Selecting Metal Suppliers – Sourcing Metals Online
When you are searching for a metal supplier, how do choose one from all the metal suppliers that you see online?
Here’s a list of some of the criteria you may want to keep in mind before making your final decision.
* Location – You may want your supplier to be close by so that you can regularly drop in to pick up supplies. If you can source a reliable supplier with reasonable shipping rates, you may choose to try a supplier further away, but you’ll need to be assured of their reliability first (see below).
* Reliability – Part of selecting a supplier might be to make a small order initially to see how they measure up for reliability and quality. Once you have established a working relationship you can feel comfortable making bigger and more complicated orders, knowing that your selected metal supplier can adequately handle your requests.
* Experience – By looking at the company’s website, you should be able to get an idea of how long they have been in business, and the level of experience they have. Look for testimonials and reviews as well.
* Customer Service – Does the supplier offer good levels of customer service, if you have a problem or need to make changes to an order?
There is nothing more frustrating than dealing with a company who do not even supply a phone number for you to have an issues dealt with promptly.
* Extra Services – Some metal suppliers can also cut and ship your metals to you, saving you the hassle and expense of having to use different suppliers. If you regularly need your materials cut to size, then looking for a company who specifically does this may be
* Price – Of course you are also looking for a company that has comparable prices to its competitors. The price of metals is constantly fluctuating, which will mean prices could be changing on a weekly, or even a daily basis, but being aware of general prices, and the different services that each supplier offers will help you make your final decision.
* Range of Materials – This could make or break the deal for you. If you need a variety of materials and profiles, then a larger supplier with a wider range will save you both time and money. You may need to pick up a piece of aluminium, some mild steel angle and a length of brass round bar for your project. Looking for a supplier who stocks both ferrous and non-ferrous metals and who cuts to size will be your ideal choice, saving you an awful lot of time, money and frustration.