Sourcing & supply
Bought where it makes sense. Landed where it is needed.
Wholesale distribution is two problems wearing one coat: finding the material at a workable price, and getting it to site on the day it is needed without a surprise on the invoice.
The premise
A distributor earns its place by holding the risk that a single buyer cannot: the currency, the container, the minimum order, the wait.
We buy from domestic manufacturers and from producers overseas, and we consolidate. That means a project can take its lumber from one region, its tile from another and its hardware from a third, and still receive one shipment against one purchase order.
Where a line is regular, we hold stock and quote from the yard. Where a line is project-specific, we buy to order and state the lead time before anything is committed. The distinction is always made clear on the quotation, because a stocked line and an indent line carry very different risk.
The process
Six steps from brief to delivery.
Each step ends in something written: a specification, a sample approval, a purchase order, a shipping document. Verbal stages are where imports go wrong.
- 01 Brief
What the material has to do, in what quantity, by when, and to what standard. A drawing, a specification sheet or a sample of the existing material is more useful than a description.
- 02 Identify
Match the requirement to producers who actually make it. Not every mill runs every grade, and not every factory that shows a product ships to this market.
- 03 Sample
A physical sample or a production photograph, approved in writing. Colour and texture approved from a screen are approved at the buyer’s risk, and we say so at the time.
- 04 Order
Purchase order with quantity, tolerance, packaging, labelling and inspection terms. Deposits and balance terms are agreed before production starts, not after.
- 05 Inspect
Pre-shipment check against the approved sample and the packing list. Where a third-party inspection is warranted, it is booked and reported before the container is sealed.
- 06 Land & deliver
Freight booked, documents issued, entry filed by the broker, delivery scheduled against the confirmed date. The paperwork travels with the load.
Documents
The paperwork is the shipment.
A container held at a port because a classification or a value is wrong costs more than the freight. These are prepared before the vessel sails, not after it arrives.
| Document | What it does | Prepared by |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial invoice | States seller, buyer, terms of sale, quantity and value. The basis for duty and for entry. | Supplier, checked by us |
| Packing list | Cartons, dimensions, weights, marks. What is actually counted at receiving. | Supplier, checked by us |
| Bill of lading | The carrier’s receipt and the title document. Ocean or inland, depending on the leg. | Carrier or forwarder |
| HTS classification | The tariff heading that sets the duty rate. Wrong classification is a customs penalty, not a rounding error. | Broker, with our input |
| Entry & ISF | Import entry and the advance security filing required before loading. | Licensed customs broker |
| Certificate of origin | Supports a preferential duty claim where a trade agreement applies. | Supplier or chamber |
Our limit
We are a distributor, not a customs broker and not a freight forwarder. Entry is filed and advised on by a licensed broker; carriage is performed by licensed carriers. Our job is to make sure the description, the value and the quantity on the documents match the goods in the container — because that is where the delay usually begins.
Freight
Five ways a load moves.
The cheapest freight is rarely the cheapest delivery. What matters is whether the material arrives on the day the crew is standing there.
| Mode | Suits | Watch |
|---|---|---|
| Will-call | Local pickups, small orders, urgent single lines. | Loading is the customer’s responsibility; bring straps and the right vehicle. |
| LTL | Pallet quantities that do not fill a trailer. | Re-handling and terminal delays. Pallet condition on arrival must be checked at receipt. |
| FTL | Full loads, or material too long or too heavy for a shared trailer. | Access at both ends: a 53 ft trailer needs room to turn. |
| LCL | Imports below container volume. | Consolidated cargo is co-loaded, so damage risk and transit time both rise. |
| FCL | Full container imports, especially where the material must not be mixed. | Seal number and container condition recorded at both ends. |
Honest limits
What a distributor cannot promise.
Every trade has lines that cannot be guaranteed. Naming them up front saves an argument later.
Read before ordering to a hard date
- Colour and grain cannot be guaranteed to match a previous order or a photograph. Natural and fired materials vary between lots.
- Transit time on imports is an estimate until the vessel sails. Port congestion, weather and inspection hold are outside anyone’s control.
- Duty and tariff can change between quotation and entry. Where a rate is material to the price, it is stated separately on the quote rather than buried in it.
- Stock figures move hourly once several orders are open against the same pallet. A reservation is confirmed in writing or it is not a reservation.
Sourcing enquiry
Have a line that is
hard to source?
Send the specification, the quantity and the date. If it can be made or found, we will say where and at what lead time. If it cannot, we will say that too.
Or email the trade desk at info@onesourcedepot.net