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Haggling: has it worked for you? (Oct 2020)


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I'm just trying to get hold of some drainage items (comes to about £700 total before delivery costs), and I'm asking for a small discount, but there seems to be no willingness to budge.

 

Have you been successful with any haggling (not just drainage)? If so, what tips can you share with the forum?

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Get a couple of other merchants to quote as well.  Play one against the other.  Free delivery too.  And low charge for restocking should you wish to return anything, or you will end up with lots of bits and pieces you will never use (not that I ever have!)

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2 hours ago, BotusBuild said:

...

Have you been successful with any haggling ... ? 

 

No. I get a discount on some items with two local BMs.

As I have come to understand it, there is a commonly held misconception among self builders that they should be able to negociate lower prices because of the volume of money they spend. Mostly ( with the exception of a few serial masochists) self builders are not repeat customers.

 

@BotusBuild : were you to regularly order £1000 of drainage stuf, I'm sure you'd get a discount.

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I shop around for absolutely everything to make sure I get a price I'm happy with. I'm sure it was Mr Harris who commented once how he spent an afternoon getting better prices, saved £100's for a few hours work. I guess you have to decide what's more important to you, your time or your money ;)

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Is this £700 from a BM or £700 online ..??

 

Some of the online ones give a volume discount. Drainage Sales online do decent pricing too

 

Just checked and they offer 7.5% discount on over £750 so worth checking if you can up the spend as the extra £50 would be covered by the discount. 
 

https://www.drainagepipe.co.uk/110mm-drainage-c-20/

 

Edited by PeterW
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I don't think there is anything I haven't haggled over, bribed tradesmen (I make good cakes), complained, moaned, cried, begged and pleaded, presented price matches just to get some discount or better prices.

 

Our building bill is one thing we can't control (although we have had some success) but anything else I've done pretty well on.

 

I'm a good judge of knowing which approach works best! 

 

Our bathroom shower cladding for three showers was close to £2k and an afternoon or haggling and I almost halved our quote.

Edited by canalsiderenovation
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Only anecdotal. I had 30 lengths delivered and sent the lot back. Was a couple of quid cheaper than my usual merchants but half the weight per length. They said it complied with BS but I sent back. Next lot from buildbase arrived and were bananas. Straight back in the lorry. Third time lucky from EH Smith. 

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