Articles & Guides
86 articles on wholesale buying, selling and industry strategy
A supplier is discontinuing a product: plan the last order and the replacement together
A last-buy deadline can prompt an expensive panic order. Map customer commitments, remaining stock and replacement approval before committing.
The supplier invoice does not match: resolve the difference without rewriting the order
Use purchase orders, receiving evidence and agreed tolerances to distinguish real invoice errors from missing records, and route each discrepancy to its owner.
Moving stock between warehouses without losing track of what is available
Goods in transit are still your inventory, but they are not necessarily available to pick. A practical workflow for transfers, receipts and discrepancies.
Can you hold that stock for me? Setting wholesale reservation rules that work
A quote, a stock reservation and permission to dispatch are different things. Clear reservation rules protect customer promises without trapping inventory.
Your supplier wants a price increase: how to assess it and put an agreement into practice
A price-increase notice needs more than a yes or no. Check the evidence, open orders, effective date and margin impact before changing purchasing records.
Shelf-ready packaging should earn its place in the retailer's aisle
A tear-off carton is only useful if it works from delivery through replenishment to the last item sold. Specify and test shelf-ready packaging with the receiving retailer.
Two customers, the same sales: why one wholesale account costs more to serve
Order frequency, delivery patterns and service work can change an account's contribution substantially. Use cost-to-serve analysis to improve terms without confusing allocated cost with cash savings.
The supplier says it is equivalent: approving product substitutions properly
A replacement may look similar and still fail the customer's specification. Establish which substitutions are pre-approved and how proposed changes are reviewed before dispatch.
Consignment stock: agree what happens between the delivery and the sale
Holding a supplier's goods without buying them immediately can be useful, but it creates a separate ownership and reconciliation process. Agree the rules before the first delivery.
Last month's sales are not next month's demand: building a usable wholesale forecast
Promotions, stockouts and one-off orders can distort a sales history. Build a forecast that keeps those effects visible and gives purchasing a clear basis for replenishment.
How to set up a wholesale account
Learn how to open an account with a wholesale supplier, what business details to prepare, how approval works and why trade access is different from credit terms.
Selling bundles from shared stock: choose between a kit and a finished product
A bundle assembled to order and a prepacked kit need different stock treatment. Define the structure before pricing the offer and publishing availability.
The parcel weighs 4 kg. Why is the courier charging for 12?
Large, light cartons can be priced by the space they occupy. The useful comparison is the packed consignment under the actual carrier service and rate agreement.
A 3% supplier rebate can mean two very different amounts
The headline rebate percentage is only part of the agreement. Its calculation basis, thresholds and exclusions determine what a wholesaler will actually receive.
Buying refurbished laptops in bulk: specify more than Grade A
Cosmetic grades do not define battery health, processor generation or freedom from corporate management locks. A useful bulk-buy specification addresses each separately.
Supplier bank details have changed: build verification into the payment workflow
A genuine invoice can carry fraudulent payment instructions. Treat supplier bank-detail changes as controlled account amendments, with verification before the next payment run.
A signature is not a carton count: build better evidence for delivery disputes
Delivery confirmation is useful, but it may leave shortages and damage unexplained. Connect dispatch counts, handovers and exceptions while the details are still available.
Wholesale credit holds: set the rules before releasing orders
Set financial clearance before warehouse release, aligning customer limits with credit insurance and defining responsibilities, payment holds and justified exceptions.
One case or one unit? Fix the pack-size errors that distort wholesale margins
A correct barcode can still be used at the wrong packaging level. Make units, inner packs and outer cases explicit from quotation through invoicing.
A backup supplier is only useful after you have tested the order
Keeping another supplier's phone number is a start. A usable second source needs tested specifications, realistic capacity and a workable activation plan.
Enough shelf life for whom? Agree the usable selling window before buying stock
A product can be within date yet unsuitable for your customer. Work backwards from their minimum shelf-life requirement before agreeing a wholesale order.
Before buying stock for Amazon, test the product at a price you might actually get
The gap between a supplier price and an Amazon listing price is not your profit. Test the exact product, likely selling price and complete cost before committing.
Free delivery is not free: setting a wholesale order threshold that earns its keep
A £300 order may be cheaper to serve than a £500 one. Product margin, picking work and the delivery route matter more than basket value alone.
One shelf, three sales channels: how to stop selling the same stock twice
A wholesale order, a website checkout and a marketplace sale can all reach for the same ten units. Clear reservation rules prevent three promises becoming two apologies.