Builders Merchants

[fishpat86]

I went into my local Ridgeons this morning to get a price for 200m of 175mm wide featheredge board. They quoted me £392 incl VAT! I didn't ask for any discount but I've heard they discount just about anyone if they ask. My brother has a trade account as well so I'm going to give that a try but has anyone had any luck getting the supposed discounts t'interweb spouts you can?

Cheers

 

[fishpat86]

I rang Ridgeons quoting my brothers account number and got a price of £554!

How can it be more expensive with a trade account?

 

[Myfordman]

Quite easily. Trade account could well be monthly in arrears credit and they generally look at the purchasing history.

Your personal purchase would be cash/card money in their bank within a day or so.

The way I go about these things is to get as low a price as poss from somewhere and then use that to bargain with others.
Combining with the promise of other orders and or bargaining over delivery costs can also work.
Try asking for the head honcho in the timber dept. too

Do you need ex 175x25 FE? maybe ex 150x25 would work out cheaper even if you needed more of it.

If you can go to ex125x25 or even ex125x20, a fencing company might be cheaper as they will use miles of the stuff.

 

[pcb1962]

I went to my local Travis Perkins a few weeks ago for 4 sheets of 18mm WBP ply. They asked me what I was expecting it to cost so I told them I usually pay about 30 quid a sheet in Wickes. They told me that theirs was much better quality than Wickes, which is what I was hoping for, but it would cost me about 36 quid a sheet, so I took it.
When I started cutting it I found it had just as many holes and defects as the Wickes stuff does, and then I found out that they're actually the same company, so it's more than likely exactly the same stuff from the same supplier. Last time I go there.

 

[blackrodd]

Quite easily. Trade account could well be monthly in arrears credit and they generally look at the purchasing history.

Your personal purchase would be cash/card money in their bank within a day or so.

The way I go about these things is to get as low a price as poss from somewhere and then use that to bargain with others.
Combining with the promise of other orders and or bargaining over delivery costs can also work.
Try asking for the head honcho in the timber dept. too

Do you need ex 175x25 FE? maybe ex 150x25 would work out cheaper even if you needed more of it.

If you can go to ex125x25 or even ex125x20, a fencing company might be cheaper as they will use miles of the stuff.

As Myfordman said it would probably pay you to find the typical fencing width as generally the wider you buy the costlier it is to supply and produce.
Are there no fencing material specialists near you?
I costed 2.1mtr lengths 150mm feather edge a couple of weeks ago at my local jewsons, and the price was 87p per length + the dreaded vat, the quantity was to cover approximately 30mtrsin total. HTH Regards Rodders

 

[Bluekingfisher]

Seems to me they take a look at you when you walk in and quote a price based on what you look like or if they think you have any idea what you are talking about.

I was once quoted £26 for a large sheet of DPC over the phone at Jewsons, when I walked in in a suit asking for it they quoted me £50. Suffice to say I spoke with the manager and got it discounted at the £26 rate.

David

 

[marcros]

Seems to me they take a look at you when you walk in and quote a price based on what you look like or if they think you have any idea what you are talking about.

I was once quoted £26 for a large sheet of DPC over the phone at Jewsons, when I walked in in a suit asking for it they quoted me £50. Suffice to say I spoke with the manager and got it discounted at the £26 rate.

David

years back i worked in a builders merchant, and you are not far from the truth. wearing a suit, not knowing what you are on about and such like suggested retail. A common complaint from trade was that retail could buy at the same price, so we were instructed to keep the two separate. There were various initiatives, such as all trade will have an account. Needless to say, the trade cash business disappeared, so the idea didn't last.

As for account purchases being more expensive... A lot of companies operate where the account is held in one branch who set the terms. Often they are wrong, but a different branch will not have the authority to over rule them. So if everybody gets 25% off to make the merchant competitive, but an account from a different branch is set at 20% off that product, they quote the more expensive rate to the account.

Locally I am lucky. We have a small independent merchant who is competitive enough that I can send the wife in for (small) bits, happy that she wont get ripped off. They have always said that they would rather get all of anybodies business through being fair than a one off purchase at a ridiculous price. I dont tend to bother ringing round now, not that I use great quantities of anything.

 

[Mark A]

Seems to me they take a look at you when you walk in and quote a price based on what you look like or if they think you have any idea what you are talking about.

That Zilch-Wedlock me off no end. Being young, they assume I'm clueless, speak to me in a condescending manner and try and rip me off.

 

[wizard]

There are two timber yards near me, one has a very large office with about 20 people in it the other a small shed with one man in it and a big difference in price.

 

[pcb1962]

There are two timber yards near me, one has a very large office with about 20 people in it the other a small shed with one man in it and a big difference in price.

The one with the office with 20 people is cheaper because most of those people are on the phone all day selling vast quantities of timber to big construction companies and negotiating supplies by the shipload, whereas the little man in the shed has to pay close to retail for his stock. Or maybe not.

 

[fishpat86]

I'll have to ask my brother if his account is one in arrears. I'll give Jewsons a try as well as 87p+VAT is bloody cheap for 2.1Lm. I'm not sure if there is any fencing suppliers nearby. Knowing Cambridge if there are they will be stupidly over priced! The amount of cover does make quite a large difference to the linear metreage eg.

100mm cover = 280Lm
120mm cover = 240Lm
125mm cover = 225Lm
140mm cover = 200Lm
150mm cover = 190Lm

I should add the reason I am looking for cladding is I am building a gym shed soon and I am trying to get an idea for cost.

 

[wizard]

No the one man in the office is working hard all day the others seem to be doing nothing.

 

[Drudgeon]

When it's a product I've not bought before I always have a good look around on the 'net, but also speak to other people I know in the trade and get an idea of what I should be paying, and when I go into a place to request a price I always make a point of telling them that I've been looking around at prices, not that that makes difference half the time.

I have noticed on a couple of occasions being in varying builders merchants and talking to a general bod they don't really care whether you buy it or not, but a couple of times an area manager/rep/sales manger etc has been present, and what a difference, they will basically bend over backwards to match and/or beat any price to ensure they get your business, that is the difference, put all the sales people on commission and then see how badly they want your business.

Sorry to go on a tangent, but does anyone else notice the lack of customer services generally in many merchants? I am lucky and use two in particular that are excellent, and I have worked hard to build up a good relationship with them, and I feel I get outstanding service even though I am a small one man band outfit that will never realistically break their sales records, but some merchants make you feel like you should thank them for allowing you inside their building, having a chat with their mate for 10 mins whilst you stand at the counter in your Harry Potter invisibility cloak…

Anyway, sorry for the rant, back to the OP, Ridgeons have never been particularly competitive on price, you should be paying half what they've quoted you, but as someone else suggested, look at the narrower board, it should work out a lot cheaper, wider boards are more expensive as a rule.

 

[tomf]

When you have an account, you have to negotiate a price. This price is then available to you what ever site you visit. An account which offers a credit facility are more expensive. I just have a cash account which means I don't have credit. I kept trying to use my fathers account and it was about a third more expensive than with my cash account.
You do have you know your prices before hand though, I've got packs of blocks for £45 when they first gave me a price of £80. From what I heard you can get a max discount of 40% on most stuff.

The other day I phoned TP and they gave me a price for £60 for BB birch ply and I wanted 10 sheets....

 

[joiner_sim]

Just to add to the comments..... We use Ridgoens for some of our timber supplies at work. I don't know the costings, but I do know that if our company could get something cheaper from somewhere else, regardless of the quality, they would! Maybe they negotiated prices..... we do order quite a lot.

 

[Steve-O]

I think we are quite lucky there in Newcastle as there are a handful of independent timber merchants who prices are good.

I've never actually been to a builders merchant such as jewsons etc for timber but I've looked online and they don't seem as competitive.

Stephen

 

[fishpat86]

http://beta.wickes.co.uk/Feather-Edge-B ... m/p/548022

What do you all think to this stuff from wickes?

 

[Steve-O]

http://beta.wickes.co.uk/Feather-Edge-Board-11x150mmx2-4m/p/548022

What do you all think to this stuff from wickes?

I think that's extremely expensive. I pay about £1.00 for 1.8m lengths... Try local fencing/timber suppliers.

Stephen

 

[fishpat86]

http://beta.wickes.co.uk/Feather-Edge-Board-11x150mmx2-4m/p/548022

What do you all think to this stuff from wickes?

I think that's extremely expensive. I pay about £1.00 for 1.8m lengths... Try local fencing/timber suppliers.

Stephen

What about this

http://www.huntingdontimber.co.uk/PRICE_LIST.pdf

It's the 2.4mtr 125mm x 25mm featheredge treated at 2.32 inc VAT at the bottom.

 

[fishpat86]

I've found a fencing supplier nearby doing 1800mm x 125mm x 25mm featheredge board for 99p inc VAT. I assume it's not treated though.