Bulk Ordering

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It is becoming more and more common that FRC teams want to place bulk orders from us! Up until now these orders have been handled case by case. In this post I’ll explain what a bulk order is, why they need to be placed differently, and how to place a bulk order.

Why bulk order?
For individual buyers we make it easy to place small orders (~$100 or less) with PayPal and a flat shipping fee. This is convenient for small orders but is not ideal for larger ones. PayPal takes a decent cut from transactions which is reasonable for small orders but adds up for the larger ones. Shipping costs add up too. For small orders shipping costs ~$4-6 depending on the size which is why we have a flat $5 rate to keep things simple. Bulk orders are outliers for this system as shipping for large orders can cost more like $20-$50. It is for these reasons that we can’t fulfill large orders though the PayPal system.

How to place a bulk order
The most important step to placing a bulk order is to get in touch with us! We will help any way we can with the order if you reach out. You can reach us by email at alfredopurchases@gmail.com. The following are the steps to place bulk order. If you are new to business transactions it may seem daunting, but don't get overwhelmed! This process is very common for organizations and we can help every step of the way.

1) We send you a Quote
Once you reach out and let us know what you are hoping to order, we will send you a quote for the order. The quote is not a commitment to order! We can update the quote as many times as you need until you are happy with the order. The quote will include the cost of parts, shipping, and tax. Here is an example of what a quote might look like.

2) You send us a Purchase Order
When you are happy with the quote, the next step for you is to send us a Purchase Order (PO). A PO is a document written by a buyer and sent to a seller. A PO serves as an official request from the buyer to the seller for the delivery of products or services, and it typically includes information like items, quantities, prices, payment terms, shipping instructions, and any other relevant terms and conditions. Organizations like FRC teams often have infrastructure in place to create purchase orders. If your team is not used to creating a PO then let us know, we have templates we will share with you and help you create the PO.

3) We send you the parts and an invoice
After we receive your purchase order we can immediately ship your order. Along with the order we will send an invoice. An invoice is very similar to a receipt or bill, it will tell you what you ordered and how much to pay for it. Here is an example of what an invoice from us might look like.

4) You send us payment
The best way to send us payment for a bulk order is via check. We usually send invoices with Net 30 terms. This means you have 30 days to send us a check made out to Alfredo Systems. If another payment method would work better for your team let us know. We will see if we can make that work.