When to reorder China stock with low weekly sales
Reorder when your weekly stock projection shows usable stock may run out before a new batch is ready to sell, allowing for the next review and a buffer you can afford. Use ordinary sales, not a brief spike, then check the smallest order against your cash cap. Review the sheet and supplier options with Cambridge China Bridge.
Keep a weekly sheet for each selling variant
Use a separate record for each colour or size customers can order. Update it on the same day each week and count the stock you can actually dispatch. Reconcile opening stock with receipts, saleable returns, dispatches and other removals. Keep damaged goods, samples and unchecked returns outside usable stock. Deduct stock reserved for unfulfilled customer orders to show what remains available.
Record incoming orders separately, with their expected usable date and any uncertainty. Do not add them to today's available stock. For marketplace sales, distinguish stock available to customers from goods still awaiting warehouse receiving. Our ecommerce seller service can help discuss sourcing and replenishment around your selling channel.
| Field | What to record |
|---|---|
| Week and variant | Review date, product, colour and size |
| Stock movements | Opening stock, usable receipts, checked returns, dispatches and other removals |
| Available stock | Usable closing stock less reservations for unfulfilled orders |
| Sales context | Dispatched sales, returns, weeks without sales, promotions and periods unavailable |
| Incoming stock | Quantity, expected usable date and unresolved delays |
| Demand outlook | Ordinary sales expectation and a separately labelled stronger-sales case |
| Order constraints | Repeat minimum, pack size and complete order cost |
| Decision | Reorder, wait or change the supply option, with a reason and next review date |
Include quiet weeks without trusting a spike
Choose a run of recent weeks that reflects your current price and selling conditions. Include weeks without sales when the product was available. To estimate an ordinary weekly rate, divide sales across that period by all the weeks in it. Mark promotions, unusual bulk purchases and unavailable periods separately. A week with no stock does not show that nobody wanted the product.
Use a slower-sales case to check how much stock and cash could remain tied up, and a stronger-sales case to expose a possible gap. Keep a brief spike outside the ordinary forecast until repeat purchases support a change. If your history is too thin, use first-order forecasting to structure assumptions rather than giving a weak average more authority than it deserves.
Project stock until the next batch is usable
Ask the supplier for the time from order approval to stock ready for customer dispatch. Include the production queue, production, inspection and any correction, transport, clearance and receiving. Use your previous batch to challenge the estimate. If you already have a factory, our existing-supplier service can help clarify the repeat-order arrangements.
Project available stock forward week by week, subtracting expected sales and replacement needs. Add incoming stock only in the week it should become usable. Allow for the wait until your next review and an explicitly chosen buffer for uncertainty. Start the reorder discussion when that projection approaches the buffer before replenishment is usable. See reorder points for China stock for the general calculation.
Check the smallest repeat order against slow sales
Confirm the repeat-order minimum, carton multiple and minimum for each variant. A small trial does not establish the terms of the next order. Round your candidate quantity to the actual packs, then project the stock left after arrival under ordinary and slower sales. Look at each variant separately so a popular colour does not justify extra stock of a slow seller.
If rounding leaves more stock than you can afford to hold, ask about stock products, plain packaging, mixed variants or smaller repeat releases. Confirm availability and the complete cost before relying on any option. Use low-MOQ trial and repeat-order terms to settle these arrangements before the trial stock runs low.
Apply the cash cap before approving the order
Set the cash you can commit after protecting money for bills, taxes, refunds and unexpected expenses. Map the deposit, balance, freight, import charges, checks and receiving costs to their payment dates. Use quotations, and allow for customer or marketplace payment delays. Projected sales are not cash available to pay the factory.
Compare the pack-rounded order with that cap at every payment stage. Include commitments on goods already ordered, and check whether slower sales would leave enough cash for ongoing expenses. The overlapping-order cash-flow guide covers that payment timetable. A reorder trigger signals a stock risk; it does not make an unaffordable order workable.
Choose an action and record the next review
Reorder when the stock projection shows a gap and the smallest workable batch fits both cash and slow-sales limits. Wait when stock covers the usable-stock lead time and review allowance, recording the next check. If a gap is likely but the minimum fails your cap, compare an available domestic top-up, a smaller stock batch or a planned period without stock. Compare complete costs before choosing.
Do not solve the conflict by inflating the forecast or buying a buffer you cannot fund. Record the accepted risk, supplier questions and what would change the decision. Bring the weekly sheet, repeat quotation and cash cap to Cambridge China Bridge's small-order service; our staff in China can discuss factory options against those limits.
Frequently asked questions
When should I reorder if I only sell a few units a week?
Project available stock until a new batch is ready to sell. Start the reorder discussion if it approaches your chosen buffer, allowing for the next review. Approve only a batch that fits your cash and slow-sales limits.
Should I include weeks with no sales in my forecast?
Include them when the product was available under normal selling conditions. Mark stockouts separately because sales during an unavailable period cannot show the demand you missed.
Should I order more after a sudden sales spike?
Record what caused it and keep it separate from ordinary demand. Check a stronger-sales case for possible shortages, but wait for supporting purchase evidence before raising the routine forecast.
What if the factory minimum is more than I can afford?
Ask about stock products, simpler packaging or smaller repeat releases. Compare complete costs and leftover stock under slow sales. If no option fits, postpone the order and plan how to handle the stock gap.