A wholesale offer is more than a unit price. The minimum order, delivery terms and VAT treatment all change what you really earn. Here is how to read an offer and compare suppliers on equal terms. Browse the catalogue as you read: each reference shows its own minimum.
Why minimums exist
Suppliers set a minimum per reference to cover handling, packing and transport. At HC Health Trading the minimum is calculated per reference, and it typically starts around €2,000 of order value. You see the exact quantity on each product page once you have a free buyer account.
From unit price to margin: a worked example
This example is illustrative only. Suppose a reference costs €10.00 excluding VAT and the minimum order is €2,000, which is 200 units. If you resell at €19.00 excluding VAT, your gross margin is €9.00 per unit, or about 47 % of your selling price, and €1,800 on the full lot before logistics, payment fees and returns. Always compute the margin on your real selling price, not on the cost price.
Check your cash and rotation
A minimum lot is only attractive if you can sell it. Divide the quantity by your realistic monthly sales to see how many weeks of stock you are buying. Choose references you can rotate, and use a mixed assortment across ranges rather than one large lot of a slow product.
Questions to ask on every offer
- Price breaks: is the price lower at higher quantities?
- Delivery: shipping origin, transport cost, and who bears the risk in transit.
- Lead time: indicative dispatch time and how stock is confirmed.
- VAT: for a business in another EU country, an intra-community supply can be exempt with a valid VAT number, which you can check on the VIES service.
- Documents: conformity documents relevant to the product category.
- Returns: how defects and transport damage are handled.
Our approach
We show the price, stock and minimum quantity for each reference to registered professionals, and we quote larger or mixed volumes on request. Read more about us, or request a quote for your assortment.