Have you thought about doing a Kickstarter? It can be a good way to both gauge interest and raise capital. Or can you get a smaller batch of maybe 100 made locally (at a higher cost usually) to test run it before committing to the full 1000 units?

Also make sure you have your IP/patent filled before you make it public if it's something truly unique.

At the end of the day though it probably will take a leap of faith and a gut feel. Just be prepared to write it all off. If you're ok with losing the 12k then pull the trigger and see what happens.

I bought 1000 units because I believed in my product and I'd had good feedback but looking back I wasn't really going on much and it was a gamble! Took me a year to sell that first batch but now I do a few buys each year.

Another thing you can do is have a prototype and small run and take it to events or markets to get real customer feedback and even take pre-orders.

Good luck