Work backwards from the shelf date
A tackle order has four stages: production, transport to Poland, our checks and delivery to you. We plan 8–12 weeks from order to warehouse, which includes 25–45 production days and 25–45 days by rail or sea. Add your own delivery time and the time you need to unpack, label and display the goods.
Start with the date a product must be on sale, then subtract that total. The result is the date your order has to be placed. For most categories it falls a long way before the season starts.
The factory holidays in late January–February
Partner factories close for several weeks in late January–February. Production stops, staff travel, and many workers do not return at once. Freight space fills up in the weeks before the break.
Treat this as a hard stop. Anything not in production by early January may wait until March, and then needs transport time on top. Orders placed in autumn avoid the problem altogether.
The tackle calendar at a glance
| Season | Main categories | Typical order window |
|---|---|---|
| Spring predator and coarse fishing (from March–April) | Spinning rods and reels, lures, jig heads, braid, feeder gear | September–November |
| Carp season (April–October) | Bite alarms, rod pods, bivvies, chairs, bedchairs, rigs | September–December |
| Summer and holiday trade | Telescopic and travel rods, nets, cool bags, clothing | November–January |
| Autumn predator season | Larger lures, jerk gear, wader and clothing ranges | February–April |
| Ice fishing (December–February) | Ice rods, small reels, jigs, augers, ice tents | By September |
These windows are planning guidance, not promises. Your own sales history and region matter more than any table.
Why shops order from September to November
Most retailers place their main pre-season orders between September and November. Trade fairs in February–March confirm the trends, but by then the factory holidays have started and new production is hard to get. The shops that sell well in April ordered in the autumn.
A practical split is to place a core order in autumn for proven products and a smaller top-up in spring from stock. Stock items from our catalogue give you a way to refill without a new production run.
Private label deadlines
Putting your brand on a blank, handle, spool or lure box adds steps: artwork, a pre-production sample, approval, then mass production. For spring, order private label by mid-December. Later requests are limited to stock items. Our private label page lists what can carry your logo and the minimum per model (300).
- September: confirm range, request quotes, order samples.
- October: approve samples, send artwork and labels.
- November: place the production order and pay the deposit.
- December: final deadline for spring private label.
Ice fishing needs the earliest decision
Ice fishing is short and dependent on the weather, so stock must arrive before the first cold weeks. Place orders by September. Because demand varies with winter conditions, many shops commit to a smaller opening order and keep a reserve in mind rather than overcommitting.
Carp season and bulky goods
Carp gear is bulky. Chairs, bedchairs and bivvies occupy far more space than their weight suggests, and sea or rail space is cheaper but slower than air. Confirm carton sizes early and decide whether to ship a full pallet or to combine carp items with other carp tackle and camping kit.
Planning for regulation changes
The planned EU restriction on lead in fishing tackle adds a second calendar. If you stock lead weights and lures, plan alternative ranges before your customers ask for them. Our guide to the lead restriction and the lead-free programme explain the options.
Cash flow and deposits
Early orders tie up money for months. A deposit of 30–50 % is paid at order, and the balance is due before shipment. That means a September order costs cash in September and again in October or November, while sales start in spring. Many shops spread the risk by splitting the order into two shipments: carp and spring predator lines first, summer and travel items later.
Repeat clients can discuss deferred terms. Ask early, because credit decisions take time and should not hold up production slots.
How big should the first order be?
New buyers often overbuy breadth and underbuy depth. Ten different spinning rods in two lengths each sell more slowly than three good models in several lengths. Check the factory MOQ for each model on the product page and order at least one full inner pack for lures and terminal tackle so that you can restock the same item later.
For clothing and waders, sizes decide the order. Buy a size curve that matches your customers, not an equal split, and keep a small reserve for the sizes that sell out first.
Using samples to shorten the calendar
Sampling takes 7–14 days, which is time you cannot recover later. Order samples in August or September for products you want in the spring range. Test them in real use through the autumn, so that your decision in November is based on the fish you caught rather than on a catalogue photo. Sample costs are credited against the order, as described on our samples page.
Weather and regional differences
Seasons shift by country. Northern Europe has a longer ice season and a later spring, while the south has a longer open-water season. A distributor serving several markets should plan by region and not by a single national calendar. Our market pages show road delivery times to each country.
Common timing mistakes
- Waiting for trade fairs in February–March before ordering, when production has already stopped for the holidays.
- Placing one large order for the whole year, which ties up cash and storage space.
- Forgetting that labels, EAN codes and translations must be ready before production starts.
- Ordering bulky carp items at the last minute and paying for air freight that wipes out the margin.
A one-page calendar with the order date, deposit date and expected arrival of each shipment prevents most of these. Review it every September.
A simple yearly rhythm
- September–November: main pre-season order and private label production.
- December: last private label deadline for spring; ice stock arrives.
- January: confirm shipments before the factory holidays.
- February–March: trade fairs, top-up orders from stock.
- April–October: replenishment of fast sellers.
Send us your list with your target dates, and we work back to the order date in the offer.
