Define the unchanged base SKU as a revision-controlled reference product and approved sample, with every permitted customization recorded separately. For Chenghai toy sourcing, choose the play mechanism first: a dinosaur swallowing-car play set and a press-sensing dinosaur figure with light and sound are different bases, not interchangeable dinosaur designs. Freeze the selected construction, included pieces, functions, and packing specification; then identify exactly what may change. Packaging artwork can be customized while the toy remains unchanged, but the complete packed SKU is then a documented variant.
What does “unchanged base SKU” mean for a customization order?
An unchanged base SKU is a named, dated reference whose protected attributes remain fixed throughout the customization process. Keep that reference intact; do not overwrite it with the latest supplier photograph or revised artwork.
Separate three layers. Product identity covers the mechanism, construction, materials, included pieces, and functions. The packing specification covers the retail pack, arrangement of contents, and artwork. Commercial terms cover the quoted MOQ, carton quantity, and other agreed order conditions. Record all three, but do not treat a change in MOQ as a physical change to the toy.
Use precise approval language: “toy construction unchanged; packaging artwork revised” is clearer than “same SKU, customized.” A request affecting the mechanism, material specification, component set, or electronics should reopen base selection or receive a separately approved product revision. A different packing format requires a revised packing specification even if the toy itself stays the same.
How do the two dinosaur bases differ in mechanism, material, packing, and MOQ?
| Catalog identifiers | Dinosaur swallowing-car play set: CHT-304480. Press-sensing light-and-sound dinosaur figure: CHT-308596. |
|---|---|
| Recorded product concept | Swallowing-car play set: dinosaur swallowing-car toy with mini dinosaur figures and sliding vehicle play. Light-and-sound figure: press-sensing dinosaur figure with light and sound. |
| Recorded material | Swallowing-car play set: plastic. Light-and-sound figure: metal and plastic. These broad material entries should be expanded into an agreed component specification before the base is locked. |
| Recorded retail packing | Swallowing-car play set: tool box. Light-and-sound figure: window box. |
| Reference MOQ | Swallowing-car play set: 48 units. Light-and-sound figure: 72 units. |
| Recorded units per carton | Swallowing-car play set: 48. Light-and-sound figure: 72. |
Which attributes should remain fixed when customization is limited to packaging?
For a packaging-only request, protect the toy’s construction, mechanism, materials, functions, and included pieces, while naming the exact packaging fields permitted to change.
For the swallowing-car play set, confirm the actual play action and the number and identity of included pieces against the reference sample. For the light-and-sound figure, record how the press-sensing function activates the light and sound, together with the component and power configuration established during sample review. A product name is a starting description, not a complete functional specification.
Do not authorize “equivalent material” or “similar accessories” through an artwork approval. Require a separate change request for those substitutions. Likewise, keeping a tool-box format does not establish identical packing: compare the agreed internal arrangement, closure, and fit using the packed sample.
Keep MOQ and carton quantity in separate fields. Matching numbers in a catalog do not establish a full-carton ordering restriction or an order multiple.
Which fields belong in the base-SKU lock worksheet?
| Record identity and revision | Enter the supplier’s product identifier, buyer’s order-line or variant identifier, base revision, issue date, and customization-brief revision. Keep the original base revision accessible when a variant is created. |
|---|---|
| Supplier and reference identity | Record the supplying entity and agreed production site, reference sample identifier, dated photographs, and attached specification revision. Ask the supplier to acknowledge which physical product the record describes. |
| Mechanism and contents: target versus observation | Specify the required play action, functions, component list, and included-piece quantities. Record what the sample actually contains and does; link photographs or a functional demonstration to any discrepancy. |
| Construction: target versus observation | Attach the agreed component-level material and construction specification. Record the sample comparison and supporting checks separately; visual inspection alone does not establish material composition. |
| Packing: target versus observation | Identify the retail-pack format, packing layout, artwork revision, and relevant dimensions agreed with the supplier. Compare the packed sample against those targets and record fit or arrangement differences. |
| Permitted changes and protected fields | Name each field allowed to change and its requested replacement. State which product and packing fields must remain unchanged. Refer to a change-request identifier rather than relying on a general instruction such as “customize packaging.” |
| Order conditions and document references | Record the supplier-confirmed MOQ and units per carton separately, with the dated quote reference. Identify the intended age marking and destination, and assign review of the corresponding product and market documents to a responsible person. |
| Decision, approver, and date | Record approval, conditional approval, or hold; the exact sample and specification revisions covered; the responsible approver’s name; and the decision date. State whether the decision authorizes another sample or production release. |
| Follow-up closure | For every condition, enter the action owner, due date, required closure evidence, actual closure date, and person accepting closure. Preserve the earlier observation rather than replacing it with the corrected result. |
How should an artwork-only customization be logged?
| Change identity and baseline | Assign a change-request identifier. Link it to the selected swallowing-car base, its approved base revision, reference sample, and original artwork master. |
|---|---|
| Requested change and protected targets | Requested change: replace the identified packaging artwork with the buyer-approved artwork revision. Protected targets: retain the agreed tool-box format, packing layout, toy mechanism, construction, functions, and included pieces. |
| Observation and evidence | On receipt of the customized sample, record the actual artwork revision and compare the packed product with the protected targets. Attach photographs and the comparison result. Keep any mismatch visible as a separate observation. |
| Decision and closure | Record the reviewer, date, accepted revision, and approval scope. If correction is required, name the owner and required evidence, then record who accepted the correction and when. Link the closed change request to the final variant specification. |
Who approves the locked base and releases the customized variant?
A named buyer approver should accept the base and customized variant against identified revisions, with the supplier acknowledging the same specification and any open conditions.
Complete the base lock before signing off the customized sample. Release the variant only when its observed differences match the authorized change log and the conditions relevant to that release are closed. If approval covers artwork only, say so; it should not silently authorize a mechanism or material substitution.
Keep the destination-document review tied to the selected construction and intended market. Catalog descriptions and sample appearance are not certification or age-suitability conclusions.
The record provides traceability, not a guarantee against an undisclosed change. Its practical value is that the buyer, supplier, and sample reviewer can point to the same base, distinguish an authorized variation from a discrepancy, and identify exactly what has been approved.