I run an industrial chemicals company in Southeast Asia. Recently, I requested quotes from two suppliers: one was the manufacturer itself, and the other was a trading company. Surprisingly, both quoted exactly the same price!

How did the trading company manage that? I’m 100% certain that the trading company sources from that exact factory because they accidentally left an internal email attached to their reply to me. In that email, one colleague had forwarded my inquiry to another and written: “Ask XXX Company [the factory’s name] for a quote.”

Some people might guess that the trading company gets preferential pricing because it purchases in large volumes.…