Reading time: 3 minutes. Handy for the moment when you're waiting.
You've ordered. The confirmation is in your inbox. And then it goes quiet for a few days.
This waiting is annoying, and you have a right to know what's happening during those days. So: this is what goes on behind the scenes, and why it sometimes takes a bit longer than you'd like.
We don't have one warehouse, we have nine
Most online shops work like this: one hall, everything in stock, done. That's fast, but it also means your selection is limited to what fits in that one hall.
We do it differently. Alongside our own warehouse in Groningen, we work directly with the warehouses of Venum, Hayabusa, Leone, Booster, adidas, Super Pro, Phantom Athletics and Sportief. Nine locations in total.
This means you can buy a Thai shin guard, a pair of Japanese gloves and an Italian gi in a single order from us. That's the advantage.
The disadvantage: these items aren't all sitting on the same shelf.
Your order goes out in one parcel
This is the heart of the matter.
If you order three items and they come from three different warehouses, we wait until everything has arrived, then send it to you in one parcel. One parcel, one tracking code, one delivery date.
This means: your order is only as fast as its slowest item. Like in a team, you're only as strong as your weakest link, and you only start the round when both gloves are on.
We could also send everything separately as soon as it arrives. Then you'd get three parcels on three days, be at home three times and pay shipping three times. We don't think that's an improvement for anyone.
What we do during those days
We're certainly not just waiting.
Every working day, an order goes out to the warehouses that hold something from your order. When it arrives, it's checked, booked in and added to the rest of your order on the same day. As soon as the last item arrives, the parcel goes out with the courier that same day.
If it turns out that an item isn't available after all, contrary to expectations, we don't wait for you to notice. You'll hear from us, with an alternative or the option to remove that one item.
Why you've already seen this delivery time
Every product on our site shows the delivery time. Not hidden away somewhere in the terms, but on the product page itself, in the basket, at checkout and in your order confirmation.
If it says 1 to 3 working days, the item is in our own warehouse in Groningen and goes straight out. If it says 2 to 6 working days, it's coming from a supplier warehouse and needs to reach us first.
This delivery time is a promise in working days, not calendar days. So an order placed on a Friday afternoon starts counting on Monday. Weekends and public holidays don't count, because nobody packs or delivers then. We take into account public holidays in both countries: packing happens in the Netherlands, delivery happens in Germany.
And if it takes too long after all?
Then you'll hear from us, not the other way round.
Two working days before the last day of your delivery time is reached, we'll send you a message if your order hasn't been dispatched yet. Not because something's going wrong, but because waiting without information is more annoying than waiting with it.
If the last day arrives and your parcel is still here, you'll hear about that too. Including a discount on your next order, because we'll have broken a promise we made ourselves.
In the meantime
Waiting for new gloves? Then now's a good moment to air out your old pair, wash your hand wraps and give your bag another thorough check.
And while you're at it: most people wrap their hand wraps too loosely around the knuckles and too tightly around the wrist. So exactly the wrong way round. Feel free to try it differently in your next training session.
See you at the gym.
Team The Fight Company
MAKE EVERY ROUND COUNT.