You cannot make a price list impossible to forward – but you can make forwarding useless, visible and traceable. A PDF attached to an e-mail is gone the moment you send it: the client can pass it to a competitor, a procurement portal or a distributor you never meant to see your discounts, and you will not know. Send the price list as a link to an online viewer instead: each client reads their own copy with their e-mail stamped on every page, downloads and printing are off, the link expires when the prices change – and you see every new reader. This guide compares the ways to share a price list, what each one really stops, and how to set it up for a sales team.
Ways to share a price list – what each one stops
| Method | Stops a copy being forwarded? | You see who read it? | Can you take it back or update it? | Leak traceable to one client? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PDF attached to an e-mail | No | No | No – old prices stay in circulation | No |
| Password-protected PDF | No – the password travels with the file | No | No | No |
| Google Drive or Dropbox link | Partly – only if you restrict it to named accounts | Limited | Yes | No |
| Customer login in a B2B shop or portal | Yes, for prices shown in the shop | Yes | Yes | Rarely – exports and screenshots carry no name |
| Tracked link to a protected viewer | A forwarded link shows up as a new reader – or does not open at all if the e-mail must be confirmed | Yes – who, when, which pages | Yes – expiry, view limit, switch off, replace the file | Yes – the reader's e-mail on every page |
No method stops a determined person from photographing a screen. The realistic goal is that a forwarded or photographed price list carries the name of the client it came from – which is usually enough to stop it happening.
How to share a price list that stays with the client
- Export the price list to PDF, so every page is tracked and watermarked the same way on every device.
- One link per client. Name it after the client, or let the link ask for the reader's e-mail – optionally confirmed with a one-time code, so a forwarded link alone does not open.
- Turn on the watermark with the reader's e-mail (and optionally date and IP) on every page.
- Switch off download and print. The client reads in the browser or in the mobile app – there is no file to pass on.
- Set an expiry date that matches the validity of the prices, or a view limit.
- Send the link, and when prices change, upload the new version: the same link shows it, so nobody keeps working from last year's list.
In HelpRange, the e-mail gate, watermarks, download and print blocking, expiry and view limits are part of Pro – $39 per team per month, for the whole sales team and with no limit on price lists or clients. See proposal and price list tracking for what you see after sending.
What the reading data tells a salesperson
- A new reader from another company on a client's link – the price list was forwarded. Ask about it, or switch that link off.
- One link opened from many places – HelpRange flags links opened from several IP addresses in different countries within a week.
- Long time on one product group – the client is pricing that line; call about it.
- Re-reads before a tender deadline – a good moment for a short, specific follow-up.
Why "reasonable steps" matter
Under the EU Trade Secrets Directive, information is protected as a trade secret only if its holder has taken "reasonable steps under the circumstances to keep it secret" (Directive (EU) 2016/943, Article 2(1)(c)). If confidential net prices go out as attachments to anyone who asks, it is harder to argue later that they were kept secret. Named, watermarked, expiring links and a record of who opened what are the kind of steps that show the opposite. This is general information, not legal advice – confirm your position with a lawyer.
FAQ
Can I stop a client from forwarding my price list?
Not completely – nobody can stop a photo of a screen. Sending a link instead of a file, requiring a confirmed e-mail, blocking download and print and putting the reader's e-mail on every page makes forwarding useless or traceable, and you see every new reader.
Is a password-protected PDF enough?
No. The password is usually sent with the file or in the next e-mail, and anyone who has both can open and forward it. A password also tells you nothing about who read the price list.
How do I share different prices with different clients?
Upload one PDF per price tier or per client and create a separate link for each client. Each link has its own readers, statistics and expiry date.
What happens when my prices change?
Upload the new version under the same document: every existing link shows the new prices immediately. Or let the old links expire on the date the prices end.
Can clients read the price list on their phone?
Yes – in the browser on any device, or in the HelpRange app for iPhone, iPad and Android.
Related: proposal tracking · dynamic watermarks · make a PDF expire · prevent printing and downloading.