How to Onboard Luxury Bag Stockists: The 90-Day Sequence and the Numbers Behind It
How do you onboard a luxury bag stockist without losing the season? Run seven stages across 90 days: line sheet and terms in days 1-15, opening order of 24-36 units across six styles in days 15-30, samples in 30-45, paperwork in 45-60, delivery and installation in 60-75, staff training and first sell-through review in 75-90. Agree the door margin at 52-58% and the reorder trigger at 65% sold by day 90 before the first carton ships.
The Numbers First: One Door, 90 Days, Seven Stages
Onboarding is arithmetic before it is a relationship. A specialist door takes about 90 days from first meeting to first reorder decision, and the numbers that decide whether it happens are set in the first fifteen. Get the margin, the opening order size and the reorder trigger agreed in writing before stock moves, because every disagreement that surfaces later traces back to one of those three being left vague.
The three figures a house should hold fixed are the door margin at 52-58%, the opening order at 24-36 units across six styles, and the sell-through trigger at 65% by day 90. The first protects the door's willingness to reorder, the second is small enough to sell through and large enough to fill a facing, and the third gives both sides a number to act on instead of an opinion.
Everything else is variable: payment terms, who funds the display, whether the door takes an exclusive on a colourway, and how replenishment is triggered. Those four are negotiated per door and should be written down, because a house that improvises them will find itself funding an arrangement it cannot repeat with door number twelve.
The Cost of Opening One Door
Before approaching anyone, cost the account. A single specialist door absorbs an onboarding kit, a handled display unit, sample units, staff training time and a share of photography, and the total is usually recovered inside two reorders if the door works and never if it does not. Knowing the figure changes which doors are worth approaching.
- Onboarding kit per unit shipped
- Riser, material card, care card and handled-unit allowance referencing at USD 4.80
- Opening order
- 24-36 units across 6 styles, 2-3 colourways per style
- Door margin
- 52-58% of the recommended retail price
- Retail markup
- 2.4-2.6x the landed cost to the door
- Sell-through trigger
- 65% of the opening order sold by day 90
- Reorder point
- 70% sold, or 12 weeks of cover, whichever comes first
- Staff training
- 45 minutes, 6-8 sample units, one session per door team
- Payment structure
- 50% deposit with the order, balance before shipment; net 30 for approved accounts
Stages 1 and 2: Line Sheet and Terms, Days 1-15
The line sheet is the first document a buyer sees and it decides whether there is a second meeting. Twelve styles is the ceiling: eight to twelve styles across three colourways each is enough to read as a collection without reading as a catalogue. Each style needs one photograph on white, one on a body, the leather name, the dimensions, the recommended retail price and the delivery window. Nothing else belongs on page one.
Terms come in the same conversation, not a week later. A buyer who has to chase for the delivery window concludes the house is small, and at this level small is disqualifying. State the window plainly: sampling at 6-10 working days, 12-15 for complex builds, bulk at 35-50 days from approval, 500 pcs per style and colourway minimum on a production order, FOB Xiamen, inspection at AQL 2.5 under ISO 2859-1.
One clause deserves particular care: exclusivity. Doors ask for it early and it is expensive. Grant it by colourway and by city rather than by style, cap it at twelve months, and tie it to a minimum annual volume. An exclusive granted without a volume figure is a house giving away its own growth for a season.
Stage 3: The Opening Order, Days 15-30
The opening order is where most new houses overreach. A buyer is flattered by interest and orders sixty units; thirty-six sell, twenty-four sit in the stockroom for two seasons, and the door concludes the line does not move. Thirty units that sell through by day 90 produces a reorder and a second season. Sixty units that half-sell produces a markdown conversation and no reorder.
| Order shape | Best for | Units | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Six styles, two colourways, three units each | A debut house with one silhouette family | 36 | Low — fills a facing, sells through in 90 days |
| Four styles, three colourways, two units each | A door with narrow wall space | 24 | Low sell-through risk, but too thin for a full wall |
| Six styles, three colourways, three units each | An established door in a capital city | 54 | Medium — needs strong footfall to clear in 90 days |
| Two styles, four colourways, six units each | A door that wants depth, not breadth | 48 | High — a weak style leaves a hole |
| Twelve styles, one colourway, two units each | Rarely right | 24 | High — reads as a sample set, not a collection |
Depth beats breadth at the counter and breadth beats depth on the wall, which is why the 36-unit shape works: six styles give the wall something to say and three units per style mean the counter is never empty during the first fortnight. A 24-unit order spread across twelve styles gives the wall nothing and the counter nothing.
Stage 4: Samples and the Buyer Meeting, Days 30-45
Bring six to eight units to the meeting, not the full line. A buyer makes a decision on what she can hold, and eight bags is the most anyone can hold in an hour without the objects blurring together. Bring the hero silhouette, the second-best silhouette, one colourway of each in a neutral and one in a seasonal shade, and the most distinctive piece for the window.
Structure the meeting around touch rather than around slides. Let her open the closure, feel the edge, and put the bag on her shoulder in front of a mirror within the first ten minutes. Every specification claim lands three times harder after the object is in her hands, and a buyer who has held the bag will defend the line internally in a way a buyer who has seen a deck will not.
Stage 5: Paperwork, Days 45-60
Two weeks of paperwork is normal and mostly predictable. The documents that hold up accounts are the price list with the recommended retail figure, the terms sheet, the delivery window in writing, the returns and repair policy, the care card, the material declaration, and — for any exotic panel — the CITES reference the door must be able to produce. A door that cannot produce documentation will not put the piece on the wall.
- Price list with the recommended retail figure and the door margin stated, not implied.
- Terms sheet: 50% deposit, balance before shipment, net 30 for approved accounts.
- Delivery window: sampling 6-10 working days, bulk 35-50 days, 500 pcs per style and colourway.
- Returns and repair policy, with what is repaired, for how long and at what charge.
- Care card and material declaration naming the leather grade and the hardware finish.
- CITES reference for any exotic panel, supplied as a document the door can show.
- Display specification, one page, eight lines, covering height, count, spacing and rotation.
Stage 6: Delivery and Installation, Days 60-75
Delivery is where a good onboarding quietly fails. Stock arrives, the door is mid-season, nobody has time to install, and the bags go into the stockroom for three weeks before reaching the wall. Agree the installation date in writing before shipment and confirm it 48 hours out. A house that ships without an installation date has handed its sell-through to the door's schedule.
Inspect before it leaves rather than after it arrives. AQL 2.5 under ISO 2859-1 with critical defects at zero tolerance is the level a specialist door expects, and a single visibly flawed unit reaching a buyer's desk costs more trust than a two-week delay. Where the door is abroad, third-party inspection on the first two runs of a new silhouette is worth the fee.
Stage 7: Training and the First 90 Days
Training is forty-five minutes and it is the highest-return hour in the whole sequence. A door team that can name the leather, explain the closure and describe the construction will sell the line without discounting; a team that cannot will describe it as expensive. Run one session per team, use six to eight sample units, and leave a single-page card behind rather than a deck nobody opens again.
Minute 0-10: the object
Let the team handle the bag before you say anything. Open the closure, feel the edge, check the lining. Everything you say afterwards lands on an experience.
Minute 10-25: three facts
Three facts only: the leather grade, the construction point you are proudest of, and the care rule. Staff retain three and repeat three.
Minute 25-35: objections
Rehearse the two objections they will actually hear: price and care. Give one sentence for each, in the team's own words, not in marketing language.
Minute 35-45: the ask
Tell them what to do next: who to call for replenishment, how to log a fault, and what the reorder trigger is. End on an action, not a summary.
The Margin Arithmetic Both Sides Must Agree
Margin disputes end more accounts than any other cause, and they almost always begin with a number that was implied rather than written. State the recommended retail price, the price to the door and the resulting margin as three figures on one line, and confirm them before the order. A door that discovers its margin is 46% rather than 55% in month two will not reorder, whatever the sell-through.
- Retail markup
- 2.4-2.6x the landed cost to the door
- Door margin
- 52-58% of the recommended retail price
- House margin at the door price
- Held after the landed cost, the onboarding kit and the handled unit
- Onboarding kit
- Riser, cards and handled-unit allowance referencing at USD 4.80 per unit shipped
- Markdown sharing
- Agreed in advance; unagreed markdowns end accounts
- Reorder economics
- Replenishment at the same 500 pcs per style and colourway minimum, or consolidated across styles
Sell-Through: The Only Number That Decides Reorder
Sell-through is the figure both sides will argue about and the only one that predicts a second season. Agree the definition before the stock ships: units sold to a client, at full price or agreed markdown, as a share of units delivered. Returns, transfers between doors and staff purchases are excluded. Without that definition, day 90 becomes a negotiation instead of a measurement.
| Sell-through at day 90 | Reading | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Above 75% | Under-ordered; the door could carry more | Raise the reorder, add one style and one colourway |
| 65-75% | Healthy; both sides should be satisfied | Reorder at the same shape, review the facing |
| 50-64% | Weak; usually a display or training problem | Revisit height, count and the handled unit before reordering |
| 35-49% | Structural; the door or the line is wrong | Do not reorder; review the style mix and the door fit |
| Below 35% | Failure; the account is unlikely to recover | Withdraw stock, review the door selection process |
Replenishment and the Production Calendar
Replenishment is the point at which an onboarded door becomes an account rather than a trial. Trigger it at 70% sold or twelve weeks of cover, whichever comes first, and place it against the production calendar rather than against the stockroom. Bulk runs 35-50 days, so a door reordering at day 90 needs the order placed closer to day 40 if the shelf is not to go empty between seasons.
Consolidation solves the minimum. A single door rarely reorders 500 pcs of one style and colourway; three doors often do. Holds the minimum at 500 pcs per style and colourway, consolidate reorders across doors into one production run, and keep the colourway count low enough that consolidation is actually possible. Six styles in two colourways consolidates; twelve styles in four does not.
An unagreed markdown. When a door marks down without telling the house, the recommended retail figure is destroyed in that city for every other door. Agree in writing who authorises a markdown, at what level and after how many days, before the first carton ships.
What Ends an Account, and How to Prevent It
Five things end accounts, in descending order of frequency: an unagreed markdown, a late delivery into a season, an inspection failure the door has to handle itself, no replenishment path when a style sells, and a house that stops returning calls. Four of the five are administrative rather than commercial, which is why the door-side discipline matters more than the relationship.
The prevention is a single-page account record per door: order shape, delivery date, installation date, training date, sell-through at day 30, 60 and 90, and the reorder trigger. Reviewed monthly, that page catches a late replenishment two months before it becomes a lost season, and it gives both sides the same facts when the second-season conversation begins.
A 90-Day Plan You Can Hand to a Door
Doors respond to a plan they can see. Hand over one page: line sheet in days 1-15, opening order in 15-30, samples in 30-45, paperwork in 45-60, delivery and installation in 60-75, training and first review in 75-90, with the margin, the sell-through definition and the reorder trigger written at the bottom. A door that can see the sequence will staff it; a door that cannot will fit it in.
The onboarding test in one paragraph
- Before the first carton ships, four things must be written: the margin at 52-58% with the recommended retail figure stated, the sell-through definition and the 65% day-90 trigger, the markdown authorisation, and the replenishment path against 35-50 days of bulk at 500 pcs per style and colourway. Doors with those four written reorder; doors without them argue.
Build the stockist pack for your next door
Send the styles, colourways and the doors you are approaching. Our team returns a line sheet structure, a sampling plan at 6-10 working days and bulk at 35-50 days for 500 pcs per style and colourway, FOB Xiamen, inspection at AQL 2.5 under ISO 2859-1. Our validated partner factory Quanzhou Yingming Bags runs 7 production lines at about 200,000 pcs per month with export experience since 2014. Begin at the quotation desk.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to onboard a luxury bag stockist?
About 90 days across seven stages: line sheet and terms in days 1-15, opening order 15-30, samples 30-45, paperwork 45-60, delivery and installation 60-75, then training and the first sell-through review in 75-90. Most slippage happens at installation, when stock arrives and the door is mid-season.
What size should a first opening order be?
Between 24 and 36 units across six styles, which fills a facing without overloading a stockroom. Thirty-six sells through by day 90 and produces a reorder; sixty half-sells and produces a markdown conversation instead. The most reliable shape is six styles in two colourways at three units each.
What margin does a specialist door expect?
Between 52% and 58% of the recommended retail price, which means a retail markup of 2.4 to 2.6 times the landed cost to the door. State the retail figure, the door price and the resulting margin on one line before the order; a door that discovers a 46% margin in month two will not reorder.
How many styles should a line sheet carry?
Eight to twelve styles across three colourways each. Twelve reads as a collection; twenty-four reads as a catalogue and slows the buyer down. Include one image on white, one on a body, the leather name, dimensions, the recommended retail price and the delivery window on page one only.
How should sell-through be defined and measured?
Units sold to a client, at full price or an agreed markdown, as a share of units delivered, excluding returns, inter-door transfers and staff purchases. Agree the definition before shipping and put it in the terms sheet. Without it, the day-90 review becomes a negotiation rather than a measurement, and neither side gets a second season.
What sell-through figure justifies a reorder?
Sixty-five per cent of the opening order by day 90 is the working line, with replenishment triggered at 70% sold or twelve weeks of cover, whichever comes first. Above 75% means the door was under-ordered and can carry an additional style and colourway next season.
How many units should a house bring to a buyer meeting?
Six to eight is the most a buyer can genuinely assess in an hour. Bring the hero silhouette, the second-best silhouette, a neutral and a seasonal colourway of each, and the most distinctive piece for the window. Let her handle the bag within the first ten minutes.
What payment terms are normal for a new door?
Fifty per cent deposit with the order and the balance before shipment, moving to net 30 once the account has a track record. For a first order from an unknown door, hold the deposit structure; it is the least costly credit control available to a small house and it is standard practice in the sector.
Should a house grant exclusivity to a door?
Only by colourway and by city, capped at twelve months and tied to a minimum annual volume. An exclusive granted on a whole style, in perpetuity, with no volume figure attached is a house giving away its own growth. Review the volume at six months rather than at twelve.
What documentation does a door need before it will display a bag?
A price list with the recommended retail figure, a terms sheet, the delivery window in writing, a returns and repair policy, a care card, a material declaration naming the leather grade and hardware finish, and a CITES reference for any exotic panel the door will display.
How should staff training at the door be run?
One 45-minute session per door team using six to eight sample units: ten minutes handling the object, fifteen minutes on three facts, ten minutes rehearsing the two objections the team will actually hear, and ten minutes on the ask. Leave one page behind, not a deck.
What is the most common reason an account ends?
An unagreed markdown. When a door marks down without telling the house, the recommended retail figure is destroyed in that city for every other door. Agree in writing who authorises a markdown, at what level and after how many days, before the first carton ships.
How does a house handle replenishment when one door cannot meet the minimum?
Consolidate across doors. Hold the minimum at 500 pcs per style and colourway and combine reorders from several doors into one production run. Keep the colourway count low enough that consolidation is possible: six styles in two colourways consolidates, twelve styles in four does not.
When should a reorder be placed so the shelf never empties?
Against the production calendar, not the stockroom. Bulk runs 35-50 days, so a door reordering at day 90 needs the order placed around day 40. Trigger at 70% sold or twelve weeks of cover, whichever comes first, and place the order the same week the trigger fires.
People Also Ask
What makes a specialist door say yes to a new handbag line?
A line sheet that reads as a collection, a margin stated plainly at 52-58%, and a delivery window in writing. Buyers reject houses that make them chase for basic figures.
Is a large opening order a good sign for a new house?
Usually not. Sixty units that half-sell produce a markdown conversation; thirty-six that sell through by day 90 produce a reorder, a second season and a door that will take your next collection.
Why do new stockist accounts stop reordering?
Four of the five most common causes are administrative: an unagreed markdown, a late delivery, an inspection failure the door handled alone, or no replenishment path when a style sold.
Should a house fund the display in a stockist door?
Yes, for the riser, cards and handled unit. It references at about USD 4.80 per unit shipped and is the least costly line on the sheet relative to its effect on sell-through.
How often should a house review each door?
Monthly, on one page per door: order shape, delivery, installation and training dates, sell-through at day 30, 60 and 90, and the reorder trigger. That page catches a late replenishment two months early.
Sources and further reading
Every figure on this page is either our own programme data or attributed below. Open the originals before you write them into a specification.
- ISO — International StandardsInternational Organization for Standardization Publisher of ISO 2859-1, the sampling procedure behind the AQL 2.5 inspection level quoted to doors.
- CITES — Convention on International Trade in Endangered SpeciesCITES Appendix listings govern the documentation a stockist must be able to produce for exotic leather panels.
- Business of FashionBusiness of Fashion Trade reporting used to benchmark door economics, sell-through expectations and stockist relationships.
- WWDWWD Accessories trade coverage referenced for context on specialist door buying patterns and seasonal calendars.
- Sourcing JournalSourcing Journal Reporting on lead times, replenishment patterns and order consolidation across the premium accessories sector.