Putting product in someone else’s store or warehouse can open a channel without a full purchase order. It can also create accounting and control problems.
Ask who carries the failure when the normal plan breaks. Damage, late delivery, slow sell-through and customer returns are not edge cases for physical products; they are part of the commercial design.
Define title to the goods
The agreement should state who owns inventory before sale and what happens in insolvency or dispute. Local legal advice may be appropriate.
For “Define title to the goods,” track units by age and channel so the team can act before storage pressure turns every decision into an emergency discount.
Count and reconcile
Starting quantity, serial or SKU detail, sales reports and physical counts need a cadence both sides can verify.
For “Count and reconcile,” put a human review step at the point where an error could reach a customer, supplier or public page. Automation should reduce repetition, not remove accountability.
Assign damage responsibility
Display wear, customer damage, theft and warehouse damage should not be left to assumption.
For “Assign damage responsibility,” save the service level, appointment rule and damage procedure with the order. Logistics promises should be as specific as product promises.
Set payout timing
Know when a sale becomes payable, what deductions are allowed and how returns affect settlement.
For “Set payout timing,” a partner's enthusiasm is useful, but evidence is better: recent relevant accounts, response times, warehouse capability, reporting habits and a named person who owns the work.
Create a retrieval path
The supplier needs a practical right and method to remove unsold stock when the relationship ends.
For “Create a retrieval path,” track units by age and channel so the team can act before storage pressure turns every decision into an emergency discount.
Use it before the irreversible step
For this article, run the list before payment, delivery, signature or disposal of packaging. A checklist is most valuable just before the point where a small oversight becomes hard to undo.
What belongs in the file
For this article, save the current price, responsible parties, delivery or payment terms, the agreed exception process and the review date. Commercial memory should not live only in chat history. For this topic, the first things I would put on that review are define title to the goods, count and reconcile.