New Item Setup

Once an item has been approved, UG will email you to facilitate the next steps of the on-boarding process to be completed within two business days. Products will not be made live without ALL documentation on file.

UG requires ALL VENDORS to download and upload signed documents on the Vendor Extranet in order to complete the Approval / Item Setup process:

  • New Item Setup (see below for more info) – This section helps ensure that any questions are addressed and all necessary information is communicated to our customers, and the various UG team members who will be handling your product throughout its life cycle have the relevant information.
  • Vendor Code of Conduct – UG wants to ensure that all items assorted are made by workers who are treated ethically, and that the products and vendors meet our safety, legal and environmental standards. This form helps us to ensure business partners are in compliance with and maintain these standards.
  • Vendor Terms and Conditions
  • Product Safety Statement – This form outlines the product safety requirements that need to be met for products to be sold in the US, including compliance with CA Prop 65.
  • General Product Certificate (GCC)  and/or Children’s Product Certificate (CPC) – Must be able to provide for all items.

 

If applicable, we may also request the following forms:
New Item Setup – Additional Information Forms – Required when applicable, the product types include: Items with Expiration Dates, Jewelry and Watches, Customized items, Electronics/Lighting, Upcycled/Recycled items, Tabletop, Drop Ship items, Items with charitable claims, Product Development items, and Artwork.

UncommonGoods Artist Card – Required for handmade items, art, and other items where appropriate.

Certificate of Insurance – UncommonGoods must be listed as an additional insured. Required for all Children’s, Food, Growing Seeds, Cosmetics/Wellness, and Cookware. COIs are also suggested or required for electronic items, including lighting, etc. as determined by the buyer.

Product Safety Testing Documentation – UG may request testing documents in addition to the GCC or CPC.

Materials Statement – Used to advise product safety of items that fall into categories with potential safety concerns (i.e.: substantiate CA Prop 65 or FDA compliance).

Furniture vendors: A minimum of 3 high-resolution images – preferably one on a plain white background, as well as environmental/lifestyle images.

 

UG will provide the vendor with the following resources for vendor reference:
Credit References
Resale Certificate
Link to Online Vendor Manual

 

 

NEW ITEM SET-UP SECTIONS:

*In the event that the nature of your product makes setting up on the Extranet not possible, your buyer will send you forms to fill out in Excel and return via email


Vendor / Company information
UG must be able to contact vendors and send purchase orders to the appropriate email. This section will gather the required information regarding vendor business, billing and shipping information, and any sales representatives that have been assigned to handle the account.  Should any of this information change, please notify your specific buyer immediately with the updated vendor/ company information.

Item Information
UG asks vendors for detailed information on the product before adding an item to the assortment. The primary reasons are: to ensure all UG departments are educated on all details of an item in order to troubleshoot; to merchandise appropriately to generate the greatest amount of customer interest and sales; to be able to provide as much information as possible to the customer before and after purchase.

Packaging
For our inventory receiving process, UG must know how merchandise is packaged and how it will be shipped.  Please refer to Packaging Guidelines for additional information.

Marketing / Copy / Photo / Product & Artist Story
Artists should provide a comprehensive but concise account of their creative processes and development of their products.  What makes an item unique, whether it’s the materials, process, or story behind the item, is an opportunity to define the product as an uncommon good and help customers connect with the people behind it. Two – four paragraphs highlighting art/design training, inspiration for creating products such as this, and interesting experiences that have advanced career or personal development/growth/education would suffice. If photos and video are available, please share all marketing materials with the merchant team to help showcase the product. UG does not include brand names on the site, with the exception of fellow B Corp members – we will edit out company/brand names from before adding to our site.

 

NEW ITEM ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FORMS:
Food Kits + Body Care Kits + Expirable Items + Garden Grow Kits
It is important for UG to know what ingredients are in products so that customers have as much information as possible.

  • If the product contains any allergens, the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 requires that they are listed on your packaging.
  • If the product requires an expiration date, please inform UG of the shelf life of your product. All units must come with the expiration date marked on the outside of the packaging. See the Packaging Guidelines section for full requirements..
  • UG also asks to be informed if your product has any requirements for the storage of your item in our warehouse.

Jewelry + Watches
Provide all the characteristics of a piece of jewelry, watch, or other accessory including materials used, care instructions, and proper storage or packaging.  This also ensures the UG receiving team is able to handle these small, delicate items properly. All jewelry shipped to UG must be labeled AND boxed, and then placed into a poly bag. You may also use band tape or presentation bows to prevent the box from opening in lieu of bag – please label the bottom of the box with the SKU barcode in this scenario.

Customized Items
Customization and personalization is an important part of the UG assortment. UG needs to know what customization options are available. UG also requires production and supply information to ensure customer expectations are met.

Children’s Items
Children’s items have various characteristics that are specific to these categories – this form is your opportunity to share these details, as well as confirm that the items comply with all applicable product safety regulations. See “Children’s Testing”  below for more information.

Electronics/Lighting
Electronic items have various characteristics that are specific to these categories – this appendix is your opportunity to share these details, as well as confirm that the items comply with all applicable safety regulations. See “UL Listing for Lighting” below for more information.

Upcycled/Recycled items
Items made from upcycled or recycled materials often have intricacies related to material variability, production and supply, legal, and safety concerns. In order to manage our customers’ expectation, as well as plan our purchasing schedule, it is important for UG to understand the details that make each upcycled or recycled item unique.

See the FTC website for more information on green marketing claims.

Tabletop
Tabletop items have various characteristics that are specific to these categories – this form is your opportunity to share these details, as well as confirm that the items comply with all applicable food contact safety regulations. See “CA Prop 65” below for more information.

Items with Charitable Claims
If a vendor chooses to state that they will make a donation to a charity when a purchase is made, they are required to provide proof of donation by filing with UG every quarter. The vendor must also comply with any applicable Commercial Co-Venturer statutes, including filing any necessary reports and registration documents with the applicable jurisdiction. To comply with federal regulations, UG must be able to report on the dollar amount donated per unit sold. If UG chooses to have a product represent a certain charity, the vendor will be notified.

All additional charitable claims made on the product must be communicated to UG.

Art Printed/Framed with the UG Printing Partner
Vendors supplying Art which is printed and/or framed through our printing partner will be going through a slightly different process.  Please note that if you receive a customer order for a framed print or a bulk purchase order for prints, these must be sent to our framing partner, not UG.  See Drop Ship for a comprehensive guide.

Drop Ship items
If the item ships directly to the customer from the vendor, UG will need to gather basic information on production and capacity so that inventory can be set for these items and we capture all the orders you can produce. UG also requires lead-times for Drop Ship orders and information about whether it is an over-sized item that may require special shipping & handling. For more information see the Drop Ship Guide.

 

TESTING & PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS:
UG is committed to selling products that meet or exceed nationally recognized product safety standards. UG expects all items from all of our vendors to be in compliance with all applicable regulations, on both the state or federal levels. Please note that the below is not a comprehensive list of all applicable regulations. The vendor is responsible for meeting and maintaining all applicable required testing and product safety requirements.

CA Prop 65- Click here for the CA Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) explanation of CA Prop65.

The premise of CA Proposition 65 is:
No person in the course of doing business shall knowingly and intentionally expose any individual to a chemical known to the state to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity without first giving clear and reasonable warning to such individual.

OEHHA provides a list of chemicals that may cause harm to humans and corresponding safe harbor levels (click here for list).

High Risk Substances:
• Lead and lead compounds
• Cadmium
• Hexavalent Chromium
• Phthalates (children’s products)
• Flame Retardants (children’s products, home furnishings)
• Insecticide and pesticide residue (ingredient base – example: lanoline (wool wax) (used in cosmetic products)
• Nickel and nickel compounds
• Mercury
• Arsenic
• Crystalline silica
• Formaldehyde

For more information on Prop 65, please read about it here.

UG is reputable for providing a variety of goods of exceptional quality to our customers.  Please read all necessary documents and confirm that all compliance and standards are met.

 

Children’s Testing- All Children’s item vendors must comply with federal safety standards. These regulations are many and varied – most only apply to certain types of items (for example, the regulations that cover a baby blanket will be different from the regulations that cover a plastic toy dump truck). UG requires a Children’s Product Certificate from all vendors and applicable lab testing results.

Please see the following links for some helpful information from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC):

Insurance Requirements – All Children’s items vendors are required to carry product liability insurance. The minimum coverage UG requires is $2,000,000 for general aggregate and products.

UL Listing for Lighting – All lamps that include light bulbs must be UL listed and all components of lighting must be UL or Intertek ETL listed.
Below is some background on CA Title 20 and lamp requirements, and some info on why we do this for the lamps we sell with a compact bulb: