Inside a pre-shipment check: what we measure, sit on and photograph

In short

Pieces are set up complete before packing, not checked in parts.
Dimensions are taken against the signed drawing, with the tape in the photograph.
Seating is sat on. Seams, feet and fixings are photographed close.
Our follow-up is not an independent inspection, and we do not present it as one.

A pre-shipment check compares the finished piece with the signed version: dimensions, materials, seams, stability and paperwork. It happens with the piece assembled, in good light, before a single carton is closed.

Source: our own inspection photographs. Sampling rules and the scope of inspection are agreed per order; this note shows what a check looks like, not a universal standard.

Modular sofa and side table assembled in the inspection studio — Modular sofa assembled complete for inspection

Why set the piece up complete?

A modular sofa checked module by module can pass and still not line up. Set up as one piece, the joins, the cushion heights and the overall length show at once. The same goes for a bed: assembled, its slats, centre support and fixings are visible.

Tape measure laid along a sofa seat during inspection — Dimension check against the signed drawing

Tufted bed frame assembled with slats visible for inspection — Bed frame assembled to check slats and fixings

What is measured?

The dimensions on the signed drawing, with their tolerance. The tape is laid along the piece and photographed in place, so the reading is part of the record rather than a number typed into a report.

What is tested by sitting?

Comfort and stability. Someone sits, leans and shifts. A stool is loaded and rocked. This is the check a photograph of an empty sofa can never replace.

Sit test on a finished sofa in the inspection studio — Sit test in the inspection studio

Inspector sitting on a stool to check stability — Load and stability check

What is photographed close?

Seams and piping, for alignment across panels.
Feet and glides, for finish and fixing.
Timber joints and corners.
Lacquered surfaces under a raking light.
The care and specification sheet, next to the piece it belongs to.

Inspector pointing at a seam on a finished sofa — Seam alignment checked on a finished sofa

Inspector checking a lacquered surface under a hand light — Surface inspection under raking light

What this is not

It is our follow-up, paid for by the service fee and reported to you. It is not an independent inspection. If you want one, you choose and pay the inspector and the report goes to you directly. The three options are set out under inspection options.

What this means for an overseas buyer

Ask what the inspection is checked against. If the answer is not a signed specification with a version, the check has no reference. The record format is on the Quality & Delivery page.