The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 plus 4 letter word LEAD TIME
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
L
E
A
D
T
I
M
E
More clues leading to the result LEAD TIME
- Heavy metal item damaged? Wait for delivery
- How long does it take to get ahead, before you give up?
- The French somehow made it in preparation period
- Interval between start and finish of Bedlamite's decapitation and mutilation
- Heavy metal item damaged — wait for delivery
- Delay supplying tree — new date needed for planting
- Shot item about interval before goods are delivered
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Delay supplying" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case delay supplying = lead time.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.