Thanks, Chuck.

Andrew

[Josh Heintz]

Exactly. It just seems...odd. I can understand it if they think that the person making the request is full of crap, but then they should do take some effort to ask the correct kind of question to see if that person is a serious customer, or just someone who is ... not quite as serious.

For instance, I am working with Derek Payne of Unipack, and he was able to get me cases of one bottle that I needed to test...(a really beautiful bottle which may not work, unfortunately). I mean, that guy went over and above - and if it can work out with his company, I'd love to be able to use them because they obviously understand customer support and customer expectation.

But...when someone wants to charge me $400 for a case of ONE bottle because that's how much international shipping is...? Come on... If I'm going to spend $10K+ on my first order, it's not crazy to send me a case of the bottle so that I can do testing on it... I don't want to name this company as that'll not help me in the long run, but I hope that there's a general consensus that sample bottles are just that... Hell, charge me SOMETHING, but...come on now...$400 for a case? Really?

Guys,

I understand your concern and the fact that $300 to $400 for international charges is crazy but that is the cost of shipping things overseas. Now working for Saverglass I see these issues and we are doing everything we can to address them. Most of the time we only charge for samples if you are requesting more than 3 or 4 units and the charge is never for the glass only for the freight.

If you are having trouble getting samples from us, let me know. If we have the bottle in stock in the US there shouldn’t be an issue but we do run into problems when the samples have to come from France. Most of the time I can use your UPS or FedEx number for the freight. This charge is also waived if there is a P.O. in for these bottles. There are many ways around this.

I am sorry for the bad experiences in the past but with some team work we can correct them in the future.