Your **Suppliers** tab keeps everyone you buy from in one place — suppliers on Suplery and suppliers you work with outside it. From here you can find a supplier, see their details and order history, message them, and keep your own records tidy. You'll find it under **Inventory → Suppliers**. # Suplery suppliers vs external suppliers There are two kinds of supplier in your list: - **Suplery suppliers** are suppliers you buy from directly on Suplery — you browse their products, order, and message them all in one place. They appear in your list automatically once you've placed an order with them, and they're marked with the **Suplery icon**. - **External suppliers** are suppliers who aren't on Suplery. You add them yourself so you can keep their details and record the orders you place with them elsewhere. They have no icon. # Why add your external suppliers Adding the suppliers you already work with off Suplery keeps everything in one tool: - **One complete record** of every purchase — on Suplery or off it. - Each supplier's **order history** and the **last price you paid**, ready when you need them. - A single place to **understand your buying** across all your suppliers, instead of digging through emails and spreadsheets. # Add an external supplier 1. Click **Add external supplier**. 2. Enter the supplier's **Company name** — the only required field. Filling in the rest now makes life easier later. 3. Add any of the optional details: - **Address** and **average delivery time**. - **Customer account ID** — the ID this supplier uses to identify your business (a customer code, account number, or buyer ID). Suplery includes it on the purchase orders it sends them. - **Contact info** — name, phone numbers, email, website. - **Notes** — anything you want to remember about this supplier. 4. Click **Create supplier**. Their drawer opens, ready for you to create orders or invite them to Suplery. To change a detail later, open the supplier and edit the field you need. # Find a supplier Your list shows every supplier — Suplery and external — with their **status**, **contact person**, and **last order date**. **Search**by company name or contact-person name; results are listed alphabetically. The **Show archived** option appears once you have at least one archived supplier. # What the status means The **Status** shows where your relationship with the supplier stands: - **Active** — you can order from them. - **Waiting for approval** — you've sent a connection request and the supplier hasn't responded yet. - **Declined** — the supplier turned your request down. - **Blocked** — the supplier, or Suplery, has blocked the connection. - **Accepted invitation** — you invited them and they accepted, but they haven't finished setting up yet, so you can't order from them yet. - **Archived** — you've set them aside. # Open a supplier Click a supplier to open their details. Alongside their information you'll find tabs: - **Orders** — every order with this supplier, with date, status, and total. For external suppliers these are your external orders; for Suplery suppliers, your Suplery orders. The tab defaults to the last year, and you can change the range or search by order number. - **Products** *(Suplery suppliers)* — the products you've bought from them and the **last price you paid**, taken from your most recent order. For Suplery suppliers you'll also see the **manager** assigned to you and the **products and series** they carry, plus a **View in shop** button. Their direct contact details aren't shown — you reach them through **Messages** instead. # Message a supplier For **Suplery suppliers**, the **Messages** tab holds your whole conversation and lets you write to them — to ask about a product, chase an order, or sort out a problem. Your conversations also gather under **Messages** in your account menu, with unread counts. **External suppliers** have no in-app messaging, since they're off Suplery — get in touch using the contact details you saved for them. To message a supplier about one specific order, you can also do it from the order itself — see [Track & manage your orders](https://app.chatwoot.com/hc/for-beauty-businesses/articles/16037105-13-manage-your-orders). # Invite a supplier to Suplery Work with a supplier who isn't on Suplery yet? Open them and click **Invite to Suplery**, then enter their email. They'll receive an invitation to join, after which you can order from them directly. - If that email already belongs to a supplier on Suplery, your invite becomes a **connection request** instead (see below). - If they accept but haven't finished setting up, they'll show as **Accepted invitation** until they're ready. # Connect with a Suplery supplier Some suppliers like to **approve you before you can order** — a quick check that you're a professional buyer. When that's the case, you **Send a connection request** (you can add a short message). The status then moves from **Waiting for approval** to **Connected**, **Declined**, or **Blocked**. Once you're connected, you can order. # Archive a supplier To tidy your list, open a supplier, click **Action**, and choose **Send to archive** (or **Return from archive** to bring them back). Archiving only hides the supplier — it doesn't touch your orders or products. Turn on **Show archived** to see archived suppliers again. # FAQ 💬 **Why can't I see a Suplery supplier's phone or email?** Communication with Suplery suppliers stays on the platform — use the **Messages** tab on their page to reach them. 💬 **Why can't I message an external supplier in Suplery?** External suppliers aren't on Suplery, so there's no in-app chat — contact them with the details you saved. 💬 **Why did a supplier appear in my list on its own?** Suplery suppliers are added automatically once you've placed your first order with them. 💬 **What's a Customer account ID?** It's the ID a supplier uses to identify your business — a customer code, account number, or buyer ID. Suplery includes it on the purchase orders it sends them. 💬 **Does archiving a supplier delete my orders?** No. Archiving only hides the supplier from your list; your orders and products are untouched. # Related articles - [Inventory management](https://app.chatwoot.com/hc/for-beauty-businesses/articles/16012670-8-inventory-management) - [Track & manage your orders](https://app.chatwoot.com/hc/for-beauty-businesses/articles/16037105-13-manage-your-orders) - [Place an order](https://app.chatwoot.com/hc/for-beauty-businesses/articles/16036508-11-order-from-the-shop) - [Browse & find products](https://app.chatwoot.com/hc/for-beauty-businesses/articles/16003532-5-browse-find-products) - [Get started & verify your business](https://app.chatwoot.com/hc/for-beauty-businesses/articles/16002643-1-get-started-verify-your-business)