Guide
Supplier prices creeping up? How to spot it and push back
The price rises that hurt most are not the big announced ones. They are the small increases each month that nobody notices, because each single month looks normal.
Why nobody notices
Bills are paid one at a time, often by different people. A charge that rises from 1,000 to 1,060 to 1,130 over three months never looks wrong on any one day. Over a year, at the new rate, that is more than 1,500 extra.
How to spot it
- List your payments to each supplier for the last three months
- Look for amounts that rise every month while you buy about as often as before
- Separate genuine price rises from buying more: more orders is volume, not price
- Multiply this month’s increase by twelve to see the yearly cost
How to push back
Ask, in writing, what has changed in the pricing, and whether a better rate is available for your volume or for a longer agreement. Get one or two comparison quotes first: a supplier who knows you have options listens differently. Be polite; you usually want to keep working together.
Make it a monthly habit
Big4CFO flags any supplier whose charges rose three months running, at the same buying frequency, with the yearly cost and a drafted letter asking for a better rate. You decide whether to send it.
Have it worked out on your own figures
Big4CFO checks your books to the cent and produces this every month, from your own records. One-time reports cost $49 (one month), $99 (three months) or $199 (twelve months). Monthly plans start at $349 a month (Foundational), with Growth at $599, Leverage at $899 and Capital Stack at $1,999.
Questions
- Is every price rise unreasonable?
- No. Suppliers face rising costs too. The point is to know about each rise and decide on it, rather than discover it at year-end.
See it on your own figures
One-time reports from $49, delivered within minutes. Monthly plans from $349. Every payment carries a 14-day money-back guarantee.