Process
Four questions, in this order. Answering the third one before the first is how programmes get expensive.
Who is this product actually for?
Age grading first, before anything else. It determines the test plan, the packaging warnings, and in some cases whether the product can be made as drawn at all. Getting it wrong late means retesting and reprinting.
Can it be made to that grade?
Supplier matching against the grade, not just the shape. A factory that is excellent at general-use goods may have never run a CPSIA programme, and that shows up at the first test report rather than in a capability deck.
Does the sample pass?
Samples go to a CPSC-accepted laboratory before volume. We coordinate the submission and read the report with you — including when it says the product fails and the tooling needs changing.
Does the batch match the sample?
Pre-shipment inspection against the approved sample and the test report, plus a check that tracking labels are actually present and legible on the goods rather than only in the artwork file.
Questions we get asked
Can you make it cheaper by testing less?
No. Test scope follows the grade, and the grade follows the product and its marketing. If the number only works without the testing, the programme does not work.
Our factory says it already has a report
Often true and often not sufficient — a report covers a specific product, material, and date, not a factory in general. We check what the report actually covers before relying on it.
Who owns the artwork and the brand?
You do, on private label programmes. Specification, artwork rights, and the customer relationship stay with you, including if you stop working with us. We will not build a dependency into the arrangement and then charge you to unwind it.
What if a sample fails?
You get the report and our reading of it. Sometimes the fix is a material change, sometimes it is a grade change, and sometimes the honest answer is that the product should not be made in that form. We say which we think it is.