Sunday 7 February 2010

Bulk buying timber and chicken wire

An association member from the Hob Moor site recently suggested that it would be useful if the association shop could bulk buy timber and wire netting for plotholders.  She recently created raised beds on her plot and had to buy a lot of timber to do so.  She also had to rabbit proof her plot using wire netting as rabbits are a particular problem for Hob Moor allotmenteers.  Bulk buying these kind of items sounds like a good idea to us, so if you are thinking of carrying out any similar projects and would be interested in using the purchasing power of the association to get a better deal please will you let us know either by commenting on this post by clicking on the 'comment' button below or by emailing us at scarcroftallotments@live.co.uk.  If there is sufficient interest we will look into brokering a deal with local suppliers to get the best deal possible.  We'll keep you posted.

2 comments:

Graham Lewis said...

This is a really good idea - but why buy new? Second hand scaffold boards are ideal. Hard to find, I know - but they do become available on ebay plus one or two other places. Maybe even local scaffold companies, who need to unload them when they are no longer usable for their original purpose, are worth a try. A quick search shows 13ft boards for £4.80 each here which is an ok price. But they are in Nottingham, and p&p is £100 (not such a good price!). However, if the order was for 100 boards, cost per board becomes much more acceptable - and cheaper and more sustainable than buying new.

CaroB, Claro said...

Hi Graham, So far no one has expressed any interest in the association doing this for them. I suppose it's a bit cold out so folks are staying tucked indoors. If there is no demand for bulk buying sounds like individuals buying through ebay or using freecycle could be the best options.