Scott:
I have been a Direct buy member for about 2 years and here is some further insight....Direct Buy `outlets` are independently owned franchised businesses, where each location is just a room or two filled with manufactures` ordering books/catalogues along with a few displays of particular items and staff to assist you. In relations to what REIN members would find interesting - they carry almost any item you can think of for a home/renovation other than lumber,drywall,heating ducts, plumbing. You can order items like laminate, hardwood, carpets, ceramics, window coverings (Shadeomatic, levelor, hunter douglas), lighting fixtures, faucets, tubs/showers, furniture, home decorating items(rugs, art work etc), firplaces, appliances (anywhere from Aga, Liebherr, LG, Northland, KitchenAid, Maytag, Jenn-Air, GE, Samsung, Heartland, Fridgidaire) kitchen cabinets and countertops, radiant floor systems, water purifiers, door handles/knobs, hot tubs, etc x 1000. The neat thing is you can get some mid to higher range items at mid to lower end pricing. For more personal use - they also offer jewellery, exercise equipment, cameras, any electronic item you can think of, mattresses...
My interest in joining was based on having had a home built for me and knowing what certain `upgrades` cost, I was impressed with the range/quality of suppliers I could access and the `discounts` available. As a member, you pay wholesale cost by removing the retailers markups. You have to have the time and interest to sort through and understand each suppliers catalogues, although there is staff there to help you. I find I gravitate to certain suppliers and then certain items so the search gets quicker. They had once charged a fee if you used your credit card to pay for the merchandise, now they`ve elminiated that and charge 2% for handling across all orders, on top of the shipping, taxes, excise etc that was mentioned in other postings. You do have to plan ahead depending on the item ordered, to account for shipping time from the manufacturer.
If you go to an invite to hear their offer, be prepared to sign up for a membership at that time, or they say you will not be able to again for x amount of time( refers back to another posting about time share presentations comment). If you know your prices, your manufacturers quality level you prefer and know what you could be purchasing over the next few years ,then you can make an informed decision if the cost of membership works for your business. They have an awesome members only website that lists many of their suppliers and links to their home websites as well. You can view many items as well as member pricing thru the website, but due to the depth and breath of each suppliers offerings it`s best to go to the outlet. Every quarter they publish a substantial sales catalogue of items across the board, where extra discounts are available.
Kimberly