A seller can only pass on what the warehouse says they own
One question to ask any seller before your delivery order is prepared. Getting it wrong is one of the commonest ways a transfer stalls for weeks.
Every cask you buy has a history of transfers behind it. Before a seller can transfer a cask to you, their own purchase has to be complete, with the warehouse showing the cask in their account.
That sounds obvious. It's also one of the commonest ways a transfer stalls.
How it goes wrong
A seller buys a cask and is waiting for their own delivery order to be stamped. In the meantime they sell it on and send the next DO to the warehouse. The warehouse checks its records, finds the cask isn't in the seller's account, and holds the DO. If nobody is watching, weeks can pass before anyone notices.
The question to ask
Before you sign anything, ask the seller one thing.
Is this cask stamped into your account, at this warehouse, today?
If the answer is that it's on its way, that's fine, as long as you both understand that your DO waits until it lands.
Three more checks
- The warehouse on your DO is the one where the cask actually lies, and where your account is.
- The seller's legal name on the DO matches their account at the warehouse.
- Every cask number on the DO matches your invoice, digit for digit.