In general this page is to give our SUPPLIERS some guidelines and inform them of our expectations
and
This is a general discussion of
International Purchasing, Credit Cards, International Money Orders, Wire Transfers, etc. for our customers.
SOME IDEAS ABOUT WHAT IS BEING PURCHASED
We have contacted many suppliers. We started with suppliers in the USA and then contacted suppliers outside of the USA. We have judged them on:
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(1) Attitude toward us as our being their customer,
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This all might seem backwards, but think about it. There are multitudes of companies supplying products worldwide. If we am the customer, then how they treat us before the sale could reflect how they treat us after they get my money, so attitude has to be first.
(2) Product availability,
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We have customers. We want our customers to receive their orders in a timely manner. Therefore, our suppliers should get their products to us and to our customers in reasonable time. Custom made parts have to be considered for machining and labor time. Off the shelf parts could be much faster. We would like to know, up front, what the delivery time is. Long wait time or quick delivery: we want to know up front. It is not an issue, but we want to know. If they do not tell us, at least an estimate, even an estimate in months for fabrications, then we could wonder what is going on.
(3) Price availability (It is amazing, some companies seem to lothe pricing),
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We have customers. When our customers ask us for a price, we want to be able to tell them quickly or get the price quickly for them. There is a concept called "Cost of Goods Sold," and since we are selling goods, we want to know our costs. With some suppliers; we have had to send multiple emails to and/or call many times in order to get a solid price out of them. This could make us wonder if they know what they are doing. This also could make us wonder if their own suppliers are giving them fits. It is amazing the fear that some people seem to have in deciding a price for something that they openly advertise for sale. Suppliers: Know your Cost of Goods Sold and MAKE A DECISION !
(4) Product quality.
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So, you may ask, "Why in the world would 'Product Quality' be last on the list?" It is this simple: A great product, that we do not know the price of, which we have no idea when it will be available, being sold by someone with a bad attitude which might be a harbinger of even worse service after the sale is not worth buying. If you see products or services referenced on http://www.reasonablepower.com then they have gone through this filter. Last, but definately not least, we try to check out the product quality. If we use a product or reference it to our customers, then we prefer that it be high quality. We cannot guarantee someone else's quality, but we prefer it.
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