Five real questions on warranty, samples and payment terms, answered on this date and archived here once the next day's set went live.
A manufacturing defect is a fault present from production — a weld failure, a misaligned door, hardware that fails well before expected service life — and is typically covered by a structural warranty. Normal wear and tear (surface scratches from years of use, gradual colour fading, a lock that's stiff after heavy daily use) is expected over a product's life and usually isn't a warranty matter. Document any issue with photos and the delivery date to make the distinction easier to argue either way.
Yes, and for a bulk or institutional order it's worth doing — a physical sample of the steel finish, powder-coat colour, or fabric swatch shows true colour and texture in a way a photo or screen can't. Request samples specifically for any custom colour or finish, not just the manufacturer's standard catalogue options, since custom runs are where mismatches are most likely.
Some gradual fading from UV exposure and age is normal, especially for furniture kept near direct sunlight or in outdoor/semi-outdoor settings, and is typically treated as expected wear rather than a warranty defect. Premature or uneven fading soon after delivery, however, can indicate a coating or curing problem worth raising with the supplier directly.
Note it on the delivery document before signing off, photograph it immediately, and report it to the supplier within their stated claim window — most suppliers have a short reporting period for transit damage specifically. Whether to accept the piece with a partial credit or request a replacement is a judgment call based on severity, but documenting it at delivery protects either option.
An advance (commonly a percentage of order value) confirms the buyer's commitment before the supplier commits raw material and production capacity to a custom order, and is standard practice across Indian furniture manufacturing for bulk and made-to-order work. Balance is typically due on or before dispatch — confirm the exact split and what triggers each payment stage in writing before production starts.