Ordering the Building Fasteners You Need Fast

Contractors know that project specifications can change quickly, causing the material list to change with them. When you find yourself short of the required building fasteners and there is no time to waste, what is the best way to order those fasteners fast?

Get Online

If your local fastener distributor has the items you need at an affordable price, by all means pick up what your supplies and get back on the job. But when their prices won’t allow you to meet budget or their stock is low, the Internet is likely the best place to start looking.

Online fastener distributors have the ability to ship the products you need quickly – often through overnight couriers that will have the product on site the very next day. Shopping online allows you to search for the required building fasteners across the country, tapping into suppliers that have what you need and are ready to get it to you for a reasonable price.

Be sure to check the cost of shipping and find out whether you can use your own courier. There are certain cases where this may be cheaper, although you may not be able to wait the required time. While you’re having an order shipped, consider any other items you may need to stock up on and spread the shipping costs over a larger order.

Have Accounts Set Up

It’s best if you do the administrative tasks ahead of time and have accounts already set up at a reputable online fastener distributor. This will allow you to simply place the order, without needing to arrange for payment. COD orders will work as well and many online companies accept credit card payments over secure servers and through popular payment gateways.

Be sure your office or administrative staff is familiar with the fastener distributors that stock building fasteners relevant to your industry. If they have the contact information handy for these companies your order will be filled and ready that much faster.

When unexpected changes and on site surprises cause you to run short on building fasteners, ordering from online distributors will get you what you need fast.

Dealing With Returns At Your Fastener Distributor

There will be times when the purchase order is incorrect, or the wrong product was shipped, or your needs have changed since the order was put through. Whatever the reason, you will likely need to return product to your fastener distributor at one time or another. Follow these easy steps to make the return process smooth and simple for everyone involved.

Check Your Paperwork

It's important to go through all of the paperwork thoroughly before contacting your fastener distributor. Make a note of any discrepancies and have the original purchase order and invoice number handy when calling in or faxing in the return information.

Check the Policy

Your distributor may have a specific policy regarding returns. Often this policy outlines the time span allowed for accepted returns, any necessary steps and applicable restocking fees, as well as any special conditions where returns are not accepted.

Please note that it is very rare for any distributor to accept returns on a custom or machined order. If your custom-made product has not been properly manufactured you can surely work that problem out, but in a case of over-ordering any excess product is yours to keep. The distributor is not likely able to resell something made especially to your specifications and as such, will not accept the returns.

Contact the Distributor

It's important that you contact the office of your distributor before sending the product back. You may need to obtain a return or reference number in order for the transaction to be processed properly. This can often be done by phone, fax or email, depending on the mode of communication you most often use with this supplier. 

Be sure to quote the original purchase order and invoice number on your request for return, as well as detailing the reasons behind the transaction. If you were not happy with the product in any way, now is the time to speak up. If there was a mistake in the delivery, such as incorrect quantity or product delivered - now is also the time to bring that up. Document the request carefully and wait for the distributor to respond.

Once you have confirmation that your return will be accepted by the fastener distributor, have it delivered back to their warehouse or shipping address and await the billing adjustment. Keep the lines of communication open at all times and this return process should be fairly straightforward and quick.

Common Uses for Square Head Bolts

Before hex head fasteners were introduced manufacturers and contractors used square head bolts for a wide variety of things. Both of these designs offer fewer chances of tool slippage with angled corners providing an anchor point. You are likely to see hex head bolts used more often today than square heads, but the four-sided design is still in demand for certain projects and structures.

Restoration and Period Construction

When faithfully restoring older homes or constructing period buildings and settings designers and contractors use different sizes of square head bolts for stability. The shape of these heads is authentic and provides the rustic look that is required for a restoration. They are also easy to install with both traditional and modern tools.

On the walls, roofing and in a wide variety of mechanical applications, the only choice for authentic restoration projects and period construction is square head fasteners.

On Machinery

Both square head and hex head bolts are used on many different types of machinery, mainly for the ease of tightening and durability. Square heads are best used in tight or dark spaces where a machinist or fabricator must tighten the bolt blind. It is simple to fit a tool over the square shape even when there are no visual markers available.

Stainless steel bolts are often used in machinery that will be exposed to the elements, providing a corrosion resistant finish. Stainless is also very strong and can handle excessive weight and tension, depending on the design and size of fastener used.

Some Assembly Required Furniture

Square head bolts of various sizes are often shipped with furniture pieces that require at-home assembly. Consumers can use common household tools such as wrenches and even pliers to assemble their furniture when square heads are included. Hex head bolts often require specialty tools that will need to be shipped with the furniture or specified on the box.

Manufacturers and retailers can make their products more accessible and affordable by shipping the packages with square head bolts included. Consumers find these fasteners easy to work with and are happy to put their tools to good use. It’s truly a win-win situation.

Are Stainless Steel Building Fasteners Worth the Price?

Both contractors and their customers are interested in structures that will stand the test of time. Homeowners and commercial or industrial clients are looking for the lowest possible maintenance required and want their investment to last for years. Although it may seem like a trivial thing, using stainless steel buildings fasteners is one of the easiest ways to deliver this to your clients.

Maybe you hesitate to offer stainless steel as the standard fastener used due to the premium price. But think about the quality delivered by this product and how your sales staff can push the durability, dependability and worry free ownership that stainless steel offers in any application. The small upgrade in the overall price will result in longevity and reliability that cannot be offered otherwise. 

Why Build With Stainless Steel?

Contractors who build products and structures that are exposed to the elements are constantly battling corrosion. They can offer galvanized steel building fasteners that will last for a number of years without requiring any maintenance. But inevitably these fasteners will corrode and the appearance and strength will deteriorate rapidly from that point. This happens at an alarming pace in marine environments and along roadways where salt is used in winter.

Most of the stainless steel building fasteners available today are made from 18-8 or austenitic stainless grade. They may also be referred to as the 300 series. Depending on the style and size of fastener you need, as well as the use, your fastener distributor will be able to recommend a grade that delivers the strength and reliability that your application requires.

Have you ever dealt with warranty issues that involve excessive or early corrosion? With stainless steel fasteners this will never be an issue. The initial attractive appearance of stainless, including the characteristic shine, will last as is for the life of your project without the need for maintenance.

 If the fasteners on your project are being used with another material that will mark or stain when the fasteners rust, using stainless only makes sense. This happens often on structures with light colored siding or when shelving or framing is attached to concrete or stone. Rusted bolt heads, nuts and washers can leave streaks of red and orange - unless you use stainless products, which will guarantee a streak-free surface.

You will need to build the added cost into your pricing, but offering stainless steel building fasteners on your projects is a wise move. Differentiate your quality and workmanship with the best fasteners around, strong and dependable stainless steel.

Why Shopping for Building Fasteners is an Ongoing Job

Purchasing managers for contractors in any industry have an ongoing, ever changing task. Not only will they need to stay on top of the materials used in their projects (like lumber, steel or plastics), they'll also need to keep an eye on the fluctuating cost of building fasteners. Why do these prices change so much and what's the easiest way to stay on top of things? It's important to control costs, after all, and the materials and fasteners used are a major part of the overall cost.

Why the Constant Change In Price?

Fasteners are made from many different materials - including steel, brass, copper and nickel. These raw materials very often experience swings in price as the supply and demand go up and down. When that happens fastener manufacturers need to adjust their prices accordingly. And depending on the time of year that price change may occur on a regular basis.

The supply and demand of the fasteners themselves will make a difference to the price. When a distributor has stocked up on a certain type or size of fastener and demand drops, they will be keen to liquidate their stock. This very often means a good deal for contractors and building supply stores. Once demand picks up however, you can expect that price to change. 

The lesson? Buy early and take advantage of sales when the opportunity presents itself.

How Can Purchasing Managers Stay On Top of Things?

The very best way to keep up with price swings is by building a relationship with your fastener distributor. Talk to them on a regular basis, even if only through email. That way you can keep each other informed on the status of business and be primed to jump when a sale starts or act when the prices are about to shift upward.

Build this relationship with a distributor you can trust, someone who has been in the business for some time. An established professional will know how the market works and will be able to give you insight and direction. You can communicate what's happening in your own industry as well and this exchange of information will actually help you both.

The price of building fasteners can have a major impact on a contractor's or manufacturer's bottom line. Being aware of the patterns in the market and having an established relationship with a leading distributor will help you better weather the shifts in these costs.