Ordering supplies only when someone says "we're nearly out" costs more than the price of the item. The extra cost turns up in four places: urgent freight or courier upgrades, substitutions at a different price or specification, staff time spent chasing and approving small orders, and fragmented orders that miss the free delivery threshold and multiply invoices.
This guide shows where each of those costs sits in your last month of orders, with checks to tick for each one. It then sets out a simple way to work out a reorder point and build a standard reorder list, so replenishment happens before the cupboard is empty. It is written for business owners, finance and procurement teams and the office managers who place the orders.
Q4 is a sensible time to set it up, before budgets for the new year are locked in and the first orders of the year go out.
Set the reorder point at what you use in the time it takes an order to arrive, plus a small buffer. Then write it on the shelf edge beside the stock, so whoever opens that carton knows the line is due on the next order.
From our team in Tweed Heads
Four costs of ordering at the last minute
Have your last month of orders and invoices beside you. Each section explains the cost, gives three checks to tick and sets out what to do instead.
Prefer paper? Print this page (Ctrl + P or ⌘ + P) and only the checks will print. Ticks are not saved once you leave the page.
Urgent freight and courier upgrades
Where it shows: express, priority or courier delivery on small orders
When the paper runs out mid-week, the replacement goes in with whichever delivery option gets it there first. Priority delivery or a local courier on a small order is a cost on top of the item price, and it rarely appears when anyone compares suppliers. Heavy lines make it harder to avoid. Satchel and express options only apply to light parcels, so an urgent carton of paper or a carton of hand towel has fewer quick ways to travel.
Check this in your last month of orders
What to do instead: give the heavy, high-use lines a reorder point so they travel on standard delivery with the rest of the order. The method is in How to set a reorder point.
Example: the Reflex A4 80gsm carton holds fifteen reams of white copy paper made by Australian Paper. Each ream stays wrapped until it is opened, and one carton delivery replaces a run of single ream orders.
Substitutions at a different price or specification
Where it shows: the same need bought under different product codes
When the usual item has run out and the need is urgent, people buy what they can get. Sometimes that is a different brand at a higher price. Sometimes it is the wrong specification altogether. Toner is the clearest case, because cartridges are listed for particular printer models, and a cartridge bought in a hurry for the wrong model cannot be used at all.
Check this in your last month of orders
What to do instead: write the exact product code against every standard line. For printers, keep the printer model and its cartridge code side by side on the list.
Example: the Brother TN2530XXL is a genuine black toner rated for up to 5,000 pages under ISO/IEC 19752. Brother lists it for five machines only, including the HL-L2460DW and MFC-L2920DW, and not for others in the TN2530 family such as the HL-L2400DW. A code written on the list prevents that mistake.
Staff time spent chasing and approving small orders
Where it shows: many small orders, each raised, approved and checked on its own
Every order has to be noticed, raised, approved, received and matched to an invoice, whatever its size. A small urgent order takes close to the same handling as a planned one. When the kitchen runs out of coffee on Monday and the stationery cupboard runs short on Wednesday, someone does that work twice in one week. The time is a real cost, even though it never appears on an invoice.
Check this in your last month of orders
What to do instead: give one person the standard list and a set ordering day, so most lines are raised and approved together in one order.
Example: the Moccona Classic Medium Roast 1kg tin is a freeze dried blend of Arabica and Robusta beans in a bulk size made for workplaces. Breakroom lines are easy to forget until they run out, so they belong on the same list as paper and toner.
Fragmented orders that miss free delivery and multiply invoices
Where it shows: several small orders a few days apart, each with its own invoice
Small orders placed a few days apart often fall under the free delivery threshold on their own, when together they would have cleared it. Each one also brings its own invoice, its own delivery to receive and its own entry in the accounts. Washroom cartons need planning of their own. Hand towel and toilet paper cartons carry a separate bulky freight charge based on weight, and free delivery does not apply to them.
Check this in your last month of orders
What to do instead: set a regular ordering day and put every line that has reached its reorder point into one order. The delivery terms are in the ordering notes.
Example: a carton of Tork Ultraslim Multifold towels holds 20 packs of 150 sheets for the H4 dispenser system, 3,000 towels in all, and Tork give the carton gross weight as 6.5kg. Match the H4 code to your dispensers before you make it the standard.
How to set a reorder point
A reorder point is the stock level that puts a line on the next order. It is a simple calculation, and it only needs your own usage and delivery times.
Set the reorder point at what you use while an order is on its way, plus a small buffer for a busy week or a late delivery. In words, the formula is weekly usage multiplied by the weeks an order takes to arrive, plus a buffer.
- Weekly usage
- How much of the line you go through in a normal week. Your last few months of orders give a fair average.
- Weeks for delivery
- The time from the day someone notices the line is low to the day the stock is on the shelf, including approval.
- Buffer
- A small extra amount for a busy week or a delayed delivery. Keep it modest, or the cupboard fills with stock.
- Reorder point
- Weekly usage x weeks for delivery + buffer. When stock falls to this level, the line goes on the next order.
A hypothetical example, not data: if your office uses 2 cartons of paper a week, an order takes about 1 week from approval to the shelf, and you want 1 carton as a buffer, the reorder point is 2 x 1 + 1 = 3 cartons. When the cupboard is down to 3 cartons, paper goes on the next order.
Use your own figures for each line. Delivery times vary with location and product, so take the timing from your recent orders rather than from this example. Lines used slowly, such as labels or dishwashing liquid, can use monthly usage and months for delivery in exactly the same way.
Build your standard reorder list
Five steps turn the reorder points into a list that whoever orders can follow.
- Pull last month's orders. Every order, invoice and card purchase for supplies, from every supplier.
- List the lines you buy again and again. Paper, toner, labels, washroom, breakroom and stationery, with one agreed product code for each line.
- Set a reorder point for each line. Use the method above and write it on the list and on the shelf edge.
- Choose an ordering day and one person to place the order. Lines that have reached their reorder point go into that order together.
- Send the list to us. Our team will check the codes, suggest where lines can be consolidated and quote on your regular volumes.
Send it to our team through our contact page. The everyday lines most workplaces reorder are together in our Reorder Essentials collection. Businesses can apply for an account through our business application form, and eligible government, education and public sector organisations can order with an official purchase order.
Once the list is built, the next step is to check the stationery lines on it with our seven-line stationery audit.
Nine lines worth a reorder point
These are the consumables most workplaces buy again and again, and the ones most often ordered in a hurry. Details come from each product's own description.
Paper
Reflex Copy Paper A4 80gsm White Carton of 15 (500 Sheets Each)
Fifteen wrapped reams of Reflex A4 80gsm white copy paper in one carton. Reflex is made by Australian Paper, and Reflex states the paper is FSC certified.
Count usage in cartons rather than reams, and the reorder point is easy to see on the shelf.
View product
Printing
Toner and ink, matched to each printer
Cartridges are listed for particular printer models. Start with the model of each printer on site and the code printed on the cartridge you are replacing.
If you run several printers, send us the list of models and we will match the codes.
Find your cartridge
Labels
Dymo LabelWriter Shipping Labels 54 x 101mm Carton of 12 Rolls 2640 Labels
12 rolls of 220 labels, 2,640 in total, at the standard 54 x 101mm Dymo shipping size, which also works as a name badge. They print by direct thermal, so there is no ink, toner or ribbon to buy.
On the LabelWriter 550 series the printer reads each authentic Dymo roll and shows the count remaining.
View product
Washroom
Tork Ultraslim Multifold Hand Towel 1 Ply Advanced H4 White Carton of 20 x 150 Sheets
One ply white towels for the Tork H4 dispenser system, with 20 packs of 150 sheets and 3,000 towels to the carton.
Match the H4 code to the dispensers on site before you set it as the standard.
View product
Washroom
Who Gives A Crap Recycled Toilet Paper 3-Ply Carton of 48 Rolls
48 double length rolls of 3 ply toilet paper made from 100 per cent recycled fibres, with 400 sheets on each roll. The brand states there are no inks, dyes or scents.
Double length rolls mean fewer roll changes on the cleaning round.
View product
Cleaning
Northfork GECA Dishwashing Liquid 1 Litre Carton of 12
Twelve 1 litre bottles of lemon scented dishwashing liquid, certified by Good Environmental Choice Australia, with a biodegradable, phosphate free formula.
A carton of 12 suits a monthly reorder point rather than a supermarket run.
View product
Breakroom
Bushells Blue Label Tea Bags with String and Tag Pack of 1000
A bulk carton of 1,000 Bushells Blue Label black tea bags, packed in inner cartons of 100, with a printed net weight of 1.8kg.
Put one inner box out at a time and keep the rest sealed in the store cupboard.
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Pens
Papermate Kilometrico Ballpoint Pen 1.0mm Black Box of 50
A box of 50 black Kilometrico ballpoints, light in the hand, with a write out length of over a kilometre.
A box of 50 is a sensible standard unit for a shared stationery cupboard.
View product
Stationery
Post-it Notes Canary Yellow 76 x 76mm 100 Sheets Pack of 12 654
The Post-it 654: the 76 x 76mm canary yellow square, in a pack of 12 pads with 100 sheets on each.
Each pad is printed with the 654 code and size, which makes the reorder easy to get right.
View productMaking the list work
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Order the standard lines together
Put every line that has reached its reorder point into one order on your ordering day. Free standard delivery on orders of $149* (conditions apply) to most ACT, NSW, QLD and VIC metro areas.
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Plan the bulky lines
Hand towel, toilet paper and other washroom cartons ship on their own bulky freight charge, worked out on weight. Ordering them on a set cycle keeps them out of urgent orders.
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Ask for pricing on regular volume
For larger quantities of one line, or for the whole list, contact our team with the products and quantities.
*Conditions apply. Freight applies to bulky items and some locations. See freight and delivery for details.
Frequently asked questions
What is a reorder point?
A reorder point is the stock level at which a line goes on the next order. A simple way to set it is weekly usage multiplied by the weeks an order takes to arrive, plus a small buffer. When stock falls to that level you order, so the line is replaced before it runs out.
How often should a business order supplies?
A set ordering day, weekly or fortnightly depending on how quickly you use stock, groups lines into fewer and larger orders. Lines used slowly can sit on a monthly cycle. The reorder point for each line decides whether it goes on this order or the next one.
Can we consolidate supplies orders for several sites?
Yes. Send us the standard list for each site with quantities and delivery addresses, and our team will talk through how to group the orders. Freight is worked out on each delivery location, so our freight and delivery page is worth checking for each address.
Does Mega Office Supplies quote on regular orders?
Yes. Send your standard list with quantities through our contact page and our team will come back to you with pricing on your regular volumes.
Does free delivery apply to supplies orders?
Free standard delivery applies to orders of $149* (conditions apply) to most ACT, NSW, QLD and VIC metro areas. Freight applies to bulky items and some locations, and our freight and delivery page has the details.
Set the reorder points, then send us the list
Urgent freight, substitutions, staff time and fragmented orders all come from ordering too late. A standard list with a reorder point on every line deals with all four at once.
Mega Office Supplies is a family-owned Australian business. We supply workplaces across the country from our team in Tweed Heads and our suppliers' warehouse network nationwide. Send us your reorder list and we will go through it with you.
Nadine and Marty, co-founders, Mega Office Supplies
