On 1/10/2024 2:43 PM, Bob La Londe wrote:
Stocking up (for me). Order came to just over 600 pounds. A little
less than 3.40 per pound delivery included. For more reasons than one I wish I could order this quantity every time I need aluminum. That's
what you guys on the other side of the pond would call aluminium.
I had not bought anything from this vendor in over a year. They no
longer had a regular truck coming by, so I quit buying from them. It
would take a full day off during the week, and a fair amount in fuel to
go get material from them. I figured I'd need to buy about 12-1400lbs
at a shot to make it worth while.
On a gamble I contacted one of their sales people to see if they would
ship pieces common carrier, and I discovered they are running a truck
again. I also discovered that one of the local metal yards had lied to
me about how much aluminum they are buying. They had told me I was
about the only one who bought aluminum from them. Turns out they were
the ones purchasing enough to bring the regular truck back to town.
They also lied to me about cost/pricing. I know what I paid, and if
they are buying more than double that amount on a truck load. They ARE
paying less than I am.
For the last year 99% of my aluminum had been coming cut in half on a
Fed-Ex or UPS truck. I bought a couple pieces fromt he local metal yard
at crazy prices, but avoided them because it was usually (always)
cheaper to ship.
I will say pricing really surprised me. Their price adjustment per unit
was rather granular. For example the difference between one stick of
1/2 x 6 and 4 pieces of 1/2 by 6 was about $50. (My local yard wouldn't
offer a penny even if I offered to buy every piece they had on hand)
When I sent over a bigger quote request everything was priced similarly
or cheaper, and even an increase of one piece made a difference in
price. I'd never experienced that before with this vendor, but I was
dealing with a different sales rep. Midwest is like that, but they are absolutely terrible about shipping. If I order something from them it
might ship in two weeks (the fastest they ship) or it might not ship for several months, and you have to ask before you order how long it will
take. They will not tell you otherwise. In the past Midwest has always
had the best price on the worst service. My old vendor was comparable
in price with Midwest for the first time ever, and the delivery charge
is zero. The best part. They had EVERYTHING I wanted in stock.
I'm not going to name them just yet. It seems every time I brag up a
vendor something goes south.
--
Bob La Londe
CNC Molds N Stuff
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