Do my suppliers need to join Open Pantry? Inviting your suppliers
Quick answer: No. Your suppliers don’t need to be on Open Pantry. The invoices you upload or email in keep your prices up to date either way. Inviting a supplier is optional: if they join, they manage your live pricing for you. Invites are free for them.
Two ways prices stay up to date
After your first invoices are read in step 1 of the setup wizard (Your suppliers & prices), you’ll see How prices stay up to date:
- You forward invoices — upload or email them, and prices update. Marked Working now.
- They send updates — the supplier manages your live pricing. Marked Optional.
Both routes end at the same place: Same live prices either way. Keep forwarding invoices even for suppliers who join — they’re also what goes to your accounting system.
Choosing who to invite
Under Suppliers found, every supplier read off your invoices has an Invite box, ticked by default.
- Untick Invite on any supplier you’d rather not email. They’re still added, with their products and prices.
- With two or more suppliers, use Invite all / Invite none to tick or untick them all at once. Nothing is sent when you tick or untick.
- Suppliers marked Already on Open Pantry have no box — they already keep these prices current.
- Not my supplier removes a supplier that was misread or isn’t yours.
The line above the button tells you exactly what will happen, e.g. “We’ll email 3 invites when you continue”. If you untick them all, it says No invites. — you’ll keep prices current by sending invoices, exactly as you do now. That’s a perfectly good choice.
Click Next: your recipes →. Invites go out only now, and only to the ticked suppliers.
Sending the invite to the right person
- Accounts inboxes. The address on an invoice is often an accounts inbox (accounts@, billing@ and so on). If so, the row asks Who looks after your account at [supplier]? Type your rep’s email — a rep is far more likely to accept. Leave it blank and the invite goes to the invoice address.
- No email on the invoice. The row asks Know their email? We’ll invite them too. Type an address and the Invite box appears, ticked. Leave it blank and the supplier is still added, priced from your invoices.
- Change email lets you correct the address before you continue.
Once sent, the row shows ✓ Invite sent to …, and we’ll tell you when they join.
Inviting later
On the Finish your setup checklist, the Confirm your suppliers & products row has an Invite button. It lists the suppliers found on your invoices. Choose Invite them — if they join, they manage their live pricing for you, enter the best email for your contact, and click Send invite.