What a seed wholesale enquiry can and cannot settle

A first wholesale seed enquiry is easier to plan when you know where your own control ends and where the supplier's review begins. This orientation separates the choices a retailer can make from the catalogue and the enquiry flow alone from the points that can only be settled once the supplier has looked at the request. It applies to seed shops, garden retailers and resellers preparing a non-binding enquiry.

Why the split matters before you start

The enquiry flow is deliberately non-binding: selecting items and sending your business details does not place an order, and no payment is taken through the website. That means the catalogue and the basket are planning tools, not a confirmed offer. Knowing which decisions sit on your side helps you prepare a clear request, and knowing which sit with the supplier stops you from treating catalogue entries or listed prices as settled supply terms.

Decisions you make from the catalogue alone

You decide the seed group, species and named variety you want to include, and you decide your quantity targets and any packaging notes you want considered. You can edit quantities or remove items in the basket before sending, and you can also ask about an unlisted variety by name. These are choices you control because they describe what you want to stock, not what the supplier can confirm at that moment.

Reading catalogue entries for orientation only

Catalogue pages help you place a reference: a species page groups related varieties, and a variety page carries the named cultivar, colour and SKU. Species information tells you the botanical context, for example that a pepper group belongs to Capsicum and to the Solanaceae family, but it does not tell you sweetness, heat level or flavour. Use catalogue entries to identify the reference you mean, not to draw conclusions the listing does not state.

Price tiers are not final costs

Listed prices and quantity tiers appear on variety pages, species lists and quick enquiry pages, but they are orientation figures. Final prices and shipping charges are confirmed in the quotation. A seed-count price and a weight-based price are different bases of comparison, so keep the stated denominator when you compare them. Treat tiers as a way to frame realistic quantity expectations before you send the enquiry.

Decisions that only the supplier's review settles

Availability, pack sizes, final prices, shipping conditions and the supply terms are confirmed by the supplier after reviewing your selection. A catalogue listing does not confirm import eligibility either. The supplier reviews the requested items before quoting, so the quotation is the point at which availability and supply details become concrete rather than assumed.

What you should state about your destination

Include your destination with the enquiry, because import conditions depend on the species and the country the seeds come from. The supplier's guidance points buyers to official sources: for Australia, the agriculture department's seeds for planting page and the BICON case for each botanical name; for Great Britain, current official import guidance, with separate instructions for Northern Ireland. Requirements depend on the goods and their risk category, so do not assume all seeds share the same documentation.

What to include in the enquiry itself

A clear enquiry carries the botanical name and variety, the quantity and unit for each selection, your business contact details, your destination, and any packaging requirements. If official guidance applies to your shipment, name the documents you require and the applicable case you have checked. This detail lets the supplier review the request against the right conditions rather than asking you to resend information later.

Where the basket stops and the quotation begins

The basket holds your selection in this browser until you remove it, clear browser data or submit it successfully; contact details are not stored there. Submitting the enquiry passes the selection to the supplier for review. Everything after that point, from availability to shipping and the agreed supply terms, belongs to the quotation and the separate agreement that follows it.

A realistic frame for a first enquiry

Plan on your side: the groups, species, varieties, quantity targets, destination and packaging notes. Expect the supplier to settle: availability, pack sizes, final prices, shipping conditions, import-eligibility questions and supply terms. If the form cannot send, your selection stays in the basket, so follow the displayed message and use the enquiry reference if you need to make contact before sending again.

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