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Buying Service

Good Shepherd Youth & Family Service Buying Service (Victoria only)

What is the Good Shepherd Youth & Family Service Buying Service?

The Buying Service is a free Victoria-wide telephone service which aims to get lower prices on essential household goods for Centrelink Concession Card holders and not for profit community groups. We have been brokering discounted prices for people on low incomes and community organisations for over 20 years, achieving an average saving of 19 per cent off the normal retail price over that time.

What does the Good Shepherd Youth & Family Service Buying Service offer?

  • Access to discounted prices negotiated with an established network of traders
  • general information about the quality and reliability of products, energy efficiency and warranties where possible

  • information about other services that can help with the purchase of household items, such as loans and rebates.

Who can use the Good Shepherd Youth & Family Service Buying Service?

The Buying Service is for individuals and families who hold a Centrelink Concession Card, as well as non-profit community groups and some government organisations.

We'd also love to hear from traders who would like to contribute to their community by joining our network and offering their best prices to our consumers.

How does the Buying Service work?

The Buying Service is a telephone service, not a retail outlet, and our discounted prices are obtained from an established network of traders.

To get a quote from the service, you need to decide on the item you would like to buy and provide us with the brand and model number. This information ensures our traders' provide prices for the right item, avoiding any potential mistakes.

Once we inform you of the outcome of your quote request, we leave it up to you to decide whether or not you'd like to make a purchase. There is no obligation to buy, but if you do decide to go ahead with an item, the Buying Service places an order with the trader offering the approved price and the trader is asked to contact you to arrange payment and delivery.

Please note - The items you decide on buying need to be paid for by cash, debit card, credit card or through programs offering financial assistance for low income earners such as the No Interest Loan Scheme (NILS) or the StepUP low interest loan. Please contact the Buying Service to see what assistance is available in your area.

Steps to using the Buying Service - quote request for individuals:

  1. Shop around and identify a product with the features you need.
  2. Contact the Buying Service with the brand name and model number (if you choose to email rather than call, please fill out and attach the ‘Buying Service Quote Request Form - Individuals' provided below).
  3. We will obtain the lowest possible price on the product we can, including delivery, and let you know what this is.
  4. If you decide to buy the item, we will place an order with the trader on your behalf and ask them to contact you to arrange delivery and payment.

Click on the link below to download the Buying Service Quote Request Form - Individuals:

Buying Service Quote Request Form - Individuals

Steps to using the Buying Service - quote requests from NILS / StepUP providers and community groups on behalf of clients:

Organisations that wish to submit requests for quotes on behalf of their clients or for their own offices are asked to complete the ‘Buying Service Quote Request Form - NILS and StepUP Providers' attached below. The process is as follows:

1. Complete all fields listed under Step 1 and please be sure to fill out all details requested, particularly the brand and model number of the item/s in question. The Buying Service requires client information for our records and treats all information submitted as confidential.

2. The Buying Service will obtain the lowest possible price on the product we can, including delivery, and send the outcome of the quote request back to the organisation's identified contact person via email or fax as preferred.

3. If you or your client accepts the quote and decides to purchase through the Buying Service, please complete Step 2, leaving the original information in place for our reference, and re-send the form through to buyingservice@goodshepvic.org.au.

4. In the case of NILS and StepUP providers, it is important to include all information including:

• The total amount of the cheque
• when the cheque will be handed to the client, and
• if there is any cash payment in excess of the cheque.

The above information is used when we place the order for your client as the trader needs to know that the client has the cheque in hand at the time of delivery and if the driver needs to collect any cash payments in addition to the cheque.

5. We ask the trader to contact the client directly to arrange delivery.

Click on the link below to download the Buying Service Quote Request Form for NILS and StepUP Providers:

Buying Service Quote Request Form - NILS and StepUP Providers

Buying Service Brochure Re-order Form

NILS programs, government departments or community organisations can order copies of the Buying Service brochure to distribute to their clients by either contacting the service directly or filling out the form below and returning it to us by fax or email.

Please note that our brochure has been translated into a range of languages listed as follows:
Arabic,Burmese Croatian, Dari, Dinka, Greek, Hindi, Italian, Khmer, Macedonian, Punjabi, Serbian, Sinhalese, Somali, Spanish, Tamil, Traditional Chinese, Turkish, Vietnamese

Please note - The Buying Service is not funded for printing and distributing translated brochures, but we can provide your organisation with a master copy for printing and copying.

Click on the link below to download the Buying Service Brochure Re-order Form:

Buying Service Brochure Re-order Form

How can I find out more about the Buying Service?

Contact:

Good Shepherd Youth & Family Service Buying Service
Monday to Thursday 10am to 3pm
T: 03 9495 9655
F: 03 9270 9350
Email: buyingservice@goodshepvic.org.au