Supplier Selection
Ask Who Owns a Supplier’s Tooling Before Paying the Setup Charge
Clarify tooling ownership, identification, maintenance and transfer arrangements before treating a supplier’s setup charge as a complete agreement.
THE SMALL BUSINESS SOURCING DESK
The sourcing desk
Order Handover
A Supplier Bank-Detail Change Needs Verification Outside the New Email
Verify a supplier’s changed bank details through an established independent channel before updating payment instructions.
Buying Decisions
EXW and DDP Quotes Are Not Prices for the Same Delivery Promise
Compare EXW and DDP supplier quotes by named place, transport, customs and unloading responsibilities before deciding which price offers better value.
Supplier Selection
A Supplier Question Log Keeps Unanswered Details from Becoming Assumptions
A quotation discussion can produce several emails, each answering only part of the previous message. Without a simple question log, an unanswered detail may…
Order Handover
A Carton Label Should Help the Receiver Find the Right Variant
A delivery of similar cartons can be difficult to receive when the outside labels identify only the supplier. The receiver needs enough information to…
Supplier Selection
An Alternative Material Needs a Decision, Even When the Supplier Calls It Equivalent
A supplier reports that the specified material is unavailable and offers an equivalent. That may be a workable proposal, but the word equivalent does not…
Order Handover
Lead Time Starts Somewhere: Put the Trigger Beside the Supplier’s Estimate
“Four weeks” sounds clear until the buyer and supplier start counting from different events. One counts from the first enquiry; the other counts from final…
Buying Decisions
A Supplier’s Minimum Order Can Apply to Each Colour, Not the Whole Basket
A catalogue says the minimum order is one hundred units. You plan to buy four colours, twenty-five of each. Before treating that as a valid order, find out…
Order Handover
Ask for a Packing Trial Before Your First Full Supplier Order
Use a small packing rehearsal to spot awkward dividers, missing handling information and unpacking problems before confirming a first supplier order.