Free Sample Order Proforma Invoice Template & Generator
A sample proforma prices a shipment that is often free of charge. The samples cost the buyer nothing, but the carton still needs a declared value per style, a country of origin, and a stated purpose so the buyer's broker can clear it. This template keeps three things on separate lines: the declared goods value, the freight and handling you are actually billing, and the credit those samples earn against a first production order.
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| Description | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product sample units | 6 | $35.00 | $210.00 |
| Sample preparation and packing | 1 | $85.00 | $85.00 |
| Express freight estimate | 1 | $145.00 | $145.00 |
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Use-case checklist
What to include in a sample order proforma invoice
Samples are the cheapest part of a supplier relationship and the easiest to strand. Declare them at zero, or write "no commercial value" on the paperwork, and the carton can sit at the destination while somebody asks for a realistic figure. What that costs you is not the $163 of fabric, it is the two weeks of a buyer's attention. The credit does the other half of the damage. Promise the sample value back against a first order without naming the amount, the qualifying order size, an expiry, or the proforma number it attaches to, and you either honor it twice across two buying offices or argue about it in front of a buyer who is finally ready to place volume. Both failures land after the samples have already done their job.
- seller, buyer, consignee, and proforma number
- sample item, quantity, unit value, and purpose
- origin, customs value, currency, and shipping
- future-order credit or no-charge terms
- validity, payment, and proforma statement
Example starting lines
| Description | Qty | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Product sample units | 6 | $35 |
| Sample preparation and packing | 1 | $85 |
| Express freight estimate | 1 | $145 |
Complete it cleanly
List products, sample quantities, unit or customs value, currency, origin, purpose, freight, creditability against a future order, payment, validity, and that the document is preliminary.
How to make a sample order proforma invoice in 6 steps
Open the proforma invoice generator
Start from this page so the proforma invoice opens with fields and sample lines already set up for manufacturers, exporters, and product suppliers. No account is needed to create or preview.
Enter both parties
Add your business name, address and contact details, then the customer name and address exactly as they should appear on the record.
Add the sample order lines
Replace each sample line with the real work or goods. Make sure the document shows seller, buyer, consignee, and proforma number, sample item, quantity, unit value, and purpose, origin, customs value, currency, and shipping.
Check the figures
Totals calculate as you type. Confirm quantities, rates, any tax line and the final total against your own records before you send anything.
Set the reference and dates
Give the proforma invoice a unique number and the correct date so it can be traced later and matched to related documents.
Review and download the PDF
List products, sample quantities, unit or customs value, currency, origin, purpose, freight, creditability against a future order, payment, validity, and that the document is preliminary. Preview is free; a PDF download costs $4.99, or is included with Unlimited.
Worked example
Three fabric samples shipped free, freight billed, value creditable against a first order
Ridgewell Textile Mills in Greensboro, NC sends a sample pack to Loomfield Interiors in Toronto on April 9, 2026. The goods go at no charge, Ridgewell bills the courier leg, and the declared value is what the buyer's broker will work from.
- Sample 1: 4 yd Style RW-880 cotton duck, 3 colorways, declared unit value $18.50
- $74.00
- Sample 2: 2 finished cushion covers, Style RW-914, declared unit value $32.00
- $64.00
- Sample 3: 1 master color card set, 46 shades, declared unit value $25.00
- $25.00
- Declared goods value for customs, country of origin United States; supplied at no charge to the buyer
- $163.00
- Amount charged for the goods themselves (samples, not for resale)
- $0.00
- Export carton, moisture wrap, and documentation, flat
- $12.00
- Courier freight, Greensboro NC to Toronto ON, DAP, prepaid by Ridgewell and billed on
- $86.00
- Total payable by Loomfield Interiors on proforma PI-SM-2026-0148
- $98.00
- Memo, not payable now: sample value creditable in full against a first production order of 500 yd or more, applied as a line credit on that invoice, expires Oct 9, 2026
- $163.00
The commonest mistake is writing $0 or "no commercial value" in the value field because nothing is being charged. Price charged and value declared are different numbers, and only the first is zero. What the destination accepts is the buyer's broker's call.
When this document is the right choice
Use this proforma invoice to show an expected transaction before a final invoice exists. A proforma invoice is a preliminary commercial document, not a final tax invoice or proof that payment is due. Replace it with the final invoice when the transaction is confirmed.
Frequently asked questions
The samples are free. Why does the proforma need a value on them at all?
Because the amount you charge and the value you declare answer different questions. Loomfield pays $0.00 for the fabric, but somebody at the border still has to know what is in the carton and what it is worth, and in the example that is $163.00 built from $18.50 and $32.00 unit values you can defend from your own price list. Mark the line "samples, not for resale" and state the purpose. How the destination treats a no-charge shipment is the buyer's broker's call, not yours.
How do I word the future-order credit so it cannot be claimed twice?
Pin it to four things: the exact amount, the order size that qualifies, an expiry date, and the proforma number. The example reads "$163.00 creditable against a first production order of 500 yd or more, expires Oct 9, 2026, proforma PI-SM-2026-0148." Then apply it as a visible line credit on the production invoice rather than as a quiet discount, so your own AR can see it was used. Vague wording like "sample cost refunded on first order" is what gets claimed by two buyers at the same company.
Should I bill the courier leg or ship on the buyer's account number?
Either works, but the proforma has to say which, because the total changes. In the example Ridgewell prepays and adds $86.00, so the document shows $98.00 payable. If Loomfield gives you their courier account instead, the freight line reads "shipped on buyer's account, not charged" and the total drops to $12.00. Leaving it implied is how you end up paying for a $86.00 shipment you thought was collect, on a shipment that was already free.
Should the color card set come back to us, and how does that show on the proforma?
Decide it line by line and write the decision on the line. A 46-shade master card set is the kind of item a mill wants returned, while cut yardage almost never comes back. The example supplies all three outright. If the card set went on loan instead, that line would read "on loan, return by Jul 9, 2026, return freight on Loomfield" and keep the same $25.00 declared value, because the value does not become zero just because the carton is heading the other way. Name who books the return leg, and leave what the return paperwork has to show to the buyer's broker rather than assuming it mirrors the outbound.
The prospect wants the pack sent to their design studio, not the address on the account. What changes?
The party fields, and only those. Keep Loomfield Interiors as the buyer, add the studio as consignee with its own address and a named contact for the courier, and leave the $163.00 of declared values and the $98.00 payable exactly as they stand. Ask the buyer to confirm who is clearing the shipment, because the consignee on the waybill is what the destination works from, and a studio that is not the importing entity can turn a straightforward sample carton into a held one. If the studio sits in a different country from the buyer, treat it as a different shipment, not an address change.
More proforma invoice templates
Start with the closest business workflow and adjust the details.