Stock, MOQ, lead time, payment and claims — stated up front
This page carries what a purchasing or QA team normally asks before the first order: what we hold in stock, how fast we ship, how samples and bulk quantities are priced, which documents travel with every batch, and what happens when a batch is off specification. The figures below are our standard commercial terms; the numbers that bind your order are the ones on your quotation and in the signed specification.
Every stage produces a document, and each document is the reference for the next one. Nothing is agreed verbally that does not end up in the specification, the quotation or the batch COA.
Stock policy follows demand. Fast-moving standard grades are held as safety stock and ship quickly; anything with a special carrier, potency, particle size, dosage form or a first-time specification is scheduled onto production, and that production calendar sets the date.
| Line type | What it covers | Stock position | Typical lead time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard, fast-moving grades | Vitamin D3 oil, vitamin K2 MK-7 powder, routine botanical extracts and other stable sellers. | Safety stock held | 5–7 working days after order confirmation and receipt of the deposit. |
| High-value actives | Specialty and premium actives carried against steady demand. | Low hundreds of kg | From stock, subject to availability of the exact grade on the day you order. |
| Low-value, bulk-volume lines | Commodity extracts and carriers sold by the tonne. | Tonne level | From stock, subject to the quantity you need in one release. |
| Made-to-order specifications | Special carrier, special potency, custom particle size or dosage form, special packaging, or a first-time specification. | Scheduled per order | 3 days, 5–7 days, 7–10 days or up to 30 days, depending on the product and the production schedule. |
MOQ is set by product form and packing unit. Standard specifications are available in small quantities to support formulation work; custom specifications carry a higher minimum because they consume a production run.
Samples come from stock. For low-value products the usual MOQ is 20 kg; a few grams to 1 kg is accepted so a new project can start without buying a full pack.
Sample from stock
Special carrier, special potency, special packaging or a special dosage form. The minimum is reviewed against the production run before we confirm an order.
Production review
Price steps are set by quantity band, for example 20 kg / 100 kg / 500 kg / 1 MT. We publish the band structure; the price per band is given on your quotation.
Price falls with volume
Formulation work needs material to test, not a sales deck. Standard samples are free within the allowance for each product; what varies by product value is how many grams you can have, and what varies by destination is who pays the freight.
| Product value | Free sample quantity | Freight | Chargeable above the allowance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low value | 100–300 g | Customer account or flat regional sample rate | Sample cost plus freight, credited against the bulk order |
| Mid value | 50–300 g | Customer account or flat regional sample rate | Sample cost plus freight, credited against the bulk order |
| High value actives | 2–10 g | Customer account or flat regional sample rate | Sample cost plus freight, credited against the bulk order |
Where the material has to be produced, dispatch follows the production calendar and is agreed per product. Replacement of a sample that was lost in transit is treated as a dispatch issue, not a new order.
Once we have shipped a completed order for you, small quantities can be sent freight paid. Custom specifications and pilot-batch samples remain chargeable, and the charge is still credited against the bulk order.
Consistency is not a promise, it is a comparison against a named reference. For every batch the reference is three documents together: the approved sample, the signed specification and the batch COA.
A bulk batch is judged against the approved sample and specification on exactly these points, not on appearance alone.
Each batch retains a sample from the same lot, with complete labelling, for two years; after that it is sealed into archive rather than discarded. That retained sample is the evidence both sides argue from.
Terms are stated on the proforma invoice and in the sales contract; where the two differ from this page, the contract governs. Credit is granted on assessment, not on the size of a single order.
| Scenario | Terms | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| New customer, small quantity | 100% T/T in advance | Production or despatch is scheduled once payment is received. |
| Bulk order | 50% T/T in advance 50% T/T against B/L copy |
The balance falls due when the bill of lading is presented. |
| Long-term customer | Up to 30 days | Granted after a credit assessment; the limit and the window are stated in the contract. |
| Letter of credit | Not accepted | Payment is by T/T. If your purchasing policy requires an L/C, raise it before the order is placed. |
| Sample and small orders | PayPal, credit card | Available for small amounts; a bank charge may apply. |
| All quotations | Ex tax, ex freight | Incoterms are agreed per order and printed on the quotation. |
The warranty is written against documents, not adjectives: the specification, the batch COA and the regulations that apply to the material. Inspection on arrival is the other half of that arrangement.
Potency and active content, specification, purity, heavy metals and microbiology, where the delivered batch departs from the agreed specification, its COA or the applicable regulation.
Period: 3 months from the date of arrival, or within the product shelf life, whichever comes first.
Force majeure, deterioration from storage or handling at destination, and material altered by the customer. These are assessed on evidence, not assumed either way.
Goes with it: the retained sample and the batch QC file, which are what the assessment reads.
| Step | What happens | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Basis agreed in advance | The specification and the test methods are fixed before production, so acceptance is not negotiated after arrival. | Specification, batch COA, agreed methods (AOAC, pharmacopoeial or in-house) |
| 2. Check on receipt | Confirm packaging condition, quantity and the accompanying documents against the packing list and invoice. | Packing list, commercial invoice, COA |
| 3. Incoming inspection | Key indicators may be tested on arrival as part of your own IQC programme. | Your IQC protocol against the specification |
| 4. Raise within 7 working days | Any non-conformity is raised in writing, and the retained sample is kept for comparison. | Retained sample, batch COA |
| 5. Arbitration if contested | Where the two results disagree, an agreed third-party laboratory makes the final determination. | SGS, Eurofins or another laboratory agreed in writing |
A claim is a process with a clock on it, not a complaint. The clock starts on arrival, the evidence is the retained sample and the COA, and the outcome is one of four remedies.
Quality deviations confirmed as our responsibility; and shipments that do not match the order in quantity, specification or packaging.
Material already used or repacked, claims outside the 7 working day window, loss from customer storage or transport, and custom specifications unless the cause is ours.
Times below are for working days. A question that arrives on Friday afternoon is answered on the next working day, not over the weekend.
| Request | Commitment | What you receive |
|---|---|---|
| Enquiry and quotation | Within 2 working hours | A written reply with the grade options, MOQ band and lead time. |
| Sample request | 3–4 days to despatch when in stock | Tracking details; where the material has to be produced, a date agreed per product. |
| Technical and quality documents | Within 2 working days | COA, specification, TDS, MSDS, and the certificates applicable to the product. |
| Production and logistics progress | Proactive, from the payment date | Order status and the expected despatch date, without a request from you. |
| After-sales and complaints | Within 1 working day | A named contact and the file reference for the case. |
A COA accompanies each batch as standard. Everything else is issued according to the product and the destination, and is listed on the quotation so that nobody discovers a missing paper at the port.
Issued when batch testing completes and sent before shipment for your confirmation, not after the container has sailed. It states the tested parameters, the results, the methods and the batch number.
Documents go by email and travel with the shipment. Paper copies are supplied at no charge on request; certificates that a government authority has to issue may carry a fee. English is the standard language, and other languages can be arranged for the destination.
Regulation follows the market of import, not the market of manufacture. The table sets out what is generally required; the applicable rule is the one in force in your market on the day of import.
| Market | Documents normally required | Points to confirm before ordering |
|---|---|---|
| European Union | Certificate of origin, REACH statement, sanitary or veterinary certificate where applicable. | Novel food status under EU 2015/2283, additive rules, and pesticide maximum residue limits for botanical materials. |
| United States | Entry documents and FDA prior notice where applicable, plus the batch COA. | GRAS or NDI status of the dietary ingredient, FDA labelling, and banned-substance testing for sports nutrition lines. |
| Southeast Asia | Certificate of origin, health or sanitary certificate; import licence in some countries. | Halal certification for Indonesia and Malaysia, and country-by-country tariff and restricted-ingredient lists. |
Certificate of origin (COO), health certificate, inspection and quarantine certificate, veterinary certificate for animal-origin material, and import-export inspection and quarantine certificate where the material is of animal origin. Halal certification is available for the large majority of our products.
Markets regulate ingredient identity and dosage differently: the EU novel food catalogue, US GRAS and NDI status, and national restrictions on specific substances such as NMN, high-dose melatonin and certain botanicals. We do not claim that a product is lawful in every market. We state the requirements we know, supply the technical documents that support them, and the compliance decision rests with the importer and the local regulator.
Three situations cause most disputes between purchase order and delivery. Each one has a rule that can be checked before the order is placed.
Quotations are stable in normal conditions and run with currency movement. Because raw material, freight and FX move, an expired quotation is re-confirmed before it is used. Large or long-term orders can be covered by a framework agreement that fixes the price for a defined period.
Natural disaster, epidemic, government action, war or a break in logistics releases both parties from liability for the delay. The affected party must notify promptly and provide evidence, both sides work to limit the loss, and the schedule is extended once performance resumes.
Quantity and specification can be changed by agreement before payment is confirmed. Once a batch is scheduled, the change has to be raised as early as possible, and the resulting cost and schedule impact is agreed between the parties. A cancellation is settled against the cost already incurred.
Short answers below; the sections above carry the detail. Anything not covered here goes to the sales team with your specification.
Standard specifications run from a few grams up to 20 kg, and for low-value products the usual MOQ is 20 kg. A few grams to 1 kg is accepted to support a new project, and samples are supplied from stock.
Custom specifications, meaning a special carrier, potency, packaging or dosage form, start at 25 kg and can reach 500 kg depending on the production run, so they are reviewed before we confirm.
Standard samples are free for B2B formulation customers within the allowance for that product: 100–300 g for low-value products, 50–300 g for mid-value products and 2–10 g for high-value actives. Freight is at the customer's account, or charged at a flat regional sample rate.
Beyond the allowance, and for custom or pilot-batch samples, sample cost and freight are charged, and the sample charge is credited against the bulk order.
Standard grades held in stock normally dispatch 5–7 working days after order confirmation and receipt of the deposit. Made-to-order specifications are scheduled onto production and take 3 days, 5–7 days, 7–10 days or up to 30 days, depending on the product and the production calendar.
For products without stock, the production schedule decides the date, so confirm the exact grade with your sales contact.
T/T is the standard method: 100% in advance for new customers and small quantities, and 50% in advance with 50% against the B/L copy for bulk orders. Long-term customers with an approved credit assessment can be granted terms of up to 30 days. Letters of credit are not accepted.
Small sample orders can be paid by PayPal or credit card. All quotations exclude tax and freight, and Incoterms are agreed per order.
Raise it in writing within 7 working days of receipt, with the retained sample and the batch COA. We compare the batch with the approved sample, the specification and the COA on active content, specification, appearance, particle size, odour and test method, acknowledge the claim within 1–3 working days, and retest through an agreed third-party laboratory such as SGS or Eurofins where the result is contested.
If the deviation is confirmed, we replace the goods, top up the quantity or refund in proportion, and the review cost follows the party found responsible.
Tell us the product, the specification, the quantity and the destination market.
