Have builders yards suddenly started charging delivery round your way?

[julianf]

I'm a low volume account holder.

Suddenly there's a delivery charge for anything under £100.

I'm told it's because of the price of fuel. Obviously they were not watching the news that day when crude dipped into negative pricing for the first time in history recently.

Toolstation too - was free delivery over a tenner before covid. Now has to be over £25. That's a related but different issue though - mostly I can't understand why builders yards are suddenly charging for delivery now. It's clearly not a fuel surcharge despite what my chap on the phone said.

 

[sako243]

Nope but they did shaft me on some 6" pipes I needed urgently.

Then again half their drivers can't go out of the yard without passing my place.

 

[roofman]

Everything has appeared to cost more to me the last 2 weeks...The deal breaker was my old £12 hair cut cost me £19 2 weeks ago, all my roofing materials have increased too

 

[willie.macleod]

I didn't think it was possible to order from a builders yard and spend less than £100 :-( I did notice the Toolstation issue as well, they seem to have less and less of what I want actually in stock and are silly about delivery of certain stuff to me so aren't getting my business. Smaller purchases seem to be going either to Amazon or eBay these days.

 

[gaz1]

where finding plasterboards and plaster is a swine to get hold of

some places are charging double or tripple for it

delivery charges have not been included but we have noticed its the amount of money your spending otherwise you are charged for delivery

 

[500e]

So my £9 hair job was a bargain
Helps with Tescos rise of 90p to £1.86 for a bottle of Witch hasel

 

[julianf]

Plasterboard back down to normal price here now.

Got 6 bags of nhl3.5 and a couple of 12mm sheets for just under £100 all in.

I get stung on prices so that's probably about 20-25% higher than it should be, but, up until now, the free delivery has evened things out.

 

[Fazerruss]

where finding plasterboards and plaster is a swine to get hold of

some places are charging double or tripple for it

delivery charges have not been included but we have noticed its the amount of money your spending otherwise you are charged for delivery

My wife's friends other half who works for British Gypsum was furloughed so the factory wont have been manufacturing.

 

[MCKDAVID]

don't know about building materials, but been waiting 6 weeks for stainless square tube, they're telling me all their orders are backlogged and they're struggling to get stock.

 

[bricol]

Next door neighbour,self-employed builder/landscape changer says hes never known it be so busy - and so all the local builders merchants are too. Reckons must be to do with people being at home and contemplating the wreck of the garden, getting refunds for holidays they can't take, saving on commuting costs, while still being paid, whether working from home or furloughed - so are spending it on making home look nicer.

 

[brightspark]

the electrical wholesalers have hiked there prices up and also put a notice up a 15 percent restocking charge on all returned unwanted gear now not just special orders

 

[MetalMonkey]

Next door neighbour,self-employed builder/landscape changer says hes never known it be so busy - and so all the local builders merchants are too. Reckons must be to do with people being at home and contemplating the wreck of the garden, getting refunds for holidays they can't take, saving on commuting costs, while still being paid, whether working from home or furloughed - so are spending it on making home look nicer.

I reckon this is pretty much on the money - All the local places have said they have been flat out and the wait for stock from their suppliers is now 8 - 12 weeks on some lines, if they can even get it.
I suspect a combination of everybody doing stuff at home, building sites reopening and trying to catch up on lost time and manufacturers and supply chains still being at reduced capacity.
Perhaps the delivery charge is just an attempt to put off joe bloggs so they can concentrate more on keeping their larger account holders happy - can't really blame them.

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

Haven't really noticed.
As above. Really busy as everyone wants work doing.

 

[Morrisman]

Next door neighbour,self-employed builder/landscape changer says hes never known it be so busy - and so all the local builders merchants are too. Reckons must be to do with people being at home and contemplating the wreck of the garden, getting refunds for holidays they can't take, saving on commuting costs, while still being paid, whether working from home or furloughed - so are spending it on making home look nicer.

Pain in the derrière for me, moved house in March, had all sorts of plans for repairs and improvements.... all scuttled by Covid. Three months on things have started getting back to normal...

I can’t imagine why builders merchants would ever deliver for free, for small purchases, the cost of running a truck and driver must be fairly horrendous.

I like Wickes, because they will tell you exactly when they will deliver, but Huys Gray, where I buy wood, you just have to take pot luck and wait and see.

The place I ordered my shiplap from can’t give me any sort of a delivery date, but they deliver for free for orders over £250

 

[grim_d]

MKM still doing free local delivery and still cheaper than the rest of the big merchants.

 

[jimbo84]

Perhaps the delivery charge is just an attempt to put off joe bloggs so they can concentrate more on keeping their larger account holders happy - can't really blame them.

That's what my local one is doing, relatively small outfit. They used to drop off orders for no charge, even if it was just one sheet of board or a few bricks but now it's £150 order or a tenner delivery to put off smaller orders to keep up with their account holders.

 

[lchris21]

Everything has appeared to cost more to me the last 2 weeks...The deal breaker was my old £12 hair cut cost me £19 2 weeks ago, all my roofing materials have increased too

Went for the full DIY jobbie haircut mid lock-down .............might make it permanent thing during the warmer months, should save myself a couple of quid too boot Missus was horrified, but as I explained to her, luckily I dont have too look at my ugly mug, or amateur mop chop...I've never been into man makeup and preening anyway

 

[MoreWellie]

Paint and brushes have jumped up as well

Tekaloid
sep 19 £12.70 for a litre
jun 20 £16.00

I guess now the world is a smaller place with less manufacturing capacity costs start going up

 

[Morrisman]

Paint and brushes have jumped up as well

Tekaloid
sep 19 £12.70 for a litre
jun 20 £16.00

I guess now the world is a smaller place with less manufacturing capacity costs start going up

I was so bored out of my skull late in March I decided to paint our fence. The only fence paint I could find on line that I could get delivered was £49 from Amazon.

Six weeks later I had nearly finished the fence, (yes, I know) and I ran out of paint and ordered more. This time the same paint was £29..... and they sent me two tubs by mistake, so I’m good for the next decade or more.

 

[mtt.tr]

Hasnt changed my way cost wise, but ive never had to queue for plaster before.