Two suppliers carry the same reagent at close to the same price. Which one gets the order?
Ian, a Virtual Lab Manager at Science Exchange, starts with service. Choose the supplier that communicates best: clear order updates, shipping notifications and fast answers when something slips. When the price gap is wide, cost can settle it. And when everything else is close, look at relationships. A supplier you already buy from often is worth continuing to build on, because a strong relationship gives you more room to negotiate better pricing down the road.
That last point is easy to overlook when you're focused on a single purchase. Every order you place adds to your history with a supplier, and that history carries weight. It shapes how responsive they are when you need something rushed, how willing they are to help track down an alternative when an item is backordered, and how seriously they take a request to revisit pricing. Spreading small orders across several near-identical suppliers can feel like keeping your options open, while steering them toward one gradually builds a partner who knows your lab and has a reason to work with you on cost.
In under two minutes, Ian walks through how to weigh all three.
Have another question? Submit it here.