The biggest competition to supply wholesalers is still Amazon

 As a professional handyman that does work for rental properties and small businesses,  most of the things I am requested to do are either "immediate need" or "within a week".  

Most of the projects I work on are not "new build" kinds of things.  It's mostly fixing existing problems and replacing items.

After that, it's assembly and installation of a variety of fixtures, furniture, and tech devices. 

I mention this because I know I'm not alone in this.  I've been in contact with many other professional handyman types who are also self-employed individuals and small teams.

When it comes to obtaining materials,  supplies, and various products,  we rely mostly on box retailers and Amazon.  Most of the time, we're not "big" enough to have accounts at most wholesale distributors. 

We also don't stock and store or re-sell enough items to buy in big numbers.  It's just one or a few things at a time for the particular projects we're working on.  If we're very small or individualized, we don't re-sell at all because that just complicates taxes and other government nonsense. 

So in a recent series of discussions I've had with "my" representative at a wholesale account I just managed to get started, I've been trying to explain when I was asked about why not many individuals or small timers like me have these types of accounts.

Being honest with the rep, because, being my adhd self, it's hard not to be what I'm told is "brutally honest", I mentioned that while I found the pricing opportunities to be very good and give me opportunities to pass more savings on to my clients and customers,  the biggest competition they had where I'm concerned is Amazon. 

I can get free next day (usually), or 2 day shipping.  With the scope of my smaller and more immediate need projects, I can't afford to stock much in volume so I need what I need when I need it and that's usually within a day or two.  Amazon,  when they have what I need, gives me that.  The wholesaler couldn't offer me better than free 2 to 4 days at best.  Amazon will win most of those comparison shopping matchups. 

I have to fit projects in between close time windows of guests departing or arriving to an airbnb or a resident moving in or moving out of a regular rental, in a great many situations.   I usually don't have 4 days just to wait for it to arrive.  Hence my reliance on local box retailers (I absolutely LOATHE shopping in stores) and Amazon with free next day or 2 day shipping.

The rep seemed surprised by the need for such common short turnover windows.  But then again, most wholesalers deal mostly with bigger maintenance and management companies,  bigger builders and the like.

We, us individual handyman types, are usually not the target market for wholesalers or the big box retailers that offer "Pro" accounts at their stores. So the pricing and availability of items we often need is... less.

I'm saying this all not as a complaint,  but as an observation.   The market is what it is and those who can purchase more and more frequently will usually get the best deals.

That said, I do appreciate the effort this particular sales rep and vendor has gone to, to even try to accommodate a self-employed professional handyman like myself.  


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