How do down payments work for pre-orders?

Pre-orders are a fantastic way to access hard-to-find brands, large quantities, and competitive prices, but they work differently than standard orders. To align with industry best practices and give you more flexibility with your cash flow, we've introduced down payments for almost all pre-order purchases on Qogita.

What are pre-orders?

Pre-orders are demand-led orders where stock isn't sitting in a warehouse waiting to be shipped. Instead, when you place a pre-order, the supplier orders the goods directly from the manufacturer on your behalf.

This offers several advantages:

• Large quantities available – often up to 10,000 units per product
• Competitive pricing – we always verify you're getting good value
• Wide variety – access to entire brand catalogues
• Hard-to-source brands – products you can't easily find elsewhere

Why down payments?

It’s better for your cash flow - instead of tying up large amounts of capital for weeks while waiting for delivery, you only pay 30% upfront. You'll pay the remaining balance once the supplier confirms the goods are ready to ship - meaning you're not paying for stock that's still in production.

How down payments work

1. Browse pre-order suppliers - look for suppliers marked as pre-orders in the marketplace
2. Place your order and pay 30% upfront - pay via bank transfer (currently the only payment method available for down payments)
3. Supplier orders from manufacturer - the supplier places your order with the manufacturer
4. Pay the remaining balance - when the supplier receives the goods and is ready to fulfil your order, we'll contact you to transfer the remaining 70%
5. Your order ships - only after the balance is paid will the supplier ship the goods to you, and you'll be able to track your order as usual