Negotiating your purchases with a secondhand supplier

A secondhand seller's margin is decided at the moment of purchase, not at the moment of sale. You can't control what a buyer is willing to pay, nor how fast a piece sells. What you do control is what you agreed to pay for it.

That's why negotiating with a supplier, wholesaler, thrift store clearing stock, association or seller stopping work is a profitable skill. It can be learned and prepared. And it almost never consists of asking for a discount.

What you can negotiate, and what you never can

Many beginners approach a supplier trying to get the price per kilo or per piece lowered, and hit a polite refusal. That's normal; it's often the only variable the supplier can't move, because it's set by their own cost.

Everything around it does move. The lot composition, the right to sort, what happens with unusable pieces, payment terms, transport, regularity. These are levers that cost the supplier almost nothing and change your real margin significantly.

In other words, the right question isn't how much lower, but what can you include. That's a much easier conversation to start, and much more effective.

Preparing your negotiation: knowing your price ceiling

You don't negotiate without knowing the point at which the deal stops being worth it. You work out that figure before the meeting, never during.

Start with what you actually resell, not what you hope to. Take the average price from your last thirty sales of comparable pieces, subtract the platform commission, subtract the shipping costs you bear, subtract your unsold provision, which is the part of the lot you'll never sell. What's left is what the piece can earn you.

Then apply your margin target. If you're aiming for a multiplier of three, your maximum purchase price per piece is one third of what you just calculated. That number is your ceiling, and you don't exceed it just because the lot looks nice.

The complete method for this calculation is detailed in our article on working out your margin in the secondhand market. Without that figure, you're negotiating blind and you always end up accepting the offered price.

The six levers other than price

The right to sort. This is the most powerful lever, and the one most often forgotten. Being able to remove unusable pieces before paying changes your margin more than a ten percent discount on the whole lot. Many suppliers grant this on site, for a per-piece price slightly higher than the kilogram rate. It's almost always a good trade.

Volume over time. A supplier prefers a customer who takes a medium lot every month to one who takes a big lot once. Commit to a frequency rather than a quantity, and ask for first pick or priority on new arrivals as your reward.

Returns on unsold stock. For unsorted lots, ask what happens to pieces that obviously won't sell. Some suppliers will take them back or deduct them from the next lot. It's insurance that costs them nothing if they're already recycling those pieces elsewhere.

Payment terms. Paying at thirty days instead of on order lets you buy with money from your sales rather than from your own cash. It doesn't change your cost; it changes your ability to hold stock, which is often the real brake on getting started.

Transport. On a bulky lot, shipping can be a big part of the total cost. Ask for free shipping above a certain amount, or group your order with another seller. This expense is hidden in the quoted price and very real in your margin.

Lot composition. Rather than argue price, argue contents: more mid-season pieces, fewer extreme sizes, a guaranteed share of recognizable brands. A supplier who knows their stock can often adjust this at no real cost to them.

To understand what each lot category really contains, the DressKare article on grade A clothing bundles versus budget bundles explains what each level holds and what it yields.

Your first purchase from a new supplier

The rule is straightforward: your first lot isn't a purchase, it's a test. It's to measure real quality and reliability, not to build your stock.

Take the smallest volume they'll sell, even if the unit price isn't as good. That extra cost is the price of information, and it's much less than the cost of a disappointing big lot.

Then document what you actually got from that lot. Pieces received, pieces put up for sale after inspection, pieces sold at ninety days, average price obtained. Those four figures tell you if the supplier is good, and they give you the arguments for your next negotiation.

Stock inspection on arrival is inseparable from this measurement: our article on checking the condition of a garment describes what to check on each piece you receive.

When to refuse a lot

Saying no is half the skill. Three signals should make you walk away, whatever the price.

Refusal to sort combined with refusal to show a sample. A serious supplier will at least show you what a typical lot contains. Refusing both at once usually means the contents won't stand up to scrutiny.

A price too low to make sense. A lot sold well below market for in-demand brands almost always contains what nobody else wanted, or pieces of questionable origin. On this last point, selling a counterfeit puts your liability on the line even in good faith, as our article on spotting a counterfeit explains.

No invoice. Without the document, you can't justify the purchase in your accounts, can't prove your good faith if there's trouble, and can't deduct the expense. It's not a negotiable formality.

Building a relationship that lasts

The best negotiation is the one you don't have to do anymore. After three or four regular purchases, a good supplier starts setting aside what suits your sales, and that's where value gets built.

Three habits get you there. Pay on the agreed date, without fail, because it's the only thing a supplier really remembers. Tell them what sold well and what didn't; it helps them serve you better and positions you as a professional, not a one-off buyer. And stick to a sustainable frequency rather than swinging between big orders and long silences.

And never depend on one source. Two regular suppliers beat one perfect supplier: the day one changes policy, raises prices or closes, you don't have to shut down.

Frequently asked questions

Can you really negotiate with a wholesaler when you're starting out?

Yes, but not on the listed price. A supplier who doesn't know you won't lower their kilogram rate, because it's set by their own cost. What they will often discuss is everything around it: the right to sort on site, the lot composition, payment terms or free shipping. These levers cost the supplier almost nothing and improve your real margin significantly, which makes them the right entry point when you're starting out.

How do you know how far you can push on price?

By working out your price ceiling before the meeting. Start with the average price you've really got from your last comparable sales, subtract the platform commission, the shipping costs you bear and your unsold provision. Then apply your margin target: if you're aiming for three times, your maximum purchase price per item is one third of what's left. That figure is your ceiling, and you don't exceed it because the lot looks attractive.

Is a sorted lot worth more at higher price or raw lot at lower price?

The sorted lot almost always wins once you factor in the unsold provision. With a raw lot, a big share of the pieces will never sell, yet you pay for their weight, transport and handling time. The sorted lot costs more per item but almost everything you pay becomes sellable stock. The only case where a raw lot stays attractive is if you can sort it yourself before paying.

How much should you order on a first purchase?

The smallest volume the supplier will accept, even if the unit price isn't as good. That first lot isn't meant to stock your shop; it's a test. It's about measuring real quality and reliability. Then write down four figures: pieces received, pieces put up for sale after inspection, pieces sold at ninety days, and average price obtained. Those four numbers tell you whether the supplier is reliable and give you ammunition for your next negotiation.

Should you insist on an invoice for a clothing lot?

Yes, always, and it's not negotiable. Without an invoice you can't record the purchase, you can't deduct the expense, and you can't prove your good faith if there's a dispute or a counterfeit issue. A supplier who refuses to issue one is a supplier you shouldn't work with, no matter how good the price looks.