Wholesale refers to selling inventory in large quantities to retailers who then sell directly to their customers. Typically wholesale orders are made in bulk and shipped directly to a retailer. Traditionally, wholesale orders ship to:
- Retailers (Target, Nordstrom, etc.)
- Boutique stores
- E-commerce platforms (Amazon)
- Your own storefront
- Pop-up shops and press events
Most retailers have their own unique set of inbound delivery guidelines in order to streamline the receipt of inventory into their stores. These guidelines outline how shipments need to be packed, labeled and prepared for shipping. It can become quite complicated to meet all of the requirements, especially with such large orders. This is where fulfillment partners like MasonHub come in — we play a key role in the fulfillment process to ensure a smooth flow from your supplier to your retail partners.
In addition to the wholesale orders mentioned above, there may be times that a traditional e-commerce order is placed for a quantity that is better handled by our wholesale team. Therefore, customer orders containing 30 or more units will be automatically routed to the wholesale team, where the team and space is equipped for handling large orders.
Creating Wholesale Orders
Since wholesale orders are larger and typically require additional handling, it is critical that they are created in MasonHub’s platform with Order Type: Wholesale.
This can be accomplished by:
- Creating the order in the MH OMS with Order Type: Wholesale
- Using the MH OMS order upload form with order_type: wholesale
- Using the order tag WHOLESALE when creating orders in Shopify
- Setting the order_type as wholesale via the MasonHub API
- Customer orders containing 30 or more units are automatically updated to Order Type: Wholesale and billed accordingly
Dropship orders (where the retailer is selling your product on their website but MasonHub is fulfilling the order) should use Order Type: Dropship, not Wholesale.
Before you can begin submitting wholesale orders a Wholesale Onboarding Form must be submitted for all new retailers and you are responsible for providing MasonHub with a Wholesale SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) document for each wholesale trading partner that summarizes the requirements for how to pack, route, and ship the orders. This document must be submitted 6 weeks before you plan to begin shipping to the new retailer. |
Wholesale Onboarding and SOPs
The Wholesale SOPs must be submitted at least 6 weeks before MasonHub can begin shipping to your wholesale trading partner. Your SOPs must include the following:
- Is EDI required?
- Chargeback details
- Link to vendor routing guide
- URLs and log-in credentials
- Product and carton labeling requirements
- Minimum shelf life for SKUs that have expiration or best before dates
This information should be provided to you by the retailer well in advance of any orders needing to be shipped, and it is your responsibility to communicate these requirements Onboarding Specialist or Account Manager.
All requirements must be outlined in Wholesale SOPs for each wholesale trading partner that summarizes the requirements for packing, routing, and shipping the orders. MasonHub will not complete or update the requirements or SOP on your behalf, because it’s important both parties understand the requirements and possible chargebacks.
Upon submission of the documents, your Onboarding Specialist or Account manager will review the requirements with the MasonHub team and follow-up with any clarifying questions, review pricing updates (if applicable), and ensure the team is trained. After reviewing, they will communicate any Value Added Service (VAS) tags that are required when creating orders, and schedule time to review all documentation and process updates together before we begin shipping.
Value Added Services
Value Added Services (VAS) tags are used to indicate SOP packout instructions that apply to your wholesale order. Your required VAS tags will be provided by your Onboarding Specialist or Account Manager.
For example, if you begin shipping wholesale orders to Nordstrom, VAS tag WS_Nordstrom will be set up on your account to indicate that we must follow the Nordstrom SOP you provided. You will then be responsible for applying this tag to all Nordstrom orders. If the VAS tag is not added, our team will not know to follow Nordstrom’s SOPs which could result in chargebacks from the retailer that MasonHub will not be responsible for accommodating.
If your wholesale order doesn’t require any special handling or SOPs to follow, then it does not require a VAS tag.
Ship Windows
Some retailers or wholesale trading partners will provide you with an agreed-upon timeline for orders to be shipped and received by them. This is referred to as a ship window and can be a specific timeframe or range of dates. It is important to communicate the ship window information because some retailers will impose chargebacks for late or delayed shipments. These chargebacks can impact your and MasonHub’s profitability and relationship with the retailer. By shipping within the agreed-upon ship window, the supplier avoids such penalties and maintains a positive business partnership. If your order has a ship window, it must be included when you create the order on MasonHub’s platform.
Wholesale orders originating from Shopify do not currently support ship windows. If a ship window is required for an order originating from Shopify, you must update the order manually in the MH OMS immediately after it is created, or open a support ticket to notify the MH team of the ship window. |
You may see two different ship window specifications:
- Ship After is the first date the order can be shipped or scheduled for pick-up
- Ship Before is known as the cancel date, this is the very last date the order can be shipped or picked up
Oftentimes it is not possible to schedule a pick up within 1-2 days before the cancel date, so it is critical that wholesale orders are created allowing for adequate time to execute the order. It is also crucial that the service level agreement (SLA) for your wholesale order size is being taken into consideration.
Wholesale SLAs
Wholesale orders will have a 3 day, 5 day, or custom SLA depending on the order’s unique factors. MasonHub OMS reviews when the order was submitted, inventory availability, size, shipping windows, special handling, and the shipping type to determine total time needed to prepare the order accurately. After inputting your order details and submitting for fulfillment you will be able to view the Ship By date on the Orders & Shipments page in the OMS.
There are many factors that impact wholesale order SLAs so it is important to always provide adequate turnaround time. Read more about all of the order factors below.
Time order is submitted
If an order is submitted before noon local time of the warehouse fulfilling the order, the submission day will count as day 1 of the SLA. If the order is submitted after noon local time of the warehouse fulfilling the order, the following business day will begin the SLA countdown.
It is also important to be aware of inventory availability, if an order is created but goes to backorder status it is not considered submitted for fulfillment. Once inventory becomes available and the order submits the SLA countdown will begin.
MasonHub company holidays and weekends are not counted as business days and additional time will be added to the SLA calculation to account for the holidays and weekends. |
Shipping Windows
It is crucial your order is submitted in time to allow for full SLA and for a pick up to be scheduled within your wholesale partner’s routing system.
If your order has a ship window and a ship before date, the SLA calculation counts backwards from that date to ensure there is enough time to complete the order. If you are requesting a ship before date that does not allow time for the SLA that was calculated you will receive an error message and your order will not be submitted.
Value Added Service and Order Size
Value added services (VAS) are custom activities that are needed above and beyond the standard pick and ship process. This could include ticketing, polybagging, store breakdowns, carton labeling, ect. Orders requiring value added services will always have a minimum 5-day SLA no matter the size.
SLA countdown will not begin until MasonHub has received ALL materials and documents needed to complete the order. Ex. inventory, SOPs, WS Trading Partner Form, packaging, inserts, labels, tickets, breakdown information, etc. |
Shipping Method
In most cases, you will either ship the orders on your MasonHub rate card or the pick-up will be scheduled by LTL on your wholesale partners account. In some cases, MasonHub will ship the order on the retailer’s small parcel carrier account. If the wholesale partner is arranging the order pick up or MasonHub is to ship on their small parcel carrier account, the shipping method is considered WILL CALL. You will use the order tag WILL CALL when creating the order or sending from Shopify. WILL CALL orders, of any size, have a minimum 5 day SLA to allow for time to coordinate the pick-up.
EDI Orders
MasonHub has a partnership with SPS Commerce, the leading provider of EDI solutions, that allows us to be fully compliant with top retailers. Read through the Wholesale Order Management with MasonHub guide for more information about how to get started with wholesale retailers that require EDI.
Wholesale Forecast
You must submit a wholesale order forecast on the 15th of each month. This forecast will outline the anticipated wholesale volume for the following month. Read more about volume forecasting here. These forecasts are critical to the capacity planning and staffing of the wholesale workcenter and MasonHub does not guarantee SLAs during months that a forecast was not submitted.
Wholesale Order Chargeback Requests
Wholesale chargebacks are financial penalties imposed by wholesale providers when an issue occurs, such as incorrect shipments, damaged products, or missing documentation. By providing clear, concise, and up-to-date Wholesale SOPs, our team will be equipped to avoid chargebacks. But in the instance of chargebacks, the following guidelines ensure chargebacks are addressed promptly and allows for effective investigation and resolution.
- Chargebacks must be submitted within 90-days from the date of shipment.
- Sufficient proof must be provided. This evidence includes photographs of labels, Bills of Lading (BOLs), packing slips, product images, or any other documentation that demonstrates MasonHub's fault or involvement in the issue.
By adhering to these guidelines, MasonHub aims to maintain a strong partnership with its wholesale vendors, minimize chargebacks, and continuously improve its fulfillment operations to ensure accuracy, efficiency, and customer satisfaction.
Chargeback requests must be submitted by emailing support@masonhub.co and copying your Account Manager.