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Drop Ship Vendor Manual35 Village Road Middleton, MA 01949Dropship@appleseeds.comLast revised Nov. 2013
The strength and longevity of our organization is only as good as ourpartnership with vendors. As a partner of Appleseed’s Brands, you are held tothe highest of expectations, though no higher than we have set for ourselves. We expect quality products and services. Quality entailsfunctionality, packaging, timeliness and value. They must beconsistent with our merchandise strategy and worthy of ourguarantee. We expect innovation. Innovations in the way in which we shareinformation, market our products and respond to the externalbusiness environment. We expect pro-active communication. We want to hear the goodnews and the bad news, as soon as you know, to enable wellinformed decision-making. We expect commitment. A long-term commitment to the continuousimprovement of business processes and practices, and the evolvingneeds of our honored customers.This is our commitment to our customers and we expect it to be yours.We want to know what you need from us. We hope our vendors view us as acustomer and will be honest and forthright concerning their needs from us.
2013Drop Ship Vendor ManualTable of ContentsIntroduction . 1Department Roles & Contacts . 1Drop Ship Vendor Document Portal . 3VendorNet User Guide . 3Drop Ship Order Processing – VendorNet Introduction . 4VendorNet Overview .4VendorNet Daily Checklist . 7Order Fulfillment . 8Quality Standards.8Standard (non-expedited) Orders .9Expedited Orders .9Forecast .9Shipping Delay Guidelines .9Backorder Notification .9Sold Out/Discontinued Notification .9Preferred Carrier/Third Party Billing . 10Tracking of Shipment & Delivery Notification . 10Confirmation of Shipments. 11Billable Weight . 11Packing Slips & Inserts . 11Processing of Orders . 12Customer Service . 13Inquiries and Changes . 13Cancellation Request . 13Customer Inquiry Process . 13Part Request . 14Customer Returns . 14TOC - i
Drop Ship Vendor Manual2013Shipment not Received . 14Damaged in Transit. 15Return Authorization . 15Accounting . 16Invoices . 16Credit Memos. 16Vendor Chargeback’s . 18Shipping and Invoicing . 18Estimated Ship Dates or Backorder Situations . 18Customer Returns . 18Examples . 19VendorNet screen shots . 19Packing Slip Sample . 23Return/Exchange Form . 26Drop Ship Processing – “Reporting Only” Vendors . 28Customer Purchase Orders. 28Invoicing . 28Inserts . 28Returns . 28Terms & Condition . 29Drop Shipment Addendum . 31Vendor Net Setup Checklist . 32Drop Ship Vendor Partnership Agreement . 33Drop Ship Vendor Contact Information Sheet . 34Vendor Acknowledgement Form . 35TOC - ii
Drop Ship Vendor Manual2013IntroductionDear Vendor:As a supplier to Appleseed’s Brands companies, you are a true partner with us in delivering high-quality,well-designed products that represent great value to our customers. Exceeding our customers’ highexpectations is what has enabled our business to flourish, and it is critical to our future growth.We service our customers via catalogs, retail stores and the internet. While this provides our customerswith great flexibility in shopping, it also presents numerous challenges. Our products are advertisednationally in our catalogs. The production schedule of catalogs is such that we must commit to productssix to eighteen months in advance. When a customer receives our catalog, they expect the productsadvertised in it to be available throughout all distribution channels. Therefore, it is imperative that youcommunicate realistic expectations regarding delivery of your product, up-front, in the negotiations.This will allow us to effectively and efficiently service our customer with your products.To help ensure that we continue to raise the bar in surpassing our customers’ expectations, we havedeveloped this Vendor Manual. We need you, as our partner, to view these specifications as goals thatwe must mutually meet and exceed to further expand our reputation for predictably delivering highquality products.It is imperative that the appropriate Quality Assurance and Shipping personnel in your organization havecopies of this manual and become familiar with its guidelines. We have a chargeback policy alsooutlined in this manual for noncompliance, so please follow the guidelines carefully. Remember, it isnot our goal to generate chargeback’s; rather, it is our focus to produce the best possible experience forour customers.We have had tremendous success in developing the Appleseed’s Brands business together. We haveaggressive growth goals and look forward to achieving them side-by-side with you.If you have any questions at all regarding any aspect of this manual, please be sure to ask the Drop ShipSupervisor. We want to make sure there is no ambiguity regarding these guidelines.Sincerely,Kevin McGrainPresident – Appleseed’s BrandsPage - 1
2013Drop Ship Vendor ManualDepartment Roles & ContactsDepartmentLocationRolesContact InformationDrop ShipOperations /VendorCompliance35 Village RdMiddleton, MA, 01949 First point of contact forvendor inquiries New vendor Set up &Training Direct to Consumer orderprocess inquiry Compliance ExpectationsInquires Product Quality Issues978-304-4200Fax - n, MA978-304-4200APInvoices@orchardbrands.com First point of contactshould bedropship@appleseeds.com Accounts Payable Invoices and mmercialAccountsWarren, PA100 Murray DriveWarren, PA 16368Middleton, MA First point of contactshould bedropship@appleseeds.com First point of contactshould bedropship@appleseeds.com Commercial AccountsOrdersftp.johnnyappleseeds.infousername: asvendorpassword: Tablet0p Access the Vendor DownloadfolderDawn PalmerSr. Accounts Payable Manager978-304-4223dpalmer@appleseeds.comCheryl WoodyardAP Supervisor 978-304-4224cwoodyard@orchardbrands.comAllyson HendricksonAP Lead 978-304-4231ahendrickson@appleseeds.comSue BarkerSenior AP Specialist 978-3044229sbarker@applseeds.comCall 800-446-8447for immediate assistance duringnon business hours814-563-5130814-563-5204 (fax)Beverly GalvinCommercial Sales Specialist978-304-4300BGalvin@LinenSource.comPage - 2
Drop Ship Vendor Manual2013Drop Ship Vendor Document PortalAppleseed’s has set up an ftp document portal for a central repository for all documents specifically forDrop Ship vendors. The following documents will be available for download for all Drop Ship vendors:Adobe Reader is required for the following documents1. Drop Ship Vendor Manual2. Return/Exchange Form3. Drop Ship Routing Guide4. VendorNet Training Manual5. California Proposition 65 requirementsMicrosoft Excel is required for the following documents:6. Spec Sheets (all products)Microsoft Word is required for the following documents:7. Drop Ship Return/Credit MemoThese documents will be updated from time to time. When they are updated, there will be a messageposted on the VendorNet home page as well as an email sent to the emails on file for each vendor.URL:ftp.johnnyappleseeds.infoThe site requires a user logon.Username:asvendorPassword:Tablet0p (case sensitive)All documents will be found in the “Vendor Downloads” folder. Drop Ship Vendors are restricted toview this folder only. The user will be logged out of the site after 5 minutes.VendorNet User GuideFor information regarding Vender Net order processing, please reference the Drop Ship User Guidelocated on the home screen when logged into VendorNet.Page - 3
Drop Ship Vendor Manual2013Drop Ship Order Processing – VendorNet IntroductionVendorNet OverviewAll order processing, invoicing and inquiries are handled through VendorNet. We are confident youwill find the VendorNet system user friendly and efficient!There are two different vendor set ups with VendorNet: Browser based (Basic) will requiresomeone from your organization to sign on to VendorNet to do daily order processing functions ;and EDI- System to system (EDI or Secure FTP transmission) which is automated. (also known as“Fully Licensed”)VendorNet takes advantage of Internet technology and allows you to receive orders fromAppleseed’s Brands electronically, from which the appropriate paperwork can be printed locally.Through VendorNet, you will be able to update shipping information such as Ship Date, Packagetracking Number and your Invoice Number via a web page – or update the web page with ashipping file from your own shipping or distribution systems. The shipment and invoice data is thensent back to us electronically for updating our customer service and accounting systems.This process streamlines the order flow process, allows our customers to receive their ordersfaster, and allows you to invoice faster, ultimately reduces the average time for payment fromAppleseed’s Brands.VendorNet training on order processing, ship confirmation, invoicing and customer service will beprovided. You can receive order information in any format your processing requires. For ourpartners who do not have sophisticated business systems, VendorNet’s basic browser based orIntegrated Federal Express systems should more than meet your needs. With basic VendorNetprocessing you print packing slips directly from the site but create your own carrier shipping labels.Confirmation of shipping and invoicing are manually entered on VendorNet.Processing using VendorNet Integrated Federal Express creates a combination shipping label andpacking slip as you print new orders. You must know the date you will ship each package as thesystem automatically confirms each shipment based on that date. Invoicing is manual or via files.System to system, file transfer and EDI are several other options available.Page - 4
Drop Ship Vendor Manual2013Please let the Drop Ship Supervisor know which system works best for you. It is important yourcompany is ready to process orders through VendorNet prior to the date you are scheduled to shipfor Appleseed’s Brands.For basic browser based processing through VendorNet, you will simply need:PC with Internet accessPrinter (laser printer preferred)Minimum PC requirements include: Pentium 150 or higher 16 MB memory 100 MB disc Windows 98 or higher Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher E-mail AccountPage - 5
Drop Ship Vendor Manual2013VendorNet Overview (cont.)Email NotificationsYou will receive email alerts advising when new orders are ready to process or the brand has orderstatus or change requests. In addition, email alerts are sent when orders have not been printed orshipped in a timely manner.The emails will come from dropship@appleseeds.com Please add this email address to your safesenders list to ensure timely delivery of the notifications.Back Order UpdatesShould an item have a shipping delay, you will enter a new estimated ship date on each order. Thiseasy process on VendorNet allows you to enter dates on individual orders or all orders as a group.Cost ChangesShould an item have a cost change, please provide a minimum of 30 day notification prior to thecost change going into effect. Send all cost changes to dropship@appleseeds.com.Inventory updatesWe do not currently have an inventory feed, thus require updates on a regular basis. We use anexcel sheet for each vendors SKU’s. We may periodically send you an excel sheet with all activeSKU’s and ask that you update the sheet and send it back to dropship@appleseeds.com. Suchupdates will include Vendor Style/UPC numbers, item descriptions, availability, etc. You may alsorequest this sheet from us, as needed, for your own use or updates.Commenting on PO’sThe drop ship team and the vendors can communicate about order status, order changes, etc. usingVendorNet's comment utility. When either party places a comment on an order, an email is sent tothe opposite party notifying them that a comment has been placed and is awaiting their response.All orders flagged with comments are waiting in the Pending Resolution Review bucket.Ship Confirmation and InvoicingYou will have the option to ship confirm and invoice separately or handle both at the same time.When you Ship Confirm an order, the tracking number used for each shipment is entered on theorder. This can be done manually, via a file upload or directly from your processing system. Formanual entry of tracking numbers, the first 6-8 digits can be preset for you, as these are always thesame for each shipment.Invoicing can be handled several ways through VendorNet. Again, system to system or file uploadsare available or, you can manually enter your own invoice. VendorNet can sequentially assign aninvoice number for you or your own invoice number can be entered to complete the invoicingprocess. APInvoices@orchardbrands.comCustomer ServiceAll customer service is handled through VendorNet including estimated ship date changes,cancelations, shipping and invoicing, item inquiries, etc.ReportingVendorNet provides robust reporting capabilities. Examples are: Overdue orders, Invoiced orders,Shipped orders, Performance Views.Page - 6
Drop Ship Vendor Manual2013VendorNet Daily ChecklistPrint New Orders.Confirm ShipmentsProcess InvoicesReview, Resolve & Release, “Pending Resolution” bucket.Customer information changes, Estimated Ship Date changes, Cancelled orders, emails, commentsand inventory updates, etc Review and Process all order maintenance issues.Review any messages on Home Page.Review “Quick Reports”Run “Custom Reports”Page - 7
Drop Ship Vendor Manual2013Order FulfillmentQuality StandardsProduct delivered to our customer must meet the following quality standards.Packaginga) All small parts and hardware must be included, packaged and secured so as not to shift intransitb) Product must be packaged sufficiently to prevent damage during shippingc) Complete instructions clearly written in Englishd) No pricing on package, product or packing slipNo outside materials or inserts of any kind without written permission by Appleseed’s BrandsManagement.Functiona) All parts in working orderb) Performance, durability and reliability must meet expectationsc) Product must meet all applicable safety standards.Specificationsa) Must meet agreed upon specificationsb) Accurate measurements and dimensionsc) Country of origin (when applicable) clearly markedd) Care instructions includedLabelinga) No handwritten information on labelsb) Sticky labels must not deface product when removedc) No upside-down, faded or crooked labelsd) Product must include all labels required by law (caution, precaution or warning labels, etc.)Constructiona) No holes, rips, tears or dentsb) Glass must be free of chips, mars and cracksc) No defective stitchingd) No unsecured hardware (grommets, rivets, magnets etc.)e) No improper weldingf) All part
Drop Ship Order Processing – VendorNet Introduction VendorNet Overview All order processing, invoicing and inquiries are handled through VendorNet. We are confident you will find the VendorNet system user friendly and efficient! There are two different vendor set ups with VendorNet: Browser based (Basic) will requireFile Size: 2MB
