Respuesta corta: No, do not assume it. Amara Jeweiry publishes no finished-goods storage policy, and its published terms point the other way: 30% deposit, then the 70% balance before shipment. The only three-year free storage on the site applies to molds and CAD files, not finished S925 jewelry. A 3,000-piece order released over three months is therefore a negotiated program. The free window, monthly or per-piece holding fee, insurance, title, and maximum holding period must go into the order-level agreement, which Amara’s Terms of Service say take precedence over general terms. Without those clauses, nobody is obliged to hold releases two and three for free, and the 70% balance timing may not match your cash flow.
Does Amara Hold Finished Goods Free of Charge for Three Months?
Not by published policy. The FAQ covers samples, MOQ, payment, packaging and warranty but never mentions holding finished goods, split releases or storage fees. The custom OEM page does describe “batch-partitioned storage” — customer programs physically separated in the warehouse — but that is handling discipline, not a promise to warehouse 3,000 finished pieces for 90 days at no cost.
The “free for 3 years” line belongs to molds and CAD. Amara stores those free for three years and never reuses them for another customer. Finished jewelry is inventory: it occupies shelf space, needs anti-tarnish packaging, must be counted and insured, and can go out of season. A factory can give away rack space for a mold and still charge for finished-goods space.
El Términos del servicio are silent on storage, title, risk of loss, cancellation and returns. They do say the 70% balance is due before shipment after AQL 2.5 inspection, and that written order-level agreements take precedence. That second sentence is your opening: a storage addendum signed with the PO can override the silence. Without one, the general terms apply, and they promise nothing about holding.
What the Site Does Publish
- First bulk order: 15–25 days from deposit and confirmed specs; reorders 10–15 days.
- Samples: 7–10 days after CAD sign-off.
- Payment: 30% deposit, 70% before shipment, T/T.
- Shipping: DHL/FedEx door-to-door, 3–5 working days to the US.
- MOQ: 50–100 pieces for full OEM/ODM; 30–50 for stock-mold work.
- Inspection: AQL 2.5, 100% claw check and pull testing, ±3% weight tolerance.
At 3,000 pieces, production is not the issue; holding the finished portion is. The casos de éxito show repeat volume — 12,000 pieces followed by an 18,000-piece reorder 45 days after delivery — but none describes a monthly release or storage arrangement.
What Should the Free Storage Window Cover?
A window needs a trigger, a scope and an end: when the clock starts, what the factory must do, and what happens when it stops.
Set the Trigger Per Release
The weakest trigger is the deposit date, because production may not finish for weeks. The next weakest is the PO date. The strongest is the date each release passes final inspection, when goods become finished inventory. For three releases, set three triggers; one window measured from the first inspection will expire before release three is due.
Run the Arithmetic
Suppose all 3,000 pieces are made in one 15–25 day run. Release one ships almost at once, release two waits about a month, and release three waits about two months. A 30-day free window measured from whole-order inspection therefore expires before release three is due. A 30-day window measured from each release’s own inspection fits all three. Same order, very different exposure: producing everything at once makes the factory your warehouse for two-thirds of it.
Define What Storage Includes
Free shelf space is not free service. Specify sealed anti-tarnish bags and original OPP packaging, batch separation, monthly stock counts by SKU and release, photo confirmation before shipping, and who pays for re-inspection or repacking if a date moves.
How Are Holding Fees Charged?
Amara publishes no rate, so the structure matters as much as the number. Factory storage offers usually use one of three bases.
Per Piece, Per Month
Easy to audit against release quantities, but watch the minimum monthly charge and per-piece handling fees. Ask whether a partial month is charged in full.
Per Carton or Pallet, Per Month
Often better for small, high-value jewelry because 3,000 pieces fit into relatively few cartons. Get carton dimensions and pieces per carton, then compare against the per-piece rate using your own packing plan.
Flat Monthly Fee
Predictable, but it can hide caps on cartons or SKUs. State what happens if a release slips a month.
Ask for a one-page rate card: currency, invoice frequency, in/out handling, re-inspection, repacking, insurance and disposal, plus a named person who authorizes releases. “Storage at market rate” is not a term; it is a placeholder for a later argument.
Who Insures the Goods While They Wait — and Who Owns Them?
Title, risk and possession are three different things. Goods can sit in Amara’s warehouse, be owned by you, and be at the factory’s risk — or the reverse. Decide each explicitly.
What Incoterms Decides
El ICC’s Incoterms 2020 rules allocate cost, risk and obligations at a named delivery point. They do not transfer title and they do not create a warehousing contract; a hold after the delivery point sits outside the rule. On insurance, the ICC notes that CIF keeps Institute Cargo Clauses (C) as default cover, while CIP requires cover compliant with Clauses (A) or similar — a real difference for goods waiting in a warehouse.
Ask for a Certificate, Not a Promise
A factory’s policy may cover its building and its own stock, not your goods. Ask who insures, at what declared value, and who is the loss payee; request a certificate before the first release. Also name who may authorize release and what payment event unlocks it: an unpaid factory may hold goods as leverage, and that leverage should not collide with your schedule.
It Is Not a Bonded Warehouse
U.S. Customs and Border Protection describes a customs bonded warehouse as a secured area where imported dutiable goods may be stored without duty payment for up to five years under 19 U.S.C. § 1555. A Shenzhen factory hold has no such status and does not defer import duty; Amara’s terms already put duties, taxes and destination clearance on the buyer.
What Is the Longest a Factory Will Hold 3,000 Pieces?
No maximum is published, so the answer is whatever you negotiate. Tie the cap to the last scheduled release plus a short grace period, and set a written extension rate after it. Practical limits include floor space, plating and color consistency across a long gap, seasonal packaging, design continuity, and insurance on inventory you still own.
Write the endgame too: the balance auto-ships at a stated freight cost, renews at a stated rate, or is returned or disposed of under a stated procedure. “Buyer must collect” leaves cost and outcome undefined. Keep this separate from the three-year mold and CAD storage, which is a tooling policy, not evidence that finished goods are stored free.
Should All 3,000 Pieces Be Made at Once or in Three Batches?
One run gives you a single setup and the fastest route to a complete order, but two-thirds of it becomes finished inventory while you are still selling release one. Three batches match cash and demand, but each needs its own line slot. Reserve capacity when you confirm each release rather than assuming the line is idle. A practical middle path: make the first release plus a buffer, then schedule the rest against confirmed dates. For a related two-lot schedule, see Amara’s 60/40 production guide.
Pack for the Release, Not the Whole Order
Amara offers OPP bags, barcode labels, branded gift boxes and festival editions. If all 3,000 are gift-boxed in October for a February release, the packaging may be out of season before it ships. Ask whether goods can wait in plain OPP and be gift-boxed to the release calendar.
Inspect Every Release as Its Own Lot
Apply AQL 2.5, 100% claw check and pull testing, ±3% weight tolerance and GRA certificates to each release. If a lot has waited weeks, re-check tarnish and packaging before it ships.
What Payment Structure Fits Three Monthly Releases?
Amara’s published term is 30% deposit and 70% before shipment by T/T. In a staged order, define “before shipment” per release:
- Release by release: 30% deposit on the total; 70% of each release invoiced before it ships. Matches cash to goods.
- Balance before first shipment: 30% deposit, 70% of the full order upfront. Easier for the factory, heavier for you.
If you accept the second, trade it for a longer free window, a lower holding rate or a price lock. Do not pay the full balance and then learn that storage is chargeable.
Lock the Price
Silver and plating costs can move across three months. None of Amara’s ordering pages reviewed here states a price-validity period, so ask for a fixed program price or a written adjustment formula tied to a named reference.
The PO Checklist for a 3,000-Piece, Three-Release Order
Use this as the agenda for the storage addendum; Amara’s Terms of Service give written order-level terms precedence.
| Condición | What to write | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Release schedule | 1,000 / 1,000 / 1,000 pieces, ship weeks, Incoterm per release | Stops a one-shot shipment |
| Storage trigger | Window starts at each release’s AQL 2.5 pass | Deposit-date clocks expire early |
| Window and extension | Calendar days plus a written extension rate | Converts a favor into a term |
| Holding fee | Basis, rate, minimum, currency, invoice timing | Blocks “market rate” |
| Included handling | In/out, re-inspection, repacking, relabeling, photos | Add-ons erase the free window |
| Title and risk | Exact transfer points; who bears storage risk | Possession is not ownership |
| Insurance | Insurer, value, cover level, loss payee, certificate | Factory cover may exclude your goods |
| Maximum period | End date plus auto-ship, renewal or disposal | Prevents indefinite limbo |
| Payment per release | 30% deposit; 70% per release pro-forma | Matches cash to goods |
| Quality and packaging | AQL 2.5, pull test, ±3%, GRA; OPP, barcodes, gift-box timing | Each release is a separate lot |
Preguntas frecuentes
Will the factory hold 3,000 pieces for three months free of charge?
Not unless you negotiate it. Free storage is a concession, not a default, and Amara publishes no finished-goods holding policy. Get the window, fee, insurance and maximum period in writing before the deposit.
Is mold storage the same as finished-goods storage?
No. The free three-year term covers molds and CAD files only; finished S925 pieces are inventory with their own costs.
Should the holding fee be per piece or per carton?
Compare both with your own packing plan. Per piece is easier to audit; per carton often suits small, high-value jewelry. Check minimums and handling fees.
What if a release date slips?
The PO should state a grace period, when fees begin, and whether the factory may auto-ship the balance.
Does the Incoterm decide who pays for storage?
No. Incoterms allocate cost and risk at a named delivery point; storage after that point is a separate contract term.
Can each release be inspected before it ships?
Yes. Ask for AQL 2.5 inspection, 100% pull testing and GRA certificates per release, plus a tarnish check on lots held for weeks.
How to Start a Three-Release Program with Amara
Amara has made S925 and moissanite jewelry in Shenzhen’s Shuibei hub since 2010. Three thousand pieces is well above its 50–100 piece OEM/ODM minimum. The published flow is NDA, CAD within 48 hours, a wax model, samples in 7–10 days, then 15–25 days for the first bulk order; quotes come back within 12 hours.
Ask for the storage addendum with the quote. Start on the custom jewelry page, check the programa mayorista for stock and reorder options, and confirm OPP, barcode and gift-box details before release one is packed. The goal is a PO that answers the storage question before the deposit — not after release two is on a shelf.
Commercial guidance, not legal advice. Have storage, insurance and title terms reviewed under the law governing your contract.
