People who work in the trade will often be able to get discounts because of this. These discounts can be incredibly important, as they can reduce the costs of building materials quite significantly. Some trade suppliers will give tradesmen around 30% off the regular price, so this can make a very big difference to your overheads. Here are some ways to find the best trade prices around:
- Look for suppliers who specialise in trade sales. They will usually automatically apply a discount to their products. If they advertise themselves as trade suppliers, there should be plenty of information available about prices and discounts without the need for you to go into the shop.
- Buy in bulk. Suppliers will be more willing and more able to give you good discounts if you buy lots of materials in one go. It makes the sale more worthwhile for them so you may be in a position to negotiate.
- Form good relationships with suppliers. If you use them regularly they might be able to give you special offers and further discounts on top of their regular discounts.
- Take note of adverts and listen to advice from others in the industry. You might hear that a particular supplier has especially good offers available on the products that you use. If somebody recommends somewhere to you, mention that you know them as this could set you in good stead with the supplier.