Approving and fulfilling sample requests

This is for brands running free-sample programs who want to approve requests fast and get product moving.

The quick version

• You can approve requests in Cruva or in TikTok Seller Center — either works. Cruva syncs from Seller Center about every 2–5 hours, so a change made in one place shows up in the other after the next sync.
• Approving is not shipping. Approved samples still have to be fulfilled, and shipping/labels/addresses live in TikTok Seller Center, not Cruva.
• Auto-approve (Auto Review) can approve matching requests for you on a schedule.

Approving requests

Dashboard → Affiliate CRM → Sample Requests

New requests land on the To Review tab. To approve:

1. Open the To Review tab.

2. Select the creators you want (tick individual rows, or select several).

3. Click Approve. Confirm in the dialog.

Approved requests move to Ready to Ship. You can also Reject or Ignore requests from the same view.

Does it sync both ways?

Yes. Cruva reads everything from Seller Center and refreshes about every 2–5 hours. So:

• Approve in Cruva → it applies to your TikTok Shop; the status settles after the next sync.
• Approve or reject in Seller Center → it flows back into Cruva after the next sync.

Most users approve in Cruva because you can bulk-manage requests in one place. If something you just did in Seller Center isn't showing yet, give it a sync cycle (worst case ~3 hours).

Auto-approve (Auto Review)

Dashboard → Affiliate CRM → Sample Requests → Auto Review

Set up rules that automatically approve (or reject) requests matching your criteria (e.g. minimum shop GMV, follower count, PPS score, specific SKUs). Rules run roughly every 4 hours. Once a rule is active, any request it processes can't be un-processed, so scope it carefully.

Why the eligible pool looks small

Auto Review only approves a request when every condition on the rule is met. If it approved far fewer than you expected, the rule is stricter than the pool — a creator you think should qualify is failing one of the conditions. Loosen the criteria, or check a specific creator against each rule condition.

Shipping a sample

Once a request is approved (Ready to Ship), fulfilment happens in TikTok Seller Center, not Cruva.

• Find the creator's address: Seller Center → Orders → Free Samples. The shipping details are there.
• Print the label / ship: handle it in Seller Center like any other order, or through your usual fulfilment/3PL flow.

Cruva tracks the status (Ready to Ship → In Shipment → Content Pending → Posted) as it syncs from Seller Center; it does not generate the shipping label or store the address itself.

Undoing an approval

There is no undo button in Cruva for an approved sample. To reverse it you have to cancel the order in TikTok Seller Center → Orders (filter for the $0 sample order) and give a cancellation reason such as "Can't deliver." Note this may negatively affect your shop performance score, so only do it when necessary.

Why a creator can't see the "request sample" option

If a creator says there's no request sample button (only "Create Video" / "Add to Showcase"), it's almost always a TikTok-side setup issue, not the number of invites you've sent. Common causes:

• The product's affiliate/sample setup on TikTok, a violation flag, or a product error.
• Open Collab sample limits — adjusting the sample limit in Open Collab can affect Target Collab invites too, even though the two are configured separately.

What to try: test with a different product, and check your sample settings in TikTok Affiliate Center.

Common problems

"I approved but it's not showing / not in TikTok yet." Wait one sync cycle (up to ~2.5–3 hours) for Cruva and Seller Center to line up.

"No address on a Ready to Ship sample." Addresses are in Seller Center → Orders → Free Samples, not Cruva.

"Auto-approve only did a handful." Your rule conditions are stricter than the pool; loosen them or check a specific creator against each condition.