How Do I Create a Sample or Gift Order?

There are many reasons why you may need to create a sample order, including the following:

- Sending samples to customers or influencers

- Sending gifts to customers or non-profits

- Sending replacements to customers for lost items or returned packages

All these scenarios have in common that there is no commercial value associated with the items and the order is not a sale. In order to designate not-for-sale sample orders, and ensure that there are no duties levied, follow the process outlined below:

 Using Shopify as an example, in this post we provide a step-by-step guide on how to submit sample orders. There are two basic ways to enter sample orders:

• Discounting at the order level 
• Using a “Discount Code” at checkout

A. Order Level Discounting

The first option to classify a shipment as a sample order is by manually discounting the items at the order level in Shopify. Here is how you do this:

Step 1: Create Order & Add Discount

Once you have created the order, click on the “Add discount” on the order. Then add 100% as the discount value and click “Apply”. The result will be an order value of zero.

Step 2: Rate and Fulfill Order

Once the order is completed in Shopify go to your FlavorCloud dashboard and select the order by clicking on the order number (aka “Reference Number”). This will open the order detail screen, where you select the “Rate” option on the top right corner to obtain shipping rates. We recommend to fulfill sample orders (and only sample orders) DDU, i.e. without adding duties/taxes since typically no duties/taxes apply to sample orders. 

Once you have rated and fulfilled the order you can proceed to ship it. Please note, FlavorCloud will automatically identify the shipment as a sample order and apply a minimum value to the items as well as mark the items as a sample order on the commercial invoice.

B. Discount Code At Checkout

The second option to classify a shipment as a sample order is using the “Discount” feature provided by Shopify that enables users to add a discount at checkout.

Step 1: Create a discount code

Select the “Discount” tab in your Shopify store and click on the “Create Discount” button. Enter a name for the discount code - such as "Sample" or "gift", select “Percentage” in the “Type” section, add 100% in the “Discount Value” field and save your selections.

Step 2: Apply Discount Code

Go to your online store, select the items you would like to have included in your sample order and proceed to the checkout area where you enter the name of the discount code in the appropriate field and then click apply.  

Once you clicked “Apply”, the discount will be added to the order at checkout. If you selected 100% as the value of your discount, the order value will turn into $0.

Next, add the contact details and address of the sample order’s recipient, select your shipping service level (Express, Standard) and complete the order. Select DDU as the term of service, since typically no duties apply to sample orders.