How can I open a trade card/account

Like many people here, I am a big DIYer. I am now doing friends and at this rate should give up the day job !

No, that will never happen. So I am looking at getting access to trade prices as a 'normal JOE'. It seems everyone has a different trick.

So far I've managed to gleem the following

- Open a bank account in the name of the company.

- Don't bother registering as a Ltd no point

- Use bank as a reference

- Open you have a card from one, use it to get others.

- Visit them during a normal working day. Avoid early AM

- Cover your mobile in dust, paint and scratches

- Ensure your work clothes are filthy in dust, paint cement

The next step for me is to get a trade card. I'm not looking for any 30 days credit. Just the discount. Can anyone recomend a merchant thats the easiest to get one.

The projects I need the discounts for are

- TILING (Topps Tiles offer %40 off their bulk prices)

- Bathroom (seems plumbcenter is what people recomend)

- Flooring (carpet..not sure about who/where for this

In terms of previous posts, I have already noted the screwfix and wickes can offer good prices depending..

previous posts

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Reply to
andysideas
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Go into the BM, tell them what you're likely to spend per month, ask for a cash card. TP or Jewson's certainly would issue them to all comers a year or three ago. You might have to fill in a short form. Getting an account is a bit difficult.

No idea about them, also I've never used "plumbcenter" as a) I don't know where there is one, and b) the name.

Yup. I wouldn't bother with all the subterfuge of getting dirty, it'll get you nowhere. If you are worried you might be refused, go into a non-local branch and ask.

Reply to
Chris Bacon

Joe Bloggs, ordinary man in the street (in this case *not* a tradesman).

T i m

Reply to
T i m

I will be doing an extension soon. I was thinking about this yesterday. I would love to get trade discounts. Are there any laws governing all this ? I guess anyone can get bulk discounts, say buying 2000 tiles, haggle a bit etc. I have found that wearing dirty clothes makes me feel like a real builder, but I've no idea if the feeling projects ! Simon.

Reply to
sm_jamieson

Great to start up a discussion on the topic.

I've since found that there are at least 2 trade cards that I can apply for over the internet that allow me in some case to use anyone of 3000 merchants.

And like I say, it seems that once you have 1 or 2 then you can get others from smaller companies that can open trade accounts.

We'll I'm off to the bank to open a bussiness account..

Reply to
andysideas

What about setting yourself up as a sole trader/limited company and then contracting yourself out to yourself to do any work that needs doing? You would then be a legitimate tradesman and could open up lots of accounts. You could then start claiming lunches and petrol and other bits and bobs as expenses!

Reply to
Richard Conway

TP still certainly do a trade card (see

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have one; it gives me 20-30% off list automatically (ie without having to do the "wot's yer best price fer..." dance). However, list prices are so high that this is still very uncompetitive - Screwfix et al are way cheaper. They'll always negotiate on individual purchases, but it's about how much you can blag it, and significantly, how much business you put their way.

Catch 22, of course, as I said to the salesman last time I was in; I'm not about to start spending loads of extra cash at TP in the hope that in a few months they might condescend to raise my discount level.

The one good thing about a TP trade card is that it affords free delivery.

Anyway, I loathe the place and use it only when I can't find something unusual at Wickes or Screwfix (or if I want a ton of sand delivered!). Being a BM of course nothing is priced so you have to ask; and your invoice gives no clue as to the level of discount you've been given. You can get list prices off their website, however.

Where else... I have trade accounts at Howden's - just told them I was setting up in business; think they might have asked my bank for a reference (and I only have a personal account). Also Plumbcenter; never use it as it's quite like TP. I get trade at a local one-man plumber's merchant though; just by going in there enough I think I'm just now established as a 'regular'!

David

Reply to
Lobster

Could you post the links?

Do you actually need the business account, or do you just want it as a vehicle to access trade accounts with suppliers? Because running a business account can be very expensive, and TBH the lack of one has never been an issue for me in getting trade discounts.

The other point is that getting decent prices is NOT just about getting a trade account. You may find yourself getting only a trivial discount compared with other (ie big) trade customers; you can often pay cash and get trade prices. And there are a lot of people in the building trade who do just that, regularly.

Having a trade account also lets the company monitor your spend precisely, so if it's not whopping, it's likely to be hard for you to justify having them increase your discount rate; easier to blag it if you come in paying cash!

David

Reply to
Lobster

Agreed. At my local Jewsons I mutter the magic words 'Cash Trade' and get their standard discount. I don't buy enough stuff there to get any super discounts. I asked them once if there would be any advantage to me in getting a trade account with them and they said there is no advantage financially, but it would be handy if I want to send the teaboy to pick up materials. As I'm the teaboy I didn't bother

Anna

Reply to
Anna Kettle

What do you classify as "standard" and as "super" discounts?

Reply to
Ian White

But tile companies offer massive discounts. To be fear I'm not all that fussed about builders merchants. But to get %40 of tiles is great !

Reply to
andysideas

40% off what though? That's the issue. I usually buy my (bog standard) tiles at Wickes where I get no discount at all.
Reply to
Lobster

IME the places which offer 'trade' discount are the ones which put up the prices way above the going rate only to take _some_ of it off for some customers as a discount.

For example Topps tiles are easily 40% more expensive than some other tile outlets. Same with TP. Another silly is having theoretical 'retail' prices with ludicrous mark ups and then pretending that those mark ups are being removed just for you (and you) (and him) (and her)...

It's a bit like pizza pricing - there are so many discount schemes available that you would have to work hard not to be included in one of them. It would make more sense and save a lot of leaflets to cut their prices and charge a peak time surcharge on Sat evenings, but the marketing would 'feel' wrong.

Reply to
Ed Sirett

I don't get that - I would have thought that first thing in the morning would be when the trade picks up the materials for the day's jobs.

Owain

Reply to
Owain

snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote: So I am looking at getting access to trade

Just blag it, no need for anthing else. Ask for the price of X amount of xyz. When price is quoted feign shock & disbelief, saying things like; "you're having a laugh" or "leave it out, whats the trade price" or "I can buy that down the road for half that" etc, etc.

A few simple tips; Know what to ask for. If wearing a shirt & tie, slip a hi vis vest on, works a treat - they assume you are a project manager or something. Or spend a tenner on a polo shirt with "XYZ Builders Ltd" embroidered on it.

Bullshit beats brains any day - everyone is struggling for sales at the moment - ergo almost everyone will do a deal.

Dave

Reply to
david lang

Yes I agree with all the points raised.

We all should know that 'list' prices allow for a max of %60 of. However depending on where you buy, ie. How many people buy direct from a factory ? ie. Distribution

And yes if I was looking for some plane cheapo tiles wickes might do. However I've found mosaic tiles for =A31.99 a sheet from tops tiles. This is by far the cheapest I've found, so when you suggest that they are not all that cheap, I find that hard to understand. I've been to about 8 other tile shops. None keep any tiles in stock and all just have displays, with a 8+ week lead time, and the prices are more like =A33-4 a sheet.

So when you consider a %40 discount on this, it really is a good price. Oh and no delivery cost or waiting :)

Reply to
andysideas

Try Tile Clearing House or Tile City - I beleive the first is part of the same group as Topps!

Reply to
Ed Sirett

Wet finger in the air .. 10% 30%

Anna

Reply to
Anna Kettle

Thanks for that. 10% is what Jewson's offer in their standard form letter about a cash account. However, I'm treating that as only their opening offer, subject to negotiation on the day.

Following the golden rule to "Act Like You Know What You're Doing", it's good to know what would be a sensible range for negotiation.

Reply to
Ian White

Thank you to the poster who suggested the Tile Clearing House. I will do a google and see if there are any near me.

It does appear hard to find a place where I can get tiles at a fair price, while offering a decent range

Reply to
andysideas

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