Home / Buyer FAQ
Buyer questions
Answers, including the awkward ones.
If your question is not here, ask it. We would rather answer before a contract than explain after one.
Ordering
For bulk export we normally work at container level, which is roughly one full container load per product. Part loads and LCL are possible for a first order or for trial quantities. Retail and private label minimums depend on the pack format, so ask before you design artwork.
Yes. Small evaluation samples go out by courier. We usually ask the buyer to cover courier on the first set, either on your courier account or prepaid, and we absorb it once a contract is running. Pre shipment samples from the contracted lot are always at our cost.
The validity is printed on the quote. In a stable market it is usually several days. When arrivals are thin and the rate is moving, it can be a single day, and we will say so rather than quietly letting it lapse.
Sometimes. We source a handful of other spices on enquiry. If it is something we cannot do properly, we will tell you rather than take the order and learn on your shipment.
Quality and testing
Within the tolerance written on the contract, yes. Agricultural material varies, which is why a tolerance exists at all. What we will not do is ship something outside it without telling you first.
Yes, and we encourage it for first shipments. Nominate the agency, we coordinate access at loading, and the cost is usually for the buyer's account unless the contract says otherwise.
In house testing is included. External accredited testing is quoted separately because panels differ hugely in cost. We agree the panel at contract stage so nobody is surprised by the invoice.
Arrival analysis is compared against the sealed pre shipment sample retained here. If the material is genuinely outside contract, we settle it. If an independent surveyor is appointed, we accept the finding. What we do not do is stop replying.
Payment and shipping
Advance and letter of credit at sight are the usual routes. Documents against payment is possible for established buyers. Terms are agreed per contract and stated in it, and we will not quietly change them once material is bought.
FOB, CFR and CIF. If you ship regular volume, FOB against your own freight contract is usually cheaper for you than CIF through us, and we will say so.
It depends on the product, the season and whether external testing is required. The indicative timeline on the process page is a fair guide. In arrival season it compresses. For an off season specification it can stretch, and we quote a window rather than a date we cannot hold.
We prepare the export set and check it against your broker's requirement list. Import clearance at your end stays with you and your broker, but we will reissue or correct anything on our side quickly.
Every product page carries its Indian ITC(HS) code, and the catalogue page lists all nine in one table so your broker can check duty before you commit. Two lines, pumpkin seed and chia, have no tariff entry of their own and sit under a residual code — we say so rather than hiding it. The code that goes on the shipping bill is confirmed against the schedule in force on the day we file, and your own customs authority may classify the same goods differently at import.
Yes, for retail formats. See the packing page for sizes and the artwork process. Labelling compliance in your market remains yours, though we will flag anything that looks wrong.