DOING BUSINESS WITH ITALIAN COMPANIES
A short guide for the wholesale buyer of Italian fashions, loaded with tips

HOW IT WORKS WITH ITALIANMODA

• If you are a shop/boutique owner, wholesaler, importer, online shop, fashion company, designer, or department store, ItalianModa allows you to find, select and get in touch with qualified Italian companies able to supply you with the best in Italian fashions (clothing, shoes, handbags, fashion accessories, knitwear, jewelry, home linens, fabrics, and home decor).
• We strongly recommend you to register with the ItalianModa marketplace, describing as precisely as possible the Italian fashion products you are looking for.
• You can also use the contact forms deployed in ItalianModa to contact one or more companies.
• You can even send us a simple E-Mail (to: info@italianmoda.com ) detailing all the identification and contact data of your business, and describing (this is very important!) as precisely as possible what you are looking for.
• The service is free.
• Any time you contact a company, please quote ItalianModa as your source.

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ABOUT CONTACTING THE ITALIAN COMPANIES

• If you send your request through one of the many ItalianModa services, you must wait for each company's feedback. This can take from a few days to several ones due to some factors. Requests with little or poor information will get a lower priority and longer submission times.
• If you want to contact a company directly, we strongly recommend sending your request through the company's Showroom or using the 'Contact' button placed below each company listed after a search or during a directory browsing. Ask the company about the chance to have a phone conversation, and if they can sustain it, call them!
• The time zone of Italy is GMT+1 (for example, 6 hours ahead of EST and 9 hours ahead of PST). Call Monday through Friday between 8:30 am and 6:00 pm (Italian time).
• When calling, please remember that the language skills of each Italian company staff vary a lot, from poor to very good. Because of this, we recommend you follow these tips:

Speaking -

• Be patient and slow the pace of speech down
• Pronounce words clearly
• Repeat key points and ask for confirmation of understanding
• Remember that your Italian contact is making an effort to speak your (or another) language
• Keep sentences short and simple

Please avoid :

• Idioms, slang, or jargon
• Slurring your words
• Negative questions and contradictions
• Complex sentences

Listening -

• Practice listening carefully
• Repeat key information for confirmation

Writing -

• Avoid using long or complex sentences. Keep them short and simple
• Create a numbered or bulleted list of points to ask or discuss
• Do not use idioms, slang, or jargon
• Always review what has been written and remove unnecessary or misleading words
• When writing the first time, please always add your full name, the name of your company, your street address, and a phone/fax number. This will make later contacts easier. Please consider adding a short profile of your current business and try to detail your request with as much precision as possible . The latter is essential to get proper feedback from the Italian companies
• English is the most common foreign language Italian companies understand. Some have good French and Spanish skills too, and a few others in German.
• Send a request to one or more Italian fashion companies ONLY IF you are seriously interested in purchasing wholesale or having products manufactured by them ('Private Label'), or asking to become an agent/distributor.
• If you are looking for cheap or ultra-cheap products, please AVOID using the ItalianModa services or contact the companies listed in the marketplace. There are no cheap or ultra-cheap Italian fashions!
• Because of many attempts of fraud or unserious would-be buyers, most Italian companies are suspicious of new contacts not providing their basic identification and contact data.
• If requested, be prepared to send official documents about your company to your next Italian supplier (for example, the incorporation act).
• When registering with the ItalianModa B2B marketplace, you can voluntarily ask to upgrade your status to TRUSTED BUYER. Please follow the directions shown on the screen to understand how to do that. Such a status enhances the confidence of the Italian companies towards you.
• You should fill in carefully and precisely all the fields of the ItalianModa forms. Please be sincere and pragmatic with your request. More, be as precise as possible: confused or unclear requests produce a loss of time and can generate misunderstandings or worse.
• If sending your request by E-Mail, please add all the data about your business (name, address, short profile), a verifiable phone number (possibly a landline phone), and a detailed description of the Italian fashion products you are interested in.
• When writing your request, please be as precise as possible: this is extremely important. Describe carefully the Italian fashion products you are interested in, including the estimated quantity and the approximate wholesale price range you can afford. The more information you provide, the better the feedback and the confidence from the Italian companies. A short request with poor details is usually considered negative and could even be discarded.
• All the Italian companies joining the ItalianModa marketplace are real and trustworthy. Anyway, ItalianModa cannot endorse any of them. If you have specific questions about them, please feel free to ask us or, better, ask each company directly for more information (for example, incorporation act, DUNS number, etc.). Most data about each company are published in its showroom (click here for a complete list).
• Should you have severe issues in getting in touch with an Italian company joining the ItalianModa B2B marketplace, you can contact us describing what's happening.

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HOW TO ORDER AND PAY

• The Italian fashion companies sell to wholesale buyers only, not to consumers, so some reasonable minimum quantities must be matched (though most companies can provide even a single product for sampling). Ask your possible suppliers for the requested minimums.
• If you want a sample of one or more products, be prepared to pay for it and its shipping.
• Orders are usually accepted via fax or E-mail. To avoid any misunderstanding, please write as precisely as possible the order details, possibly using plain English (or a language accepted by the supplier). When submitting an order, ask for written confirmation from the supplier, then acknowledge it.
• Many companies have a wholesale (B2B) online catalog where you can browse their products and place an order. Using such an asset makes the ordering process quicker, easier, and much simpler. click here for a list of such companies.
• Italian fashion companies always require an advanced payment before shipping. If products are manufactured on-demand or of a 'Private Label' service, an initial payment (usually 30% of the whole amount) is required. The rest must be paid before shipping.
• If you purchase from a supplier for the first time, don't ask for an alternative or delayed payment. The answer would be 'no.'
• No tax will be applied if your business is placed within the European Community and has a VAT number enabled for VIES transactions.
• If your business is placed outside the European Community, you should consider possible additional local taxes and customs duties that your authorities can charge you when the products come to your door.
• The Italian companies usually accept different payments, including:
  
  • Bank transfer (goods will be shipped only when the money is credited to their bank account)
  • Credit Card (usually PayPal)
  • Cash on delivery (available for some European countries only)

• Keep all the order documents and communications to and from the suppliers in a safe place where you can retrieve them quickly and easily.

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OTHER USEFUL TOOLS

• If you have an Android smartphone, take advantage of the full power of the marketplace using the ItalianModa App for Android. Go to the Play Store and search for 'italianmoda,' then install the app. iPhone user? Go to the iTunes store and search for 'italianmoda' to install the ItalianModa app for iPhone.
• If you are a registered user of the ItalianModa marketplace, you can use your control panel at 'My ItalianModa' to leave a rating about an Italian supplier you purchased from. Please do it. Your direct contribution will give other buyers a better idea about that company.
• The 'My ItalianModa' control panel allows you also to leave a complaint against a supplier. Try to describe the case as precisely and objectively as possible, providing all the information necessary to evaluate and investigate the complaint.

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ARE YOU A SHOP OWNER OR WHOLESALER?

• If you are interested in cheap or ultra-cheap fashion merchandise, the ItalianModa Marketplace is not the proper place for you. Most Italian companies joining it offer products ranging from 'better' to 'couture' (namely, from the medium to the very high market segment), and only very few deal with the 'moderate' price point. If you are just interested in (low) price, the sought-after quality Italian fashion products are not a good match for your business.
• Thanks to ItalianModa, you can source directly from the manufacturers or the brands, skipping any middleman and enjoying lower wholesale prices and a much wider choice.
• Some companies occasionally offer clearance sales, overstocks and closeouts from their past collections. Though they are available at a reduced wholesale price, they are valuable Italian-made fashion products and are not sold for few dollars or euros. If interested in them, please detail it in your request.
• If you are interested in overstocks and past seasons of popular designer brand names, please emphasize this in your request. In the ItalianModa marketplace, there are several reputable distributors specialize in such a type of genuine branded merchandise. We have to know your specific interest to submit your request to them. It is a good idea to list your favorite brands.

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ARE YOU OPENING A SHOP?

• ItalianModa does not provide information about how to open a fashion shop, local rules, and regulations, or other similar topics.
• ItalianModa is an outstanding tool to help you find, select and do business with Italian fashion suppliers, enabling you to find hard-to-find exclusive fashions at the best wholesale prices. You can source directly from the Italian manufacturers or brands and make your business different!
• Purchasing from the Italian companies enables you to stock quickly and efficiently your shop, saving money and getting fabulous fashions your competitors don't offer. This is a key point for your success.
• Some Italian companies offer a franchising programme. Your shop could become a point in their franchising network. They usually introduce such an opportunity when answering your original request.
• Some Italian companies offer a ready-to-display corner with an assortment of their best products. This is a great chance to enhance the offer of your shop.

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ARE YOU INTERESTED IN PRIVATE LABEL?

• Most Italian companies offer a Private Label service. This means you can have your designs manufactured by a qualified Italian manufacturer or choose existing designs from the manufacturer's collections and have your label on them. In both cases, your products will benefit from the 'Made in Italy' label too.
• If you are interested in Private Label, you must be ready to meet some (reasonable) minimum quantities. Set-up costs are usually involved too.
• When submitting a request about Private Label, please be detailed: give precise figures about quantities, affordable wholesale price per unit, delivery times, packaging, and certificates you may need. Remember to accurately describe the product(s) you want to be manufactured. Don't forget to say you want your design(s) made or products from the supplier's current collection to be labeled with your brand.

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HAVE YOU AN ONLINE BUSINESS?

• If you have an online shop or flash sales platform, ItalianModa is an outstanding source for new exciting hard-to-find Italian fashion products to sell with profit.
• You must purchase wholesale from Italian suppliers. Most of them do not offer a drop-shipping service. Those who do usually are at the higher end of the market (more expensive products).
• Many companies can help you showcase their products: ask them for pictures of their products so you can quickly deploy them in your online shop.

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ARE YOU INTERESTED IN REPRESENTING?

• If you want to apply as an agent or distributor, you can contact each company or look at their 'company blog' (the link is available in the company 'showroom' within ItalianModa), where announcements about the search for agents are often published. You can also send us your application, and we will submit it to the Italian companies best matching your profile.
• Another good idea is to have a look at the ItalianModa Billboard, where you can find a selection of company announcements.
• You must provide a detailed profile, including references and your past experiences. Be sincere and realistic, and try to avoid any overstatements.
• Please supply as much information as possible about you and your business. This is necessary for any Italian company to check your background and trust you.
• If you want to represent or even distribute one or more Italian fashion companies, be prepared to invest time and money.
• Most companies are not interested in hiring sales personnel abroad but are always interested in agents and representatives (to be paid on commission) or distributors.

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ARE YOU PLANNING TO COME TO ITALY ?

• We strongly recommend you submit an advance request to the Italian companies, taking advantage of the many tools offered by the ItalianModa marketplace. Please do this two to three weeks before you come at least. In such a way, you can get in touch with several possible suppliers, get information about them and then select those eligible for a meeting. This could save you a terrific amount of time and money. If you are in a hurry, please consider acquiring the 'Express Request' service offered by ItalianModa.
• ItalianModa does not offer help with trip planning, hotel accommodations, translations, etc. When writing your request to contact the Italian companies, please highlight your need for such services. Some suppliers can directly help you with them.
• If you plan to come to Italy and visit your next suppliers, please definitely avoid these time frames:
  • August (most but all of the companies are closed due to the summer vacations, between the second and last week of the month)
  • December 23 - January 7 (most companies are closed due to the winter vacations)

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