Our huge thanks to all who participated in this Call for Estimates for the 4th quarter of 2013. The response was the best it has been to date, meaning that we will be more accurate in our order, and have more control over the inventory.
Our purpose in calling for estimates from our wholesale customers is to get an approximate count of what is needed, and then we add on what we think general website customers might buy. It's a process of looking at average sales of each yarn per month, at the change in those numbers for the past two quarters.
Since we are starting to study and apply the guidelines of Search Engine Optimization, we need to consider the number of new customers will come to us from new and unexpected sources.
Our mill has asked us to do our very best to whittle down our stream of orders so that they can predict what we will need and have the raw materials on hand well in advance of need. They work with us so very nicely, and have helped us out with emergency shortages since we started this quarterly order system. So, it is not written in stone, and they absolutely understand that we get sudden orders when there are clubs, just before festival season, or when someone's yarn goes viral on the internet. These are happy instances of having to catch up, and we try to work with everyone's schedules.
We do know that it is hard for our customers to plan so far in advance, and are really happy with the work they are putting into getting us their estimates. I just want to state again, to be clear, that the estimates are only that. They are not commitments to buy, but a guideline for our spinning schedules with the mill's schedules. We do hope our customers would let us know if they've changed their minds about any large estimates, or life's circumstances require them to back away from their estimate.
By the same token, it needs to be restated that at our end, we do not hold aside the estimated amounts for each individual, but add them to our estimate of website sales so that everyone will be covered. An estimate is not a reserve or private order. This is why is it so important that larger needs are included with the estimates, rather than stripping the website of inventory.
We are planning ahead and want our customers to help us in the effort. Our thanks to everyone who has participated in the Calls for Estimates so far. It is working.
