Inventory how-to

What to ask a new supplier before your first order

Before you place a first order, get the supplier's lead time, minimum order quantity, case pack sizes, and pricing breaks in writing.

Short answer: Before you place a first order, get the supplier's lead time, minimum order quantity, case pack sizes, and pricing breaks in writing. These four facts drive your reorder points and order quantities, so wrong or missing answers cause stockouts or overstock later.

Lead time, not promised but actual

Ask how many days from order confirmation to goods arriving at your door, not from when they start production. Ask separately about production time and shipping time, since delays usually hide in shipping or customs. If they quote a range, use the high end for your safety days.

Minimums and case packs

Ask for the minimum order quantity per SKU and per overall order, and whether it changes by season. Ask if products ship in fixed case packs (for example boxes of 12 or 24), since you cannot order partial cases. Get this per variant if colors or sizes differ in pack size.

Pricing, payment terms, and changes

Ask for a price list with any volume discounts or tiers, and how much notice they give before price changes. Ask about payment terms (deposit, net 30, etc.) since this affects your cash flow planning, not just the order itself.

Returns, damages, and partial shipments

Ask what happens if an item arrives damaged or short, and whether they ship partial orders when a SKU is out of stock. If they do partial shipments, ask how they handle the remainder: backorder, cancel, or substitute.

Step by step

  1. Get lead time in days, split into production time and shipping time.
  2. Ask for minimum order quantity, both per SKU and per overall order.
  3. Ask for case pack sizes per variant, since partial cases usually are not allowed.
  4. Request a written price list including any volume discount tiers.
  5. Confirm payment terms: deposit required, net terms, and currency.
  6. Ask their policy on damaged goods and short shipments.
  7. Ask if they do partial shipments and how they handle backordered items.

Worked example

Say a supplier quotes 10 days production plus 15 days shipping, so your real lead time is 25 days. Their minimum order is 200 units total, shipped in case packs of 24 per color. If you sell 4 units a day of one color and want 10 days of safety stock, your reorder point is 4 x (25 + 10) = 140 units. You would then round your order quantity up to the nearest multiple of 24 to meet both the case pack rule and the 200-unit minimum.

How SteadyShelf helps

Once you have these answers, SteadyShelf uses the lead time, safety days, case pack size, and minimum order quantity to calculate reorder points and suggested quantities automatically, and to send you an order-by date. It does not help you negotiate terms, vet suppliers, or track things like landed cost or payment terms, so keep that information in your own supplier notes.

$29/month flat, unlimited products and suppliers, 30-day free trial. Run the numbers now with the free reorder point calculator.

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FAQ

Should I ask about landed cost or customs fees?

Yes, ask directly, since quoted unit prices often exclude duties, customs fees, or freight. Get a clear answer on who pays these and whether they are included in the price per unit, since this affects your true cost per item even though SteadyShelf does not track landed cost for you.

What if the supplier cannot give a firm lead time?

Ask for their worst-case estimate from past orders and use that number, not their best case. Pad your safety days further until you have a few completed orders with them and can see their actual, reliable lead time.

Let SteadyShelf do this math for every SKU

Order-by dates per supplier, seasonal forecasts and draft POs for your Shopify store. $29/month after a 30-day free trial.

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