Suppliers

What are suppliers?

A supplier is the business you order materials from — for example a wholesaler, distributor, or local trade store. Each supplier has full company information so your team knows where to order and who to call:

• Name and an optional description.
• ABN (Australian Business Number) for accounting and invoicing.
• A primary contact — first name, last name, phone, mobile, email.
• A mailing address — street, suburb, state, postcode, country.

Suppliers are separate from Brands — a supplier is who you buy from, a brand is who makes the product. The same supplier can sell many brands.

Where to find suppliers

In the sidebar, click Vendors → Suppliers. You will see a list of suppliers with their logo, description, ABN, primary contact, and contact info.

Adding a supplier

1. Click Vendors → Suppliers in the sidebar.

2. Click Add supplier.

3. Fill in the Business Information section:

   • Name — Trading name of the supplier.
   • Description — Optional notes (for example “Preferred Brisbane HVAC wholesaler”).
   • ABN — Australian Business Number.
   • Logo — Optional image; appears on the suppliers list.

4. Fill in the Contact Information section — first name, last name, mobile, phone, and email of the person you usually deal with.

5. Fill in the Mailing Address section — street, suburb, state, postcode, and country.

6. Click Save.

The supplier is now available when adding or editing a material.

Editing a supplier

1. Click a supplier row to open its detail page.

2. Update any of the Business Information, Contact Information, or Mailing Address fields.

3. Click Save.

You can also open the supplier directly from a material — the material edit dialog has a link to the supplier record.

Archiving a supplier

If you no longer order from a supplier, archive it instead of deleting:

1. Open Vendors → Suppliers.

2. Find the row, open the actions menu, and choose Archive.

Archived suppliers are hidden from new material entries but existing materials retain the supplier reference.

Duplicating a supplier

Use the row’s actions menu and choose Duplicate to create a copy of an existing supplier — useful when you have multiple branches of the same wholesaler with different addresses.

Linking suppliers to materials

When you add or edit a material, the Supplier picker lists active suppliers. Pick the supplier you order from for that material. The supplier appears on the material detail and can be shown on take-off sheets and purchase summaries.

Frequently asked questions

Can the same supplier serve more than one brand?

Yes — that is the typical case. A wholesaler will usually stock many brands. Use the Brand field on the material to identify the manufacturer and the Supplier field to record where you order it.

What happens to existing quotes if I archive a supplier?

Existing quotes that reference the supplier on a material keep the supplier info on file. The supplier is hidden from the picker for new materials, but archived suppliers can be re-activated at any time from the Vendors → Suppliers list.

Why does the same material show different prices for different suppliers in the past?

If you have moved the material between suppliers and your book uses supplier-specific cost lists, the cost recorded on the material follows the current supplier. Past quotes keep the cost they were created with.

Things to check

Supplier not appearing when editing a material

Only active suppliers appear in the picker. Open Vendors → Suppliers, switch the archived filter on, and confirm the supplier is not archived.

Supplier contact info looks wrong on a purchase email

Update the contact name, phone, or email in Vendors → Suppliers and re-send. Purchase emails read the supplier record at send time.

Vendors Overview How brands and suppliers are split in brix.

Brands Manage the list of brands and brand logos used on materials.

Materials Link materials to a brand and a supplier.