Offshoots of established labels are far easier to start then labels from out of nowhere. Distributors can be very very political. They want to know who else you are going through. They want to be one of the few, but not the only ones with your product. The better your relationship with the distributor, the more records you are going to be able to sell, and the more likely it will be that you will get paid.
Non payment happens.
Its a sticky situation because you don't want to offend them if you want to continue dealing with them. Sometimes a distributor will give you an estimation of what they will buy from you based on a white label or demo tape. Don't be too surprised if that happens. At least you will have some around for re-orders. Factor that into your equation about how many to press.