Vendor Pricing Overview

There are two ways to maintain the Price Codes file as vendor prices change.

  1. The first is to go through each of your records by hand and update the supplier cost. When dealing with hundreds of records, this can be very time consuming.

  2. The second, and best, method is to use your FrameReady Subscription from Adatasol Inc. Vendor pricing updates for moulding and matboard are supplied regularly for over 200 companies and manufacturers.

    While we try to make sure that all length, chop and join costs posted are accurate at all times, we cannot be responsible for typographical and other errors that may appear.

Note: Distributor-specific pricing for matboard is not provided. We will take you through the steps to perform both of these operations.

The Vendor Update process is automated but not automatic: you are still required to click the Update Vendor Pricing button, choose a vendor to begin the download, etc.

Understanding the Process

First, FrameReady finds the vendor, then proceeds to do a relookup. A relookup matches the Item number in the Price Codes file with the same Item number in the Update file. If a match is found, then the Cost, Chop, and Join wholesale costs are updated to the new pricing.

Second, FrameReady updates the Validation Date field to the date listed in the Update file. This date may be:

  • the vendor’s price effective date or

  • the date we received the file from the vendor.

The Description, Sizes, UPC, or Group fields are NOT updated.

Note: If you would like to update the Description, Sizes, UPC or Group fields, select the vendor to be updated, then press and hold down the Control key while clicking on the Proceed button. Once the Proceed/Cancel screen disappears, you can release the Control key. 

Handling New Items

The next thing the update procedure does is search for new item numbers in the Update file. These are items that the vendor has added to their product line. You are asked if you would like to import these new items into the Price Codes file. The records are then added to the existing records and you select the preferred way for ordering these new items (Cost, Chop, or Join for moulding). FrameReady will then apply your default formulas (as set in the Pricing Options and Defaults).

Handling Not Verified Items

Finally, the update procedure compares the new Validation Date with any earlier dates for the vendor that is being updated. If no records are found, then a list of the new items that were imported is shown. If some records were found that were not in the update, then you will be asked if you would like to identify these records as ‘Not Verified’. Once the records have been verified as no longer current, they may be deleted from the program, if you wish.

The Update Vendor Pricing button is only available from the Main Menu, bottom right corner.

A red notification circle appears alerts you to the number of vendors requiring updates.

This option may be turned off using the checkbox in the Price Codes Options screen on the Main Menu. The notification is triggered when FrameReady is first opened. This can cause a considerable delay in opening the program, particularly in communities with low internet bandwidth.

Updating Moulding, Matboard and Fabrics items

Automated Updates

  • The easiest and most efficient way of performing vendor pricing updates is to have fast internet access at your shop. This will allow you to perform the updates directly from the Main Menu of FrameReady.

  • Additionally, if you are networking FrameReady to multiple computers, the updates can be performed on any client station.

  • The Vendor Update functionality is not available when using FileMaker Go on iOS devices.

  • See  also: Automated Updates

A valid FrameReady Subscription is required to perform vendor updates.

Updating Glass, Hardware, Mounting, Mat Design, Extra and Fitting items

Note: All of these items need to be updated manually by you.

  • Each of these groups must be customized by you so they only contain the items you stock. For example, in the Glass group, you may only use three types of glass and not the dozen that FrameReady lists. More importantly, wholesale costs for these items vary drastically from one side of the country to another and are not included in the automatic updates.

  • It is up to you to manually update the wholesale costs of these items. Also, you may want to factor in your discount or the shipping fees.

  • It is recommended that you enter the date (top right corner) on which the new pricing was added.

Notes Tab

  • Displays any important notices or changes concerning individual vendors.  

  • Click on a vendor to view the note.

  • Notes can also be printed.  

  • When new notes are added, the word *NEW appears on the Note tab on the main vendor update screen. Clicking the Note tab clears the *NEW notification.

The Vendor Update process is automated but it is not automatic: you are still required to click the Update Vendor Pricing button, choose a vendor to begin the download, etc.

Note: While we try to make sure that all length, chop and join costs posted are accurate at all times, Adatasol Inc. cannot be responsible for typographical and other errors that may appear.

Important Information

  • All pricing in the program is suggestive (even the vendor code matrixes). Adatasol Inc. fully expect business owners to review the pricing before they start and while using FrameReady.

  • There is an onus on the business owner to ensure that the retail pricing is up-to-date, accurate, and fair. There is an onus on the moulding supplier to ensure that the wholesale costs and retail price matrixes are sent to business owners and software providers in a timely manner. And, there is an onus on the software provider to ensure that, once received from the supplier, the price updates are made available, also, in a timely manner.

  • Each party should do their due diligence. The onus of ensuring that your pricing is accurate, up-to-date, and fair rests with you. This responsibility cannot be deferred to another party. It is up to you to do a proper cost analysis to determine what is an acceptable profit margin and determine what is a fair retail price.

  • The wholesale costs and supplier retail price matrixes are provided to us by the moulding or matboard supplier. Adatasol Inc. do not have any control over when the prices are sent, what is sent, or the accuracy of the data. That is the responsibility of the supplier.

  • If a supplier is slow in sending an update, and we are notified by our clients of a price increase, then we will contact the supplier and request an update. As Adatasol Inc. are not a customer of any moulding or matboard supplier, we do not receive the same information as frame shops. There is no reasonable way for us to know when suppliers modify their wholesale costs or retail price matrixes.

 

© 2023 Adatasol, Inc.