--- title: "Designer Trade Discount on Custom Cushions: Case by Case" url: "https://cushionguide.com/answers/designer-trade-discount-custom-cushions/" section: "The Cutting Table" author: "Hana Lindqvist, The Quiet Geometer of Seattle" author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/hana/" published: "2026-06-02" updated: "2026-09-24" keywords: "designer trade discount cushions, interior designer discount custom cushions, trade pricing cushions, custom cushions for clients, first order discount cushions" --- # Is there a trade discount for designers ordering for a client? *You are ordering for someone else's room. The answer depends on how many rooms come after it.* Also asked as: Do you offer designer discounts?; Is there trade pricing? > **The quick answer:** Case by case: one interior designer was offered an extra trade discount, with better rates for ongoing work, while another designer ordering a single custom bench cushion for a client was told the quote was already the best rate. Some first orders have also had money taken off. When you ask, say it's for a client and how much work may follow. ![Cream and taupe wide-stripe box cushion fitted wall to wall in a white bedroom window niche with dried grass in a vase](https://cushionguide.com/media/window-seat-cushions/cream-taupe-stripe-bedroom-window-niche-cushion-1600.webp "A made-to-measure striped cushion turns a deep bedroom window reveal into a sunny seat beside the bed.") ## Key facts - One interior designer was offered an extra trade discount. - That designer was promised better rates for ongoing work. - The workshop has taken money off some first orders. - A single 32 x 57.5 in (81 x 146 cm) custom cushion for a designer's client got no extra trade discount; the quote was already the best rate. - A complete quote request names the thickness: 4 in (10 cm) is standard, and 2, 3 and 5 in (5, 7.5 and 12.5 cm) are also offered. - Fabric swatches are roughly palm-sized, about 4 x 4 to 6 x 6 in (10 x 10 to 15 x 15 cm), so a client can see the cloth before the order. ## An extra discount for one designer, none on one bench cushion The first designer asked about trade pricing and was offered an extra 5%. Better discounts were promised for ongoing work. The second designer ordered one cushion for a client: 32 x 57.5 in (81 x 146 cm), in a stripe, for a bench. The quote was already the workshop's best discounted rate. No extra trade discount followed. The difference was not the title. It was the work that came after. The shapes are under [bench cushions](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/bench-cushions/) and [window seat cushions](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/window-seat-cushions/). ## What to say when you ask - ✓ That the order is for a client. - ✓ How much work may follow: one room, or several. - ✓ Full sizes, fabric and shape, so the quote is real. - ✓ Whether this is your first order with the workshop. ## Why one cushion may not move A custom-size quote is often already discounted. A store sale may already be in the listing price, and a code will not stack on top of it. So a single piece has little room left. Send complete numbers first; the [quote Pattern](https://cushionguide.com/guides/custom-cushion-quote-what-to-send/) lists them, and [swatches](https://cushionguide.com/guides/fabric-swatches-before-ordering/) settle the fabric before the client sees it. How many rooms are on your list this year? One cushion is an order. Ten rooms are a working relationship. The discount follows the second. > **Tailor's margin:** Designer trade discounts on custom cushions follow the volume: one designer was offered an extra discount, with better rates promised for ongoing work. > One designer was offered an extra discount, with better rates for ongoing work; another, ordering a single 32 x 57.5 in cushion, got none. > > — Hana ## Buyer questions **A common question:** I'm a designer ordering for a client. Is there a trade discount on custom sizes? **The workshop's answer:** A 32 x 57.5 in (81 x 146 cm) cushion in a stripe was quoted at the workshop's best discounted rate already, so no extra trade discount was added. **A common question:** Do you offer a designer or trade discount? **The workshop's answer:** Case by case. One interior designer was offered an extra trade discount, with better rates promised for ongoing work, while a single cushion quote got none. The workshop has also taken money off some first orders and treated some orders as references. **A common question:** What do you need from me for a custom quote? **The workshop's answer:** Length x width x thickness, the fabric or listing you like, and a drawing with every side for shaped cushions. The workshop confirms the shape and replies with a total. Ask it to state the shipping cost in that reply. **A common question:** Why does my discount code take the sale price away? **The workshop's answer:** When a store sale is running, it is already in the listing price and a code can't stack on top, so entering one can drop the sale. Codes have also needed a minimum spend. In that case buyers ordered at the sale price and the workshop adjusted by hand. ## Questions buyers ask next ### Does a first order with the workshop get anything off? It can. The workshop has taken money off first orders and has treated some orders as references. Say it is your first order, and that it is for a client, when you request the quote. ### Should I mention future projects when asking for trade pricing? Yes. Better discounts have been offered for ongoing work, so say how many rooms or pieces may follow. A single cushion on its own may already be quoted at the best rate. ### What makes a custom quote precise enough to discuss a discount? Complete numbers: length, width and thickness, the fabric you like, and a drawing with every side for shaped pieces. The workshop confirms the shape and replies with a total. Ask it to state the shipping cost there. ## Related at the atelier - [That's more than I expected. Can you do a better price?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/negotiate-custom-cushion-quote-price/): Often a little: custom cushion quotes have had some room, usually modest, over a couple of rounds. - [How much is a custom tufted bench or window seat cushion?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/custom-tufted-bench-cushion-cost/): A tufted bench cushion in a custom size is priced by its size on the tufted (French mattress) listing: choose the option closest to your measurements, then write your exact size and fabric color in… - [Can I get one quote for several cushions in different sizes?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/one-quote-several-cushion-sizes/): Send every size, quantity and fabric together, and the workshop quotes multiple custom cushions as one total, often a little below the sum of the listing prices. - [Custom Bench Cushion – Tan Bouclé on a Slatted Oak Bench](https://cushionguide.com/readings/tan-boucle-cushion-slatted-oak-bench-leather-books/): For a bench that seats guests, a custom bench cushion should be slim enough to show the frame and cut to the bench's exact length, not rounded. - [Bench Seat Cushions in Heather Gray for a Low Oak Apartment Sofa](https://cushionguide.com/readings/heather-gray-seat-back-cushions-apartment-oak-sofa/): A low platform sofa with plain bench cushions needs texture from its props, not from the fabric. - [Custom Bench Cushion Colors: Chocolate, Denim, Ochre, Cream](https://cushionguide.com/readings/chocolate-blue-ochre-cream-textured-cushion-stack/): A cool color can sit among warm ones on a custom bench cushion if the shades alternate in value: dark, cool, bright, pale. - [Specifying custom cushions for a client, line by line](https://cushionguide.com/guides/custom-cushion-spec-sheet-for-designers/) - [Choosing a custom cushion maker online: twelve questions first](https://cushionguide.com/guides/how-to-choose-a-custom-cushion-maker/) *— Hana* --- Written by Hana Lindqvist (https://cushionguide.com/masters/hana/) for CushionGuide (https://cushionguide.com/about/). The site explains made-to-measure cushions and the partner workshop makes them; measurements are in inches first. This Markdown mirrors the page at https://cushionguide.com/answers/designer-trade-discount-custom-cushions/