Most jewelry vendors look the same in a trade show booth. The differences show up three months later, when you are trying to reorder the one design that sold out and nobody is answering the phone.
Here is what actually separates a supplier worth keeping from one you will quietly drop.
1. What is the opening minimum, really?
A $300 to $500 opening order is standard, and for a small shop that is a real bet on a line you have never sold. Ask whether the minimum is negotiable for a first order. Some vendors have no minimum at all — we do not have one, and never have — which means you can test with a single rack instead of a pallet.
The follow-up question matters more: what is the reorder minimum? A low opening order paired with a high reorder minimum is a trap. You sell through, then discover you have to buy 200 units to restock.
2. How fast can they actually ship?
Ask for a real number, not “quick turnaround.” Importers are often quoting you the time it takes to pull from a warehouse — which is fine until that warehouse is empty, and then you are waiting on a container.
A domestic manufacturer can usually produce and ship inside two weeks. Ours is 5 to 10 days because we cut and assemble in our own San Diego workshop. That difference decides whether you can restock inside a season or have to guess in January what August will need.
3. What is the markup?
Keystone — doubling your cost — is the gift industry baseline. If a vendor is offering less than keystone, there had better be a very good reason.
Better than keystone exists. Our line wholesales from $4.95 against a $14.95 to $19.95 suggested retail, which is 3x to 4x. On an impulse-priced product that turns quickly, that spread is where a gift shop actually makes its money.
4. Do they solve merchandising, or hand you a box?
A carton of loose product is a problem, not an opportunity. Ask whether displays exist, what they cost, and whether they are sized for the line.
If you have to build your own fixture solution, factor that time and cost into the deal. It is rarely small.
5. Where is it actually made?
“Designed in the USA” and “assembled in the USA” are not the same as made in the USA, and your customers increasingly ask. Get a straight answer, because you will be repeating it at the counter.
6. What happens with returns and damage?
Ask before you need to know. A vendor who is vague about damaged freight will be vague when your box arrives crushed.
7. Can you talk to a human?
The smaller the vendor, the more likely you are talking to someone who can actually decide something. That matters when you need a rush order, a custom design, or a favor.
The short version
Minimums, lead time, margin, displays, origin, damage policy, and whether anyone picks up the phone. Seven questions, and most of them take one email to answer.
If you want ours in writing: our gift shop wholesale terms are here — no minimums, 5 to 10 day lead times, 3x to 4x markup, made in San Diego since 2010.
