What a Report Proves and What It Does Not in the Distributor Tier Program
A US buyer of care and Cleaning sent us a competitor's care and Cleaning in May with one question: why does this fail at tarnish in transit after a season. We measured it, rebuilt the spec around silver assay at 92.5% minimum and plating adhesion after a 24-hour humidity test, and shipped 800 care and Cleaning that cleared inspection with zero rejects, with SGS batch report and bulk carton, 50 per bag stated on the same sheet.
That rejection was avoidable at the drawing stage. Tarnish in transit belongs on the spec sheet next to the stone size, not in the claim email three weeks after arrival, the figure being USD 7-39 for a 800-piece run.
We kept the Distributor Tier price and changed the four measurements that matter. The rebuild cost about 11 seconds per piece and removed the whole claim conversation, certified SGS batch report and packed bulk carton, 50 per bag at 800 pieces.
Cost Split on a Distributor Tier Piece at USD 7-39
At USD 7-39 per piece for care and Cleaning, the stone sits near a quarter and the labor line moves by double digits between two quotes for one drawing.
| Cost line | Share | What moves it |
|---|---|---|
| Base metal or alloy for care and Cleaning | 32% | Alloy choice and casting yield |
| Stone or melee for care and Cleaning | 23% | Sieve range and lot batching |
| Setting and finishing labor for care and Cleaning | 21% | Jig design and bench minutes |
| Plating, polish and QC for care and Cleaning | 14% | Per-tray versus per-piece checks |
| Packaging for care and Cleaning | 10% | bulk carton, 50 per bag |
The saving in the cheapest quote hides in plating and stone grade. At 800 pieces that saving is visible in season two, which is how the Distributor Tier account reads it at USD 7-39.
Four Spec Lines a Distributor Tier Buyer Checks
The Distributor Tier buyer signs on four numbers. The table puts the trade default beside our standard so the difference is visible before the deposit, quoted at USD 7-39 per piece in bulk carton, 50 per bag.
| Spec point | Common trade output | HOLYCOME standard | Cost if missed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clasp spring life | Sampled by hand | Cycled 500 times on a jig per lot | Detach claim and brand damage |
| Prong tension and seat depth | Checked by feel at the bench | Pull-tested per piece, seat depth written on the sheet | Stone loss and total replacement |
| Hallmark depth and placement | Stamped where it fits | Fixed position, depth measured so it never breaks the shank | Customs query and remaking |
| Solder flow at the joint | Not inspected | Joint inspected under 10x before setting | Crack at the seam in transit |
None of the four adds cost at USD 7-39. They add about 11 seconds per piece and remove the reason to inspect twice.
Distributor Pricing Tiers on care and Cleaning
A distributor does not buy a care and Cleaning, they buy a position. Tier pricing is quoted against annual volume with a floor per SKU, and the tier is reviewed on shipped units rather than on forecast, which is USD 7-39 on the Distributor Tier schedule.
What the tier buys is protection: a defined territory, a no-direct-sell clause inside that territory, and a first look at new models for one season. Without those three lines the discount is just a lower price and the distributor will not hold stock for you, on a 800-piece Distributor Tier order at USD 7-39.
Turn is the number the distributor manages. At USD 7-39 per piece and a 45-day turn, the margin per shelf foot is thin. That is why bulk orders of care and Cleaning move in 800-piece lots rather than in the 50-piece sample quantity.
Three Failures That Reach the Distributor Tier Bench
tarnish in transit
Silver that ships without an anti-tarnish strip browns in a humid container. The strip costs 3 cents and removes the most common arrival complaint, quoted at USD 7-39 per piece in bulk carton, 50 per bag.
The commercial effect is tarnish claims and replacements, typically USD 4-7 per piece. Buyers who have seen it once put it in the purchase order; buyers who have not usually discover it on the first return, on a 800-piece Distributor Tier order at USD 7-39.
rhodium adhesion
A silver surface plated without a palladium strike layer blisters in wear. The strike layer is invisible and essential, on a 800-piece Distributor Tier order at USD 7-39.
Our countermeasure is a gauge and a written limit. It adds about 11 seconds per piece and removes the defect from the run rather than from the carton, quoted at USD 7-39 per piece in bulk carton, 50 per bag.
weight shortfall
A 2.1 g ring shipped at 1.85 g passes a casual check and fails a scale. Publish the weighed average per SKU, the figure being USD 7-39 for a 800-piece run.
In a 800-piece run this typically shows on 8 of pieces. Catching it means measuring silver assay at 92.5% minimum at the tray level, not inspecting the finished carton, which is how the Distributor Tier account reads it at USD 7-39.
Terms Behind a Distributor Tier Order
The commercial frame is short enough to state in full. Minimum order is 50 pieces per design, and mixed designs travel in one shipment, so a 800-piece Distributor Tier order can carry three or four models without a separate setup charge. Sample pieces leave in 3-5 days when the components are in stock, and a new model adds about twenty days before the first article exists, the figure being USD 7-39 for a 800-piece run.
Payment is 30 percent with the order and 70 percent against the bill of lading, with the balance window stated on the invoice rather than agreed by message. Prices quoted at USD 7-39 are FOB Guangzhou or Shenzhen; DDP is quoted separately because the duty line moves with the tariff schedule and not with our cost.
Packing follows the bulk carton, 50 per bag format at 800 pieces to the carton, and the packing list carries SKU, size and stone size so receiving can count without opening every box. Private-label cartons add three days for the print run and must be approved before the first bulk order, not after it, which the Distributor Tier file records at USD 7-39 in bulk carton, 50 per bag.
Certification is SGS batch report for the lots that carry it, with a batch report and per-piece measurement of silver assay at 92.5% minimum for the lots below the threshold. The document set travels with the shipping papers, which is what a customs broker asks for at the port rather than after clearance, which is how the Distributor Tier account reads it at USD 7-39.
A rejected tray is settled inside the same order cycle against the retained reference piece. If the difference sits on our retained sample we replace or credit; if it appeared in transit we split the assay cost and file with the carrier, and that rule is written on the order before the deposit clears, quoted at USD 7-39 per piece in bulk carton, 50 per bag.
How the Second Order Becomes Cheaper
The figure below is what we quote for care and Cleaning, and it is deliberately narrower than the market average, which is USD 7-39 on the Distributor Tier schedule.
One practical note on timing for care and Cleaning: the calendar starts when the spec is signed, not when the deposit clears. A buyer who signs in week one and pays in week three gets the goods in week five, on a 800-piece Distributor Tier order at USD 7-39.
We date the care and Cleaning proforma from signature for that reason, and we state the deposit deadline in the same email that carries the spec sheet, priced at USD 7-39 for the 800-piece Distributor Tier run.
The Reject Tray Policy That Decides a Partnership
Most care and Cleaning disputes we arbitrate trace back to this line, not to the defect itself, on a 800-piece Distributor Tier order at USD 7-39.
In the US market terms, this is the difference between a landed cost the buyer can plan against and a number that moves after the container ships. For care and Cleaning, we publish the figure per SKU and hold it for the order window rather than for the calendar year, with SGS batch report and bulk carton, 50 per bag stated on the same sheet.
Practically, it shows up in three places for care and Cleaning: the proforma, the QC sheet and the credit note if something goes wrong. All three should quote the same number. When they do not, the argument is about paperwork, not about the product, which the Distributor Tier file records at USD 7-39 in bulk carton, 50 per bag.
The Calendar Behind a Distributor Tier Run
Nothing in this sequence is clever. Each step exists because skipping it cost somebody a claim on care and Cleaning at USD 7-39.
- Lock the spec: metal, stone size range, plating thickness, sizing band and finish, all written on one sheet.
- Pull a stock-component sample in 3-5 days and measure it against that sheet, not against the photo.
- Approve the sample in writing, including the reject rule and the retained reference tray.
- Run bulk in 15-20 days for orders under 500 pieces, with the gauge check independent of the shift.
- Ship from Guangzhou or Shenzhen with the QC sheet in the carton and the batch report by email.
MOQ is 50 pieces per design, low enough to test a category and high enough to keep the casting line accountable, and the Distributor Tier quote for it sits at USD 7-39.
Getting bulk carton, 50 per bag to the US market
Sea freight costs roughly a third of air and takes three times the transit, which only makes sense for an SKU already selling in the US market, and 800 pieces leaves Wuzhou in bulk carton, 50 per bag at USD 7-39.
FOB is the default and DDP is the option. Buyers new to the US market usually take DDP once and then switch after they see the breakdown, which is how the Distributor Tier account reads it at USD 7-39.
At receiving, count cartons, weigh one tray and measure ten pieces against silver assay at 92.5% minimum. Twenty minutes here saves a season of returns, which the Distributor Tier file records at USD 7-39 in bulk carton, 50 per bag.
The First Distributor Tier Order
Start with three designs at 50 pieces each. That covers the 800 pieces you need to read sell-through without betting on one model, certified SGS batch report and packed bulk carton, 50 per bag at 800 pieces.
Sample 3-5 days, bulk 15-20 days under 500 pieces, 800 pieces inside that window. The calendar is the same on every Distributor Tier run, the figure being USD 7-39 for a 800-piece run.
Frequently Asked Questions
What finish do you use, and how thick is it?
Rhodium at 0.20 micron minimum on white care and Cleaning, with a palladium strike layer so wear-through reads white rather than yellow. Vermeil runs at 3 microns over sterling and is logged per lot, the figure being USD 7-39 for a 800-piece run.
How is care and Cleaning packed for bulk carton, 50 per bag?
Every unit goes into a foam-backed pouch, then the bulk carton, 50 per bag, then the outer carton at 800 pieces. The packing list carries the SKU, the size and the stone size so receiving can check without opening every box, which is how the Distributor Tier account reads it at USD 7-39.
Can you ship DDP?
DDP is available for US accounts and removes the duty invoice that arrives after the carton clears. FOB Guangzhou or Shenzhen is the default, and most buyers take DDP once and then switch after they see the breakdown, shipped as bulk carton, 50 per bag and certified SGS batch report.
How long does a reorder of the same care and Cleaning take?
With the model, the gauge set and the signed spec already in our system, a repeat is 12-15 days; a first run is 3-5 days for a stock-component sample and about 20 days when a new model is needed, which the Distributor Tier file records at USD 7-39 in bulk carton, 50 per bag.
What finish do you use, and how thick is it?
Rhodium at 0.20 micron minimum on white care and Cleaning, with a palladium strike layer so wear-through reads white rather than yellow. Vermeil runs at 3 microns over sterling and is logged per lot, the figure being USD 7-39 for a 800-piece run.
Next Step
If the USD 7-39 band fits the shelf, send a drawing and we quote the 800-piece Distributor Tier run inside one business day.
HOLYCOME runs this line from Wuzhou, Guangxi, through Wuzhou HengliLai Jewelry Co., Ltd. Output is about 60,000 pieces a month across care and Cleaning and adjacent categories. service@holycome.com or WhatsApp +86 18078079070, quoted at USD 7-39 per piece in bulk carton, 50 per bag.
Related reading: Sizing Guide Trade Show Sample: The Sample Approval That Survives Production - HOLYCOME Sizing Guide Shopify DTC: Carton Cube, Duty and the Freight Line That Surprises Buyer - HOLYCOME
