The best and straightest way is to obtain a business license and the “resale” or “tax” number that goes with it. Wholesalers assume that anyone with a resale number is a professional and is likely to be a good customer. If you are involved in a major project, the money saved may make up for the hassle and expense of becoming a business. You can also attempt to fake it by printing up your own business letterhead.
A variation on this theme is to find someone with a resale number and borrow it. Architects, designers, contractors and job shops usually have a number. Though it costs them nothing to have you use it, etiquette requires that you offer to pay for the paperwork.
