The Framers Forum

HI just asking about buying mouldings from a supplier who has not got a price list or a catalouge always tells me they would send it out but i never recieve it.

is there anybody in the framing world who has come accross this before
i never get to know the prices they seem to change everytime i phone up to ask .
i am in bussiness about one year is this the normal way these suppliers work .
i have got two one with a price list the other with none what should i do

Hiya Greenfields,

That sounds odd to me. If you can't get a current price list out of them, ask for a copy of their "old" price list so that at least you will have some idea of moulding prices. You need up-to-date prices in order to quote customers accurately. I think that any reputable moulding supplier (and there are plenty of them!) will have no problem providing you with their current trade pricelist, either in printed or electronic format.

Many suppliers offer similar styles of mouldings: although minor price differences aren't the be all and end all of business relationships with suppliers, how can you know if you're getting the best value if you can't compare different suppliers from quality, cost, and customer service perspectives? Also, if they seem to be changing their prices from order to order, how can you be sure that your calculated gross profit on a given job is accurate?

I would respectfully suggest that, if the supplier in question will not furnish you with what is in my experience standard information, you might consider placing your business elsewhere. One always needs to have an accurate picture of one's material costs, and this is never truer than in the early days of your business.

Hi Greenfields,

try somewhere else. Any supplier I use is only too pleased to supply catalogues and prices. Seems a bit dodgy to me otherwise.

Some suppliers have the deluded notion that competitors will not know their prices if they do not distribute a price list.

John wrote:Some suppliers have the deluded notion that competitors will not know their prices if they do not distribute a price list.

and think the customers also wont notice when they put the prices up because they never gopt a list in the first place

Go elsewhere - there are a lot of decent moulding suppliers in this industry - dont put up with people who cant even be bothered to send you a price list - there service will get worse.