Wholesaler prices lately.

[oscar21]

What is it with the recent prices I'm getting at wholesalers, just about everything anyone quotes now is about 20% dearer than I can get things for retail. Take today, I needed some conduit, saddles etc so went to a wholesalers round the corner, I don't use them very often but I know the lad who served me quite well so its not as if I'm a randomer off the street. the bill was about £100 but doing a bit of research this evening it turns out I could of got the same stuff for about £75 from Toolstation or Screwfix etc, or slightly cheaper if I ordered it on-line.

Its the same with our regular wholesaler, they are getting so expensive I hardly ever use them anymore, luckily I'm quite organised so get most stuff on-line now from various places. But these on-line places still have trade counters and physical stores, they are basically wholesalers just like the ones I use but selling on-line as well, if they can sell for that price so can the one I use. I son't see any sense in it, eventually everyone will do what I have done and just buy on-line.

I wouldn't mind but on-line is brilliant, you can order whilst sat in the bath, it arrives anywhere in the country the next day, is the cheapest option and vary rarely does anything go wrong. Wholesalers will be a thing of the past if they don't change track soon.

 

[Dustydazzler]

Stopped using the likes of CEF ages ago , utter Rip off merchants

ToolStation and Screwfix now for 95% of what I buy on a weekly basis , TLC at a push if its an odd ball item

 

[nicebutdim]

You pays your money and takes your choice.

Big sheds like Toolstation & Screwfix buy in unbelievable quantities and wholesalers have little chance of competing, especially independants.

Flip side of this is exceptionally limited range of goods. Can't imagine those retailers being much help if you need something so simple as a length of strut or a 2" bush.

 

[oscar21]

You pays your money and takes your choice.

Big sheds like Toolstation & Screwfix buy in unbelievable quantities and wholesalers have little chance of competing, especially independants.

Flip side of this is exceptionally limited range of goods. Can't imagine those retailers being much help if you need something so simple as a length of strut or a 2" bush.

I think the JCC downlights we get online come from an independent, the big chain wholesalers cant or wont beat them. I think its just profiteering to be honest.

 

[Dustydazzler]

I think the JCC downlights we get online come from an independent, the big chain wholesalers cant or wont beat them. I think its just profiteering to be honest.

I remember some years ago now , I used my local Edmundsons for cable , MK consumer units , sockets and the like.
A big screwfix opened 2 units down from them and they were selling MK boards way cheaper than Edmundson's were, so I mentioned it to the then manager and he said he couldn't get anywhere near to Screwfix prices. It wasn't even worth him trying to match prices.
Funnily that branch soon closed down and was replaced by ToolStation

 

[cliffed]

Everything gone mad… for your enjoyment take a look @ these prices
i was on 35p a hour back then …just a bit less I’m on now

 

[Dustydazzler]

So you could get 3 and 1/2 pints of beer for 1hr work in 1971 , to get that today you would need to earn £30 odd quid per hour. The average worker is on around £15 ph in England

 

[LukeD]

Toolstation and screwfix for 80% .Builders Depot for all things "Fusebox" . Local Wholesale place IF I HAVE TO .And Ebay . I love ebay for all sorts of things , rawplugs , wagos etc etc

 

[Bob Geldoff1234]

I was after some dimmable candle led lamps from my wholesalers.They wanted £3.60 per lamp inc vat.I bought them from Screwfix for £2 per lamp. I wouldn't be able to charge much profit on the wholesalers prices where as Screwfix I can get a decent markup. So to the OP,I know what you mean.

 

[Dustydazzler]

Toolstation and screwfix for 80% .Builders Depot for all things "Fusebox" . Local Wholesale place IF I HAVE TO .And Ebay . I love ebay for all sorts of things , rawplugs , wagos etc etc

Ebay is great for bulk buying screws , wall plugs , connectors , tape , clips etc etc

 

[Lister1987]

Ebay is great for bulk buying screws , wall plugs , connectors , tape , clips etc etc

Oh go on, what are your usual shops on there?

 

[DPG]

Watch out for counterfeit connectors on ebay.

 

[Marvo]

As a rule of thumb never use a wholesaler if you you don't have an account there. Wholesalers have always had much higher markup on small items, it's what keeps them afloat, they don't make much markup on the bread and butter or bulk items like cable. They're always going to be more expensive than purely online vendors but they should add value such as technical support and ease of warranty claims, a 30 day account etc.

 

[ipf]

It's all about quick turnover. All wholesalers, these days have a much smaller range of materials readily available. Where I used to be able to get most things off the shelf, if it's anything out of the ordinary it's a case of waiting for delivery or attempting to trace.
Many say it's easier with the internet and online trading but I used to find things much easier talking to a manufacturer's or supplier's rep who understood what was required than pressing buttons and being sent down cul-de-sacs.
We had a couple or regular wholesalers with others when needed. They all tended to offer decent prices and only served the trade......selling 'wholesale'. I don't think there's any such thing today. Anyone off the street gets served with 'trade' prices.

 

[Dustydazzler]

Oh go on, what are your usual shops on there?

N one in particular , if I need some lever Wagos I just type in lever Wagos and see what offers I can get.
Same with packs of tape , multiple boxes or screws.
There is always some deals to be had

 

[pc1966]

We use a mix of both the local whole sale places and the DIY sheds. Form some things it is so easy to pick up from Toolstation or Screwfix, but for others the local wholesale places are helpful and often prices are reasonable, maybe not quite as low as some on-line places.

But they often deliver locally for free which helps for stuff I can't get in my car (I still forget its much smaller than my old Ford and end up in the car park thinking WTF? as I try to get it all in) and they have good advice on what is reliable / few returns and handling that if there are. In particular the guys at my local Holland House place.

CEF has a good web site and occasionally good prices on certain items, and have cal days, so we do use them from time to time even though they practically never have anything in the shop we need.

 

[littlespark]

Screwfix is fine for domestic. Anything else, a wholesaler.

You can get a credit business account with screwfix, but I just pay as I go.
As a non-business individual, and signed up to their electrifix list, I get a voucher most months. Either 10% or £10 or whatever.

I also order online with screwfix, first going through a Cashback website. Gets 1.1% back, which can go up to 2% if you make a certain number of transactions per month.

And, I use a Chase bank account to buy it…. Which gives me another 1%

 

[Dustydazzler]

£55 for this is ridiculous , I mean who is paying that kind of money for small selection of connectors and wire nuts

In-Sure™ Push In Connector Premium Kit - https://www.cef.co.uk/catalogue/products/1823581-in-sure-push-in-connector-premium-kit

You can get a very similar wago selection set off Ebay for around £27 if you have 2-3 mins to search out the deals

 

[Rockingit]

It's a love-hate situation for me. The DIY sheds will always be cheaper on the bread and butter domestic stuff, but are rarely worth the look at for commercial and industrial stuff. However, order what you want from CEF / Rexel online via your trade account and you mostly end up looking at the bigger numbers if you'd spent ten mins surfing but you know there's no delivery hassles, restocks... etc. I bought a Fusebox 6way RCBO / SPD unit for a job a couple of weeks back and it ended up being nearly £100 cheaper as a cash sale direct from Fusebox (so basically, I was DIY Dave) than the exact same list was from my discounted Rexel account!!

But wholesalers do still have a part to play when it comes to specifics - as an experiment I recently put a shopping list of about 15km of various flavours of a specific brand of H07 cable out for quoting to the various cable suppliers, and for interest purposes also gave it to my local Rexel. Amazingly, within a few pence they were as cheap as everyone else.

Also........try getting a conversion kit for a MEM3 400A board from a toolstation......

 

[timhoward]

£55 for this is ridiculous , I mean who is paying that kind of money for small selection of connectors and wire nuts

In-Sure™ Push In Connector Premium Kit - https://www.cef.co.uk/catalogue/products/1823581-in-sure-push-in-connector-premium-kit

You can get a very similar wago selection set off Ebay for around £27 if you have 2-3 mins to search out the deals

Yes. That's the thing. If I go in and ask for it, it will be priced immediately based on my account activity levels and I'm sure it would be min 25% off that price.

But to get that price online I'd need to "Request a quote", and then wait for the branch to process that request, and then go back later and complete. The faff factor makes it not worth doing unless it's a very specialised or hard to obtain item.

It's more a case of "who has time to play that silly game!".

 

[Marvo]

I remember many years ago when we were expanding as a panel workshop that we got to a point where we were doing a lot of business with our wholesalers and we started dealing with them through one of their account managers rather than with their counter staff. At that point we started getting pricess at least 10 or 15 percent cheaper. Also when we registered with our suppliers as an OEM manufacturing business rather than as electrical contractors and again we got considerably better discounts but obviously the prices were based on the volume of sales on our account.

 

[oscar21]

I still think its profiteering though, I called into a wholesalers today that specialists in data/ aerials that sort of thing. They wanted £50+VAT for a 16 way switch, you can get them all day long of amazon for £45 delivered to the job next day. They wouldn't budge on price either. I thought wholesalers were meant to be cheaper than retail. Same story for the bread and butter stuff as well. My local wholesaler charges £2.30+VAT for a twin click socket and I use loads of them, I have just ordered 30 on-line for £2.30 including vat plus a load of other 2nd fix stuff. My local also want £13+VAT for a Fusebox RCBO, I can get them for £9.50+VAT no problem, and it all gets delivered to wherever you want the next working day. Whats not to like, if anyone has been into a wholesalers you know you can write an hour of your day off no problem between leaving the job and getting back to it.

 

[nicebutdim]

As a non-business individual, and signed up to their electrifix list, I get a voucher most months. Either 10% or £10 or whatever.

They switched me to Electricfix without my asking. Gave me a £10 voucher and that was it.

I only go near the place when nowhere else is open - usually a Saturday afternoon - as the local Screwfix is a nightmare to get anywhere near to. I dislike them ever more now that I know they're handing out vouchers, but not to me.

 

[Dustydazzler]

Forget the price of cable , tray and sockets

The real tragedy this week is the price of a McDonalds Latte has gone up by 20 pence

 

[LukeD]

Forget the price of cable , tray and sockets

The real tragedy this week is the price of a McDonalds Latte has gone up by 20 pence

Poverty spec Coffee......No shame man ,no shame !

 

[nicebutdim]

I still think its profiteering though, I called into a wholesalers today that specialists in data/ aerials that sort of thing. They wanted £50+VAT for a 16 way switch, you can get them all day long of amazon for £45 delivered to the job next day. They wouldn't budge on price either. I thought wholesalers were meant to be cheaper than retail. Same story for the bread and butter stuff as well. My local wholesaler charges £2.30+VAT for a twin click socket and I use loads of them, I have just ordered 30 on-line for £2.30 including vat plus a load of other 2nd fix stuff. My local also want £13+VAT for a Fusebox RCBO, I can get them for £9.50+VAT no problem, and it all gets delivered to wherever you want the next working day. Whats not to like, if anyone has been into a wholesalers you know you can write an hour of your day off no problem between leaving the job and getting back to it.

It's just business and I don't think any wholesaler markets themselves as being the cheapest option. While I can think of plenty of negative comments to post about wholesalers, I can also think of as many positive comments to post.

Like I stated early in this thread; you pays your money and takes your choice. For some people, ordering everything from different online retailers is a no-brainer, but for others it's a world of hassle. The goods you mention buying cheaply are the staples of this trade - like bread and milk for supermarkets. Ask yourself why any wholesaler might want to stock the huge quantities of these items required to buy at a competitive enough price and then sell them at a profit of pence in the pound?

Move away from basic items, which DIY sheds buy in container loads, and wholesalers become your main option. 250A MCCB from Screwfix? 120mm Tri-rated cable from Toolstation? It's not simply a question of availability, they won't be attempting to assist you with anything that isn't in their catalogues.

 

[oscar21]

It's just business and I don't think any wholesaler markets themselves as being the cheapest option. While I can think of plenty of negative comments to post about wholesalers, I can also think of as many positive comments to post.

Like I stated early in this thread; you pays your money and takes your choice. For some people, ordering everything from different online retailers is a no-brainer, but for others it's a world of hassle. The goods you mention buying cheaply are the staples of this trade - like bread and milk for supermarkets. Ask yourself why any wholesaler might want to stock the huge quantities of these items required to buy at a competitive enough price and then sell them at a profit of pence in the pound?

Move away from basic items, which DIY sheds buy in container loads, and wholesalers become your main option. 250A MCCB from Screwfix? 120mm Tri-rated cable from Toolstation? It's not simply a question of availability, they won't be attempting to assist you with anything that isn't in their catalogues.

I know toolstation and screwfix arne't much cop for odball items and even a lot of their run of the mill stuff is rubbish like axiom and LAP but you still don't need a wholesaler for the other stuff, just as an example I googled 120mm Tri rated cable and the same place I get all my click stuff came up, they can deliver a cut length of that cable anywhere in the country by Friday morning, if I had ordered it before 2PM it could have been delivered tomorrow, you cant really beat that. So I don't see why I should pay over the odds for the bread and butter stuff just because they can get the odd ball stuff as well, because so can I.

 

[Dustydazzler]

Poverty spec Coffee......No shame man ,no shame !

I much preferer a McCafe Latte over Starbuck , Costa , Nero anyday

 

[Dustydazzler]

I know toolstation and screwfix arne't much cop for odball items and even a lot of their run of the mill stuff is rubbish like axiom and LAP but you still don't need a wholesaler for the other stuff, just as an example I googled 120mm Tri rated cable and the same place I get all my click stuff came up, they can deliver a cut length of that cable anywhere in the country by Friday morning, if I had ordered it before 2PM it could have been delivered tomorrow, you cant really beat that. So I don't see why I should pay over the odds for the bread and butter stuff just because they can get the odd ball stuff as well, because so can I.

Wholesalers for me are a bit of a last resort / odd ball item kind of place now.
I probably use TLC which is my nearest maybe once every 2 months when I'm in a real pinch and need something that day that I don't have on me. I know it will cost me 15-20% more in TLC than online but in a pinch its a price paying sometimes just to get a job finished etc

 

[nicebutdim]

I know toolstation and screwfix arne't much cop for odball items and even a lot of their run of the mill stuff is rubbish like axiom and LAP but you still don't need a wholesaler for the other stuff, just as an example I googled 120mm Tri rated cable and the same place I get all my click stuff came up, they can deliver a cut length of that cable anywhere in the country by Friday morning, if I had ordered it before 2PM it could have been delivered tomorrow, you cant really beat that. So I don't see why I should pay over the odds for the bread and butter stuff just because they can get the odd ball stuff as well, because so can I.

You make my point very well if your 'usual supplier' works for you.

As an aside; that supplier sounds very much like an electrical wholesaler, albeit one that operates online and eschews the costs associated with stockholding in multiple locations.

I rarely buy from wholesalers, preferring instead to be well organised and well stocked, but that's easy for me as my own work is mainly domestic for which materials are readily available at low cost. The contractor I mostly work for could never hope to operate in the same manner, due to the huge lists of material that someone would need to spend countless hours pouring through to find the best options.

Maybe it's different over here, where delivery of large and heavy goods can be more problematic, but I struggle to imagine many sizeable industrial jobs being organised on the basis of materials sourced from multiple online stockists or ebay and it's precisely this sort of work in which wholesalers excel.

 

[Dustydazzler]

You make my point very well if your 'usual supplier' works for you.

As an aside; that supplier sounds very much like an electrical wholesaler, albeit one that operates online and eschews the costs associated with stockholding in multiple locations.

I rarely buy from wholesalers, preferring instead to be well organised and well stocked, but that's easy for me as my own work is mainly domestic for which materials are readily available at low cost. The contractor I mostly work for could never hope to operate in the same manner, due to the huge lists of material that someone would need to spend countless hours pouring through to find the best options.

Maybe it's different over here, where delivery of large and heavy goods can be more problematic, but I struggle to imagine many sizeable industrial jobs being organised on the basis of materials sourced from multiple online stockists or ebay and it's precisely this sort of work in which wholesalers excel.

On large commercial jobs / industrial jobs I don't think the price of materials is such an issue as it is in Domestic where customers are counting every penny ?
I do some work for a sports centre and I reckon I could bill them £100 for a metal clad double socket on the materials part of my final invoice and they wouldn't bat an eyelid and just pay it.
Trying charging a home owner the same and they would start checking the price on Screwfix website

 

[Rockingit]

You make my point very well if your 'usual supplier' works for you.

As an aside; that supplier sounds very much like an electrical wholesaler, albeit one that operates online and eschews the costs associated with stockholding in multiple locations.

Exactly. All that's happened is that the independants have upped their game online. That, and quite often manufacturers will hold stock at themselves rather ship out to the middleman - so if I want to sell cable clips and I reckon I can shift a million of them a year at 2p each, I buy a million clips from the factory at 1p (or a factored promise to buy) except the factory keeps them and each day I have a system that tells the factory where to ship a thousand clips at a time to. I have no warehousing or staffing costs in that process and still make 50% profit.

 

[nicebutdim]

On large commercial jobs / industrial jobs I don't think the price of materials is such an issue as it is in Domestic where customers are counting every penny ?
I do some work for a sports centre and I reckon I could bill them £100 for a metal clad double socket on the materials part of my final invoice and they wouldn't bat an eyelid and just pay it.
Trying charging a home owner the same and they would start checking the price on Screwfix website

I get what you're saying and agree that such an extra would be trivial in the grand scheme of things, but price of materials will be critical in terms of winning quotes and making profit.

Quote for the wrong cable spec and you might find youself going from making a decent profit to weeks of work at a loss.

 

[nicebutdim]

Exactly. All that's happened is that the independants have upped their game online. That, and quite often manufacturers will hold stock at themselves rather ship out to the middleman - so if I want to sell cable clips and I reckon I can shift a million of them a year at 2p each, I buy a million clips from the factory at 1p (or a factored promise to buy) except the factory keeps them and each day I have a system that tells the factory where to ship a thousand clips at a time to. I have no warehousing or staffing costs in that process and still make 50% profit.

I first encounted a similar situation, several decades back, in a different industry. The company I worked for provided engineering services and was also a wholesale distributor. They were sole distributors for some very desirable brand names, but also stocked a range of better priced options and no competitor could ever manage to break their market dominance.

Finally a competitor began making some real progress and we couldn't understand how they were managing to offer such keen prices. Turned out they struck distribution agreements with several manufacturers that allowed them to work on the basis of 5% commission. In order to make it work, stock was held locally and the manufacturers retained title of goods. What the local distributor hadn't factored was how much warehouse space they'd have to dedicate to large, low volume goods and also how much skill was required to maintain reasonable levels of stock when dealing with the perpetual holiday situation that is Italian manufacturing.

 

[LukeD]

I wonder how many small /medium suppliers will just give up? I have one near me (BEM , North London) What keeps them going is mainly accounts .The account holders need that "credit period" so dont mind paying a bit more in some cases .I dont want credit and never had a proper account .I always pay as needed .Its a lot easier and less riskier ?

 

[ipf]

I wonder how many small /medium suppliers will just give up? I have one near me (BEM , North London) What keeps them going is mainly accounts .The account holders need that "credit period" so dont mind paying a bit more in some cases .I dont want credit and never had a proper account .I always pay as needed .Its a lot easier and less riskier ?

I understand your reasoning.
In commercial and industrial, it's generally a case of waiting for money coming through, though. It's a bleedin pain, alright.
It's Ok saying 'Oh, I don't work unless paid immediately', but in industry it just doesn't work that way. That's why wholesaler accounts with payment after a couple months are a must.
Working on a one to one basis with payment on the spot is great for any small domestic business, especially those who aren't VAT registered.

 

[LukeD]

I much preferer a McCafe Latte over Starbuck , Costa , Nero anyday

Blank Street Coffee - https://www.blankstreet.com/ If ever you get up to London .

 

[oscar21]

The funny thing is, I work in a few different areas and its the independent type wholesalers that are usually the best with pricing, I walk into them with a fear that I'm going to get shafted but they always seem to treat you great, I managed to get a Crabtree shower pull from an independant the other week and it was the cheapest one I've ever bought. Its the "chain" type wholesalers that always try to shaft me even though some of them already have my details as I use other branches so its not as if I'm a stranger to them.

 

[ipf]

I much preferer a McCafe Latte over Starbuck , Costa , Nero anyday

Is that because you get free ketchup with it?

 

[DPG]

I much preferer a McCafe Latte over Starbuck , Costa , Nero anyday

Now Starbucks and Costa - that's profiteering!!

 

[nicebutdim]

The funny thing is, I work in a few different areas and its the independent type wholesalers that are usually the best with pricing, I walk into them with a fear that I'm going to get shafted but they always seem to treat you great, I managed to get a Crabtree shower pull from an independant the other week and it was the cheapest one I've ever bought. Its the "chain" type wholesalers that always try to shaft me even though some of them already have my details as I use other branches so its not as if I'm a stranger to them.

I'm not sure why you think they're trying to shaft you. CEF are one of the most well known nationally, and I'm not exactly a fan of their pricing or often lengthy wait at their counters, but they advertise all prices on a website.

Independents and just as the name suggests and free to price goods as they see fit. National wholesalers will have policies, to which staff are obliged to adhere. You and I might not understand or appreciate those policies, but it's likely that they benefit the business. Perhaps they feel it's only worthwhile taking the time to deal with small orders at list price, whereas sizeable accounts are profitable enough to warrant decent discounts? I honestly don't know but, at the risk of repeating the same points, they have significantly higher overheads than online operations and can't hope to match the buying power of large retail chains.

Spend your money where you see fit and don't think too much about how other business owners choose to run their operations.

We buy groceries in Lidl and Asda. I couldn't care less about the prices in more expensive supermarkets.

 

[oscar21]

I'm not sure why you think they're trying to shaft you. CEF are one of the most well known nationally, and I'm not exactly a fan of their pricing or often lengthy wait at their counters, but they advertise all prices on a website.

Independents and just as the name suggests and free to price goods as they see fit. National wholesalers will have policies, to which staff are obliged to adhere. You and I might not understand or appreciate those policies, but it's likely that they benefit the business. Perhaps they feel it's only worthwhile taking the time to deal with small orders at list price, whereas sizeable accounts are profitable enough to warrant decent discounts? I honestly don't know but, at the risk of repeating the same points, they have significantly higher overheads than online operations and can't hope to match the buying power of large retail chains.

Spend your money where you see fit and don't think too much about how other business owners choose to run their operations.

We buy groceries in Lidl and Asda. I couldn't care less about the prices in more expensive supermarkets.

Its because wholesalers should (and used to be) the go to place to get your stuff. If you were a DIY'er you went to B&Q or more recently screwfix/toolstaiton, if you were in the trade you went to a wholesaler and got things cheaper than the DIYer or householder so you could make a markup on it which paid for the time and effort of sourcing it and getting it.

Nowadays wholesalers are just a retail outlet trying to maximise their proffits in any way they can.

 

[pirate]

Starbucks and Costa...best example ever. There's a book about it, and it makes interesting reading. I am fortunate with my occasional work, so I don't have the hassles of wholesalers and 30 or 60 day credit, however I well remember the collapse of a huge contractor in Scotland who just went bust owing hundreds of small businesses lots of money...the Laff**ty group killed so many small guys, and nothing could be done. Rule One: Do not put all your eggs in that one basket.
Rule two: If you do occasional stuff, get paid for materials up-front...or at least before they are installed.
My local jobs are for a few clients. They ask for a quote, I give it, and if they accept it I bill them for the materials, and once that's paid I do the work. They always pay me my labour costs promptly because nothing works until I am paid...I have the "key".
The beauty of this model is that they know I will do the job properly, so they don't fek about when it comes to paying.
Thus, wherever I buy the cable or other accessories, the cost, without uplift, is the price I have paid to the supplier, which is important to the client, particularly when the customer is a charity.
The only possible points of contention are:
1. The supplies might be cheaper elsewhere
2. I am too expensive
Given these are small jobs, point 1 is not really significant, so if they want me to leave them with the last 5m of a drum of t&e, so be it. It may come in handy for the next job on their site. They've paid for it, so it's theirs.
As for point 2...well, it's their choice...as my jobs are usually small ones, they either take my price or leave it. £200 or £300, it's nothing really.
I fully appreciate my situation isn't the most common one, but thought it might be worth mentioning it, because as a model for business, it suits me very well and may suit those who are not working 24/7 to support a family, such as a retired bloke like me who does it for fun.
I go to Screwfix and pick up the cable and accessories...ok, it's £20 more than last week...but it's only £20 on the bill.
For those who do huge contracts, that's a big problem. If you are buying 10 drums of 2.5mm, or 100 drums even, there's a huge cost differential. If you stick to small jobs, the cost isn't too significant.
Small is beautiful!

 

[nicebutdim]

Its because wholesalers should (and used to be) the go to place to get your stuff. If you were a DIY'er you went to B&Q or more recently screwfix/toolstaiton, if you were in the trade you went to a wholesaler and got things cheaper than the DIYer or householder so you could make a markup on it which paid for the time and effort of sourcing it and getting it.

Nowadays wholesalers are just a retail outlet trying to maximise their proffits in any way they can.

Wholesalers haven't changed, but you have and so has the world. Wholesalers are doing what they have always done.

 

[LukeD]

Wholesalers haven't changed, but you have and so has the world. Wholesalers are doing what they have always done.

UK should be like certain parts of the world .where many items cannot be sold to members of the public as id has to be shown .mainly gas, water and electrical stuff . And should a client ever pull out a screwfix etc catalogue out and question a quote it would be 'Have it all here the day before I start work .None of it will carry any form of warrantee from me and anything missing or wrong needs to be sorted out by you and if necessary a hourly rate will be charged if it slows down the job."


You dont take your own meat and veg to a restaurant !

 

[DPG]

UK should be like certain parts of the world .where many items cannot be sold to members of the public as id has to be shown .mainly gas, water and electrical stuff . And should a client ever pull out a screwfix etc catalogue out and question a quote it would be 'Have it all here the day before I start work .None of it will carry any form of warrantee from me and anything missing or wrong needs to be sorted out by you and if necessary a hourly rate will be charged if it slows down the job."


You dont take your own meat and veg to a restaurant !

I get your point. But don't you think I should be allowed to repair the brakes on my car as I have for many years? It's only the same thing.

 

[oscar21]

Wholesalers haven't changed, but you have and so has the world. Wholesalers are doing what they have always done.

They have changed, do you not remember years ago, the manufacturer would send a rep round to the wholesalers or even retail outlet and had a price list, one one page was the price list you could buy stuff from the manufacturer for, and on the next page was the price list for what you could sell it for, you had to adhere to these prices otherwise the manufacturer wouldn't deal with you. It stopped loads of undercutting and driving other business's out of existence just for pure proffitt.

 

[Dustydazzler]

There is no way the sale of cable and pipe will be restricted , not a chance

 

[nicebutdim]

UK should be like certain parts of the world .where many items cannot be sold to members of the public as id has to be shown .mainly gas, water and electrical stuff . And should a client ever pull out a screwfix etc catalogue out and question a quote it would be 'Have it all here the day before I start work .None of it will carry any form of warrantee from me and anything missing or wrong needs to be sorted out by you and if necessary a hourly rate will be charged if it slows down the job."


You dont take your own meat and veg to a restaurant !

While you raise a valid point about gas, electric and water, I don't like the idea of regulation for this reason and the argument is somewhat undermined when you go on to clarify the actual objection to be one based on profit.

There are plenty of tradespeople who are happy for customers buy materials as it helps ensure their turnover remains below vat threshold and, perhaps cynically, places onus on customer where warranty of materials is concerned.

In days gone by, a system (similar to that which you describe) existed and was self-regulating. Wholesalers only discounted prices to proven trade customers and only discounted by a significant margin where large accounts were concerned. This served wholesalers well as small customers went to a convenient distributor and availed of the same prices, while ensuring wholesale trade counter wasn't overburdened with small orders. Those distributors made a profit and appreciated that the wholesaler stuck rigidly to this model and allowed the distributor to make a profit. Small trade customers were happy as they received a discount, but...

those small trade customers were paying through the nose. In many instances, a manufacturing customer or distributor received huge discounts of anything from 25%-80% (depending on product range in question), while the little guys received maybe 5%-20%. Retail customers paid list price and it is important to acknowledge who set these list prices - the wholesaler.

You often make the point that you choose who to work for and who to avoid, well that's often what wholesalers do. The only difference being they don't decline your business, but accept it at a price they deem to be agreeable. I find it incredible to learn that, instead of being happy with the huge range of options now available in terms of suppliers, anyone might wish to return to the days when few options existed for the procurement of goods.

 

[nicebutdim]

They have changed, do you not remember years ago, the manufacturer would send a rep round to the wholesalers or even retail outlet and had a price list, one one page was the price list you could buy stuff from the manufacturer for, and on the next page was the price list for what you could sell it for, you had to adhere to these prices otherwise the manufacturer wouldn't deal with you. It stopped loads of undercutting and driving other business's out of existence just for pure proffitt.

So your issue is with manufacturers no longer fixing prices (now illegal) and other oulets selling too cheaply?

Forgive my confusion, but you initially stated that wholesalers should sell to you at lower prices and now lament the demise of the days when they had to sell at a minimum price.

If you're worried about 'loads of undercutting and driving other business's out of existence just for pure profit. then surely you'd want to support the wholesalers who are hammered on price by large DIY chains?