How to handle large intl UK retailer order?

[olimits7]

Hi,

I received an email from an international UK retailer that wants to buy 1 of my products in bulk (100 copies).

This is my first time dealing with an order of this size; my question is how do I handle this without getting ripped off?

I don't think this is a scam order, but you can never be to careful in todays world.

- Should I have him fax me over any documentation?
- Or should I authorize his credit card first to make sure I receive a successfull authoriztion?
- Etc...

I'm not sure what the proper etiquette is to handle an order like this.

Thank you,

olimits7

[jwurunner]

We have gotten tons of requests for orders like this for years. In the past we have rejected them for fear of fraud, (the first few times we shipped overseas we got hurt),refused deliveries (do to taxes and duties) and chargebacks. In the next few days we are going to be rolling out a third party solution that handles all the issues with shipping international. (i.e. fraud, shipping, taxes, duties, returns, etc) We feel that the cost of one of these solutions far outweighs the risk of doing it on our own. You may want to look into one of these services.

[olimits7]

If you don't mind me asking; what 3rd party solution are you using to handle all these issues?

Thank you,

olimits7

[olimits7]

Does anyone else have any input on what I should collect from potential international retailers in regards to documentation?

drivers license image scan? credit card image scan? business registration docs? etc...?

Thank you,

olimits7

[piatkow]

Depends how large the retailer is. If you want to sell to the "big boys" you deal on their terms or not at all.

[PCInk]

If it's a large UK international retailer, they are probably a limited company. Their company name should end in 'Ltd' or 'PLC'. First step is to ensure that they really exist, or still exist since many companies have gone under in the last year or so. Limited companies can be checked on www.companieshouse.gov.uk. It's not a comprehensive check by any means, but it is a start.

[MrHard]

Just do a bank wire and you wont need to worry about it.

[radeckd]

I think you may try to use Paypal. It is popular in UK and if the buyer is verified or address can be verified, PayPal should give you protection. Not that I am fan of PayPal but for UK it may work just fine. It also depends how big this transaction is.

[driller41]

I dont think that an international UK retailer would be using Paypal - why not ask them, and if they say yes then run a mile.

Most large companies will pay via a purchase order number - this is just a number on a company letterhead which you then submit to their purchasing dept for payment.