Questions to ask before stocking a new brand

A good supplier conversation turns an attractive product into a clear operating decision. You need to understand what will arrive, when it can arrive, how it should be represented and what happens if something goes wrong. Ask these questions while you can still change the order. Once the cartons are on their way, an overlooked case quantity or missing specification becomes harder to resolve.

Start by explaining your store, customer and expected buying window. This helps the supplier respond with relevant information instead of sending the entire catalog. Ask for the current trade materials and identify the person who handles orders. A separate contact may manage product information or damage claims. Recording those routes early can save several rounds of forwarded messages later.

Which exact product are we discussing?

Ask for the product name, supplier SKU, available variants and the version represented by the sample. A sample may use a finish or packaging format that has since changed. Confirm which details will apply to the actual production stock. If a supplier says an item is being improved, ask what is changing and whether the delivery date refers to the current or revised version.

Obtain dimensions, weight, materials, care instructions and relevant compatibility details. Ask which measurements refer to the product and which refer to its packaging. For a pouch, external width alone may not answer whether a particular device fits inside. For a refillable pen, the compatible refill reference matters more than a general statement that refills are available.

Where trade identifiers are used, ask for the identifier attached to each orderable item. GS1 describes the GTIN as a way to uniquely identify trade items. Keep that separate from your own internal SKU and the supplier’s internal reference. Matching identifiers carefully helps the receiving team connect the order, product record and delivered item.

Can we inspect a representative sample?

Ask about sample cost, availability, shipping and return arrangements. Confirm whether the sample comes from current saleable stock. If it is a prototype, treat it as a preview and request confirmation of final specifications before making claims about the production item. Keep a short inspection record with photographs and any unanswered questions.

Handle the product as a customer would. Open the closure, read the label, check the care information and place it in its packaging again. Inspect edges, joins and surfaces under ordinary light. This does not replace any specialist testing the category may require, but it can reveal practical issues that are invisible in a catalog photograph.

Try the intended retail presentation. Does the packaging stand on a shelf? Can staff identify the variant without opening every box? Is the product protected when taken out and repacked? Ask the supplier how it recommends displaying or demonstrating the item, then decide whether your store can support that approach consistently.

What is the unit of the order?

Confirm whether the quoted price is per item, pair, set or case. Ask for the case pack, minimum opening order and reorder minimum. Establish whether colors or sizes can be mixed within a case. A phrase such as six assorted can hide an allocation the retailer did not choose, so request the actual breakdown.

Ask which currency applies and whether quoted freight or other charges are included. Record the date and version of the price list. If prices can change before dispatch, ask how the supplier confirms the final amount and whether you can revise the order. Commercial terms should be understood from the actual agreement, rather than assumptions based on previous suppliers.

Write the quantities in plain language when confirming the first order. Twelve individual trays packed as two cases of six is harder to misread than quantity two. Your system may need both the case information and unit quantity. Check the supplier’s acknowledgment against that record before authorizing the next step.

When is the stock genuinely available?

Distinguish stock ready to dispatch from stock expected from production. Ask for the estimated dispatch date, the likely transit time and the point at which the supplier will report a delay. A delivery estimate should tell you enough to judge whether the product fits your selling window. Avoid building a launch around an ambiguous phrase such as available soon.

Ask how partial shipments are handled. Can available items leave first? Who pays any additional freight? Will the supplier ask before sending a partial order? Establish what happens to backordered items and whether they remain open automatically. These details affect both cash planning and the promises you can make to customers.

Replenishment deserves a separate question. An opening order may be available immediately while the next production run is much later. Request the usual reorder process, minimum quantity and current planning horizon. Record the answer as an estimate with a date, then confirm it again when placing the actual reorder.

What happens when a carton arrives damaged?

Ask for the receiving and claims procedure before the delivery. Identify what photographs, counts and packaging evidence the supplier requests, and the timeframe stated in the agreement. Make that information available to the person opening the shipment. A buyer who knows the policy cannot help much if the receiving team has already discarded the needed packaging.

Clarify how replacements, credits and shortages are resolved. Who decides which remedy applies, and how is it recorded? Ask about defects discovered after a customer purchase as well as damage visible at receipt. Keep customer-facing promises aligned with what your own business is prepared to support, including situations where the supplier’s process takes longer than expected.

Shopify’s purchase order documentation is a useful reference for organizing supplier agreements and incoming inventory. The software record is only part of the job. Attach the relevant correspondence and make exceptions visible so a colleague can understand the order without reconstructing the whole conversation.

Which assets and claims can the store use?

Request approved images and permission for the channels where you intend to publish them. Ask for the factual basis of material, origin or performance claims you plan to repeat. If supporting information is unavailable, use a narrower description or leave the claim out. A supplier’s enthusiastic wording is not a reason to promise something the store cannot explain.

End with a written recap of open questions, proposed quantities and the next action. For an illustrative first order of notebooks, the recap might leave one paper specification and a packaging change unresolved while confirming price and case quantity. Hold the affected line until those details are answered. Build your questionnaire from these topics, then shorten it to the questions that matter for the specific category and buying decision.