Prices on lumber at HD change every day

[paulney]

I've decided to build a fort for my daughter, so I found a pretty good plan online, printed out a page with necessary wood pieces, and went off to local lumber yard and Home Depot to do a quick comparison.

All said and done, HD beat lumber yard by a factor of 2 to 3. I was busy for a couple of days, and when I finally went to HD to pick up the lumber today, all the prices changed. And not for the better.

I asked the guy who worked in lumber section, and he said they switch the prices nightly! He couldn't tell me what was the factor affecting the prices, but he did say I could come back later, and get a refund if the price was lower than what I've paid.

I guess you need a pricegrabber for lumber in HomeDepot. 😕

 

[KLin]

lumber is a commodity, hence the everchanging prices.

 

[paulney]

I swear it was the same shipment from the same warehouse - they didn't run through it and got the new batch - it was the same lumber as a a couple of days ago.
Oh well. The difference was not much, but if I didn't write down the prices the first time, I would be none the wiser.

 

[waffleironhead]

The prices usually fluctuate as they were probably beating some local competitor's sale price. WHen the sale was over their price went back up. Working retail, I and tell you i spent at least 45-3 hours a day doing price changes, depending on the amount of changes. God damn that was shitty work. The problem wasnt just the price of 2x4's changing, they then caused every package the store sold(sheds, houses etc) to then change.

 

[Strk]

Originally posted by: paulney
I swear it was the same shipment from the same warehouse - they didn't run through it and got the new batch - it was the same lumber as a a couple of days ago.
Oh well. The difference was not much, but if I didn't write down the prices the first time, I would be none the wiser.

Prices change regardless of stock

You benefit sometimes from it, sometimes you don't. That is, sometimes they'll absorb the cost, other times you're paying for it.

 

[drnickriviera]

Give your material list and HD prices to the lumber yard. Most good yards should be able to demolish HD prices

 

[SuperSix]

As stated above - it's a commodity. You don't price it based on what was paid, but what it will be to replace it. Same goes for PC memory, and CPUs.

 

[herm0016]

Originally posted by: SuperSix
As stated above - it's a commodity. You don't price it based on what was paid, but what it will be to replace it. Same goes for PC memory, and CPUs.

memory and cpu's are not traded on the open market like lumber, oil, grain etc..

 

[rivan]

Originally posted by: drnickriviera
Give your material list and HD prices to the lumber yard. Most good yards should be able to demolish HD prices

This. And often, it'll be higher quality lumber that won't be warped into a pretzel shape by the next month.

 

[dandruff]

not only lumber ... everything is considered a commodity by atlanta hq ...

 

[rasczak]

Originally posted by: drnickriviera
Give your material list and HD prices to the lumber yard. Most good yards should be able to demolish HD prices

however, if you get a lower price elsewhere, bring it back to HD and they may be able to meet and beat by 10%.

 

[BeauJangles]

If you look above the contract's desk at most home depots you can see the "commodities" pricing chalk board. They change it every day where I live.

As someone said, do yourself a favor and try to find lumber somewhere else. Most of the stuff they carry at HD is either warped already or becomes warped within a few days.

 

[Special K]

Originally posted by: herm0016

Originally posted by: SuperSix
As stated above - it's a commodity. You don't price it based on what was paid, but what it will be to replace it. Same goes for PC memory, and CPUs.

memory and cpu's are not traded on the open market like lumber, oil, grain etc..

Just wait until the lumber bubble hits. 😉 Investors will pour billions of dollars into lumber futures and the price of lumber will somehow skyrocket, even though there's no physical shortage of lumber, just like gas did last summer.

 

[KLin]

Originally posted by: rasczak

Originally posted by: drnickriviera
Give your material list and HD prices to the lumber yard. Most good yards should be able to demolish HD prices

however, if you get a lower price elsewhere, bring it back to HD and they may be able to meet and beat by 10%.

Repeat this process until you get the lumber for free!!

😀

 

[DrawninwarD]

Originally posted by: KLin

Originally posted by: rasczak

Originally posted by: drnickriviera
Give your material list and HD prices to the lumber yard. Most good yards should be able to demolish HD prices

however, if you get a lower price elsewhere, bring it back to HD and they may be able to meet and beat by 10%.

Repeat this process until you get the lumber for free!!

😀

It'll be infinitely cheap but never free!

 

[KLin]

Originally posted by: DrawninwarD

Originally posted by: KLin

Originally posted by: rasczak

Originally posted by: drnickriviera
Give your material list and HD prices to the lumber yard. Most good yards should be able to demolish HD prices

however, if you get a lower price elsewhere, bring it back to HD and they may be able to meet and beat by 10%.

Repeat this process until you get the lumber for free!!

😀

It'll be infinitely cheap but never free!

Not if they do any kind of rounding!! 😛

 

[Chiropteran]

Originally posted by: KLin

Originally posted by: DrawninwarD

Originally posted by: KLin

Originally posted by: rasczak

Originally posted by: drnickriviera
Give your material list and HD prices to the lumber yard. Most good yards should be able to demolish HD prices

however, if you get a lower price elsewhere, bring it back to HD and they may be able to meet and beat by 10%.

Repeat this process until you get the lumber for free!!

😀

It'll be infinitely cheap but never free!

Not if they do any kind of rounding!! 😛

Not true. It'll get down to .05, and then when they reduce the price by 10% it'll still round up to 5 cents.

 

[paulney]

Originally posted by: rivan

Originally posted by: drnickriviera
Give your material list and HD prices to the lumber yard. Most good yards should be able to demolish HD prices

This. And often, it'll be higher quality lumber that won't be warped into a pretzel shape by the next month.

I've placed the wood out to dry for a week before I will begin cutting and drilling. I've only tried one local lumber yard, and their prices were insane. As an example: a 2x4x8 at HD was $1.73, and a 2x4x10 was $2.53 when I bought it. Yes, it was a b!tch to sift through a ton of stubs until I found enough good ones, but for the kids' fort it will do.

By comparison, my local lumber yard gave me a flat rate of 66c per linear foot, which means a 2x4x8 costs you $5.28 a piece, and a 2x4x10 costs $6.60. Not pressure treated, just regular pine. WTF.

 

[Homerboy]

Originally posted by: paulney

Originally posted by: rivan

Originally posted by: drnickriviera
Give your material list and HD prices to the lumber yard. Most good yards should be able to demolish HD prices

This. And often, it'll be higher quality lumber that won't be warped into a pretzel shape by the next month.

I've placed the wood out to dry for a week before I will begin cutting and drilling. I've only tried one local lumber yard, and their prices were insane. As an example: a 2x4x8 at HD was $1.73, and a 2x4x10 was $2.53 when I bought it. Yes, it was a b!tch to sift through a ton of stubs until I found enough good ones, but for the kids' fort it will do.

By comparison, my local lumber yard gave me a flat rate of 66c per linear foot, which means a 2x4x8 costs you $5.28 a piece, and a 2x4x10 costs $6.60. Not pressure treated, just regular pine. WTF.

Something was wrong with that lumbar yard quote.

 

[SuperSix]

Originally posted by: herm0016

Originally posted by: SuperSix
As stated above - it's a commodity. You don't price it based on what was paid, but what it will be to replace it. Same goes for PC memory, and CPUs.

memory and cpu's are not traded on the open market like lumber, oil, grain etc..

Incorrect. They are indeed traded on an open market, memory much more than CPUs.

Memory:

http://www.dramexchange.com

We get price updates daily on memory, and the CPU trading market is a bit "Undeground", the gray market, but it's there. I deal with brokers daily that get and need daily CPU pricing.

It just may not be traded in a manner you are exposed to.

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: paulney

Originally posted by: rivan

Originally posted by: drnickriviera
Give your material list and HD prices to the lumber yard. Most good yards should be able to demolish HD prices

This. And often, it'll be higher quality lumber that won't be warped into a pretzel shape by the next month.

I've placed the wood out to dry for a week before I will begin cutting and drilling. I've only tried one local lumber yard, and their prices were insane. As an example: a 2x4x8 at HD was $1.73, and a 2x4x10 was $2.53 when I bought it. Yes, it was a b!tch to sift through a ton of stubs until I found enough good ones, but for the kids' fort it will do.

By comparison, my local lumber yard gave me a flat rate of 66c per linear foot, which means a 2x4x8 costs you $5.28 a piece, and a 2x4x10 costs $6.60. Not pressure treated, just regular pine. WTF.

My best guess is that you said something to convey the idea that you wanted something other than 2x4 studs. i.e. what you purchased at Home Depot was most likely No. 2 Common. That quote sounds more like No. 1 Common, if not Select.

FWIW, I just did tongue and groove on a ceiling. I bought 14 footers at the local lumber yard. $.29 per foot, - that's $4.06 for a 14 foot piece. However, a couple days later when I was short by 1 piece (I screwed up - the ONLY mistake I made was on the one piece that I used a red pen for instead of a pencil. I thought I had enough, so I chucked it into the waste pile, rather than screw around with sanding out ink) the place had raised their price to $.31 a foot. In comparison, an identical 8 foot piece was $6.99 at Home Depot.

Rarely does Home Depot have better prices on lumber, at least locally for me. And, even if it cost a little bit more at the local lumber yards, it's worth it for the aggravation of not dealing with sorting through a pile of really shitty lumber. Heck, I built an outdoor set of stairs for my mother a couple years ago - HD was the only place open at the time I went to get the wood. I spent over an hour just trying to find wood that would work.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: DrPizza

Originally posted by: paulney

Originally posted by: rivan

Originally posted by: drnickriviera
Give your material list and HD prices to the lumber yard. Most good yards should be able to demolish HD prices

This. And often, it'll be higher quality lumber that won't be warped into a pretzel shape by the next month.

I've placed the wood out to dry for a week before I will begin cutting and drilling. I've only tried one local lumber yard, and their prices were insane. As an example: a 2x4x8 at HD was $1.73, and a 2x4x10 was $2.53 when I bought it. Yes, it was a b!tch to sift through a ton of stubs until I found enough good ones, but for the kids' fort it will do.

By comparison, my local lumber yard gave me a flat rate of 66c per linear foot, which means a 2x4x8 costs you $5.28 a piece, and a 2x4x10 costs $6.60. Not pressure treated, just regular pine. WTF.

My best guess is that you said something to convey the idea that you wanted something other than 2x4 studs. i.e. what you purchased at Home Depot was most likely No. 2 Common. That quote sounds more like No. 1 Common, if not Select.

I'm guessing they said 66c per board foot and he thought that meant linear foot. And there was probably confusion about what kind of wood he wanted.

 

[gramboh]

Originally posted by: Special K

Originally posted by: herm0016

Originally posted by: SuperSix
As stated above - it's a commodity. You don't price it based on what was paid, but what it will be to replace it. Same goes for PC memory, and CPUs.

memory and cpu's are not traded on the open market like lumber, oil, grain etc..

Just wait until the lumber bubble hits. 😉 Investors will pour billions of dollars into lumber futures and the price of lumber will somehow skyrocket, even though there's no physical shortage of lumber, just like gas did last summer.

Highly unlikely, thanks to the unsustainable housing bubble exploding in the US, lumber demand has fallen and prices are in the toilet (I currently live in an area where forestry is the main industry). I highly doubt demand is going to increase substantially for a while. Thankfully, I am out of here in 14 months.

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

Originally posted by: gramboh

Originally posted by: Special K

Originally posted by: herm0016

Originally posted by: SuperSix
As stated above - it's a commodity. You don't price it based on what was paid, but what it will be to replace it. Same goes for PC memory, and CPUs.

memory and cpu's are not traded on the open market like lumber, oil, grain etc..

Just wait until the lumber bubble hits. 😉 Investors will pour billions of dollars into lumber futures and the price of lumber will somehow skyrocket, even though there's no physical shortage of lumber, just like gas did last summer.

Highly unlikely, thanks to the unsustainable housing bubble exploding in the US, lumber demand has fallen and prices are in the toilet (I currently live in an area where forestry is the main industry). I highly doubt demand is going to increase substantially for a while. Thankfully, I am out of here in 14 months.

Since when was demand the reason for the oil bubble last year? I think Special K's implication is that prices will trend upwards on irrational fear of shortages.

Man, if you have to explain the joke...

 

[Special K]

Originally posted by: KnightBreed

Originally posted by: gramboh

Originally posted by: Special K

Originally posted by: herm0016

Originally posted by: SuperSix
As stated above - it's a commodity. You don't price it based on what was paid, but what it will be to replace it. Same goes for PC memory, and CPUs.

memory and cpu's are not traded on the open market like lumber, oil, grain etc..

Just wait until the lumber bubble hits. 😉 Investors will pour billions of dollars into lumber futures and the price of lumber will somehow skyrocket, even though there's no physical shortage of lumber, just like gas did last summer.

Highly unlikely, thanks to the unsustainable housing bubble exploding in the US, lumber demand has fallen and prices are in the toilet (I currently live in an area where forestry is the main industry). I highly doubt demand is going to increase substantially for a while. Thankfully, I am out of here in 14 months.

Since when was demand the reason for the oil bubble last year? I think Special K's implication is that prices will trend upwards on irrational fear of shortages.

Man, if you have to explain the joke...

Exactly - I was just making a joke. Much of oil's rise last spring/summer had little to do with fundamentals - it was just speculators pouring billlions of dollars into commodity futures contracts, which apparently has the same short and medium-term effect on prices as buying the commodity itself. 😕