Reading a Wholesale Price Ladder
Tier pricing rewards volume, but the break points matter more than the headline rate. Here is how to read one.
A price ladder lists quantity ranges against a per-unit price: 100–499 at one rate, 500–999 at a lower one, 1,000 and above lower still. The headline is the bottom rate, but the number that decides your margin is where the breaks fall.
Look at the gap between where your order naturally lands and the next break. An order of 460 pieces at the 100–499 rate is leaving money behind if 500 pieces crosses into a materially better price — the extra 40 units can cost less than nothing.
Equally, be sceptical of a bottom tier you cannot reach. A rate quoted at 5,000 pieces is not your price if you buy 600, and comparing suppliers on their bottom tier compares two numbers neither of you will transact at.
Compare at your actual quantity. Take the volume you genuinely expect to buy in one order, read each supplier's ladder at that point, and add freight. That is the only comparison that reflects what you will pay.