I’ll never forget the panic I felt three weeks before Eid al-Fitr last year. I was standing in my tiny storage room at Drapes Dress, staring at half-empty shelves where beautiful prayer mats, decorative lanterns, and gift boxes should have been. My phone kept buzzing with customer inquiries—”Do you have the crescent moon wall hangings?” “Are the kids’ Eid outfits still in stock?” “Can I pick up a gift set tomorrow?”—and I had to keep typing the same devastating response: “Sorry, we’re out of stock.” My supplier had warned me two months earlier that shipping delays were getting worse, but I’d brushed it off. After all, I’d been ordering six weeks before Eid for years, and it had always worked out fine. Except this time, it didn’t. Container ships were stuck at ports, my main supplier’s warehouse had flooded, and the backup supplier I frantically contacted quoted me triple the usual price with no guarantee of delivery before Eid. I watched potential sales slip through my fingers every single day, and worst of all, I was letting down customers who’d been planning their celebrations around finding the perfect items from my shop. That year, I made about 40% of my usual Eid revenue, and I spent the weeks after the holiday kicking myself for not planning better. That painful experience completely changed how I approach Drapes Dress, and honestly, it’s been one of the best lessons I’ve ever learned.
This year, I did something that felt absolutely crazy at the time—I placed my first Eid inventory order in early December, a full four months before the holiday. My family thought I’d lost my mind. “Isn’t that too early?” my sister asked when she saw me reviewing supplier catalogs while everyone else was still thinking about New Year’s plans. My business partner was skeptical too, worried about tying up cash flow so far in advance. But here’s what I learned: ordering early isn’t just about avoiding the panic of last-minute stockouts, though that’s definitely a huge benefit. It’s about having the luxury of choice and control over your business instead of being at the mercy of circumstances beyond your control. When I started reaching out to suppliers in December, I had my pick of the best products. I could choose the highest-quality prayer mats with intricate embroidery, the most beautiful handcrafted lanterns, the gift sets with premium packaging—all the items that sell out first when suppliers start getting slammed with orders. I negotiated better prices because suppliers love early orders; they help with their own planning and cash flow, so they’re often willing to offer discounts to buyers who commit early. I locked in shipping rates before the inevitable pre-Eid price surge, and I had multiple shipping options instead of being forced to pay for expensive air freight because sea freight was fully booked. When my first shipment arrived in late January, a full two and a half months before Eid, I actually felt emotional seeing those boxes. I had inventory. Real, physical products sitting in my warehouse, ready to photograph, list online at drapesdress.com, and sell. And that’s exactly what happened—I started promoting my Eid collection in early February, while most of my competitors were still waiting for their shipments or scrambling to place orders.
The results were beyond anything I’d imagined. Customers loved having the selection available early on Drapes Dress because they could shop without the stress of wondering if items would sell out. Parents buying outfits for their kids could order the right sizes without panic. People hosting Eid gatherings could plan their decorations knowing exactly what they’d have. My social media engagement went through the roof because I was posting fresh, seasonal content while everyone else was still sharing generic material or reposting old photos. I started getting wholesale inquiries from smaller boutique owners who’d waited too long to order from their usual suppliers and were desperate for inventory—and because I’d ordered extra stock with my four-month buffer, I could actually say yes to those opportunities. By the time Eid was three weeks away—that same panic point that had destroyed me the previous year—I was relaxed, fully stocked, and watching orders roll in steadily through drapesdress.com. I even had time to create special last-minute gift bundles and promote them, rather than spending those crucial final weeks stressed about shipping delays. When Eid finally arrived, I’d nearly tripled my revenue compared to the disaster year, and I’d doubled my best year ever. But beyond the money, I had something even more valuable: peace of mind, happy customers, and the satisfaction of knowing I’d run Drapes Dress professionally and strategically.
Now, I know what some of you are thinking—four months sounds extreme, and maybe your situation is different. Maybe you have ultra-reliable suppliers, or you sell different products, or you’ve never had issues with timing before. But here’s my honest advice: the world of supply chains has fundamentally changed over the past few years, and what worked reliably before isn’t guaranteed anymore. Weather events, geopolitical issues, labor shortages, port congestion—these aren’t occasional problems, they’re ongoing realities that can disrupt even the most established supply routes. Ordering four months early gives you a massive buffer against all of that unpredictability. Yes, it requires planning your finances differently and committing to your inventory decisions earlier, but those are manageable challenges compared to the nightmare of explaining to customers why you can’t fulfill their orders during the most important selling season of your year. Start by calculating when you need inventory in-hand, then work backward adding buffer time for every step—production, shipping, customs, domestic delivery, and your own receiving and prep time. Be honest about worst-case scenarios, not optimistic about best-case ones. Then add another two weeks just to be safe. If you’re reading this in December or January thinking about next Ramadan and Eid, you’re not too early—you’re right on time. Trust me, when Eid is three weeks away and you’re calmly packing orders instead of frantically refreshing tracking numbers and emailing suppliers, you’ll thank yourself for starting early. I learned this lesson the hard way, but you don’t have to. Give yourself the gift of time, preparation, and peace of mind. Your business and your stress levels will thank you for it.