There's a real difference between buying from a maker (often a single person or a small team producing the goods themselves) and buying from a distributor (a company that buys from many makers and resells to retailers). The differences aren't usually written down anywhere, and they catch new buyers off guard. Here's what we tell new buyers as part of onboarding.
Lead times are variable. A maker doesn't have a warehouse of inventory waiting to ship; they're producing more or less to your order. This means lead times depend on what else is on their bench when your PO comes in. A two-week quote can become a five-week reality if the maker took on a large order the week before yours. Build in cushion.
Quantities are flexible — within reason. Most makers will break a case pack for a new account, especially if you're a buyer they're excited to work with. But if you ask for one-of-each on a $400 order, you're effectively asking the maker to subsidize your test, and they'll remember.
Communication is direct. Email a distributor and you get an account-management response within 24 hours. Email a maker and you might get a response that night, or you might wait a week because they're elbow-deep in production. This is not unprofessional — it's the nature of the work. Phone calls scheduled in advance work best.
Pricing is firmer. Distributors negotiate; makers usually don't, because the price often reflects exactly what the math allows. Trying to negotiate a maker's wholesale price down 10% is more likely to lose the relationship than it is to get you a discount. If price is the issue, look at case pack, terms, or shipping consolidation — not the unit price itself.
Quality is more variable, batch-to-batch. A maker producing in small batches can have one batch that's slightly off-color or off-weight from the next. Most makers will replace anything that's truly outside spec, but be prepared for natural variation that wouldn't exist with industrial production. Tell your customers; most customers actively prefer it.
The reward, for all this, is that you're carrying a product with a real story behind it — and in independent retail, the story matters. Customers buy from independent stores in part because they can't get the same goods from a chain. The maker relationship is the substance behind that promise.
Written by Amy Burdick for WICE. Questions or pushback? We read every reply. Write to us.