How a Trade Account Can Simplify Material Purchasing

Trade pricing on the products you already buy

Once a trade account is set up and approved, applicable trade pricing is shown automatically when you're signed in and browsing the catalogue. You don't need to negotiate a price on every order — the pricing that applies to your account is reflected against eligible products as you shop, so you can see the cost before you commit to an order.

Because pricing is tied to your account rather than a one-off conversation, it stays consistent whether you're ordering a single valve for a callout or putting together the materials for a full refurbishment.

Viewing prices ex VAT or inc VAT

Trade buyers usually think in ex-VAT prices when pricing a job, while a homeowner-facing quote needs the VAT-inclusive figure. A trade account lets you toggle between ex VAT and inc VAT pricing across the site, so you can work in whichever basis suits the job you're costing, without doing the sum yourself on every line.

Requesting a quote for a project

For larger jobs, rather than adding dozens of individual lines to a basket, you can submit a materials list as a project quote request. This is particularly useful when you're pricing a job for a client before work starts, or when a specification changes and you need a fresh set of figures against the same list.

• Submit a list of the products and quantities you need for the project
• Receive pricing back against that specific list rather than browsing item by item
• Use the quote as the basis for ordering once the job is confirmed
• Come back with a revised list if the specification or quantities change

Favourites and order history

A trade account keeps a record of what you've bought, which matters when you're reordering the same materials across multiple properties or need to check exactly what was supplied on a previous job. It also means less time spent searching for the same product every time you place an order.

• Save favourite products for the items you order regularly, so you're not searching for the same SKU every time
• Look back through order history to reorder quickly or confirm what was purchased and when
• Use past orders as a reference when a client queries what was fitted

VAT invoices for your records

Where available, VAT invoices can be accessed through your account for completed orders, which makes it straightforward to keep your own bookkeeping and CIS or VAT records in order without chasing paperwork separately.

Team members and roles on a company account

For businesses with more than one person ordering — an office admin placing orders, a site manager checking quotes, or several engineers buying materials for their own vans — a company account can have multiple team members attached to it, each with a role that reflects what they need to do.

• Add colleagues to the company account rather than sharing a single login
• Assign roles so purchasing responsibility sits with the right people
• Keep ordering and history consolidated under one business account rather than scattered logins

Payment and credit facilities

Credit facilities may be available on a trade account, subject to status and approval. Any credit terms offered will depend on your application and are assessed individually — they are not automatically included with every trade account, so check what applies to your business when you apply.

Setting up a trade account

Applying for a trade account takes a few minutes. Once your application has been reviewed and approved, the trade pricing, quote request tool and account features described above become available on your login. If your business has more than one person who needs to order, you can add them as team members once the account is set up, so purchasing doesn't have to run through a single individual.