Why suppliers set minimums
A minimum order quantity covers a supplier's fixed costs: setting up a production run, packing, and paperwork. Knowing that helps you negotiate. You're not asking them to lose money, you're helping them cover the same costs another way.
Before you ask
- Know your numbers. How many units do you sell a month, and how long would the minimum last? If the answer is a year, say so.
- Know what it costs you. Stock that sits on a shelf ties up cash and space. That's your real reason for asking.
- Know your future. If you expect to reorder regularly, that's worth more to a supplier than one big order.
Things you can offer instead
- Combine products. Ask if the minimum can apply across your whole order rather than per product.
- Pay a little more per unit for a smaller quantity.
- Commit to a schedule. A standing order every few months, split into smaller deliveries.
- Pay a small setup fee for a short run.
- Order from stock they already hold, which often has a lower minimum than made-to-order items.
- Start small, grow later. Ask for a trial order now, with the full minimum from your second order.
A short email you can send
Hi [name], we'd love to stock [product], but your minimum of [quantity] would be about [months] of stock for us, which is more than we can hold right now. Would you consider [a smaller first order / applying the minimum across our whole order / a slightly higher unit price for [quantity]]? We plan to reorder every [interval] if it sells as we expect. Thanks for considering it.
Case packs are different
A case pack is how many units come in a sealed carton. Suppliers rarely split cases, so plan to order in whole cases and treat that as a rounding rule rather than a negotiation.
How Posto helps
Record each supplier's minimum and case pack once, and Posto rounds every recommended order up to meet them. Each recommendation shows the quantity before and after rounding, so you can see exactly what a minimum is costing you in extra stock.