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Trade only distributor selling to retail.

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CL Visual

New Member
Fellers is supposedly trade only but I get people coming in asking for install on rolls of material they brought straight from Fellers. When I ask them how they got it, they say they just signed up for an account. It's extremely disappointing to see this. For this reason, I buy from fellers as little as possible.
 
ddarlak

ddarlak

Go Bills!
I honestly could care less if another business wants to increase their profit by selling to as many customers as they can. I make my money using the skills I have acquired over the last 32 years in the sign business to produce what a real customer needs. I don't think Fellers selling a roll of calendared vinyl or a roll of wrap material to a customer is going to hurt me one bit. On the contrary, these price conscious only customers are not ones I want, so more power to them! Do it yourself and it will look like you did.....I want the customers that want to spend money on quality...
 
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DbyD

New Member
Our company walks a fine line between the two. On one hand, we work for the trade doing flatbed UV printing and CNC finishing. We would never consider going after any customer's account. Wholesale work, by its very nature, has very small margins. On the other hand, we offer the same services to our own clients, at something closer to retail, and certainly don't turn down work from anyone who reaches out to us directly. I think, in today's highly competitive market, most "small" business can't afford to shun work that turns a profit.
 
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HandsomeBob

New Member
AS TO THE DISTRIBUTORS - If they are openly selling items to civilians AT THE SAME PRICE as they sell to you then you should send a letter to the management of the company with your complaint. If they are selling at more of a retail price, like 2x wholesale, there is less of a complaint, but still a complaint. There is nothing you can do legally to stop them but to every business there reputation is important. Retail sales from wholesale distributors are a very small part of the business.

AS TO THE CUSTOMERS - I like what ddarlak said. We make our money on the conversion and skills we have, not just on materials. When someone brings me material they think they will save since they bought material. Wrong.
 
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BillyBoy86

New Member
Speaking of Fellers selling retail. someone once came in to buy something from me (think it was step stakes or something) and when i gave them the price, they said Fellers would sell the step stakes to them cheaper than i could buy them. Not sure if true or not, as it was not in writing or anything. but frustrated me a little.
 
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czar2178

New Member
Just wanted to chime in as I do see a lot of people that do complain about this. I have been in the sign industry for roughly 15 years now (not a veteran like some here but not a newbie like some ) but I have been in the retail business for over 25 years owning liquor stores, wholesale companies, cell phone stores and on and on. This issue exists in every industry or trade. You will always have someone that can beat your prices or deliver something better or faster than you so for me it doesn't matter that they claim to be a wholesaler or a trade only place and sell to everyone, they have to make a living and pay all the workers that contribute to our local community.

They are basically thinking outside their box to make more money as we all should be doing. The only thing I would ever get upset about is if these wholesalers or trade only companies that I purchase from send blind shipping to my customers and then turn around and use their information to solicit more business from my clients.

Like others have said they would never turn down business so why would you expect a company that has millions in expense to turn down money?
 
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brycesteiner

New Member
I do see that. I sell retail and give a discount to dealers who bring files that are ready to print. Wouldn't you? Isn't this the same thing?
 
MikePro

MikePro

New Member
can tell you right now, F@#$rs & S#@%world charges you at least 20% more than NGlantz. If you're content with paying list price, the same posted online/available to your potential clients, and not getting in touch with an actual sales rep. and beating them up on pricing for your regularly ordered materials, then you're doing it wrong.
 
Active Sign

Active Sign

Sign Guy
We all appreciate businesses making money. Just don't tell people or advertise that you're a "trade only" supplier if you are not going to stick by what you say. I understand the frustration. We help other small shops with projects all time at wholesale rates but that's completely different than being a importer/distributor that suddenly decides to sell direct to the public. What if the major manufacturers allow all of us to buy direct.? What happens to sign supply distributors then?
That company must have realized they were selling products in a saturated market and panicked.

I used to buy from the place you found on Amazon but I realized the products were not a good fit for us.

I say operate ethically and truthful from the beginning and all will be good in the end.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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halbro

New Member
Positive Image said:
You gotta love a supposedly trade only seller of sign supplies, selling to the public on amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Signworld
www.signworldamerica.com . I was informed of this by one of my customers by the way.
Click to expand...
This is disappointing to say the least. Poor business breeds poor business. There has been 3 separate occasions where I have found 3M selling direct to some sign companies, how's that for creating an unfair retail platform! I actually got an email from my competitors trying to sell me 3M vinyl. Really appreciate that 3M! My competition is trying to sell me vinyl cheaper than my 3M distributor supplies it to me for. I try not to sell 3M products at all anymore. I attached the flyer here for all to see.
How bout we form our own buying group and start bringing in our own products from overseas!
Positive Image said:
You gotta love a supposedly trade only seller of sign supplies, selling to the public on amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Signworld
www.signworldamerica.com . I was informed of this by one of my customers by the way.
Click to expand...
 

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fresh

New Member
There is a fairly local "wholesale to trade" sign company who posts their prices online and gives any joe schmoe off the street the same price as a sign company. I used them a few times, but after a request to price match a huge mesh banner based on their wholesale to trade prices, with a link to their page, I figured they don't need my business.
 
MikePro

MikePro

New Member
to be honest, in our highly litigious society, you'd think something like this is worth class-action. we are wary about anything we boast in our marketing materials, as it can always come back to bite you in the ass. trade-only advertisement is misleading and back-dooring your clients to "cut out the middle man", although legal in itself, is cutthroat & deserves little sympathy.
 
WhiskeyDreamer

WhiskeyDreamer

Professional Snow Ninja
I do apparel too, and all three of my main suppliers have accounts on Amazon. The pricing there is only a few dollars above what my cost is. That's just one of the reasons I don't buy from Amazon.
 
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vincesigns

New Member
Every company has to decide if they are fish or fowl. You can't be both. If you tell your customers that you are wholesale then that is what you have to be.​
 
printhog

printhog

New Member
years back a successful sign supplier sold to a new buyer who decided to go into wholesale to trade printing, of course the next step was to court the ad agencies, then corporate accounts, then retail to anyone. I warned him he wouldnt last, he was out of business in 4 years. you cant be wholesale and retail, it doesnt work.. eventually the core clients will leave you to starve off the little buyers.
 
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