Buy local they said

[JOEPRO]

I tend to find prices of consumables etc locally is usually more expensive than online. Perhaps this is to be expected.

Or is it?

Recently I bought a box of black nitrile gloves on ebay. 100x. £10 including delivery.

Was at a local hardware shop the other day and asked to buy a box of nitrile gloves. I tapped payment then realised they were £18! Oh dear. I figured maybe these will be better quality ones.

Nope when I got them home pure trash. Went through 3 pairs today just to wash my car. They split if you look at em funny.

I'm not the type to leave stuff back etc. But next time I'll just buy off ebay.

 

[pressbrake1]

I bought a roll of abrac emery cloth for £44 from a local because I needed now and support a new shop

Poop was glorified sand paper , I complained nicely as it just didn’t work on steel so they replaced with some unknown chinesium crap.
I was told the franchise dictates what they can sell. What hope do they have when they don’t understand products and are stuck in the franchise with the big catalogue of junk

 

[roofman]

I bought a roll of abrac emery cloth for £44 from a local because I needed now and support a new shop

Poop was glorified sand paper , I complained nicely as it just didn’t work on steel so they replaced with some unknown chinesium crap.
I was told the franchise dictates what they can sell. What hope do they have when they don’t understand products and are stuck in the franchise with the big catalogue of junk

I am finding it more and more difficult to find general consumables of any quality these days..even trusted branded names have been infected by Chinese manufacturing and its poor quality

 

[hotponyshoes]

I've got some proper decent nitrile gloves at 10 a box.
Only size 9 (large) though!

 

[brightspark]

I've got some proper decent nitrile gloves at 10 a box.
Only size 9 (large) though!

i got a box from autojumble for 2 quid the bloke had loads chanced them being crap but they wernt . wish id bought half a dozen boxes but didnt never to be seen again

 

[slim_boy_fat]

What hope do they we have when they don’t understand products and are stuck in the franchise with the big catalogue of junk

FTFY

 

[Redsailor]

Some Chinese stuff is quite good. Used to be a chap many years back in a white van travelling round locally selling el cheapo tools. Bought an 18v battery drill and a corded reciprocating saw off of him, both really cheap. Both had stick on labels saying Makita, but obviously knock offs and made in the faraway east. The saw has been thoroughly abused by myself and neighbours and is still going strong. The drill itself is still good, batteries have died, they were Ni Cads so they are prone to an early demise.

 

[James1979]

I bought a roll of abrac emery cloth for £44 from a local because I needed now and support a new shop

Poop was glorified sand paper , I complained nicely as it just didn’t work on steel so they replaced with some unknown chinesium crap.
I was told the franchise dictates what they can sell. What hope do they have when they don’t understand products and are stuck in the franchise with the big catalogue of junk

Anything Abracs is ****e in my experience.

I do use local factors but although we are small we are spoilt up here. Two good ones and they stock good brands at sensible prices.

Not online sensible but getting close. I like to support them as that’s what keeps them going. If they sold crap I wouldn’t hesitate to go online.

 

[redlig]

The money saved by not having to drive around the countryside more than offsets the very occasional dodgy delivery. example ,ordered a box of wild flower seeds last Tuesday very late in afternoon FOC delivery and was delivered before lunch Wednesday. I could understand it if they were ,wait for it, runner bean seeds .

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Was at a local hardware shop the other day and asked to buy a box of nitrile gloves. I tapped payment then realised they were £18! Oh dear. I figured maybe these will be better quality ones.

I've switched to using the thicker orange ones...they're excellent and reusable. I keep a box of junk ones for the err...jobs where you just wouldn't want to reuse the gloves!

I was in screw fix the other day...box of sharpies for £20....I mean come on...marker pens for £20!

 

[Brad93]

Beautiful pair of FAG bearings the other day, £90 worth.

Made in india.

So they can get it right, let's see how long that quality lasts.

I was in screw fix the other day...box of sharpies for £20....I mean come on...marker pens for £20!

Costco for sharpies.

 

[Brad93]

The local bearing factors (i say local, a 35 minute drive away) are a good 30% more expensive than online.

Though, i guess you have to pay for that convenience of a physical store where you can buy stuff same day. There's also the expertise of the people in there.

Though even they are falling into the trap of, we don't keep them in stock, we can have them next day.

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

I've found myself putting things back at checkout simply because I think the prices are taking the biscuit and I refuse to pay them!

I don't mind them slapping on a couple of quid for convenience....but £20 for a box of sharpies!

Online is definitely the easiest....but seems lately most places carry very little stock so you think you're buying click and collect and the next thing you know it's "next day" ....or as we all know....2 days time!

 

[Gareth J]

Regarding gloves, a small trader might be still lumped with some "pandemic stock" that was both expensive and pants.

Recently got lucky with a supplier offloading some at £3 a 100box. But during pandemic prices were high. If you could find them.

 

[DAPPH]

I've got some proper decent nitrile gloves at 10 a box.
Only size 9 (large) though!

IIRC I paid £6.70 inc vat for a box of black nitrile size 9 gloves at a local motor factors , I guess their turn over is high so they don't have them stuck on the shelves for months and months .

Even at an 80 day order to delivery the direct Chinese tend to be better and obviously at a much reduced price , after all most of such things come from China or Malaysia where labour 7 production costs are low . Most tied companies in the UK simply buy at a slightly enhanced Ali Express rate and then push up the middle man and end user prices to make a profit .

 

[DAPPH]

i got a box from autojumble for 2 quid the bloke had loads chanced them being crap but they wernt . wish id bought half a dozen boxes but didnt never to be seen again

Police are trying to trace people who purchased stolen rubber gloves for £2 a box at a North Cornwall auto jumble sale as part of their murder enquiries .

 

[tigdlo]

I used to buy polyco black and orange nitrile off ebay, just too expensive now, agri suppliers are worth a look.

I have switched to reusable gloves where possible and even wash them, I use nitrile washine up style gloves for anything like parts washing or rust removing now.

 

[Tangledfeet]

After fanning about for ages, I've simply gone for Black Mamba gloves, buying them wherever is cheapest - eBay normal.

 

[roofman]

After fanning about for ages, I've simply gone for Black Mamba gloves, buying them wherever is cheapest - eBay normal.

Ime almost certain one of my past girlfriends in a distant universe received a package through the post that contained a Black Mamba

 

[DAPPH]

ROOFMAN , what is the normal life of a roof done in Marley concrete roof tiles , this roof was done in 1979 .
Underfelt is shot , I'm being told it is almost as cheap & certainly more sensible to strip it re -do a breathable one way membrane and fit all new tiles including screwed down ridge tiles and tile edgings instead of mortaring them in ( Not allowed any more ?) .