In this guide 6 sections
Plumbing returns start when a buyer judges diameter and thread from a photo, matches a finish by eye, or orders a spare without a model number. Print fit data beside each product, record finishes by supplier code and batch, and link every spare to the products it fits.
A photo cannot show a thread
Two elbows can look identical on screen and join different pipes. One has a bore a size smaller. The other has a thread that looks the same but cuts a different form, which is how BSP and NPT fittings start together and then leak.
Connection type adds to the confusion. Compression, push-fit, solder and press fittings all come in the same nominal sizes, yet each needs its own tool and its own pipe end. A buyer in a hurry judges from the picture. The picture shows none of it.
Tap buyers have their own traps. Tail size, basin hole size, spout reach and whether a waste is included are all invisible in a photo. A job stalls the same afternoon.
Fit data to print beside every fitting and tap
Treat fit data as required fields. A product cannot go live until nominal size, thread standard, gender and connection type are filled in, and a missing field blocks the page instead of slipping past review. Staff soon learn that a gap in the data is a gap in the listing, and the listing is what the buyer trusts.
Add a dimensioned drawing. Show the threaded end in close-up. A buyer can then hold the old part against the screen, which is easier than reading a paragraph about pitch and bore.
Nominal size is a name, not a measurement. Give both the trade size and the measured outside diameter, because installers say one and a tape measure shows the other.
- Nominal size and the pipe it joins
- Thread standard and form, male or female
- Connection type: compression, push-fit, solder or press
- Tap tail size, basin hole size and spout reach
- Material and pressure class where it matters
- Waste and overflow included or sold separately
Finishes drift between batches and between brands
Chrome is not always the same chrome. Matt black from one supplier sits beside matt black from another and reads as two colours under bathroom lights. Buyers notice.
Record the finish name, the supplier’s finish code and the batch received, and hold stock by batch, so that a bathroom order can be picked from one lot. If it cannot, tell her before she pays.
Sell matching pieces as a set. Keep finish swatches in the showroom and post one to online buyers planning a whole room, before they order a tap, a bath filler and a towel rail.
- One finish list for the whole shop, with the supplier code beside each name
- Batch or lot number captured when goods are received
- Stock held by finish and batch, not by finish alone
- Matching basin tap, waste and accessories linked as a set
- A note on the page when two items come from different batches
Spares need a model number and a link back
A cartridge, a flush valve, a shower hose or a washer is right only for the product it came from. Buyers search for tap cartridge. They get a page of near lookalikes.
Show the model number on the product page, the box, the invoice and the order confirmation, so it is never more than one click from the buyer. Tell buyers where the stamp sits, whether under the basin rim, on the side of the cartridge body or inside the cistern lid. Ask for it at checkout. Accept a photo of the old part instead.
A tap page shows its spares, and each spare lists the models it fits, so the link works from either end. The first helps the buyer today. The second prevents the wrong order next year.
- Model number on product page, box, invoice and confirmation
- Where to find the stamp, shown with a photo
- Spare to model links, in both directions
- An upload for a photo of the old part
Start from the returns you already have
Open last quarter’s plumbing returns and tag each one as wrong size, wrong thread, finish mismatch, spare without a model number or damage. The tally shows which fit field is missing most often.
Fix the worst products first. Add the missing fit fields, draw the connection and link the spares to the models they suit, then check the same codes after a month. The tags should have moved.
Start with your ten most returned codes. Fill their missing fit fields this week.
Plumbing returns tally and fit sheet
One sheet, split into a tally and a fit block. The tally has one row per product code and one column for each cause: wrong size, wrong thread, finish mismatch, spare without a model number and damage. The fit block beside it lists the fields each product needs, with a tick when a field is filled. The worst returners show their gaps at once.
Open a blank worksheet to printQuestions owners ask
Can a single photo ever show a thread?
Rarely. A photo shows shape, not pitch. A dimensioned drawing with a close-up of the threaded end, plus a text label naming the thread, lets the buyer check against the pipe at home.
How should we name finishes?
Keep one list for the whole shop. Put the supplier’s finish code beside each name. Describe differences plainly, such as brushed against polished, instead of letting one word cover both.
What if the buyer does not know the model of an old tap?
Ask for photos from the side and from underneath, plus the width of the basin hole and any letters stamped on the body. Staff then match it from the supplier’s catalogue. They reply with the spare to order.
Do trade buyers need the same fit data?
Yes. Installers read it faster, but they also order from memory, and the same missing field catches them. Put the thread and connection type in the first line of the page.