You have transport live nearish Wakefield: I have an idea

[richard8356]

Okay, we all like to get our metal cheap, and we could, if getting it to us was not so expensive.

I wonder, if say, five people are interested in getting some mild-steel sheet - cheap. The person with the means of collecting the sheet goes out, picks up the sheet, and distributes it to the five (or more). And transport costs are shared between the five.

If anyone is intererested, please PM me, and I'll explain more. See what you think, see if I have a plan. Rich

 

[bigegg]

seems like a plan - I have a transit, so transport not a problem.
BUT...
Unless you have a source for ridiculously cheap steel sheet, and people close enough together to make it worthwhile.
I only pay £15 for delivery from James Dunkerley - it costs me about half that in diesel to drive there. If I was driving to deliver to other people, I'm not sure how much saving there would be.
Figure on 25p/mile for my 2.5 Diesel transit. I can get to manchester and back for about 20 quid.

 

[the snooper]

seems like a plan - I have a transit, so transport not a problem.
BUT...
Unless you have a source for ridiculously cheap steel sheet, and people close enough together to make it worthwhile.
I only pay £15 for delivery from James Dunkerley - it costs me about half that in diesel to drive there. If I was driving to deliver to other people, I'm not sure how much saving there would be.
Figure on 25p/mile for my 2.5 Diesel transit. I can get to manchester and back for about 20 quid.

not only are the above points valid, what about your time delivering the steel to people

 

[neilarmo]

Always including chatting time

I can get the VAT back so I like to go myself and get the receipt, what happens after that is anyone's guess!

I'm a bit far North nowadays to be in the buying group

 

[bigegg]

not only are the above points valid, what about your time delivering the steel to people

If the saving is big enough, then my time is free...

 

[richard8356]

I was going by my calculations. I started off looking on Ebay and made 20cm x 20cm 5mm steel plate equal to 1 unit. Going by my memory, 4 units were costing about £25.00 inc. postage. Then I saw another and that gave 9 units for £27 inc. postage. Then came 32 units for £17, not including postage. But it required a quite long journey. To pick up, it's probably twice as far as Manchester. Anyway, thought I'd just test the waters. :c) Thought that if anyone else (5 or more - whatever) wanted sheets (various thicknesses) it might have been worth it.

EDIT1: Actually the journey there and back would be about 274 miles. That's pretty far!! :c) That would be about £60. You would need 6 people to make transport costs £10 each.

 

[bigegg]

I was thinking "sheet", not plate.
Give Dunkerleys a ring - they had some plate in last time I was there.
I suppose it depends how much you need, and how often.

For the stuff I make, I buy enough to make a prototype (usually from Morley Waste Traders - scrap yard), add the product to my catalogue/portfolio with a price based on new-steel prices (including delivery).
When I get an order, I take a non-refundable deposit equal to the steel cost - then I buy any steel I need to complete the order.

I don't actually use much in the way of 5mm plate - my stuff is usually box section with 1mm galvanised sheet rivetted on - whicj is what I thought you were on about.

 

[neilarmo]

I think you'd save more by pricing your 'units' in the real world not on ebay and developing a discount at a good local supplier?
Just a comment based on 20 years of scrap hunting.

 

[matt1978]

The theory you have in principle is a good one, but the guy who has to do the collections and make all the seperate deliveries is not getting such a great deal is he. The 5 or so people who are having the stuff delivered to their door are laughing, At the very least you'd expect that he shouldn't have to pay his share of the fuel costs but nothing is accounted for wear and tear in his vehicle and as mentioned before probably the best part of a day or maybe more depending on where the collection point is and how far apart the drop offs are.

Maybe it would be better if you could team up with 5 or 6 people fairly locally to you, put a bulk order in to get a cheaper price but just get it delivered to the one address and then each make your own collection from the agreed address.

 

[richard8356]

The thing about Dunkerley's is that they don't sell plate, or, I think, sheet. That has proved to be problematic.

 

[richard8356]

My first experience of scrap hunting was a dismal failure.

http://www.wakefieldwastetraders.co.uk/

I went to Wakefield Waste Traders under the arches looking for a smallish piece. It became apparant that the way they operate is they want you to buy say a full sheet, or what sheets they have, and just come in, take the stuff away. No cutting and fiddling about in a busy yard. I think probably reasonable conditions.

The guy there in charge at the time told me to come back Monday or sometime in the week and pick up what I was wanting.

Relying on that, I actually built myself a trolley so I could walk into the yard and take delivery. Knowing more about how they operated, I thought I'd take his 3 sheets, not just 1.

Before setting off, I phoned up, and some guy said does not sell sheet he may have, they use it. So, all went pear-shaped. I don't know what went wrong. Someone saying one thing, another another thing.

They seemed reasonable people though.

 

[richard8356]

I think you'd save more by pricing your 'units' in the real world not on ebay and developing a discount at a good local supplier?
Just a comment based on 20 years of scrap hunting.

I wonder who that might be in my place near Wakefield. Are you talking about a scrap yard, or a new product stockist? Dunkerly is good for me, except for sheet or plate less than 1/4". Metals4u in Pontefract don't do 5mm plate.

This was my list from another thread:

Places to get metal sheet, plate etc near Wakefield:

*metals4u in Pontefract
*some place down Thornes industrial estate
*Raven sheet metal
*Mentalsupermarkets (pricey)
*Peter Hope Metals
*Dunkerley Steels (actually, don't sell sheet or plate)

I have been trying to identify scrap metal merchants.

* http://wilkinsonbrothersscrapmetal.co.uk/

* http://www.wakefieldwastetraders.co.uk/

* http://www.arthurbrook.co.uk/

Rich

 

[richard8356]

You know, I'm not very good at sourcing stuff. :c)

I'll see some stockist perhaps on Google Maps, and it looks like the business is located in a residential building (home). And there will just be a number to phone. But, I'm hesitant to phone up. I'm not even sure what kind of price I should be seeking for 5mm mild steel plate.

 

[bigegg]

How much 5mm plate are you wanting?
I am VERY good at sourcing stuff

 

[MattF]

You know, I'm not very good at sourcing stuff. :c)

I'll see some stockist perhaps on Google Maps, and it looks like the business is located in a residential building (home). And there will just be a number to phone. But, I'm hesitant to phone up. I'm not even sure what kind of price I should be seeking for 5mm mild steel plate.

There ain't a supplier on earth who is going to read your mind and phone you. Stop arsing about with Google maps and just phone suppliers local to you. It doesn't matter if they're located in the cellar of a brothel or own an industrial estate. It doesn't make them any less or more useful or legit than they may be.

Regarding price, whatever is reasonable for you.