A trade account is not a discount sticker on a list price. It is a small contract with four working parts: the basis your prices are calculated on, the way better prices are earned, the payment terms, and the rules for when prices change. An installer who has read all four knows the real hardware cost before quoting a job. An installer who has read none of them finds out at the invoice.
Key Takeaways
- A trade account has four parts — price basis, tier mechanics, payment terms, price-change rules — and all four are supplier-specific.
- There is no standard trade discount; the figure in your own agreement, for the exact variant, is the only one that counts.
- Margin usually leaks through unread paperwork: moved prices, assumed tiers, late-surfacing delivery conditions.
- Set your customer quote validity against the supplier’s price-change notice period.
The Four Parts of a Trade Account
| Part | What it sets | What to check before you rely on it |
|---|---|---|
| Price basis | Whether your prices are net account prices, or a discount calculated from a published list | Which list, which version of it, and whether the exact models and cable variants you fit are actually on it |
| Tier mechanics | How better prices are earned — by order volume, by period spend, or by product line — on the supplier’s published conditions | What counts toward the tier, when it is reviewed, and what happens to your price if you fall short |
| Payment terms | When you pay the supplier, set against when your customer pays you | Whether a credit line exists, what it requires, and what late payment does to the account |
| Price changes and validity | How much notice precedes a price change, and whether prices on orders already accepted are honoured | The notice period in writing — set your own quote validity to customers against it |
There is no standard version of any of these four parts. Two suppliers can offer the same headline discount and run accounts that behave completely differently, because the discount is only the arithmetic — the terms decide when it applies, to what, and for how long.
Where Margin Leaks Between Your Quote and Their Invoice
- You quoted from a price that has since moved. The customer accepted last month’s number; the account price changed inside a notice period you never read. Your quote validity window is your own policy — set it against the supplier’s notice period.
- The tier you assumed is not the tier you are on. A price seen at a higher volume band gets used in a quote, then the order goes through at your actual band.
- Delivery conditions surface late. Minimum-order and carriage conditions are account terms; read them before the urgent single-unit order, not on its invoice.
- The variant is priced differently. Cable length and configuration variants can sit at different prices on the same model line. Quote the exact variant, and order the exact variant quoted.
None of these leaks is a pricing trick by the supplier; all four are unread paperwork. How per-order prices are built on the factory side is set out in our guides to FOB vs DDP importing and payment terms for OEM charger orders; your account is where those mechanics land.
Trade Pricing at EVDANCE
EVDANCE supplies installers, resellers and brands from its Shenzhen factory: founded in 2011, exports to more than 30 countries, private label from 100 units, and a 3-year standard warranty. Trade arrangements run through the reseller and distributor programme; a typical installer line is the EV-ACS4005T (40A NACS portable, 9.6 kW, 16/24/32/40 A adjustable, IP66). Send the models and volumes you expect via contact us, and ask for the four parts in writing: price basis, tier conditions, payment terms, price-change notice. A confident supplier puts all four on paper.
Frequently Asked Questions
How big is a typical trade discount?
There is no typical figure to quote. The discount — or the net price — is set by each supplier’s terms and by the tier your account has earned. Anyone who names a standard percentage for the trade is guessing; the only number that matters is the one in your own account agreement, for the exact model and variant.
Does opening a trade account mean I get credit?
Not automatically. An account is the pricing relationship; payment terms are a separate part of the agreement, and a credit line, where one exists, usually has its own conditions. Read the payment section on its own: the cash-flow gap between supplier invoices and customer payments is yours to manage.
Can my tier go down as well as up?
Tiers are reviewed against the supplier’s published conditions, so yes, a quieter period can move an account back. Ask what the review measures and how often it runs, and re-check your band before quoting a large job on a remembered price.
Related Reading
- EV Charger MOQ Explained: What Sets Minimum Order Quantities
- Payment Terms for OEM EV Charger Orders
- FOB vs DDP: How to Import EV Chargers From China Without Surprises
