help with order /suply contract.

[weisyboy]

i have a company wanting some (a container load) of 65mm x 35mm x 1500mm hardwood boards.

they are for export to Malaysia for use as wheelbarrow handles witch will be imported back and sold at Bunnings.

i need a contract with them to make sure my ass is coverd and they need a contract to show bunnings to prove the timber came from australia.

normally i supply a quotation with all the particulars and payment terms on it witch is sighned by both partys. we both keep a copy.

is this all i need or is sompthing extra required?

[tea lady]

Maybe for such a big contract you should get an actual lawyer or something to make sure all the things are in the right place. Sounds like a big job. Hope it goes well.

[weisyboy]

i have filled much bigger orders this will only take about a week or 2.

with no problems.

it is not an ongoing thing at this point but it has potential to lead to an ongoing thing after the initial sample.

i spoke to a friend who is a lawyer and he reckons all i need is to supply my usual quotation. and if i want extra protection get them to send me a purchase order aswell.

this sounds reasonable to me but jsut wanna be sure.

[chambezio]

Carl!!!!
You are beginning a game with the big boys!!!
I sure am no expert but I would get onto a good lawyer to make sure they do not take advantage of you and your good will. Even in matters of payment. They may decide to not pay you for 120 days or more(can you carry an outlay like that?) Please tread lightly and get good professional help and don't believe what they say because I'm sure they will not stand by their words. They are out to make money and probably won't care who they get it off
Thats my 2 bobs worth

[weisyboy]

payment terms are strictly full payment before materials leave site. with 25% deposit. i told them this and they are happy and it is on my invoice witch they have to sighn and return.

ill have to go see lawyer just need some opinions first.

[chambezio]

Carl
I'm glad you are going to a lawyer. Its sad when in business nowadays lawyers are at your side during negotiations. Once upon atime an agreed price and a handshake was an ironclad unwitten contract between 2 gentlemen. It sounds like a great opertunity not to be missed though all the same so I hope it works out profittably in your favour
Good luck

[artme]

I wish you well Carl!! BUT take the advice about lawyers.

You can also get pamphlets and free advice from the Commonwealth Government on exporting .

[weisyboy]

i am not exporting. i am simply supplying saw timber to an Australian company. what happens to the timber after that is not my problem.

[Sturdee]

I wish you well Carl!! BUT take the advice about lawyers.

Not just a lawyer but go to one specialising in contract law, get a proper contract drawn up and then use it for all your major transactions. The cost you incur now will be repaid hundredfold if a major deal goes sour.


Peter.

[ian]

Carl

Please, please take other's advice about getting proper legal advice.
I'm not having a go at you because I can usually follow what you are saying in your posts, but based on the grammar and spelling you use when posting, if your "contracts" are similarly written, you will be taken to the cleaners if any of your larger "contracts" ends up in dispute.
As an example, yesterday in my day job I spent about 15 minutes explaining to a colleague that the words which followed an "and" did not apply to the requirements before the "and" . Commas are similarly important should you get into a dispute.


as to the job,
the questions that immediately come to my mind are

1) who is responsible should the timber warp and become unsuitable for the intended use after you cut it?
2) who is responsible for packing the container, and transporting it?
3) where will the logs you'll cut come from? does your customer require some certification that harvesting the logs was authorised?

[beer is good]

G'day Carl,
I would check with Austrade Export - Home - Austrade's website for Australian Exporters - Austrade
I know you are not exporting yourself, but they could probably help you anyway and maybe have a "standard contract". Good luck.

[old pete]

Hi Weisyboy,

At a minimum you will need to set up an Irrevocable Letter of Credit (LC) arrangement with the purchaser re payment. You will also probably need a Phytosanitary Certificate from AQIS plus the documentation necessary to meet the Malay customs requirements.

As the timber is to be exported green the Malay folk may require it to be fumigated with methyl bromide before it goes, AQIS can advise on this. There are also Shipping Manifests to be arranged

You need to engage an Export Agent to set this all up for you in the first instance:they know the ropes and they know the people and processes. It's simple but its involved.

I haven't worked in the mainstream for 7 years but I used to see requests for quotations for supplying that wheel barrow handle order frequently when I did so be advised;you are not the first to try your hand at it.

One of the sheltered workshops in Hobart had the contract to shape those handles from semi dry timber for some years but I seem to remember it was pretty marginal business at best. They band sawed the shape manually then finished up one at a time on a huge mechanical pantograph copy shaper they had acquired somewhere. An interesting machine and the only one of its type I have ever seen

Anyway good luck with it but you won't make your fortune in that field.

Old Pete

[RETIRED]

Hi Weisyboy,

At a minimum you will need to set up an Irrevocable Letter of Credit (LC) arrangement with the purchaser re payment. You will also probably need a Phytosanitary Certificate from AQIS plus the documentation necessary to meet the Malay customs requirements.

As the timber is to be exported green the Malay folk may require it to be fumigated with methyl bromide before it goes, AQIS can advise on this. There are also Shipping Manifests to be arranged

You need to engage an Export Agent to set this all up for you in the first instance:they know the ropes and they know the people and processes. It's simple but its involved.

I haven't worked in the mainstream for 7 years but I used to see requests for quotations for supplying that wheel barrow handle order frequently when I did so be advised;you are not the first to try your hand at it.

One of the sheltered workshops in Hobart had the contract to shape those handles from semi dry timber for some years but I seem to remember it was pretty marginal business at best. They band sawed the shape manually then finished up one at a time on a huge mechanical pantograph copy shaper they had acquired somewhere. An interesting machine and the only one of its type I have ever seen

Anyway good luck with it but you won't make your fortune in that field.

Old Pete

Ahem, he is supplying an Australian Company that is exporting.

[weisyboy]

this bloke has never used australian timber for handles before. his retailers have asked him to use australian timber as there is know way of knowing teh timber he gets from malaysia is not illegality harvested.

he wants this as a sample then we are looking at 20 000 handles a year but that will be another bridge to cross when i get there.

he also wants hoop pine for dowel as there is no white timber left in malaysia. notied how all teh dowel seams to be that red/brown colour lately.

also timber for lattice and other items he produces.

[RufflyRustic]

Carl, it could be a fantastic opportunity, but whatever happens, take steps to protect yourself, as that protection is worth it's weight in gold. We don't want to see you 'taken down'
cheers
Wendy