About Me  | Most Recent Posts Top 4 Tricks for Saving on Stone or TilePosted May-09-08 20:11:53 PDT Closeouts and Auctions You can save often up to 80% if you are able to locate an auction house in your area. Sometimes these are quality materials that the buyer could not effectively move through their distribution channel and need to sell through an auction house in order to manage their cash flow. One such auction house is http://www.southernsalesservices.com/. You also may find materials that are unsellable and to the average consumer, you must be the judge. Buying online There are numerous sites selling very inexpensive stone and tile materials online. Glass and ceramics purchases tend to be the safest as these products tend to have less variation in the material. Of course, service is extremely important and you will want to make your installer happy by ensuring that they are able to share some of material cost margin. One such trade focused site which focuses on both quality and the trade is http://www.luxetile.com/. When considering stone, some sites focus only on cost and may be willing to sacrifice quality in order to be the cheapest. In addition, with natural stone it is important to ensure that the buyer be extremely savvy, understanding that sometimes the quoted price cannot reflect the proper purported quality or may not actually be the material that you expect. Buying in volume Buying in volume is highly attractive to many savvy consumers. With the introduction of technology and efficient marketplaces one may consider buying container or pallet quantities of one material. If selection is not that important, then this may be a good option. You may end up with several bathrooms which all look the same or you may be sacrificing resale value at the expense of economy on the finishes. This option is really the most relevant for commerical buyers. Importing direct Again, as marketplaces become more efficient, you may wish to determine a direct source for material if you are able to purchase container quantity levels. In international trade, it is extremely important to know your seller and have some recourse if you do not receive the quality you expect. Specalizing in the material and its potential variation is extremely important as an unsavvy consumer can essentially be a target to unload product that cannot be sold in normal channels. Am I Entitled to My Contractor's or Designer's Trade Discount?Posted Jan-01-08 18:08:17 PST Updated May-09-08 20:14:03 PDT It is well known that contractors and designers may receive a trade discount on the materials they purchase. The actual percentage can vary based on the product, the volume of business given to an individual retail store, and the volume of the order. Some designers will pass along the discount and off set their income by the hourly rate charged to the client. Contractors may also offer some of their savings to clients as well, however, it is important to both to establish these terms in advance with their client. There are pros and cons associated with each approach and a consumer needs to appreciate the business requirements of these professionals so that both can walk away satisfied with the deal. Many customers often ask, "Do I get an additional discount if I am working with a (contractor/designer)? As a retailer or vendor, trade discounts are not considered entitlements for the trade or the consumer. The discount is used as a method to drive loyalty, repeat purchases, and reward the trade professional for being, essentially, an additional lead channel. Some retailers require minimum levels of volume purchases over a year before a trade professional will be eligible for a discount and increasing discount levels will be provided based on increased volume. The pros of your designer or contractor passing along the discount directly may seem obvious, as the consumer can directly see the savings benefit on the material cost. However, you may be paying elsewhere. If you are approaching a relationship with a contractor or designer based on the discount that they can pass along to you, you also need an understand that the trade professional needs to make a certain amount of income on the job. Every business requires a certain level of margin to manage their ongoing expenses. For some business models, 10% is enough to be profitable and deliver acceptable service - usually high volume low service. For other business models, 80% margin may be necessary. It is important for the consumer not to expect this discount if a trade professional does not pass this along, as this is frankly, a component of their overall income. And as that old adage goes, you get what you pay for. For your tile and stone material needs, refer your contractor to http://www.luxetile.com.
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