Frequently Asked Questions
Getting Started
What is PurchasingPlatform?
Purchasing Platform is a B2B online marketplace and spend management solution for hundreds of companies in the Manufactured Housing, Multifamily Real Estate, and other industries. We have established relationships with top-tier vendors for your benefit. We even save time for your accounting team by mapping all purchases made on our site to your internal system! All of our members get discounted access to OpEx and CapEx quotations and purchases from new and existing vendor relationships via our Buying Desk team.
How much does it cost?
Signing up and beginning to use the platform is entirely free! Members of Purchasing Platform are only charged a subscription fee once they've surpassed $200 in monthly expenditure; however if your organization has multiple locations, please contact us at accountmanagement@purchasingplatform.com for information on how we can customize your organization's subscription. Subscriptions are on a month-to-month basis and can be cancelled at any time.
What is the Buying Desk and how do I use it?
The Buying Desk is the on-demand procurement department that we provide for you. They will search for products that are not listed in our regular vendor catalogs, or that require a quote before you can order them through the platform. For larger projects we will assign a representative from our Strategic Project Management team to work with you on sourcing multiple quotations and choosing when/how to move forward. Follow this link to learn more and submit a request for either team!
Terms of Use
Your decision to partner with Purchasing Platform is important to our company. To better protect you, we provide this notice explaining our terms of use and the choices you can make about your use of Purchasing Platform's services: Terms of Use
Privacy Statement
Your privacy is important to Purchasing Platform. To better protect your privacy we provide this notice explaining our practices and the choices you can make about the way your information is collected and used: Privacy Policy
Can I talk with a person?
Absolutely! We're available Mon-Fri, 8 am-5 pm CT when you open a chat on the platform. If we miss you for some reason, we will get back to you as soon as possible. You can also call us at (312) 583-7500 or send us an email.
In case you want to send us a greeting card, our mailing address is:
Purchasing Platform, LLC
444 N Wells Street, Suite 502
Chicago, IL 60654
Shipping
How long does shipping take?
Our goal is to process your order as efficiently as possible, however shipping time frames vary by vendor. Our main suppliers deliver within 13 business days, unless a product page indicates otherwise. You should receive a notification via email if there will be any delay due to stocking availability. Check your order confirmation and shipping confirmations, and contact our Customer Success team ( support@purchasingplatform.com) if you have any concerns about an ETA!
Where is my stuff?
If your order has not arrived within three business days of its approval and you have not received a shipping notification, please check your Order History for any available tracking in the system. You can also contact our Customer Success team by email at support@purchasingplatform.com, or through chat and phone, during our normal business hours if you have any concerns about an ETA.
What if something I ordered is damaged? Can I get a refund?
When an item arrives damaged, there are two options available to you.
- If the item arrives obviously damaged, you can refuse the delivery. Tell the delivery driver you are refusing the delivery and they should be able to handle the return of that.
- You can accept the item and arrange a return.
Damaged items should be reported to Purchasing Platform customer support within 3 business days of receiving the damaged items. We recommend reporting this damage with photos of the damage as many vendors request this information. Damaged items are eligible for a return and reshipment within that window. In the event you are reporting damaged items outside of 3 business days, it is at the vendor’s discretion and may not be eligible for return. We will reach out on your behalf to request the return. How much does shipping cost?
Most of the time there is no additional shipping cost for products purchased on Purchasing Platform! You may occasionally come across a Less than Load (LTL) Fee, or other Vendor Fee associated with shipping during the checkout process.
LTL is for the transportation of relatively large freight items, as well as items which need special consideration due to their weight or hazardous chemicals. The alternatives to LTL carriers are parcel carriers or full truckload carriers. Our vendors determine what type of carrier is needed to ship each product. This means that sometimes a shipping fee accrues on larger items like appliances, power equipment, or electronics, during checkout.
What if I received an incorrect item?
If the vendor mispicked and shipped an incorrect item, this should be reported to Purchasing Platform customer support with photos within 3 business days of receiving the incorrect item. Mispicked items are eligible for a return and reshipment. In the event you are reporting mispicked items outside of 3 business days, it is at the vendor’s discretion and may not be eligible for return. We will reach out on your behalf to request the return.
PLACING AN ORDER
What if I can’t find what I am looking for?
Search engines can be tricky. Try limiting your search term between 2-5 words. If it’s already inside those parameters, try deleting a word or two and use the filters to narrow your search further. Manufacturer’s part numbers and vendor SKUs should pull up results on PP if those products are in our vendor catalogs. Otherwise, you can try describing the item (e.g. kitchen sink faucet).
If you have any trouble at all, you can always chat with us on the site, drop us a line, or shoot an email our way, and we’ll be happy to help! You can also submit a Buying Desk request for the product name and our team will find a source for the item if it is not available through the regular vendor catalogs.
Why did this price change?
We update pricing throughout the year. Occasionally, a price may be entered into our site incorrectly and we do not catch the error until we process your order, since this data is sent by our vendors. As such, we reserve the right to make corrections to information found on our site and corrections to orders that are affected. It is not uncommon for manufacturers to raise prices from time to time. Thus, our site may state different levels of pricing at different periods of time.
Do you offer bulk/discount pricing?
You better believe it! To request a quote on a bulk order, contact Buying Desk and a team member will reach out to assist you.
How do I know my order’s status?
Once you submit your order, you will receive follow up emails, including an order confirmation and shipping confirmation(s). If your account has workflow approval for ordering, you will also receive an email confirming that your order was approved by a supervisor. NB: if you do not see any emails from Purchasing Platform, try checking your spam, junk or promotions folders!
Please read these emails carefully and if any discrepancies are found, please email our Customer Success team.
You can also track the shipping progress of different products from your Order History. You can find this page when you login, hover your mouse over your name in the upper right corner, and then select ‘Orders’. From there, simply select the order number in blue that you want to investigate for shipping updates.
How do I return this?
Orders should be reviewed upon receipt and Purchasing Platform must be notified of shipping issues (eg. damaged upon receipt) within 3 business days. If you request a return for items received outside of the 3 business day window, they may not be eligible for return. We will advocate on your behalf but returns are subject to our vendors’ policies and discretion.
Returned products must be in the condition you received them and in the original box and/or packaging.
Special order items requested through the Buying Desk or Strategic Project Management Team may be eligible for return under special circumstances: damaged in shipment, defective, or the vendor has shipped the incorrect item.
Please contact Purchasing Platform to initiate any return process for orders placed on the platform.
No matter the reason for a return, we will need to set up a Return Authorization prior to you shipping the order back to the vendor. Please email support@purchasingplatform.com or chat in with us and we will assist you. You can also request your return directly from the product on your Purchasing Platform order dashboard.
What if I made a mistake placing my order?
Any return requested that is not the result of vendor or shipper error is considered a Buyer’s Remorse return. Buyer’s Remorse returns happen because of, but are not limited to, the following reasons:
- Ordered larger quantity than was needed
- Ordered incorrect item
- No longer need ordered item
- Unneeded item was on an order and approved by supervisor
These return requests should be initiated within 2 weeks of receiving the item and return approval is at the sole discretion of the vendor. These returns are subject to a 20% restocking fee. If the vendor accepts the return request, any applicable return shipping charges must be paid for by the property/company initiating the return. Additionally, if the items are delivered by a retail store that uses a 3rd party delivery service/shipper, you may be asked to return the items in person to the nearest store location.
NOTE: Items procured through Buying Desk or the Strategic Project Management Team via special request are not eligible for Buyer’s Remorse returns. How do I place an order for Store Pickup?
It’s important to submit a quote request to the Buying Desk first, so they can check inventory and pricing at your local store! Once you submit your request, you’ll get a confirmation email. The Buying Desk team will contact you within an hour to let you know who is handling the request and if they have any follow up questions.
When your product link is ready to order, you’ll receive another email. Login to Purchasing Platform and select ‘Buying Desk’ to see your quote request dashboard. You can click on the new product’s name in blue to review your product(s), then add them to your cart and complete the checkout process on the platform as normal.
Please wait for a member of the Order Success team to contact you before you head to the store! You will receive an email that contains all the information you need in order to complete your pickup successfully!
Manage Your Account
What if I forgot my password?
Follow this link to verify your account and set a new one!
Can I change my shipping address?
Any permanent account changes like updating a shipping address or updating your Default Location (if you have multiple properties on your account) can be handled either within your own company (check with your supervisor), or by our Customer Success team (support@puchasingplatform.com). You can also permanently assign a new property location to your account this way.
If you need an immediate solution, during checkout, you can enter a custom address, near the top of your screen - this address does not carry over to future orders. You also have the option to bill your order to one location and ship it to another.
Can I use a different payment method?
Any account changes like payment information must be handled either within your own company (check with your supervisor), or by our Account Management team ( accountmanagement@purchasingplatform.com ).
In the meantime, you can insert a custom payment method (eg: credit card) into any order during the checkout process. This payment method does not carry over to future orders!
How do I know it is safe to save my Credit Card info?
At Purchasing Platform we don't just stand behind our merchandise. We also do our best to provide a safe and convenient online shopping experience. Protecting the safety of your credit card information is important to us. We use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology to protect the security of your credit card information as it is transmitted to us. This the same secure ordering security used by large online retailers. SSL is the gold standard in Internet encryption technology, which is a fancy way of saying that it's a highly sophisticated method of scrambling data as it travels from your computer to our websites servers.
To make sure you are accessing our secure server before you submit personal financial information, look at the URL or Location line of your browser. If you have accessed our secure server, the first characters of the address in that line should change from "http" to "https."
Can I look up my Order History?
Absolutely. Right here! You can find this page again when you login, hover your mouse over your name in the upper right corner, and then select ‘Orders’.
Who can I talk to about my Quote Request?
If you are seeking a progress update on a quote request you submitted to our teams, please first visit your Buying Desk Dashboard and see if we have sent you a notification by clicking on the little bell icon next to the product name(s).
If there’s no new message or you have a follow up question, please email buydesk@purchasingplatform.com and cc spt@purchasingplatform.com to ensure both teams see your email. Remember to reference your quote ID number in the body/ subject line of your email so the correct team can reply promptly.
MANAGE YOUR COMPANY
What are Order Approvals and how do I setup / edit them?
The approval system on Purchasing Platform assures supply needs are met with each order, while keeping your company in budget. Supervisors can set approval requirements and spending limits. The limit can be any amount, including zero. Any order over that limit will trigger a request for approval from the member’s supervisor.
Permissions are required to set up and edit these settings, so check your account to see if you have access to manage your company settings. If you do, from the Members page, locate the member you would like to edit and select their name, in blue. On the next screen, under the Permissions section, select ‘Manage’ and complete the fields as necessary. Enter the dollar threshold you’d like to set in the Spend Exceeds field (anything over this dollar amount will be routed for approval). Note that if there is a spend limit, there must be at least one supervisor assigned for the member in the Supervisor section of the Member profile. Remember to save all changes! If you do not have access to these settings, check with your supervisor or account administrator for Purchasing Platform.
How can I add people to our Company Account?
It is easy to create a new member. Just click the ‘Add Member’ button in the top right corner of the Members page of your settings dashboard. Once you create the new profile, you can select their name in blue and then edit their settings such as locations, supervisors and payment methods.
What other company settings are customizable?
Locations, Payment Methods, Chart of Accounts/Expense Classification, and which vendors and products your company has access to can all be customized in the Settings of Purchasing Platform by anyone with the permission “Manage Company Settings” in your company.