[oxonian]

Hi friends,

I hope everyone is doing well. This is a great forum! Keep it up, thank you for sharing.

I need to buy some electrical supplies in bulk, e.g. wiring, boxes, etc.

I am in Houston, TX. I can go to the local big box store, e.g. HD, Lowes, but I was wondering if anyone knows of any online sources that may be cheaper?

Or do you know of any local supply stores in Houston?

I have access to a friend who has an electricians license, who will be helping me with this job. However, he does not have much knowledge about online sources.

Thank you so much,
Oxonian

 

[jbfan]

Hi friends,

I hope everyone is doing well. This is a great forum! Keep it up, thank you for sharing.

I need to buy some electrical supplies in bulk, e.g. wiring, boxes, etc.

I am in Houston, TX. I can go to the local big box store, e.g. HD, Lowes, but I was wondering if anyone knows of any online sources that may be cheaper?

Or do you know of any local supply stores in Houston?

I have access to a friend who has an electricians license, who will be helping me with this job. However, he does not have much knowledge about online sources.

Thank you so much,
Oxonian

Unless you are buying tons of wire, I don't see any benefit to buying online. wire is heavy, and heavy cost money to ship.

My supply house beats HD and Lowes on every kind of wire except 14 and 12/2 wire.

some supply houses will not sell to you for the best price.

What is this project, a house?

 

[lance80]

Compile a complete list of what you need, and take it/ send it to a couple of the electrical wholesalers in town. Tell them you are looking for a quote on this job package, and you want a competitive price. Go with whoever has the best results that work for you.

Remember that price is not the only determining factor. Will they accept returns, or are all cash sales final? Will they deliver for free? Will they break case quantities? Do they have someone knowledgable who can answer any questions you have? Do they even deal with non contractors? Some supply houses will politely tell you to get lost if you don't have an account. Lots of things to consider. Also, don't be one of those guys that cherry picks the best price off each list, it always backfires.

For what it's worth, I have heard both the Summit Electric and CED in Houston are good, but it was years ago. May be totally different now.

I would avoid the online thing, especially for a bulk buy. Are you going to pay for shipping? What if you buy the wrong thing and have to return it? Who does the freight claim when the carrier runs a forklift into your product at the dock? Lots of things can go sideways buying direct, and you probably don't have the experience to handle it effectively.

Good luck.


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