Forward buying for wholesale distribution
Put the supplier deal
to the test.
Measure return on added investment (ROAI): the annualized return on the extra inventory investment after carrying costs. Evaluate stockout exposure when availability history is available. Get a buy/no-buy decision and item quantities from your own vendor-line export.
Free to use. No account or card required. Your inventory data stays in your browser.
- Electrical
- Plumbing
- HVAC
- PVF
One offer. One vendor line.
From supplier terms
to purchase quantities.
Bring the export you already have. Forward Buys makes the economics and assumptions visible before you commit the cash.
See the data requirements- 01
Define the deal
Enter the price increase, discount brackets, or avoided freight charge, along with the terms you actually receive.
- 02
Check the vendor line
Map 12–24 months of usage. Add dated on-hand snapshots to measure fill-in risk and identify missing coverage.
- 03
Review and take it to purchasing
See the return, cash requirement and item exclusions. Download quantities and a memo with the calculation behind the decision.
A purchase you can explain
Return on added investment.
The economics behind the buy.
Normal and extra quantities reconcile to one purchase. Discounts already earned by the normal order count in the comparison, and pack rounding counts in the investment.
See a complete example- Cash required
- Total invoice, extra-stock invoice and incremental investment shown separately.
- Inventory exposure
- Item-level fill-in estimates and liquidation ranges when availability can be scored.
- A record of the decision
- CSV quantities, printable memo, assumptions and exclusions ready for review.
Buying decisions, worked through
Before you commit the cash.
Buying ahead of a price increase
How many extra months does a supplier increase justify? The return on each month, and when to stop.
Quantity discounts and freight thresholds
When the next bracket or free freight is worth the extra stock, and when fill-in risk reverses the answer.
Forward buying calculator
Enter your own purchases, discount and carrying cost. No account or upload required.
Start with the numbers
Bring your next supplier deal.
The full workbench is free, including your own vendor-line exports, item quantities and decision downloads.