Wholesale meat: should I buy online or offline?

The short answer is, it depends on what you need and how you like to do business. Obviously, as specialist wholesalers, we can say a lot more than that and we intend to! Continue reading for a run down on what you need to consider when choosing between online purchases or a more traditional approach.

Convenience

The biggest difference when purchasing wholesale meat online, rather than needing to visit or place an order manually (either by telephone or in person), is the convenience for you.

You’re busy and the times you are available to find the cuts of meat you need at the best prices may not be within normal office hours. This is where doing business online comes into its own – you can do it whenever it suits you.

A proper online wholesale portal can be better than ordering by email, because you can see what’s available and what the prices are whenever you log in. There’s no waiting for a reply from your wholesaler to confirm current prices or if it’s in stock.

Cost savings

There are different schools of thought on who of online or traditional meat wholesalers offers best value for money. Both online and traditional wholesalers tend to offer discounts for bulk orders, so there’s little to choose between them there.

If you build a relationship with a local wholesaler and visit or speak with them often, they may be inclined to offer you a discount or to call you first if they have a particularly good deal they know you’ll be interested in.

On the other hand, if you buy online your supplier can usually offer lower prices overall than a local supplier. An online operation is usually more cost efficient and is set up to access meat suppliers from all over the world, meaning you get access to the best value cuts from wherever they are.

Variety

In our experience, online wholesalers tend to offer more different cuts of each type of meat and tend to be able to source more obscure cuts at better prices. They usually have a bigger network of suppliers than traditional wholesalers and better distribution networks, simply because the online business is set up to avoid being constrained by local suppliers.

On the other hand, your local or more traditional wholesaler will probably specialise in meat from specific animals (for example beef) or certain cuts of meat. So if you find a wholesaler who has a great reputation for the products you buy often it makes sense to stick with them. If, on the other hand you purchase a lot of different kinds of meat or you want to reduce the number of suppliers you are purchasing from, buying online may be best.

Quality and freshness

You’re looking for the best quality meat or fish for your budget. When you can visit your wholesaler and have a butcher’s for yourself (see what we did there?) you can check the colour, texture and smell of the meat. Before you commit even a penny, you’ll know the calibre and freshness of your meat.

That said, how many of us have time to go and inspect the product each time before you buy? We end up relying on trust: do you trust your wholesaler to provide the quality and freshness you expect? The butchery world is a pretty tight knit community and a shonky wholesaler will get a bad reputation faster than you can say “pulled pork”.

Customer Service

Here’s another one where there can be a big difference between buying online and putting in an order manually. If you visit a wholesaler in person or you speak to them on the telephone, you’ll usually build up a relationship with them. You can ask them for advice and they’ll (usually) help you make the best decision. In other words, it’s likely you’ll get good customer service.

Buying online may feel more impersonal. It’s probably quicker and cheaper, but will you miss out on that expert advice that will help you secure a better deal? At Meatex, we know that customer service depends entirely on who you’re dealing with rather than whether they do business online or not. There are in-person wholesale suppliers who have shocking customer service out there (we know, we’ve met enough over the years!)

Our online business doesn’t mean there’s no contact with customers – we love taking calls and are always happy to help you figure out how to make your budget go further. If you know what you want, you can buy it online with no drama. If you could do with some advice, we’re here for a chat.

Ready to buy online?

Our extensive product list awaits!