Retail buyers ask what a part costs. Trade buyers ask what an account costs them over a year - and the answer has less to do with the headline price than most people expect. This is what opening a trade account with a spare parts distributor actually involves, written from the distributor side of the counter.
What an account gives you. Wholesale pricing tiered by volume rather than a single retail rate. GST invoicing that reconciles cleanly into your books and your input credit. Credit terms on approval. Standing orders on your fast-moving lines so they arrive without being asked for. And priority when a line goes short, which over a year is often worth more than the discount, because a part you can get is worth more than a part that is cheaper somewhere it is out of stock.
Who qualifies. Parts retailers, service workshops and garages of any size, fleet operators, and dealers. Size is not the barrier people assume it is - a one-bay workshop doing steady volume on a predictable model mix is a better account than a larger buyer with erratic orders, and we treat it that way.
What to bring. Your GSTIN, proof of the business such as a shop establishment registration or a trade licence, PAN, and bank details if you want credit considered. Beyond the paperwork, bring two pieces of information that matter more: your expected monthly volume, and your model mix. A distributor who knows you mostly service a particular set of models can tell you what to stock and what to skip, which is the part of the relationship that actually saves you money.
How pricing tiers really work. Three things move a price: total volume, mix, and payment behaviour. Volume is obvious. Mix matters because an order made up of fast-moving consumables is worth more to a distributor than the same value in slow-moving model-specific electricals that tie up shelf space. Payment behaviour matters most of all and is the one nobody negotiates - an account that pays on the agreed day gets better terms within a year than an account that argued hard once and then pays late.
Credit, honestly. Credit is approved on trading history, not on the first meeting, and it usually starts smaller than a new account would like. That is not distrust; it is how the limit gets raised safely. The fastest route to better terms is boring - order steadily, pay on time, and the limit grows on its own. Ask for the terms in writing at the start so there is nothing to dispute later.
Sizing the first order. Do not open with a large order across a wide range. Count the jobs you completed last month, identify the lines those jobs consumed, and hold three to four weeks of the fast ones. Order the model-specific electrical and engine parts against the job instead. Rubber and cables age on a shelf, and capital sitting in slow stock is capital not available for the lines that turn.
What to ask a distributor before you commit. Can you confirm stock the same working day on a part code. What is your honest lead time on the lines you do not hold. Will you take back a wrong part supplied against a correct code. How deep is the catalogue - can one order cover a week, or will I be splitting orders across three suppliers. Are the branded lines coming through the official channel with proper invoicing. A distributor who answers those plainly, including the unflattering answers, is the one to open with.
Opening one with us. We have supplied dealers, mechanics and workshops in Mumbai since 1993, hold 8,039 part numbers across 14 authorized brands, and have two counters in South Mumbai at Lamington Road and Grant Road. Call the head office, or send your GSTIN, your monthly volume and your model mix through the enquiry form, and we will come back with a proposed opening order rather than just a price list.
For wholesale supply with GST invoicing, yes - a GSTIN is what allows the invoice to work properly for both sides. Tell us your situation if you are newly registered or mid-registration and we will explain what is possible in the meantime.
Pricing is tiered by volume and mix rather than gated behind one minimum figure. Workshops of any size can open an account. Tell us your monthly volume and model mix and we will be direct about which tier that puts you in.
We stock it. Send the part code for same-working-day confirmation.
