[/b]buying glass wholesale
Moderators: Brad Walker, Tony Smith
buying glass wholesale
The cost of buying glass at the ONLY retail store in my town is absurd! Does anyone have suggestions as to how I can purchase at normal rates........hopefully to become a buyer from wholesale. How do I go about this and from whom? [/b]
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BobB
buying glass
First of all shop the internet. "links and resources" at the top of this page will list some. There are others you can find by searching google for glass wholesalers and the state you are in. Some require a tax id number and proof you are actually in business. Some want a picture of your storefront, which I think is absurd. I don't buy from sources that has rules like that. Most of the true wholesalers want a committment to buy a certain amount of product before they give you true wholesale price. For example houston glass has a minimum of $1000 or a crate of glass before we really get wholesale price. Find someone close, stick with them and develop a long term relationship and you'll both profit.
BobB
BobB
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Jerry
Wholesale glass
Most whosale glass outlets don't care to do with the public. Rather, they sell to shops who are in the business of dealing with the public. Accordingly, if you want to buy wholesale, you will have to convience one of them that you are in the business. That's not hard to do.
Check any of the glass magazines and you will see dozens of ads for wholesalers. An email to them will get you their requirements and you can decide for yourself if you qualify and if you are up to their purchase minimums. Apart from that, checking the volume houses on line, Delphi, for example, will probably get you better prices than you are getting now.
One word of caution; when dealing with those places you will have the devil's own time with warranty items, and you will pay through the nose for shipping. It's one of the reasons your local shop has to charge what they do; they have to buy it, they have to ship it, they have to maintain the overhead to keep a shop open convient to you. Add it up and they may not be charging as much as you think.
Jerry
Check any of the glass magazines and you will see dozens of ads for wholesalers. An email to them will get you their requirements and you can decide for yourself if you qualify and if you are up to their purchase minimums. Apart from that, checking the volume houses on line, Delphi, for example, will probably get you better prices than you are getting now.
One word of caution; when dealing with those places you will have the devil's own time with warranty items, and you will pay through the nose for shipping. It's one of the reasons your local shop has to charge what they do; they have to buy it, they have to ship it, they have to maintain the overhead to keep a shop open convient to you. Add it up and they may not be charging as much as you think.
Jerry
Re: buying glass wholesale
since most glass places want to see your tax id certificate, business license, busincess checks, and/or other business documentation before giving you a wholesale account and then expect you to purchase a large $ amount of glass on your first order, this may not be something you can do. i have found a reasonable source on the internet for retail sales - aaproducts.comted wrote:The cost of buying glass at the ONLY retail store in my town is absurd! Does anyone have suggestions as to how I can purchase at normal rates........hopefully to become a buyer from wholesale. How do I go about this and from whom?
D
I would highly recommend C&R Loo - http://www.crloo.com. Their retail prices are less than the wholesale price that my local glass shop pays, even though I do still buy a lot at retail due to a combination of convenience and also loyalty.
For example, I got a full 24 by 48 sheet of Uroboros 90COE machine rolled, which is the best glass I have ever used - as smooth as float - for about $35. Even with shipping added, which they usually do for a fraction of everyone else, it is still very reasonable.
For example, I got a full 24 by 48 sheet of Uroboros 90COE machine rolled, which is the best glass I have ever used - as smooth as float - for about $35. Even with shipping added, which they usually do for a fraction of everyone else, it is still very reasonable.
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Tony Serviente
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- Joined: Thu May 29, 2003 11:48 am
- Location: Ithaca,NY
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Jerry covered it pretty well, but I'll add a few cents worth. I buy glass wholesale, and I sell it retail so I see both sides. The bigger distributors will require multiple proofs of business status, and an opening order of $1000-$1500, or invoices demonstrating a wholesale relationship with another distributor. Once you've established your credentials they will have a pricing structure based on multiple tiers, which are related to your purchasing volume, the more you buy the lower the cost. What most of the bigger wholesalers do not do is to sell small quantities of glass, meaning you must purchase factory sheets. Since these sheets have to be trucked the economics of freight costs dictates that you order many hundreds, if not thousands of pounds of glass at a time, as this lowers your cost per pound to get the product from the warehouse to you. If you need enough glass to justify this, the rewards of a lower cost can be great.
As a retailer, my typical walk in does not want whole sheets, but a square foot or four, so I carry a stock of enough diversity to satisfy (I hope) the needs of my customers, but I may carry those sheets for months or years, all the while incurring the overhead that Jerry mentioned. One of the costs that is often overlooked is the cost to assist the customer. While some will come in, stack their purchase on the counter with no assistance at all, and ask to be rung up, most require technical advice, or want to chat about their project, or need some assurance on their color selection. I feel that this is one of the things I can offer that an on line mail order house cannot. I'm a small enough studio that I cannot dedicate someone to do just retail, there would not be enough volume to justify it, so when a customer walks in, one of us stops the project we are working on to help them, and the clock stops on the billable studio rate until the customer is done.
If buying a large quantity of glass at one time is daunting, approach your local retailer and explain what you are doing, and how much business you project you can do with them on a monthy basis. I have had people do this and will give them a discount that reflects their larger buying commitment.
As a retailer, my typical walk in does not want whole sheets, but a square foot or four, so I carry a stock of enough diversity to satisfy (I hope) the needs of my customers, but I may carry those sheets for months or years, all the while incurring the overhead that Jerry mentioned. One of the costs that is often overlooked is the cost to assist the customer. While some will come in, stack their purchase on the counter with no assistance at all, and ask to be rung up, most require technical advice, or want to chat about their project, or need some assurance on their color selection. I feel that this is one of the things I can offer that an on line mail order house cannot. I'm a small enough studio that I cannot dedicate someone to do just retail, there would not be enough volume to justify it, so when a customer walks in, one of us stops the project we are working on to help them, and the clock stops on the billable studio rate until the customer is done.
If buying a large quantity of glass at one time is daunting, approach your local retailer and explain what you are doing, and how much business you project you can do with them on a monthy basis. I have had people do this and will give them a discount that reflects their larger buying commitment.