How to Start Selling Football Jerseys Without Stocking Up

Gate 1: Gather interest and record exact requests

Start by asking potential customers what they want. Record the design or photo reference, category, size, quantity and any name or number request. Interest alone is not an order you can purchase against.

Mark every request as an enquiry until the next checks are complete. If you share product images, explain that selection is subject to supplier confirmation. Do not describe an unverified option as available or accept a vague size preference as a final specification.

• Keep enquiries, waiting requests and customer-confirmed quantities in separate statuses.
• Ask customers to approve the exact spelling and number before treating personalization as settled.

Gate 2: Check availability and order conditions

Send the precise requests to SoloJersey and ask which combinations can currently be supplied. Ask about the applicable quantity requirements, personalization options, size information, handling requirements and shipping arrangements for your destination. Conditions may differ between products and orders.

Review the supplier's response against each requested combination. A confirmed design does not automatically confirm every size, version or customization. Record substitutions as new choices that require customer approval. Keep unresolved items on hold.

Gate 3: Agree clear terms with each customer

Once you have supplier information, describe the proposed order clearly. Confirm the jersey details, personalization, your local fulfilment method and the conditions that apply if an item changes or cannot proceed.

Discuss timing using the information available, including the separate stages of supplier handling, shipping to you and your own fulfilment. Explain the assumptions behind an estimate and what still needs confirmation. Explain relevant cancellation, return or customization restrictions before the customer agrees.

• Get approval for the exact item and any proposed alternative.
• Keep a written record of the customer's agreement and outstanding questions.

Gate 4: Purchase the quantities that are ready

Prepare the purchase list from requests that have passed the first three gates. Check the count by design, category, size and personalization. Do not turn an enquiry or an unanswered message into a confirmed quantity.

Before proceeding, reconcile the final list with the supplier's quotation and conditions. If quantities or specifications have changed, ask for the affected details to be confirmed again. You still need to manage purchasing decisions and commitments to customers.

Gate 5: Receive, check and fulfil locally

Plan for the shipment to reach you as the retailer. When it arrives, match every item to your purchase list: design, category, size, count and personalization. Photograph any mismatch and raise it with the supplier before making a customer commitment about a replacement.

After checking, match the accepted items to the correct customers and arrange your local collection or delivery. Keep your own fulfilment records. This workflow depends on you receiving and checking the goods; it does not assume automatic shipping from the supplier to each consumer.

Use a simple record to keep the gates visible

Illustrative planning example: eight people express interest, five provide exact requests, and three requests receive supplier confirmation and customer agreement. The purchase list contains the approved quantities from those three requests. The other requests remain open; interest alone does not move them into the purchase list.

Copy this record for each request and update its status when the supporting information changes.

Request ID:
Design / photo reference:
Category / size / quantity:
Personalization approved:
Supplier availability and conditions checked:
Customer terms agreed:
Status: enquiry / waiting / ready to purchase / received / fulfilled
Retailer delivery destination:
Arrival check and local fulfilment notes: