Wholesale vs Retail Artificial Plants: Who Can Buy Trade and What Changes
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You can buy trade if you are buying in the course of business: to resell, to use in a paid project for a client, or to furnish your own business premises. If you are buying for your own home, a retail site is the right route. Buying trade changes four things: prices are shown ex VAT, there is a minimum order, returns follow business-to-business terms rather than consumer rights, and payment is taken up front.
Who can buy trade, and who can't
Leaf Design Wholesale is a trade-only site. The test is simple: is this purchase for a business? The businesses we supply include:
- Retailers of every size: gift and homeware shops, garden centres, market traders and online sellers.
- Florists and event stylists buying stems and arrangements for work they sell or hire out.
- Interior designers, property stagers and contractors buying for a client project.
- Hotels, restaurants, bars, offices, care providers and other businesses buying for their own premises.
Sole traders and partnerships count as well as limited companies; what matters is the purpose of the purchase, not the legal form of the business. A purchase for your own home, or on behalf of friends and family, is not a trade purchase even if you own a business.
Register online, log in to see trade prices. By ordering you confirm you are buying in the course of business, and we may ask for business details, such as your trading name, website or a business address, before a first order is dispatched. The full account and ordering terms are on our ordering, accounts and delivery page.
Reading ex-VAT trade prices
Every price on this site is shown ex VAT. VAT is added at checkout, and you receive a VAT invoice with the order. That is the norm in trade because most business buyers reclaim the VAT they pay, so the ex-VAT figure is their real cost.
An illustrative example, not a Leaf price: an item shown at £50 ex VAT will cost £60 at checkout with VAT at 20%. If your business is VAT registered, you can generally reclaim the £10 as input tax and your cost of goods is £50. If you are not VAT registered, the £10 is a real cost and you should work from the £60 figure when you price your own products or quotes.
Two further reading points catch out new trade buyers. First, every line sells individually, including flower stems, foliage stems, ferns and grasses, and 6 or more multibuy lines earn 20% off automatically. Second, compare like with like: a retail price includes VAT, while a trade price does not, and neither necessarily includes delivery. For the full maths of markup, margin and landed cost, read How Wholesale Artificial Plant Pricing and Retail Margin Work.
Minimums and delivery thresholds
Retail sites rarely have a minimum order. Trade sites nearly always do, because picking and packing a single low-value item is uneconomic at trade prices. Ours is £150 ex VAT per order, with no per-line minimum and every line sold individually, so the £150 can be made up of any mix of lines.
Delivery works on a threshold too. UK mainland delivery is £14.99 on orders under £300 ex VAT and free on orders of £300 ex VAT or more. We dispatch within one working day of cleared funds; next-working-day delivery is available as a paid extra for orders placed before 9am Monday to Friday. Remote areas and the Scottish Highlands and Islands carry set surcharges, and EU and rest-of-world orders are quoted individually.
In practice, trade buyers plan fewer, larger orders. A florist who needs stems every fortnight may find a monthly order past £300 cheaper overall than two smaller ones, provided the stock can be stored and the cash is there to pay up front.
Returns: why business terms differ from consumer rights
This is the difference that matters most and is read least. When a consumer buys online in the UK, they have a statutory right to cancel within 14 days for most goods, as well as rights over faulty goods. Those cancellation rights are consumer protections; they do not apply to a business buying for its business.
Our business terms are:
- Report damage or a shortage within 24 hours of delivery, and a lost order within 3 days.
- Faulty goods are credited or replaced when reported within 14 days.
- Goods that are not faulty can only be returned if we agree it in writing within 14 days.
- Agreed returns carry a restocking fee of 20% or £25, whichever is greater.
The practical consequence is that trade buyers should check before ordering rather than after. Read the height, width and pot size on each product page, and for a line you have not used before, see it first: trade customers can visit our Louth showroom by appointment.
Payment and paperwork
Orders on this site are paid up front, by card at checkout, by PayPal, by bank transfer, or by card over the phone. There are no credit terms here. If your business needs payment terms, credit may be available when you buy from us through Faire Direct, on Faire's terms.
Every order comes with a VAT invoice. Keep it with your purchase records; if you are VAT registered, it is the document that supports your input tax reclaim. For resellers who need product information rather than paperwork, logged-in trade customers can use our resource library of product photography and descriptions, with a stock and price feed updated hourly.
Retail, wholesale or dropship: which route fits
There are three ways a business can get artificial plants in front of its own customers, and they suit different situations.
| Factor | Trade (this site) | Consumer retail | Dropshipping |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who can buy | Businesses buying in the course of business | Anyone | Online retailers |
| Price display | Ex VAT, shown once logged in | Inc VAT, shown to all | Set by the dropship service |
| VAT invoice | Supplied with every order | Not usually needed | Per the dropship service |
| Minimum order | £150 ex VAT | Usually none | Per the dropship service |
| Delivery | £14.99 under £300 ex VAT; free at £300 | Consumer delivery rates | Sent direct to your customer |
| Returns | Business terms: faulty goods only unless agreed | Consumer statutory rights | Per the dropship service |
| Who holds stock | You | You, bought at retail prices | The supplier |
Buy trade when you want to hold stock, control presentation and earn a margin on resale or on a project. Buy retail when the purchase is small, one-off or for your home. Consider dropshipping when you sell online and do not want to hold stock; Leaf runs that as a separate business, Leaf Dropship, at leafdropship.co.uk, with its own terms, and the scheduled guide Wholesale vs Dropshipping Artificial Plants: Which Model Fits compares the two models in depth.
What trade buyers typically order
The mix depends on the business. Some typical starting points from the current range:
- Florists and stylists buy single stems, such as the 65cm white gypsophila spray, and foliage such as the 80cm pink eucalyptus stem to bulk out arrangements, with 20% off 6 or more. The florist trade resource compares lines by colour and length.
- Gift and homeware retailers often start with small potted lines for shelves and counters, such as the 18cm white flowering freesia, alongside trailing plants like the 70cm string of pearls.
- Interior designers and stagers buy statement trees in a finished planter, for example the 130cm variegated ficus with copper planter.
- Hotels, restaurants and offices buy for their own spaces: entrance topiary such as the 90cm twist-trunk bay ball tree, and floor-standing trees like the 150cm money tree.
Browse everything in the full range, or start with flower stems if you work with arrangements.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to be VAT registered to buy trade?
What we check is that you are buying for a business. If you are not VAT registered, contact us before your first order so we know what details to check, and remember that the VAT added at checkout is then a real cost to your business.
Can I buy trade for a one-off project?
Yes, if the project is business work, such as dressing a client's office or staging a property for sale. The £150 ex VAT minimum applies to each order.
Can I buy through the trade site for my own home if I own a business?
No. A purchase for personal use is not a trade purchase, whoever makes it. Use a retail site for anything for your own home.
Why can't I see prices?
Trade prices appear once you are logged in. Register on our registration page, sign in with the code sent to your email, and prices show on every product.
Is there a difference in product quality between trade and retail?
Not by channel. The same product is the same product; what changes is the price basis, the minimum, the returns terms and who can buy. Judge quality line by line, using dimensions, photos and, where it matters, a showroom visit.
If you buy for a business
If you buy for a business, register online, log in to see trade prices. Our ordering, accounts and delivery page sets out the terms in full, and How Wholesale Artificial Plant Buying Works walks through a first order step by step. For short answers on VAT, delivery and returns, see the wholesale FAQ. If you are planning a retail range, our range planning page for retailers is the place to start.
