Fulfillment Terms
The specific rules governing how and when a supplier ships orders: processing time, shipping regions, packaging, and returns handling.
Fulfillment terms cover the operational details of how orders actually move after they're placed: typical order processing time, which regions or countries a supplier ships to, what packaging and inserts are included, how backorders are handled, and how returns or damaged shipments are resolved.
These terms matter as much as the order minimum itself, especially for dropshipping relationships, because slow or inconsistent fulfillment directly affects your customer's experience even though you never touch the product yourself.
Example
An ecommerce seller confirms a supplier's standard order processing time (e.g. 2-4 business days) and shipping regions before committing, since slow fulfillment would create customer service problems downstream.
Worth Knowing
Ask for fulfillment terms in writing, not just verbally -- processing times quoted during a sales conversation are not always what's guaranteed once you're an active account.