One half of the equation
This calculates our handling fee, which is what we charge to source, order and manage your purchases. It does not calculate what you save, and on most orders the saving is the larger number. Work out the fee here, then see the worked examples on the concierge page for what a real bedroom and living room came to.
Three parts, shown separately
A base fee covering the core procurement work, an item handling fee reflecting how many pieces there are to manage, and a value element on the order total. You see each one rather than a single opaque figure.
Separate from the trade price
You see the trade price and you pay the trade price. Our discounts are passed on in full rather than absorbed as margin, and the fee sits alongside them rather than hidden inside them. On most orders the discount is comfortably the larger figure.
Confirmed before anything is ordered
This gives you an estimate. The real figure comes with your written proposal, item by item, alongside the discount on each and your total saving against retail. Nothing is ordered until you approve it.
The work behind the number
Whichever way the fee is made up, this is what it pays for.
- Sourcing and checking availability across every brand on your list
- Securing trade pricing and confirming the discount on each item in writing
- Placing the orders in your name, so the warranty and your consumer rights stay yours
- Coordinating deliveries across suppliers with very different lead times
- Tracking every order and chasing when something slips, without you having to ask
- Reporting faults and chasing the supplier through to resolution, with anything protracted flagged to you before we spend more time on it
- Keeping your account open for six to twelve months, so you can order in stages
Most problems are settled in a handful of exchanges with the supplier, and that is included. Occasionally something becomes protracted: a claim that drags on for weeks, a supplier who stops responding, a dispute that needs formal escalation. If that happens we will tell you where it stands and what further time would involve, and agree it with you rather than quietly absorbing it or quietly billing for it. What we will not do is hand it back to you and wish you luck.
If something has to go back
We can manage returns and exchanges on your behalf rather than leaving you to argue with a supplier. It is charged separately from the procurement fee, because it is work that only some orders need.
- £50 per return request, covering the arrangement and the correspondence
- Plus £10 per item within that request
- Separate from any restocking charge or return shipping the supplier applies
- Every cost confirmed with you before we proceed with anything
Where an item arrives damaged or is not what was ordered, that is a fault rather than a return, and we chase it with the supplier as part of the service at no additional charge. The fees above apply where you have changed your mind or want to exchange something that arrived as specified.
What people ask about the fee
How is the procurement handling fee calculated?
It has three parts, shown separately rather than as one figure: a base fee covering the core procurement work, an item handling fee reflecting how many pieces there are to manage, and a value element calculated on the order total. The calculator gives you an estimate. The real figure is confirmed in your written proposal before anything is ordered.
Is the handling fee included in the price of the furniture?
No. You see the trade price and you pay the trade price. Trade discounts are passed on in full rather than absorbed as margin, and the handling fee sits alongside them rather than hidden inside them. On most orders the discount is comfortably the larger figure.
What does the handling fee cover?
Sourcing and checking availability, securing trade pricing, placing orders in your name, coordinating deliveries across suppliers with different lead times, tracking orders and chasing when something slips, and reporting faults and chasing suppliers through to resolution. Where something becomes protracted we agree any further time with you first rather than absorbing it or billing for it unannounced. Your account also stays open for six to twelve months so you can order in stages.
What does it cost to return or exchange something?
Returns and exchanges are charged separately at £50 per return request plus £10 per item within that request. That sits apart from any restocking charge or return shipping the supplier applies, and every cost is confirmed with you before we proceed. Where an item arrives damaged or is not what was ordered, that is a fault rather than a return and we chase it as part of the service at no additional charge.
Do I need to have used your design service to use furniture procurement?
No. It is a stand-alone service. Send us a list you have put together yourself, or one another designer produced, and we will price it with the discount on each item shown before you commit to anything.
Get the real number
An estimate is useful for planning. A proposal is what you decide on. Send us your list and we will come back with availability, trade pricing, the discount on every item, your total saving against retail and the handling fee, all in writing, before you commit to anything.
See what you would save
Two rooms costed against real discounts from our network, with our fee netted off and the totals shown.
Worked examplesCheck the discounts yourself
Every brand in our network with its trade discount published, so you can look up the pieces you already have in mind.
Supplier networkYou do not need to have worked with us before. Send us your list and we will price it.
We can price a list. We cannot price a rough idea.
Everything above assumes you know roughly what you are buying. Plenty of people do not yet, and a fee calculator is not much use until they do. Working out what a room actually needs, in what order, and how long each category takes to arrive is a separate job, and it comes first.
Furniture Budgeting & Sequencing is our guide to putting that list together, eleven chapters covering what a room really costs, lead times by category, and the order to buy in. Instant A4 PDF download. It is not a proposal and it carries no pricing for your project, so when the list does exist, come back and we will cost it properly.