The downsides of ordering corporate gifts from marketplaces: six problems that show up at 50 gifts, and when a marketplace is still fineThe downsides of ordering corporate gifts from marketplaces: six problems that show up at 50 gifts, and when a marketplace is still fine

Fine for five gifts, harder at fifty

A marketplace is a good place to buy a handful of gifts quickly. The downsides appear when a company orders in bulk, needs one invoice, wants its logo on the gift, or has to send gifts to many addresses. In general terms, these are the problems buyers run into:

1. One listing, several sellers. The same product page can be served by different sellers. Fifty units may arrive from more than one of them, in slightly different packing or finish.
2. Uneven batches. Even from one seller, a large order can be pulled from different stock. For a gift handed out side by side on one floor, mismatch shows.
3. No real branding. A marketplace order is the product as listed. A logo on the tag, a note card in your words or a wax seal is usually outside what a standard listing offers.
4. Invoices that finance has to chase. Whether you get a proper business invoice with your GSTIN depends on the seller and your account setup. Several sellers can mean several invoices.
5. Many addresses, many orders. Sending to every employee's home can mean placing each order by hand, with each person's details typed into a consumer checkout.
6. Return rules built for one shopper. Retail return terms are designed for single items. On 100 gifts, sorting out damaged or missing units can turn into a long thread of tickets.

None of this makes marketplaces bad. It makes them a retail tool being used for a procurement job.

Deciding whether a marketplace will do for this order

Ask four questions before you add 50 units to a cart:

• Does every gift need to look identical? If yes, buy from someone who makes or packs the whole batch together.
• Does it need your logo or your words? If yes, you need a supplier who brands, not a listing.
• Is it going to one address or many? One office is easy anywhere. Many homes favour a supplier who takes an address list once.
• Will finance accept the paperwork? Confirm, before paying, who issues the invoice and in what name.

If all four answers are "no", a marketplace is a perfectly good choice.

Marketplace, gifting portal or direct maker

How ordering direct from Raajkosh differs

Raajkosh hand-pours soy wax candles in Jalandhar and sells only on its own site. For a company order, the terms on our corporate gifting answer page are:

• From 10 gifts, with no minimum order value. Fewer than 10, order straight from the shop.
• Logo on the tag, the note card or a wax seal; exact options and the lead time are confirmed in the quote.
• One GST invoice with your billing name, address and GSTIN. Ours is 03AEMPG4934K1ZF.
• Delivery to one office or every address on a list.
• Prepaid, as set out in the quote. No cash on delivery.
• Branded gifts cannot be returned unless damaged, defective or wrong; damage reported within 24 hours of delivery is replaced or refunded.

Pieces companies pick, at shop prices: Heart Bubble Candle Rs 249, Blossom Candle Rs 299, Sunflower Tealights Rs 449 for ten, Vanilla Reverie Rs 549 (our one scented candle). At shop prices, 50 Heart Bubble Candles come to Rs 12,450; your quote confirms the final price with branding and delivery. If you want to check who is behind the brand, read who makes our candles.

When the marketplace beats us

If you need the gifts tomorrow, need gadgets, apparel or food, or want twenty different products in one order, a marketplace or a large portal will serve you better; we make candles only and never promise a delivery date. If the recipients cannot use an open flame, a candle should be picked as decor.

For those who light theirs: never leave it burning alone, trim the wick to about 5 mm, and keep each burn to 3 to 4 hours.

For a bulk order with your logo and one invoice, send the number, budget and addresses through raajkosh.com/corporate, or WhatsApp +91 85958 24586.