Is it normal for wholesalers to request uplifting of short-dated stock, and whose responsibility is it?

Short-dated stock uplift requests from wholesalers are common, particularly when stock has moved slower than expected. **Legal responsibility**: Once stock is sold to a wholesaler, it is technically theirs—unless you have explicitly agreed Sale or Return (SOR) terms in your contract. If your delivery included reasonable shelf life remaining at the point of sale, you are not obligated to replace it.

**Practical approach**: However, members note that wholesalers "don't play so nicely nowadays." Rather than standing on legal ground, the recommendation is to treat this as a relationship issue and focus on collaborative solutions:

- **Set shelf-life minimums upfront** — Specify required minimum shelf life (e.g. 6 months) in your purchase orders and terms to avoid disputes later - **Lead the solution, don't fight it** — Work with the wholesaler to move through slow-moving stock rather than enforce uplift refusals, to protect the long-term relationship - **Build demand on your side** — Wholesalers are service providers and will not create customer demand for you. Implement robust demand-generation plans to prevent slow movement in the first place

**Key warning**: If you accept uplifts without agreement, you risk "double COGS with the same revenue"—a direct loss. Members emphasize: the real issue is usually slow stock movement, not the wholesaler's legal obligation. Preventing the problem through demand planning and clear terms is better than negotiating your way out of it later.