A few companies selling small items such as jewellery will allow you to choose ‘one-off ’ pieces, pay for them and take them away with you, but generally all orders are for delivery. You will not be required to pay a deposit at the time of ordering but as a new customer you will generally receive a pro forma invoice (Latin for ‘as a matter of form’), which in business means an invoice provided in advance of the actual transaction. Once this has been paid, the company will dispatch the goods to you.
Check at the time of ordering if the goods are in stock and available for instant delivery or if there will be a long lead time which may not suit you. Some wholesalers bring samples to the trade show, decide which lines have been popular, then fly out to the Far East to place orders with the manufacturers of those items. With a lead-time for the manufacture, six weeks’ shipping from the Far East, an allowance for the clearing of customs, and finally unpacking the container at the wholesaler’s warehouse, it will be at least three months before you receive your order.
Beware of companies operating from a non-UK address. Sometimes this is a speculative foray into the UK market. If sufficient orders are not taken, they may decide not to deliver. They do not tell you this and the money you have allocated for the order could have been spent on something else. This is why you should never pay at the time of ordering. Always wait for the pro forma invoice and details of delivery dates.
I have often found such companies incredibly slow to deliver. Either way, I could have spent the money on something else and made a profit before I hear from the non-UK supplier.
