Paperwork and other buzzwords

A friend (who sells off price merchandise) and I were having a discussion recently about this often mentioned "paperwork". Often, a new buyer may ask me if a supplier provides "paperwork" or they will ask a supplier if they provide "paperwork". It seems as though this has become so used that it's just an industry buzzword and few people even understand the meaning.

What kind of paperwork do you want?

That's really a good question because most people can't answer that.

Some might say, well I want a copy of the invoice from the company the jobber purchased the merchandise from. Tough luck getting that. No one likes to reveal their sources, or in the case where a jobber purchases directly from the manufacturer, you are asking for a copy of their confidential business documents when you want a copy of their paperwork.

And for what?

Any reputable jobber will back a client up if the authenticity of the merchandise is ever questioned. Will they send YOU a copy of their invoice? Probably not, most likely they will handle it with the attorneys themselves. It's sensitive.

In a lot of international transactions, people talk about paperwork and sanitized invoices. But I don't really get into that as my suppliers are all based in the US. I'm not sending you to Pakistan to get merchandise.

And don't forget-- any scammer can forge "paperwork".