Consolidating A Mixed Container Order

What splitting suppliers actually costs

Four suppliers means four sampling cycles, four inspections, four sets of documents and four chances for a delayed line to hold up a booking. The unit prices might look competitive; the total cost of the container rarely is.

It also means four different answers when something goes wrong, and no single party responsible for the shipment.

How to run a mixed order well

Fix the on-shelf date first and work backwards. Seasonal lines — grills, tents, storage — have hard windows; luggage does not.

Agree the loading plan across categories, not per line. Light, bulky goods such as picnic mats and covers are what fill the gaps around dense goods such as hard-shell luggage.

Approve every line's sample before any of them go into production, so one late approval does not hold the container.

What to ask for

One quotation covering every line, one inspection report and one packing list. If a supplier cannot produce that, the consolidation is not real.