Forecasting
The UG Purchasing team is responsible for all product level forecasting and purchase order decisions. Depending on the item, there are different considerations that will determine Purchasing’s forecast.
- Previous Sales History – If the product has been live on our site, we count this data as the best predictor of how it will behave in the future. The more sales data we have, the more accurate we are likely to be. If there is not sales data for the item because it is new, we try to find a comparable item from our assortment and look at its sales data as a guide.
- Catalog Placement or Web Placement – Items that are selected for our catalog get a boost from the exposure it receives to our customer base. This, of course, provides a lift to a forecast.
- Seasonality – If an item is geared towards a certain holiday or a certain season, this will affect its forecast.
- Distribution – If an item is exclusive to Uncommon Goods, this will result in a higher forecast. On the other end of the spectrum, if this is sold at a variety of big-name sites and stores, it will result in a lower forecast.
- Marketing Potential – This involves a lot of factors that are difficult to quantify. Distribution is part of it, as we are much more likely to put marketing spend towards items that are exclusive to Uncommon Goods. Trends in the market on an item, sub-category, and category level also play a large part.
- Price – This is always important, but something we strongly consider in forecasting is that we are selling to our customers at a fair price and are not getting undercut in the market by a competitor.
Types of Purchase Orders
All UG purchase orders are issued via the Vendor Extranet, and must be confirmed via the Extranet.
New Item – After a sampled product is selected to become part of the UG assortment, Purchasing will forecast and issue a new item purchase order. This first order tends to be small with a short delivery window. The idea behind new item ordering is to bring in a small amount quickly, so the item can go live on the website as soon as possible.
Web Only – For items in our assortment, planners are constantly evaluating our current inventory levels and weighing that against a vendor’s lead time to determine the order quantity and time to order. Standard replenishment orders are the most common type of orders received. The delivery window is usually two weeks, but depends on current stock position, vendor turnaround and the time of year. If we issue an order with a turnaround time you cannot meet, let us know and we will be happy to adjust whenever possible.
Catalog – There are two types of catalog orders – the firm (Initial) order due before the catalog mails out to customers, and a second order called a Hold for Confirmation (HFC) order. The HFC order is a reserved amount of inventory that UG requires vendors to hold at the ready. This is not a guaranteed order until UG sends firm confirmation that the units are requested. Once requested, we expect delivery of goods within two weeks, unless other terms have been agreed to ahead of time. Also note, the forecast we send you is the combined units of the firm order and the HFC order, so we do have the intention of needing all of the inventory. We will discuss with you more about the HFC quantities specific to your item(s) on a call if your item is in consideration to be included in catalog.
Corporate – Corporate orders are exceptionally large customer orders. The UG retail minimum to consider a request is $1,000. If UG has enough inventory on hand to cover a corporate order, we will do so. If not, Purchasing will first confirm that the vendor is able to fill the order before sending a purchase order. Vendors are required to drop ship these orders directly to the UG customer (normally due to the size). UG will provide all contact and shipping instructions before the order is placed.
Example Purchase Order
| Purchase Order #567861 Sent: 12/06/2020 |
If you prefer to view this purchase order as a PDF, please click on the attachment.
| Bill To: | Ship To: | Vendor Shipping: | |
| COMPANY NAME CONTACT NAME STREET ADDRESS CITY, STATE, ZIP CODE COUNTRY ph: MAIN PHONE # fx: FAX # email: |
Uncommon Goods – Receiving 140 58th Street Building B, Suite 5A Brooklyn, New York 11220 United States ph: 718-210-1200 x1202 |
COMPANY NAME CONTACT NAME STREET ADDRESS CITY, STATE, ZIP CODE COUNTRY ph: MAIN PHONE # fx: FAX # email: |
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| Payment Terms: | 2% Net 10 or Net 60 |
| Stock Id / Description | Quantity | Cost Each | Discount Each | Total | ||||||||||||
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| Shipping: | Ship Via : Pallets only per UG in writing (and per routing guide) or subject to chargeback; Parcels: normal ground via UG UPS /td> | ||
| Instructions: | * Uncommon Goods will not accept any unconfirmed shipments. * If this shipment is sent without tracking information, the invoice or if each individual box is not labeled with this Purchase Order number Uncommon Goods deducts 5% from the invoice total. * If any confirmed purchase order arrives after its scheduled date, a 5% late charge will be deducted from the invoice total per day, up to the entire value of the order. * Uncommon Goods reserves the right to cancel all or part of any late shipment. * If the confirmed quantities requested by Uncommon Goods are partially shipped without Uncommon Goods prior approval, Uncommon Goods will not be responsible for the cost of the additional shipment. * You represent that the product you sell to Uncommon Goods is of high quality and to customer satisfaction. If merchandise is found to be defective after Uncommon Goods ships it to our customers, you are responsible for costs incurred. This includes replacement merchandise and charge backs (can be up to $150 per defective unit shipped to customers) to cover our operational and customer service expenses. |
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| Notes: | “VENDOR NAME represents that these products meet all applicable federal and state regulatory requirements, including without limitation any applicable product safety standards established by any federal or state statute or agency and California’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, often referred to as ”CA Proposition 65”. VENDOR NAME represents and warrants that it has all legal rights to these products and names, including any trademark, copyright, or patent rights, and that the products and names do not infringe the rights of any third party, including any trademark, copyright, or patent rights. VENDOR NAME will hold harmless and indemnify, including attorney fees, Uncommon Goods, L.L.C., its officers, directors, employees, owners and any other business entities under common ownership or control with Uncommon Goods, L.L.C. (collectively ”Uncommon Goods, L.L.C.”) for all claims, suits, damages, attorneys’ fees, cost of litigation, court costs, civil penalties, criminal penalties, judgments, fines, sums paid in settlement, or expenses incurred, claimed, obtained or sustained by third parties, related to any legal action threatened or instituted against Uncommon Goods, L.L.C. concerning these products.” | ||
| Requirements: | 1. Please log in to your extranet account at https://extranet.uncommongoods.com/vendor and visit the orders page to confirm delivery date, quantity, price, and payment terms for this PO. If information does not match vendor record, then vendor should notify Uncommon Goods immediately using the “Report an Issue” link provided in the extranet. Confirmation of this order includes confirmation of costs listed on this PO. Once an order is confirmed, UG can only update costs for future orders. 2. Please notify Uncommon Goods’ Purchasing Department using the “Report an Issue” link provided in the extranet if any items on order are not currently available and indicate expected available date for each item. 3. Uncommon Goods requires the outside of all shipping cartons to be labeled or marked with Uncommon Goods’ PO number(s) and Vendor Name. Shipping should be combined for multiple POs sent to the vendor on the same day or on consecutive days, when feasible. 4. As soon as the PO has shipped, please add tracking information into the tracking field provided in the extranet and email billing@ugoods.com with the invoice referencing the items shipped and this Purchase Order number in the subject of the email. 5. Please note that discrepancies received on invoices will cause delays in the payment process. 6. If applicable, POs are open until the cancel date indicated above. |
If you are interested in our early cash discount payment, please email billing@uncommongoods.com.
Contact:
Purchasing Department
718-210-1200 x1258
ugvendors@uncommongoods.com
Important Information on a Purchase Order
- Expected Delivery Date
- Shipping Information
- Payment Terms
- Description of Ordered Style(s)
- Ordering Amount(s)
- Unit Pricing
Expected Delivery – This is the date that UG expects the order to arrive at our warehouse. Once a delivery date is confirmed by a vendor, UG understands this as a commitment to deliver the product on time. As such, UG reserves the right to cancel an order, without expense, if the expected delivery is not met. If the requested delivery date of the order cannot be met, vendor must notify Purchasing in advance of missing a delivery date.
Shipping Information – Each PO issued includes directions on how to ship with Uncommon Goods. Vendors will be instructed to ship via the UG UPS account or via UG-arranged freight. Any alternate ship method must be pre-approved by Purchasing before shipping or vendor will be responsible for all shipping costs.
Payment Terms – This is agreed upon by the vendor and buyer prior to the order being sent. Please double check that the terms are correct before confirming. Once a PO is confirmed, the payment terms are set.
Description of Ordered Style(s) – Each purchase order lists out merchandise being ordered using our vendors’ own product codes ( the vendor code(s)). Please be sure to provide the correct codes to buyers at the time of new item setup to avoid confusion. If any codes have changed, please inform the Purchasing team right away.
Ordering Amount(s) – Each item listed has a set ordering quantity. If vendor does not have the full ordered amount available, Purchasing will have to pre-approve any partial shipments of an order before they are sent. Please state the available amount when confirming the PO.
Unit Pricing – This is agreed upon by the vendor and buyer prior to the order being sent. Please double check that the pricing is correct before confirming. Once a PO is confirmed, the pricing is set.
Confirming a Purchase Order
UG requires vendors to confirm all POs within 2 business days from the day that the order is sent by logging in to their extranet account at https://extranet.uncommongoods.com/vendor. Vendors should visit the orders page to confirm delivery date, quantity, price, and payment terms for this PO. If information does not match vendor record, then vendor should notify Uncommon Goods immediately using the “Report an Issue” link provided in the extranet. Our Merchant-Operations team will follow up with you as soon as they can. Confirmation of this order includes confirmation of costs listed on this PO. Once an order is confirmed, UG can only update costs for future orders. It is the responsibility of the vendor to review all information for accuracy before confirming. Confirmation should not be a simple “ok”, but a firm statement that the PO has been received, reviewed and accepted by the vendor. For example, “PO received and will be sent as requested.” Once an order is confirmed, all information presented is binding. This includes all pricing and payment terms.
When you confirm a PO, you are agreeing to the indemnification language contained in the PO:
“Vendor represents that these products meet all applicable federal and state regulatory requirements, including without limitation any applicable product safety standards established by any federal or state statute or agency and California’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, often referred to as ”CA Proposition 65”. Vendor represents and warrants that it has all legal rights to these products and names, including any trademark, copyright, or patent rights, and that the products and names do not infringe the rights of any third party, including any trademark, copyright, or patent rights. . Vendor will hold harmless and indemnify, including attorney fees, Uncommon Goods, L.L.C., its officers, directors, employees, owners and any other business entities under common ownership or control with Uncommon Goods, L.L.C. (collectively ”Uncommon Goods, L.L.C.”) for all claims, suits, damages, attorneys’ fees, cost of litigation, court costs, civil penalties, criminal penalties, judgments, fines, sums paid in settlement, or expenses incurred, claimed, obtained or sustained by third parties, related to any legal action threatened or instituted against Uncommon Goods, L.L.C. concerning these products.”
Shipping and Tracking
If a vendor created their UPS shipping label through the Extranet, tracking will automatically be added to the PO. If not, the vendor will need to add tracking on the orders page of the Extranet (https://extranet.uncommongoods.com/vendor). This is required for every shipment being delivered to UG. If it is a freight pick-up, vendor must provide the carriers name and PRO number of the shipment in the appropriate place in the Extranet as well.
Invoicing
Email an invoice for the quantities shipped to the UG Accounting Department, billing@ugoods.com, when you email tracking.