Trade vs retail

[Andrew0109]

Hi peeps me once more iv a new question, I know now that wood is mega expensive at retail level so i was wondering how cheaper getting wood via trade only route would be? Is it a little cheaper or a lot cheaper whats your experiance with id be interested to know also i know it depends etc if i can have a ball park figure id be very greatful thanks again.

 

[AndyT]

You might get something off at a general builder's merchant but I think that even if you manage to persuade them that you are a trade customer, they might notice that you (presumably) won't be buying timber by the lorry load!

I think we all have to accept that much of the timber trade is geared up to supply house builders and furniture manufacturers who need a continuous supply of wood. Hobbyists who only need a few boards are not always welcome, just as you don't drive up to the refinery when you need a tankful of petrol.

 

[Jelly]

The timber industry as a whole doesn't 'do' trade pricing... its more bulk pricing, the more you buy (and the more you can commit to.buy on a regular basis) the more room for negotiation you have, even then its not much... Even buying by the ship-load*, the market value of timber (which like any commodity, varies) is as important to price as any purchasing agreement (which will be frequently revised anyway) or ongoing relationship with a supplier.

Also worthy of note, is that finished timber is a relatively low-margin product... A large part of the ability of bigger organisations to buy timber cheaply, is actually down to having the facilities to process it into the form they actually require. The mark of a good commercial timber buyer is understanding how material will be used and selecting and allocating packs accordingly for each purpose to achive the best balance between the material cost, processing costs and achieving the dead minimum of wastage.

*I'm not using that as a hyperbolic synonym for 'lots'; I mean ships full of scandinavian and russian softwoods (the hardwood market is too arcane for me!)

 

[AndyNC]

Hi,

I'm doing up my house and because I tried to get a good price on some block I ended up with a trade card.

I've not bought much recently mainly because I've finished the major work before I got the card, but they don't want to take the card away, they keep sending me special offer try to get more business.

So if you get a card you'll probably keep it for some time.

Andy

 

[ColeyS1]

I think woods just expensive . Softwood doesn't seem that cheap anymore. I think the only way to source 'cheap' wood is by recycling something or finding some bargains on ebay. I'm in the process of making a softwood wardrobe for my auntie. Well I say softwood, it worked out cheaper to buy ash veneered mdf instead of pine mdf :???:

 

[custard]

For the hobbyist woodworker the cost of wood, relative to time and tools, is pretty cheap.

It's like someone who races a car as a hobby complaining about the cost of petrol. Yes, it's a chunk of change, but compared to everything else it's just not that significant...unless of course you're building library bookcases out of rosewood or something similarly extreme! But for most hobbyists I'd say ignore the price and buy generous quantities of the very best wood you can find, rather that than invest scores or even hundreds of hours in a project, and at the end be disappointed because you used cut price materials.

The other reason why I believe money spent on great wood is never wasted, is because we're all trying to distinguish our work from commercial alternatives. And one of the best ways of achieving that is with careful wood selection. I was looking at some oak furniture in Liberty's recently, and it was pretty impressive, solid timber with plenty of through-mortice joints and other evidence of quality construction. But the one thing that immediately let it down was lack of care in choosing and matching boards for the very best effect. But even the most skilful and passionate woodworker wouldn't be able to do much better if they've just got the bare minimum of wood for a cutting list.

 

[101wheeler]

I always phone a timber merchant for a cubic metre price before visiting. I then quote that price when making my purchase. I do this as I've found that otherwise the trade counter guy can sometimes 'make the price up'! When you phone, they don't know if they're dealing with a major contract or a one man band...

Just my thoughts.