The good news, for retailers of pleasure products that are still trading through this pandemic, is that the vast majority of distributors are still open for business and shipping orders.
Although a number of manufacturers have made ‘business as usual’ announcements during the last week or so, many retailers source product from distributors and so ETO contacted everyone in our address book and asked if they were still open and shipping orders; if so, how retailers could place orders; whether items were taking longer to ship than normal; and if there were any stock restrictions or shortages.
This is what those who replied told us:
ABS HOLDINGS
Still open and accepting orders?
Yes we are open as usual.
Contact method(s)?
Online and email only.
Delays?
Yes – we are running about a day behind.
Restrictions or shortages?
No, we are stocked as usual.
For more information visit: www.absholdings.com
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ALTEREGO LINGERIE
Still open and accepting orders?
Alterego is operating as normal(ish). We have split our team into two in order to minimise any infection, with each shift keeping to their own equipment, regularly washing hands, and washing down all surfaces etc with sanitiser. We have found that many people have a lot of spare time at the moment, so e-commerce orders are fairly high. We will continue to support our retailers as well as we can, and up to this time, supplies have not been affected.
Contact method(s)?
We continue to accept orders by all means, ie telephone, email, online. Many of our customers are using the extra time at home to update or redesign their ecommerce websites, so are in frequent contact with us enquiring about new lines or bestsellers and new images etc. We also think that some just want to have a chat, and that’s just great!
Delays?
We have had no delivery interruptions at all. We use different couriers for different sizes of orders, or destinations, and all appear to be running just fine. Any orders Alterego receive before 12.30 are dispatched to the customer on the same day.
Restrictions or shortages?
Alterego holds all of its stock in its own Yorkshire based depot, and we have no shortages, and our suppliers are all still operating as normal.
For more information visit: www.alterego-lingerie.com
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BATHMATE
Still open and accepting orders?
Yes, we are open as usual but operating within the governments guidelines to practice safe social distancing within the building. As long as the couriers keep collecting, we will keep shipping.
Contact method(s)?
All the usual routes, call, email or online.
Delays?
No delays, shipping is as per our usual terms.
Restrictions or shortages?
Stock is normal with no delays, all manufacturing is in the UK so we have no concerns.
For more information visit: https://bathmatedirect.com
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COBECO PHARMA
Still open and accepting orders?
We are still open for business, accept orders like usual and manufacture according to our regular schedule. We do take into account potential difficulties that may come paired with the Covid-19 crisis, so we try to inform our customers ahead of time about deliveries and potential increased lead times. We hope to manufacture many orders with our current stock that we have ready due to the recent expansion of our warehouse. We also want to provide the usual customer service with increased attentiveness.
Contact method(s)?
We accept orders for our Cobeco branded products through our online web shop www.cobeco.nl and through email at [email protected] For Private Label enquiries please contact our sales team at [email protected] or on our direct phone number +31 (0)10 29 00 991
Delays?
We take into account increased lead times and inform our customers beforehand, however, Cobeco produces according to our regular planning to maintain our production schedule.
Restrictions or shortages?
At the moment we maintain our usual stock percentage in our warehouse. If stock shortages occur, we discuss this directly with our clients to find a suitable alternative that can be delivered to meet the prearranged deadline of the product. We hope to maintain an open-minded relationship with our clients in regard to this topic.
For more information visit: www.cobeco.eu
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CREATIVE CONCEPTIONS
Still open and accepting orders?
Yes, we are still open for business and welcoming orders.
Contact method(s)?
All our team are now working from their respective homes but we are very much trying to maintain our regular service. Customers can continue to use our regular office number of 01636 703454 and, technology permitting, all calls will be answered within our target three rings by one of our sales admin team. They can then (hopefully seamlessly), transfer you across to whoever you need to speak with as if we were all sat in the office together. All our staff are responding to emails from home too so if anyone has any queries please feel free to email or call us. Our warehouse team are following all the social distancing and strict cleanliness protocols prescribed and are here to fulfil orders for those businesses fortunate enough to be continuing at this time.
Delays?
No, we are maintaining our next day deliveries at the moment and have contingencies in place to maintain this service throughout the pandemic.
Restrictions or shortages?
As our regular customers know we have always maintained a higher stock holding than what is perhaps considered as standard as the ability to meet our customers’ demand needs has always been a key pillar of the company philosophy. Thankfully that strategy is proving particularly useful at the moment as it means we are able to supply almost all our regular products despite the fact that some of the companies we distribute for such as Fleshlight and Sportsheets have been forced to close due to their own country’s response to the pandemic. In addition we have decided to pay the substantial extra it currently costs to fly in certain bestselling lines, so that we can ensure our customers have access to their bestselling SKUs during this difficult time.
For more information visit: www.creativeconceptions.co.uk
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DREAMLOVE
Still open and accepting orders?
Yes we are, we work as usual. Always taking into account the health and safety recommendations in order to keep our employees as safe as possible, of course. It means keeping 1-2 meters distance, use of gloves and masks if they are working in the warehouse. Also, most of the employees are teleworking.
Contact method(s)?
Online, as usual.
Delays?
Our production is as fast as usual. We keep on sending orders within 24h. Nevertheless, some clients complained about delays in transit. Actually most of the problems are related to pick-up point closings or government movement restrictions. However our team gets informed and tries to update shipping information every day in the website so our clients can act beforehand and choose the best possible option for their countries.
Restrictions or shortages?
No, there is not. Of course we have noticed that not all the products we’re waiting for arrive on time, but it’s ok. We know they will arrive later or sooner. We ask our clients to be patient and take the exceptional circumstance into account.
For more information visit: www.dreamlove.es
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DUSEDO
Still open and accepting orders?
Yes Dusedo is still open for business and accepting orders.
Contact method(s)?
We are in business as usual, this means we will accept orders by telephone, email and through our web shop.
Delays?
Products that are in stock are 99 out of 100 times still shipped the same day, as usual.
Restrictions or shortages?
No, we don’t have any restrictions or shortages. In fact just received fresh stock of the following brands: Cellmate, Gemüse, 665 Leather, Sport Fucker, Oxballs, Colt and even launched a new brand called HUNG’R (King size realistics made of soft PVC).
For more information visit: www.dusedo.com
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EDC WHOLESALE
Still open and accepting orders?
Yes, EDC is still open. The office staff is working from home, but our warehouse is still open. We work in different shifts seven days a week to take care of all the orders that are coming in.
Contact method(s)?
We take orders the same way as per usual: telephone, email, and online. Our sales and customer service can also be reached by phone and email.
Delays?
Yes, due to the enormous amount of parcels and the continued pressure on our logistics partners, orders may take longer to be delivered than usually.
Restrictions or shortages?
There are no stock restrictions and our team is working hard to keep our stock high. If certain products are unavailable or out of stock, please contact our sales department, they will be more than happy to direct customers to alternatives as we have enough stock and new stock is still coming in.
For more information visit: www.edcwholesale.com
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ELECTRASTIM
Still open and accepting orders?
Most of our team are working from home at present, but both wholesale and website orders are being processed as normal thanks to a rotating skeleton staff. We’re of course abiding by all the NHS guidelines with regards to social distancing and hygiene in the workplace, which is why we’ve restricted the number of people allowed in our building at any one time. Only essential functions are carried out in the warehouse at present. In the US, we have a small team in Miami dispatching orders as normal, so customers should see no interruption to our service. Customer Services, Marketing, Accounts and all other office functions are running almost entirely as normal. Just from our spare rooms at home!
Contact method(s)?
Our telephone lines are not currently being answered so email is the best way to get hold of us – [email protected] Consumers can still place online orders as normal at www.electrastim.com and wholesale customers should continue to email their Purchase Orders to [email protected]
Delays?
Due to our reduced number of staff, orders may take a day or two longer to pack and dispatch than normal. However, every order goes out via a tracked service so you’ll be able to check on its status online. UPS, DHL and Royal Mail who handle our orders from the UK are all following strict hygiene and safety procedures and have reassured us that service will continue as normal for the foreseeable future.
Restrictions or shortages?
Currently we’re not implementing any stock restrictions, but we’re expecting that some shortages may occur so please look out for email updates. We’re lucky in that we always hold a lot of our own stock and can make more in-house if needs be. Our fulfilment warehouse in Miami are also operating on a skeleton staff, so we will be sending stock shipments to them as normal until we hear otherwise. We really appreciate the support we’ve received from customers at this challenging time; we’re continuing to operate as best we can and would like to thank everyone for their patience. Of course the situation has been changing quickly, so if this does impact orders we’ll let our consumer and wholesale customers know via social media and email. Please email [email protected] if you have any issues or queries.
For more information visit: www.electrastim.co.uk
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ERIGO
Still open and accepting orders?
Yes.
Contact method(s)?
T: 019322 19800 E: [email protected] W: www.erigodvds.com
Delays?
Yes, around one day delay.
Restrictions or shortages?
All products are in stock including new releases.
For more information visit: www.erigodvds.com
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EROPARTNER DISTRIBUTION
Still open and accepting orders?
The health of our customers and our employees is our top priority. That is why we have taken measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Most of our office employees work from home. Our customer service is still accessible by phone. Due to strict safety precautions we are able to keep our warehouse running. Eropartner Distribution is open for business and is shipping orders.
Contact method(s)?
Orders are being placed though our e-commerce platform as usual.
Delays?
Our team is doing everything to conform to our common delivery time. So most of the orders are shipped same day.
Restrictions or shortages?
A few products are sold out because of delays from China, but they will be in stock again very soon. We do not expect big problems. Our buying department and our partners are doing all they can to keep everything in stock to meet everyone’s need.
For more information visit www.eropartner.com
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E-STIM SYSTEMS
Still open and accepting orders?
Currently we are operating as usual and accepting orders from both our resellers and the public.
Contact method(s)?
We are accepting orders in the usual ways so online, via email and also on the telephone, as we are able to operate our phone remotely which means we do have some staff working from home in line with the government’s advice whilst still maintaining our normal levels of support and advice. Our manufacturing processes have been altered so that we are able to keep our staff safe and to comply with government’s guidelines in relation to social distancing.
Delays?
As a manufacturer we have good stocks of our products and so we are able to ship orders as normal, which is normally the same day and if not within 24 hours. Whilst the delivery networks continue to operate we do not expect to have any issues in relation to dispatching orders. We are seeing some slight increases in delivery times but these seem to only be a day or so and there are a few areas which we are not able to ship to due to the restrictions on movement within some European countries but on the whole the delivery companies are continuing to provide a great service for us.
Restrictions or shortages?
Again as a UK manufacturer, we are fairly self-sufficient in relation to the production of our products as we hold good levels of raw materials, so at this time we are not placing any restrictions on stock and we will continue to support our stockists as usual.
For more information visit: www.e-stim.co.uk
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GG&G
Still open and accepting orders?
Yes, GG&G is open for business and accepting orders. We have been preparing for this situation since we first became aware of this coronavirus in January and, due to our small team, our offices operate almost as normal while following social distancing guidelines and some of us working from home when possible. The only change is our reduced opening times of 10:00 – 15:00 Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, which allows us to ensure that we keep a clean and hygienic environment on the premises.
Contact method(s)?
We are taking orders by telephone, email and online as usual. We are also offering a 5% discount on all order placed online to help our customers through this difficult period.
Delays?
We are seeing that sometimes so cannot guarantee next day delivery at the moment. 2-3 days seems to be the standard right now.
Restrictions or shortages?
As stated above, we have been preparing for this situation for some time so we currently have good stock levels of all lines. We also have sanitiser, gloves and masks to ensure the packing process is as safe as possible.
For more information visit: www.consumeworldwide.co.uk
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KEVCO WHOLESALE
Still open and accepting orders?
In order to protect ourselves and our staff, Kevco have taken the decision to reduce operations to a Monday only with skeleton staff. Please ensure all of your orders are placed no later than 12 noon on a Monday to ensure despatch by the end of working hours 15:00. We advise you to update your terms and conditions to a 7-day lead time on orders being despatched to keep them up to date as well. This will be reviewed on a weekly basis depending on demand and government reviews.
Restrictions or shortages?
All of our suppliers are currently un-operational and no imports are due in for the foreseeable future, therefore we will be working with existing stock only. Any orders placed where we do not have stock, you will be notified Monday morning once the orders have been processed.
For more information visit: www.kevcowholesale.co.uk
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LEG AVENUE
Still open and accepting orders?
Yes Leg Avenue is still open for business and accepting orders.
Contact method(s)?
Telephone, email, and online.
Delays?
Not yet, everything is on schedule to date.
Restrictions or shortages?
No yet, everything is up to date.
For more information visit: www.legavenueeurope.com
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LOVEHONEY
Still open and accepting orders?
The advice from the Government has been clear. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government advised that “online retail is still open and encouraged”. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that those who cannot work from home should go to work “to keep the country running.” As a result, Lovehoney is continuing to trade and we are strictly adhering to all government guidelines on safe business practice. A reduced number of key staff remain at Lovehoney’s warehouses, processing orders. We have introduced preventive measures which follow Government guidelines and mean workers are never less than two metres apart. The safety of employees remains our top priority.
For more information visit: www.lovehoneytrade.com
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LTC HEALTHCARE
Still open and accepting orders?
Although we have reduced the number of staff in our office we are still open for business as we serve the NHS amongst others.
Contact method(s)?
We accept orders via telephone, email and online.
Delays?
Yes there are, however we have over 6 million EXS and other branded condoms currently in stock.
Restrictions or shortages?
We have no restrictions currently in place.
For more information visit: www.ltchealthcare.co.uk
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MISTER B
Still open and accepting orders?
Yes, we are definitely still open and accepting orders. Our Amsterdam office and warehouse remains open, closely following directions given by the Dutch government. Most of the office staff works from home and there are fewer people working at our warehouse at the moment, enabling us to comply with current physical distancing rules. We continue our service to our wholesale customers in the best way possible, all the while taking every precaution to take the utmost care of the wellbeing and safety of our staff.
Contact method(s)?
Our office services have not been affected and we are still available between 9:00 and 17:00 via phone, email and through our wholesale portal: wholesale.misterb.com
Delays?
Working in smaller groups could mean it will take us an additional working day to get your order ready. However, until now we have been able to ship everything in our usual timely fashion. With certain areas being on full lockdown, there are some restrictions with our carriers, and they have announced that normal delivery times may be affected under these circumstances. Therefore it may take a day longer for an order to arrive at its destination as well.
Restrictions or shortages?
To ensure equal access for all of our wholesale customers, we have installed stock ordering restrictions on certain products in our assortment that promote sexual health and wellbeing. On the lion’s share of our products there are no significant shortages.
For more information visit: wholesale.misterb.com
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NET 1ON1 WHOLESALE
Still open and accepting orders?
Net 1on1 Wholesale is open for business and accepting orders. All our staff are working from home and our warehouse is shipping orders as normal. The warehouse we use also supplies essential goods so will continue to be open throughout the pandemic.
Contact method(s)?
We are accepting orders by email, phone and you can order online as normal at www.1on1wholesale.co.uk
Delays?
On the whole the shipping service is normal except for a few areas of the country where couriers are short of staff due to self isolation. This has resulted in a few delays but under the circumstances we hope customers will understand.
Restrictions or shortages?
We have had some US products take longer to ship because of port closures but on the whole other than some shipments being delayed stock levels are good.
For more information visit: www.1on1wholesale.co.uk
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ORION WHOLESALE
Still open and accepting orders?
Yes, of course, but understandably it has become much less at the moment.
Contact method(s)?
Due to the global measures regarding the Corona crisis, the Orion Wholesale team has been working in various shifts and from home for some time. However, our sales department and customer service are still available via telephone, email, Skype and WhatsApp as usual.
Delays?
The shift system, with a sufficient safe distance between employees, has also been introduced into our logistic department. This ensures that all the orders can be processed and dispatched at present.
Restrictions or shortages?
Not at the moment. We have a very high storage capacity. But surely there will be some supply bottlenecks sooner or later, especially as far as our top sellers are concerned. The bottlenecks will, however, occur during a period of weak sales, so we are confident for the autumn business. In addition, we can offer our customers numerous product alternatives – due to the breadth of our product range.
For more information visit: www.orion-wholesale.com
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PLAYHARDA UK
Still open and accepting orders?
Yes. We are running with just the two directors in the building who both live in the same household (all other staff members have been told to work from home on full pay). We are enforcing non-contact deliveries and collections and the building has restricted access so no other visitors are allowed inside to help to prevent the spread of Covid-19. We have also introduced a temporary dropship service for the convenience of our wholesale customers (click here for details).
Contact method(s)?
T: +44 (0)1978 437 670, E: [email protected], W: www.playharda.uk
Delays?
We haven’t experienced any delays with orders, and we don’t expect any at this stage. Our products tend to be imported and shipped via DHL who are still operating normally. They have their own airline, so their planes are still flying and they are practicing non-contact deliveries, which is great news for our customers. The other courier we use for smaller orders is Royal Mail, which seem to be operating normally, so there shouldn’t be any delays at this stage.
Restrictions or shortages?
We don’t have any irregular shortages or restrictions on products caused by Covid-19. All systems are go and running normally.
For more information visit: www.playharda.uk
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RCC WHOLESALE
Still open and accepting orders?
Yes, we are still open for business and welcoming orders.
Contact method(s)?
Customers can continue to use our updated office number +44 (0)7580 783 176 where our sales team are working from home to answer your calls. The RCC team are responding to emails from home too so if anyone has any queries please feel free to email: [email protected]
Delays?
Thankfully not, our order packing continues as usual, and we aim to send out all supplement orders within the day. Unfortunately, there have been some delays due to pick-ups, however up until now this has been rarely the case. We do keep in touch with our customers and update any new shipping information every day on our emails and web site.
Restrictions or shortages?
So far we report that we are fully stocked and prepared – we keep in touch with our wholesale and retail customers so they may continue to remain confident in our service. We also have continued to produce private label supplements for our clients as our design team are also working from home.
For more information visit: www.rcc-wholesale.com
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ROUGE GARMENTS
Still open and accepting orders?
Yes but the safety of our staff and others are at the forefront of our minds so we are operating at a one person at a time capacity so orders can still be shipped.
Contact method(s)?
Order online or email anything over to me [email protected] or I am contactable on 07970 509695.
Delays?
Only a little, we usually operate on a next day service but as we are operating with one staff member at a time then yes, they may take a day or two longer than usual.
Restrictions or shortages?
No, we have no stock restrictions in place.
For more information visit: www.rougewholesale.co.uk
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SCALA
Still open and accepting orders?
Yes, Scala is still open for business and taking orders, though we’ve taken several important measures to manage the situation as safely as we can, whilst still serving our retailers and continuing our business activities. The safety of our employees and customers is our key priority, which is why we’ve decided to split our Scala team into two groups that will alternate between working from home and working from our office and warehouse location in Wijchen. This ensures that if one team member gets affected by Covid-19, the other group can take over the responsibilities – keeping our business operations up and running.
Contact method(s)?
This measure means our Scala offices are still reachable by phone and email during our normal office hours (8:30 – 17:00) Monday to Friday, and our warehouse is still shipping orders daily. Scala has also decided to temporarily close our Experience Center/showroom to visitors. Additionally, Scala’s account managers are no longer visiting retailers’ locations, due to the enforced European travel restrictions, but our sales team is still available for retail and order support via phone and email – and orders can still be placed online.
Delays?
Yes, there will be some delivery delays due to the Covid-19 lockdown regulations, though these vary by country as each nation has taken its own COVID-19 measures. If retailers have any questions about deliveries or shipments, we advise them to contact the Scala sales team or account managers directly during regular business hours.
Restrictions or shortages?
We currently don’t have any stock shortages yet. Though some products are delayed due to production shutdowns, the demand for products has simultaneously dropped – meaning that this kind of cancels each other out. Plus, our warehouse in Wijchen had nearly full stock availability on our bestselling SKUs prior to Covid-19, so we don’t expect problems with stock restrictions short-term.
For more information visit www.scala-nl.com
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SHOTS
Still open and accepting orders?
Absolutely we are still open for business and accepting orders, business is as usual but we are observing guidelines for safe working regarding Covid-19.
Contact method(s)?
As a general rule we encourage our customers to always order through the Shots website – orders can be uploaded in a single click whilst all of the up-to-date information regarding product and stock availability is in one place. All orders can also be given via phone or email to the office or with your account manager.
Delays?
No – we always aim to ship orders within 24 hours and this period of time is no exception.
Restrictions or shortages?
We are currently receiving lots of demand for cleansers, masturbators, condoms, dolls, sex toys that can be used from a distance (our remote love eggs for example) and couples toys. Our toy and body cleaners are particularly hard to keep in stock at present, luckily they are manufactured on site so we currently have lots more in production as we speak.
For more information visit: www.shots.nl
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ST RUBBER
Still open and accepting orders?
Our company is open and we have daily orders, of course only from our online customers and not from stores – they are all closed unfortunately.
Contact method(s)?
You can order with us through email, telephone, online-shop (strubbi.com)
Delays?
If the order arrives us before 12am, then we will ship it on the same day.
Restrictions or shortages?
We have more than 95% of our assortment on stock – so no problems with big shortages.
For more information visit: www.st-rubber.de
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TONGA
Still open and accepting orders?
Yes, Tonga is still open for business and accepting orders. In the warehouse and at the office we took all necessary measures to work in a safe way and everybody here at Tonga is willing to help all our customers through this difficult time.
Contact method(s)?
We are accepting the orders same as usual, most of them come in at our website but email and phone is also a possibility.
Delays?
The shipment is different for every country and changes by day. Every transport company is doing their best to deliver all packages in time but it depends on the area where the customers is based.
Restrictions or shortages?
Fortunately, we do not have any stock restrictions or shortage.
For more information visit: www.tongabv.com
