Now more than ever, construction companies in record numbers are turning to the web in order to find not only cheap RSJs in London, but the very best structural steel supplies in the country. Web retail may be traditionally associated with lower-level consumer spending and retail, but these days there’s really nothing on Earth that cannot be picked up online – often for lower prices than would be found anywhere else.
In the case of steel beams and RSJs, perhaps the biggest benefit of all when it comes to shopping online is the way in which it allows you to deal directly with the manufacturer or wholesaler. Picking up these kinds of supplies has never been difficult as such, but when dealing with third-party middlemen it was difficult to get the same kinds of deals currently available on-tap. Right now, those who used to sell their supplies through third-party representatives and re-sellers are instead selling their wares to trade and public customers alike online – an evolution that brings the buyer some serious benefits.
The Lowest Prices
For example, it’s no secret that when it comes to who you actually buy things from in the first place, the closer to the manufacturer you go, the less you pay. This is precisely why buying directly from the manufacturer or from a wholesaler pretty much guarantees you a substantially lower price and a much better deal than would be available anywhere else. What’s more, buying from the manufacturer directly also opens up a world of opportunities for bulk purchase discounts and repeat-order special deals – again which might not be on the cards otherwise. The simple fact of the matter is that as re-sellers and third-parties need to pay their own wages, prices inevitably get jacked up.
The Best Customer Service
You’d be forgiven for thinking that anyone selling structural steel products online must to some extent or another be an expert in the subject. In reality however it’s often quite to the contrary as while structural steel supply retail may be something of a niche sector, technically speaking anyone can get into it. You build a website, you come up with a clever name for your company and you basically begin advertising the RSJs of another company at an inflated price. The orders come in, you fill the orders via the other company and you keep the added premium. Suffice to say, dealing with such middlemen will not only result in a higher price being paid, but will also make it difficult to tap into any professional customer service. After all, they may offer access to the products you need, but this doesn’t necessarily mean they know what they’re talking about.
Faster Fulfillment
Chances are that when and where you place an order for structural steel components for any given project, you’d prefer to get your hands on them sooner rather than later. Cliché as it may be, time more often than not really is money which in turn means that any delays that creep into the equation can be costly to say the least. This is another reason why it makes so much sense to go directly to the manufacturer as in doing so you place an order with those making and supplying the products who then ship them directly to you. By contrast, if and when you choose to work with any kind of third party or re-seller, you effectively have to relay your order through them in order to get it to the source of the products you need. Or in other words, you’re actually making it twice as difficult as it needs to be and doubling the likelihood of some kind of problem creeping into the mix. With it being so easy to place your orders directly with the manufacturer or wholesaler in the first place, it really makes no sense to deal with middlemen.
Product Consistency
And finally, something often overlooked though of crucial importance is not just the quality of the products, but their consistency. The reason being that when you procure structural steel components from an independent third party, there’s a very strong chance that they will use a wide variety of manufacturers and suppliers in accordance with who is cheapest all preferable to them at the time. Which is all well and good for them, but it could mean that were you to place a larger order or a repeat order with them, you might find yourself with a stockpile of steel beams and RSJs from different manufacturers and of very different quality standards. Suffice to say, this is precisely the kind of industry where flawless consistency and quality represent the only acceptable standards.