Why such a distinction?

Historically, and for more than 20 years, SBE’s customer base has consisted mainly of key accounts and public administrations, to whom SBE offers original and innovative products in terms of security and asset management in the workplace. SBE designs its own products, imports others, and acts as a wholesaler for its network of resellers.

This is why the prices on our website and in our catalog are volume-based, allowing us to offer our customers the best possible rates.

However, since the advent of the internet, we have discovered a new customer base made up of small businesses and associations who also appreciate our products and our advantageous prices, usually reserved for large companies.

To better satisfy everyone and meet our customers’ needs as closely as possible, we offer a dedicated space on this site for each type of customer, more tailored and aligned with their specific needs.

Most products are available in all these spaces, but some are better suited to the different industries of our clients. What remains strictly identical, however, are the prices, which are the same across all customer spaces (only the maximum quantities for volume-based pricing may vary).

We invite you first to read the previous FAQ entry "Why do you make a distinction between small businesses and key accounts?" to better understand our philosophy and our relationship with our customers.

In short, we explain there that we are structured to work primarily with key accounts and resellers, focusing on products in bulk rather than in small quantities.

However, the internet now allows us to meet the demand from a new customer base made up of small businesses, associations, and even individuals, to whom we can offer the same advantageous prices — and we are delighted to do so.

That said, our sales structure, designed for key accounts, does not allow us to efficiently handle the large number of daily phone inquiries. If you are a small business or an association, we can respond much more effectively through the other modern communication channels available to you, such as live chat or email. To see all the ways to contact us, click here.

Yes, absolutely — and this is one of the things that makes us different. We will be happy to send you free product samples or provide you with a free loan.

Most customized products can be sent to you as samples, while in-stock products will generally be loaned to you for the time you need to carry out your tests. For more information, visit the page "SBE Advice / How to test our products by yourself?". Some products cannot be loaned or sampled; in such cases, the "Request a sample" or "Request a loan" buttons will not appear.

The process for requesting loans or samples is the same as creating a shopping cart on the SBE Direct website.

To receive a sample of an item or borrow a product, simply go to the product page of interest and click on "Request a loan" or "Request a sample" below the "Add to cart" button at the bottom right. This will create a cart, to which you can then add other items for loan or sample by clicking "Continue shopping" each time the loan/sample request summary appears.

The maximum quantity for product samples is limited to 5, and the maximum quantity for loaned items is limited to 2.

Once all your items are in your sample or loan cart, click the "Complete my request" button at the bottom of the summary and follow the process to finalize your request.

You can also view all the sample and loan requests you have made by going to your customer account / Request history.

To save you from having to mobilize your teams, SBE offers a turnkey service to apply, on your site, all the products presented here that may require repetitive and time-consuming manual work.

In addition, our technicians, with solid experience in SBE products and their implementation, will complete the task in less time (thus reducing disruption in your premises during equipment installation) while delivering an optimized final result (excellent adhesion of marking systems and anti-theft devices).

Our customer service is available Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

You can contact us via live chat, by email, through a direct form, by phone (key accounts and public administrations only), or by fax.

Access our customer service.

Outside of these hours, and for an immediate answer, we invite you to browse these help pages, which will most likely provide the answer to your questions.

All your comments and suggestions are welcome, as long as they are constructive. We also appreciate criticism if it helps us improve and provide better service to our customers, so please feel free to share your thoughts — all topics are open:

• The quality of this website, ease of navigation through the products, ergonomics, how easy it is to find what you’re looking for...
• The quality of the products we offer, their prices, options, selection, and variety...
• The quality of our sales service, its attentiveness, responsiveness to your requests, accuracy, and the satisfaction provided...
• The quality of our production, the precision of product printing, lead times...
• The quality of our order processing, the speed of handling your order, the follow-up provided, and the quality of delivery...
• The quality of our customer service, technical support, and how we handle any issues you may encounter...
• Or perhaps, an idea for a new product? An unmet need?

To share your feedback:
If you feel your suggestion is confidential or private, the easiest way is to go to the Contact us page, and in the “Who is this message for?” box, select “Suggestions and comments.”

You can also address your message in the same place to “Philippe Escoffier-Gentile, CEO,” and our president will personally receive and reply to your message.

If you believe your suggestion deserves public exposure or debate, go to the SBE Blog, under the “Have Your Say!” tab, and share your opinion! With moderation, of course, as your topic will be reviewed before publication. This space is intended to develop constructive ideas, not just to criticize.

In all cases, we will respond to you and take your comments into account — rest assured, as this is one of our core principles.

A cookie is a small file created by most websites to store information that allows the site to recognize you during your next visit. Cookies are a convenient and safe way to make your browsing experience easier on an e-commerce site like SBE Direct.

Cookies only store information that identifies you, such as your name or email address. The website only accesses the information you provide yourself during registration or browsing (username, email address, current cart, products viewed, etc.).

No other website can access the cookies created by the SBE Direct site. Likewise, the SBE Direct site has no access to the data on your computer; it can only “see” the cookies it has created itself. For example, our site has no way of knowing your email address unless you provide it.

We recommend enabling cookies in your browser to allow you to fill your cart and place orders online.

To receive the SBE catalog, you have several options:

• Go to the Contact us page, and in the “Who is this message for?” box, select “Request for SBE catalog.” Be sure to include your postal address so we can send you the catalog. If you require multiple copies of the SBE catalog, indicate the quantity in the “Your message” box.
• Send an email to customer service at contact sbedirect.com, also including your postal address and the number of catalogs if you would like more than one.

It’s easy to save your favorite items in a list that you can review later.

First, you need to log in to the SBE Direct website or create an account if you haven’t already done so.

Then, the best option is to create a favorites list in your customer account (you can create several lists); otherwise, the default list “My list” will be used.

To save items for later review or to order them at a later time, simply click the red “Add to my favorites” button above the green “Add to cart” button on any product page.

You will then be asked to choose which list you want to place this item in.

To find all your favorite product lists, go to your customer account, and by clicking “View details” for each favorites list, you will be able to access the saved items.

You can then select the ones you want to add to your current cart and place your order.

Most of the products featured on this site come with a minimum one-year warranty if nothing specific is mentioned regarding the warranty.

Some products offer a longer warranty (2, 3, or 5 years), and some come with a lifetime warranty. In all cases, these extended warranties will be clearly indicated and/or marked with a red pictogram.

Would you like to share your satisfaction with the services provided by the SBE team?

Like many companies, we work hard to ensure our customers’ satisfaction, and our greatest reward comes when one of our clients sincerely expresses their appreciation. It truly makes us happy and gives deeper meaning to our work.

As you can see, the entire SBE team loves these little compliments that motivate us to do even better and to keep improving — and if you are kind enough to share them here, you will bring happiness to SBE!

Two simple ways to share your feedback:

Go to the Contact us page, and in the “Who is this message for?” box, select “Customer testimonial.”

We warmly thank you for your participation.