Services
What we offer
Melliodora Wholesale specialises in making permaculture related titles from independent publishers available at wholesale prices to bookshops, permaculture teachers, groups and individuals. Retailers get a fully realisable margin and publishers get a fair return by working with us. See our Fair Share model for more.
Purchasers must make a minimum order value of AU$180 to access the wholesale pricing, with free delivery offered for orders over AU$350 within Australia. International customers receive subsidised shipping from the AU store, and pay no GST (AU tax). Customers in the United States are best serviced by our US store.
We don’t offer sale or return, so your titles won’t be pulped or sold as spoiled stock. This reduces waste and decreases costs for the publisher
Physical distribution
The traditional role of the distributor is to store and manage physical stock. We do this from our operations in Seymour, Victoria, Australia and Tupelo, Mississippi, United States. We proactively contact our customers to let them know of new releases and relevant products.
As of the 1st of February 2024 we are not offering to distribute more titles than we currently have on offer.
Fair Share model
Our Fair Share model works with a different discount structure that gives a bigger return for the Publisher. The Publisher gets 38.5% of the RRP/MSRP (ex tax) instead of the 31.5% that’s commonly on offer. We retain 23-25% and the Retailer gets 35-37%. See this page for details.
If the Publisher has a non-exclusive distribution agreement with us, we offer a Transitional model. The Publisher gets 31.5-35% of the RRP/MSRP (ex tax) in order to offer a 40% discount to the Retailer.
Short Digital print-runs
We can coordinate Short Digital print-runs for the publisher as required, which can make financial sense in some circumstances. This method can be a good way to ‘test the waters’ before committing to a larger offset print run.
Global market access
We can offer Print On Demand options where we don’t currently offer the title wholesale. This gives the Publisher access to retailers in regions that we don’t service. e.g. POD may be used in Europe to complement the AU & US warehouses.
Storage
Melliodora Wholesale offers to hold upto 6 months worth of stock gratis based on sales figures from previous quarters (or best estimate). When room allows, we may be able to store more stock at an extra cost.
Pallet storage pricing: Pallet storage is charged in half pallet increments per month. We have a volume discount scale. The current monthly rates as at 1st June 2022 are: 0-1.5 AU$26 / 2-3.5 $22 / 4-8.5 $19 / 9+ $18 (inc GST). This is based on Standardised Book pallet with dimensions 650mm x 900mm x 1200mm (W x L x H). eg 3 pallets (excess to gratis) are delivered to the warehouse and at the end of the month there are 2 pallets left. Thus average pallets stored is 2.5 for the month. Thus 2.5 x $22 = $55 for that month of storage.
If we damage stock through mishandling (i.e. within our control), we will cover costs. We do not provide “custody insurance”. We recommend that the publisher self-insure the stock whilst it is housed at our warehouse to cover damage outside our control (e.g. flood, fire or theft).
If sales of titles fall below 10 copies per quarter the agreement may cease, or a Low Volume Distribution Fee of $100 (inc GST) may be charged.
Digital distribution
Digital delivery brings with it some different challenges, that require us to use platforms and systems that fit with the needs of the customer. We make diligent use of these systems to improve returns to Publishers for a fairer share.
We use a couple of methods to distribute PDF and ePub eBooks; directly to retailers and to eBook aggregators. We can provide access to most popular retail sites as well as libraries internationally. This give us the flexibility to choose the best method to suit your needs.
We manage titles by keeping the meta-data up to date, enhancing the ability for customers to find the titles. Update international pricing using a base retail price – for relatively consistent pricing worldwide. We provide quarterly reporting and pay 70% of net receipts to the publisher.
Payments
Reporting is prepared within 3 weeks of the end of each quarter which shows the quantity of titles sold, the amount of inventory remaining, the estimated stock life and the agreed purchase price. A request for an invoice is made to the publisher with the report, and once received, payment is made.
If the volume of sales is low, and the amount owed is less than AU$250 for the quarter, the amount may be rolled over to the following quarter. If the sales volume is below AU$250 for the year (or year period), a payment will be offered at the end of the year to balance the account. It is unlikely to be viable to continue offering this service with volumes at this level.
RRP / MSRP prices can be adjusted for the beginning of the following quarter. Please notify us of your intention to change pricing with at least 3 weeks notice.
Promotion
We can support the publisher’s promotion of new (and existing) titles though our social media channels. You can make it easy for us by supplying images and text to support your promotion – or links to posts that we can re-post.
We have regular contact with our wholesale customers and will discuss products with the most suitable audience. We also offer the publisher free domestic fulfillment with any gratis copies of recently released titles that are used to promote the product.
Special Services
General warehousing services such as re-boxing / labelling / special deliveries are available at our warehouse rate of AU$75/h ex GST (as at 1/7/23), charged at 15 minute increments with a half hour minimum. Other costs, such as postage and packaging, are charged at our cost price plus 25%. Higher volume discounts are available as negotiated.