How do I start shopping & buying?
Buyer’s 6 easy
steps to getting started
- Go to the website (www.aglink.com)
- First time: REGISTER to set up your login
- Choose express or full registration
- Submit for approval and wait for confirmation email from Ag Link, Inc.
- Once confirmed, go back to the website and login
- Now you are ready to start shopping for products!
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How many growers are registered?
Ag
Link started in Aug 2012 with over 2 dozen growers online and that number continues
to grow regularly (link to a counter if there is one).Our business growth plan has been to expand
as supply and demand dictate.Therefore
regionally, where there is demand, we will promote the need for supply and vis
versa.
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Is there a registration fee?
No,
registration is free!
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What does it cost to use the site?
Ag Link charges the producer a 4%
transaction fee at the point of sale.So
for example if the posted price is $10/case, then the producer will net
$9.60/case.
Ag Link also charges the schools an
additional 2.5%
transaction fee.So with the example
above, the school will pay $10.25/case, the producer will net $9.60/case and Ag
Link will retain $.65/case to manage the site, promote products and
relationships and lead the charge to Advance Fresh Foods in California Schools.
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What information should I have before I register?
- Email
Address
- Contact
Name
- Business
Name
- Telephone
- Billing
Address, City, State, Zip
- Preferred
method of communication, options: text, email, fax
- Main
ship to address - if different than billing
–Eventually,
you will be able to list multiple shipping locations and details for each
- Days
and times deliveries are accepted
- Minimum
method of delivery required, 3 options – choose 1
–Delivered
on Truckby seller (buyer to unload)
–Curbside
delivery by seller (seller to unload)
–Put
Away (seller to unload and put away) – note this may be costly and reduce your
opportunities to buy
- Agree
to Terms & Conditions
Other items that are optional to add:
- Central
Kitchen – yes/no
- Number
of Sites
- ADP
- Fax
number
- Upload
a blanket or one time PO
- Website
- Alternative
contacts
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How do I shop for products?
- From
the home page, there are a number of ways you can start shopping
- Just
under the AgLink logo it says “Start Shopping Here >”
- You
can also start with one of the products you see listed under the photo banner
- Products
are in categories for your shopping convenience
- The
default sort is distance from you, but other sorting options are also available
- Select
a category then you will see all products in that category
- Once on the product detail page, you are able to
select quantities to buy and calculate your totals
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How will the products get delivered to us?
The seller will make all deliveries.Sellers will be classified based on their
ability to make deliveries.
Sellers are in one of 4 categories: - Pick up only (they do
not deliver, buyer must pick up)
- Delivered on truck
(they will deliver, but not unload, buyer must have a forklift onsite to
unload)
- Curbside delivery
(seller will deliver and seller will take the product off the truck and set it
on the buyer’s receiving area)
- Put away (seller will
deliver, seller will unload and take product all the way into the designated
area (ie warehouse or walk in)).
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What you can see on the product detail page?
- Case
price
- All
product specifications
- Product
description and pictures
- Delivery
cost details
- Certifications
and other info about the seller
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What you do to place an order?
- Enter
the quantity of cases you want to buy
- Select
your shipping method - You
will be asked to verify your ship to zip code
- Your
totals will change as you change these parameters
- Once
you are satisfied with your order, select “add to cart”
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How do I check out?
- Proceed
through the check out process
- You
can pay by credit card, blanket PO or one time PO - Enter
payment info and upload PO if appropriate
- AT
THE FINAL ORDER VERIFICATION STEP IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU REVIEW ALL
DETAILS OF YOUR TRANSACTION, BEFORE CLICKING SUBMIT/PLACE ORDER.
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How do I pay for products?
If you plan to pay by
blanket purchase order, then you will need to submit that to Ag Link before
placing your first order for pre-approval.Once that is in place, you will enter your PO # in as your form of
payment when you are ready to order.
Upon delivery, the
seller will give you an itemized invoice/delivery receipt which you should
process and pay from promptly.The
system will also send you an email confirmation on the day the delivery is
scheduled so that if you do not receive an invoice you can request a copy from
our office.Any variations from the
itemized invoice will need to be reported to Ag Link by both/either the buyer
and seller for accurate accounting.
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What happens after I place my order?
You
will get a confirmation within 24 hours.
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When will my order be delivered?
Your
order will be delivered per the order details you specified.Your seller may contact you to confirm
delivery details.
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What paperwork comes with the order?
You
or your representative will be asked to sign a delivery receipt that also
serves as your invoice for payment.Please process it promptly with your accounting office for prompt
payment.
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What if there is a problem with the shipment?
Both
buyer and seller need to agree to the order discrepancy and make the necessary
change on the form and initial the change.Any deviations from the order need to be reported to AgLink immediately.
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What if I have more questions?
Contact
us anytime via email, text or phone so we can answer your questions.
Ag Link’s mission is to provide a trustworthy online web solutions
that links qualified local food producers with qualified local food service
organizations that will create healthier meals, increase profits, lower costs,
while reducing our carbon footprint.
Buyers are also able to email
sellers with specific questions about products, sales or deliveries.
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How many buyers are registered?
We
have targeted large ‘anchor’ schools from Sacramento to Fresno and currently
have about a dozen, representing over 150,000 meals per day total ready to buy
from local producers!We are continuing
to add schools as supply builds regionally.
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Is there a registration fee?
No,
registration is free!
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What does it cost to use the site?
Ag Link charges the producer a 4%
transaction fee at the point of sale.So
for example if the posted price is $10/case, then the producer will net
$9.60/case.
Ag Link also charges the schools an
additional 2.5%
transaction fee. So with the example
above, the school will pay $10.25/case, the producer will net $9.60/case and Ag
Link will retain $.65/case to manage the site, promote products and
relationships and lead the charge to Advance Fresh Foods in California Schools.
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How will my products get to the customer?
You,
the seller, are responsible for getting the products to the buyer.You can opt to be a pick up only seller,
meaning that you don’t do any delivery.There are some schools that do have the capability to pick up from very
local sources.You also have 3 levels of
delivery classifications to choose from (define and/or link to them here).
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How do I start posting & selling?
Seller’s 6 easy
steps to getting started
- Go to the website (www.aglink.com)
- First time: REGISTER to set up your login
- Choose express or full registration
- Submit for approval and wait for confirmation email from Ag Link, Inc.
- Once confirmed, go back to the website and login
- Now you are ready to start posting products
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What information should I have to register?
- Email
Address
- Contact
Name
- Business
Name
- Telephone
- Billing
Address, City, State, Zip
- Shipping
Address - if different than Billing
- Certifications
– list and provide copies via email or fax within 5 days
- Select
preferred method of communication, options are: email, fax, text
- Years
in Business
- Agree
to Terms & Conditions (can be viewed on the site)
- Agree
to Insurance Requirements & To provide proof of insurance within 5 days
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What certification is required?
- There is no minimum requirement, most will
want at least Farmer’s Market or Fruit Stand Cert level
- Every buyer has different preferences and
minimum tolerances
- Your certification will be listed as part
of your product specification for buyers to see
- More or higher levels of certification
correlate to a greater opportunity for sales in this market
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What are the terms & conditions?
You will be able to see them in full on
the site or you can request a copy in advance if you’d like
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What is the insurance requirement?
A certificate
of insurance issued to Ag Link, Inc. including additional insured status with
hold harmless language. General Liability
- $1,000,000
each occurrence
- $1,000,000
personal and advertising injury
- $2,000,000
general aggregate
- $2,000,000
products/completed operations aggregate
Automobile Insurance
- $1,000,000 CSL (Combined Single Limits)
Workers’ Compensation and Employers’ Liability
- $1,000,000 bodily injury, each accident
- $1,000,000 disease, each employee
- $1,000,000 disease policy limit statutory workers’ compensation
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How do I get an insurance certificate?
Contact your
insurance agent with the requirements and they will issue a certificate.
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What are the steps to posting a product for sale?
- From the home page, when you click
post/sell you will be required to login if you haven’t already, then directed
to your profile page.
- Click the link at the bottom of your
profile page to post a product.
- Complete all necessary information
- Click post/submit
- Then you can search for your product to
see your finished posting
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What should I know, have thought of or have on hand to post products?
- Product Name
- Grade
- Variety
- Size (approx ok if volume filled)
- Inventory (product will show “out of stock” if exceeded)
- Ship from zip code
- LBS/case & piece count/case (approx ok)
- Minimum sales increments (if any)
- County of origin
- Case price
- Method of shipping
- Pick up only
- Delivered on Truck (Buyer to unload)
- Curbside Delivery (Seller to unload)
- Put Away (Seller to unload AND put away)
- Shipping rates (see instructions)
- Sellers will have the ability to establish shipping rates based on distance, quantity or a combination of distance and quantity
- At least ONE photo of your product (electronic format, will need to upload)
Other items to think about: * You will have text boxes that you can use to further describe the product and any additional parameters or specifications. * It is strongly recommended that you provide as much information as possible not only about your product but also about your delivery service, so as to minimize any misunderstandings.
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How do I establish shipping rates?
Pick-up only: • No shipping rates will need to be established. Please note, that only a limited number of buyers are able to pick up product, therefore this option may limit your sales potential. Deliveries: • Sellers are responsible for setting up the delivery of their product – This can be done on the seller’s own truck or out sourced – Either way, the seller is responsible for the cost of shipping – When posting a product for sale, the seller will add the cost of shipping to the price of the product • Farm to School means products shipping directly from the farm or packing shed to the school. • Producers interested in this volume market with higher returns will need to embrace the logistics of shipping their product to their buyers. • Sellers will select which method of delivery they are capable of offering – Delivered on Truck (Seller delivers on a truck, buyer unloads at destination) – Curbside Delivery (Seller delivers on a truck, seller unloads at destination) – Put Away (Seller to unload AND put away in warehouse or walk-in) You will set your shipping parameters with each product post, so these can change over time and evolve as you grow your farm to school business. – Do you know if your shipping rates will be based on distance OR quantity OR a combination of the two? • If distance only, then you will only set up a distance rate table • If quantity only, then you will only set up a quantity rate table • If both, then you will set up two tables and your rates will be a combination of the two – Think about how far away you are willing/able to ship your product? • You will be able to establish ranges of distances with different rates for each range – For example: 1-25 miles $25; 26-50 miles $50; etc (up to 10 ranges allowed) – Think about what quantity limitations you have for shipping your product? • You will be able to establish ranges of quantities with different rates for each range – For example: 1-10 cases $10; 10-40 cases $20; etc (up to 10 ranges allowed) – As you set up your tables, your combined rate chart will build in real time
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What if I don’t understand how to establish my shipping rates?
Ag Link is here to
help you, please call us and we can help you over the phone or we will have a
tech support agent come walk you through it.
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How do I upload pictures?
- The
site is very visual, therefore uploading AT LEAST ONE picture is highly
recommended!
- First
take a picture, the upload that picture to your computer or if using a smart
phone, email the picture to yourself and save it on your computer.
- If
you absolutely cannot upload a picture of your product, you may opt to use your
company logo or an animated stock photo.–We do
not recommend using a real stock photo, as you may be misrepresenting your
product by doing so
- You
can upload more than one if you’d like
- Click
the browse button to look on your computer for the photo file.
- Click
upload to process the upload.
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How do I see my product posting?
Go to the home page,
by clicking on the Ag Link logo.You may
see it at the bottom of the home page.If not, search for it where it says: “Start Shopping Here >”
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What if I need to edit my post?
Go to ‘my account’
from the top of any page and at the bottom of your profile you will see your
active posts.You can open to edit, copy
or delete them from there.
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How will I know if I get an order?
You will receive an
email confirmation.If you opted for a
different method of communication, then you will receive a confirmation via
that method.
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What do I do when I get an order?
- Promptly call 209-634-8448, email jana@aglink.com or text 209-620-4444
AgLink to confirm this order.
- Print multiple copies of the below document to use as the BILL OF LADING/DELIVERY
RECEIPT for the order
- When making the delivery, be sure to have all parties sign the document (seller, transporter (even
if seller), and buyer)
- Leave a signed copy with the buyer's representative - THIS WILL SERVE AS THEIR INVOICE
- Keep a signed copy for your records and FAX OR EMAIL a copy back to the AgLink office (contact info
on bottom of form)
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How will I get paid for my products?
You
will be paid according to the terms and conditions (reference here).In order to buy on the site, buyers have
issued Ag Link a purchase order.Your
delivery receipt serves as an invoice that the buyer will pay Ag Link on within
the set terms and conditions (usually less than 30 days), Ag Link will pay the
grower as soon as it is paid by the buyer (usually within 30 days from date of
delivery).
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What if I have more questions?
Contact
AgLink anytime via email, text or phone so we can answer your questions.jana@aglink.com 209-620-4444209-634-8448
Ag Link’s mission is to provide a trustworthy online web
solutions that links qualified local food producers with qualified local food
service organizations that will create healthier meals, increase profits, lower
costs, while reducing our carbon footprint.
Buyers are also able to email
sellers with specific questions about products, sales or deliveries.
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