The quick answer
Set it on the customer record. Edit the customer, open the Financial subtab, and pick a level in Price Level. New sales order lines for that customer then start at that level's price for the item. If the level doesn't exist yet, create it under Setup > Accounting > Accounting Lists with Type set to Price Level. Enter a negative Markup/Discount % for a discount, and check Update Prices for Items Using This Price Level so items that already have a Base Price get a price at the new level. Changing the customer's level doesn't reprice orders you've already entered.
The screenshots show sample data. Person and operating-company names are fictional. Use your own levels, items and customers when you follow the steps.
Before you start
You need:
- Multiple Prices turned on under Setup > Company > Enable Features. Without it there are no price levels to pick.
- A role that can edit accounting lists, items, customers and sales orders. This example uses an Administrator.
- Base Prices on your items, in the currency you sell in. A percentage level is calculated from the Base Price in the same currency and quantity column. An item with no Base Price gets no calculated price for the level.
- A customer in that currency with no Item Pricing line for the item. A customer-specific item price would take over from the default level.
The example gives trade contractors 15% off list. HX-75 Hex Driver Set has a Base Price of 48.00 and the customer, Calloway Renovations, starts on Base Price. Everything is in US Dollars with no quantity pricing. The account already has two levels, Base Price and Online Price. Yours may have others, or may have renamed Base Price.
01. Open the price level list
Go to Setup > Accounting > Accounting Lists and set the Type filter to Price Level. You'll see the levels that already exist. Here that's Base Price and Online Price. Check this list before adding a level; your account may already have one that fits.
Click New.
02. Create the price level
Type Trade Contractor in Price Level and -15% in Markup/Discount %. The minus sign makes it a discount from Base Price; a positive number would be a markup.
Check Update Prices for Items Using This Price Level. Some accounts and releases call this box Update Existing Prices. With it checked, saving the level writes a Trade Contractor price on every item that has a Base Price, so you don't have to import anything. That's an account-wide change, and it overwrites any Trade Contractor prices someone typed by hand. Leave it unchecked if you'd rather enter the level's prices yourself on the items that need them. Leave Online Price Level and Inactive unchecked; Online Price Level is for web store pricing.
Click Save. The saved level shows Markup/Discount % -15.0%.
03. Check the calculated price on an item
Go to Lists > Accounting > Items, open HX-75 Hex Driver Set and click the Sales / Pricing subtab. In the US Dollar grid, Base Price is 48.00 in the Qty 0 column and Trade Contractor shows -15.0% and 40.80. Nobody typed 40.80. NetSuite calculated it, 48.00 less 15%, when the level was saved. Online Price has no percentage, so it keeps the 46.50 someone entered.
If a Base Price changes later, don't assume the level price followed. Edit the price level and save it with the update box checked again to recalculate.
04. Set the customer's Price Level
Go to Lists > Relationships > Customers and open Calloway Renovations. On the Financial subtab, Price Level reads Base Price, so new orders start at list.
Click Edit, go back to Financial, and choose Trade Contractor in Price Level.
Click Save. The Financial subtab now shows Trade Contractor.
This only sets the default for new lines. Orders already entered for Calloway Renovations keep their prices.
05. Check a new sales order
Go to Transactions > Sales > Enter Sales Orders and select Calloway Renovations in Customer. On the Items subtab, choose HX-75 Hex Driver Set and type 6 in Quantity. Price Level fills in as Trade Contractor and Rate as 40.80. You didn't pick either.
Before you click Add, open the line's Price Level list. It still offers the account's other levels plus Custom, so someone with the right permissions can change the price on one line without touching the customer.
To see what the discount is worth, pick Base Price on the same line: Rate becomes 48.00 and Amount 288.00.
Pick Trade Contractor again and click Add once. The order has one HX-75 line: 6 at 40.80, for 244.80.
Check the result
- Trade Contractor is in the price level list with Markup/Discount % -15.0%.
- HX-75 Hex Driver Set shows Base Price 48.00 and Trade Contractor 40.80.
- Calloway Renovations has Price Level Trade Contractor on its Financial subtab.
- A new sales order line for the customer starts at Trade Contractor, Rate 40.80, Amount 244.80.
If the rate on your order isn't what the level says, look at the customer's Item Pricing on the Financial subtab first. A customer-specific item price wins over the default level for that item. Then check the order's currency against the item's prices, and any quantity pricing, pricing groups, promotions or scripts. A rate someone typed over shows Price Level Custom and won't follow the level.
Common questions
Why isn't my sales order using the customer's price level?
Check Price Level on the customer's Financial subtab, then check that the item has a price at that level in the order's currency. A customer-specific Item Pricing line, a pricing group, quantity pricing, a promotion or a rate someone typed over can all win over the default. In this example a new line for HX-75 should come in at 40.80, which is 48.00 less 15%.
Does changing a customer's price level update their existing sales orders?
No. The customer's level only sets where new lines start. Lines already on open orders keep their rates, so change those orders yourself if they need the new price.
What's the difference between a customer's Price Level and customer Item Pricing?
Price Level is the customer's default for every item. Item Pricing, also on the Financial subtab, sets a price or level for one item and wins over the default for that item. Use it for a negotiated price on a few items.
What does Update Prices for Items Using This Price Level do?
When you save the price level, it writes that level's price on existing items from each item's Base Price. A -15% level turns a 48.00 Base Price into 40.80. It doesn't assign the level to any customer, and it doesn't touch prices on orders you've already entered. Some accounts label the box Update Existing Prices.
Why does my new price level have no price on some items?
A percentage level needs a Base Price to calculate from, in the same currency. Items without one get no price at the level. A level with no percentage at all has nothing to calculate, so you type its price on each item.
Can I use a different price level on just one sales order line?
Yes. Pick another level in the line's Price Level, or type a rate, which makes the line Custom. That changes this line only. The customer's default stays the same.