How to make first inquiries to suppliers for your Craft Business

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This post is a follow up to my Types of Suppliers post. I thought that it would be useful to give some pointers on how to approach wholesalers and suppliers because (to be honest) they aren’t always as helpful as small independent businesses can be to deal with, so you sometimes need a firm hand and you need to sound like you mean business! This is easier if you begin by speaking Supplier Lingo

What sort of questions should you be asking Suppliers in the inquiry stage?

“What are your minimum order amounts?” This will either be in units of product, monetary value, or a combo of the two. It’s worth noting that if you are an international customer than your minimum order amount may be higher than that of domestic customer.
“Do you ship to….., how do you ship, and how long will shipping take?” Does the supplier arrange the shipping or do you have organize your own shipping. I remember with great fondness my first overseas fabric order – I didn’t ask the fabric company if they arranged shipping, (I assumed they didn’t deliver, when in fact they do, but they never mention it) so I went and organized my own courier to pick up and deliver the fabric which cost me loads more and the paper work was such a pain, all because I hadn’t asked the supplier about shipping – DUUHHH!!
“What will be ‘lead time’ for your order?” I don’t know why folks use the words “lead time”, but most everyone does. Lead time is defined as the time it takes to produce or process your order and deliver to you from the time the order is made.
“How do I pay and what are your settlement terms?” Most suppliers have the facilities to take credit or debit card payments or cheques, but if you are dealing with overseas suppliers than you will sometimes have to make payments via international bank transfer (be aware that your bank will charge you for this kind of transaction). “Settlement terms” means at what point do you pay for your order? Do you pay up front, on delivery, or a month after delivery? If your are dealing with a new supplier try to arrange it so you can pay a percentage up front and the balance on delivery (after you’ve seen the goods. Of course not all suppliers (and smaller business) can offer this, but if they can it’s good for you.
“What is your Returns policy and how do you claim?” In what circumstances will the supplier make exchanges or refunds and how and when should I claim; it’s good to know just in case…
“What are your terms and conditions of sale?” This is a more general catch-all question that may include all of the above.