SHOULD YOU BUY YOUR OWN MATERIAL?
- heather
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
Hello, this is Bob from Express Electrical Service.
I got up a little early this morning, so I figured I’d take a minute to answer a question someone asked overnight before I left the house.
The Question: Can You Save Money by Buying Your Own Materials?
This person was wondering if he should buy his own materials and whether it would save him enough money to make it worth doing. I want to say yes. I want to say no.
We kind of discourage people from buying material, and it's not because we want to make a bunch of money off of it. It's because history has shown us that it could create a lot of headaches, not only for the homeowner or business, but also for us.
The Problem with Supplying Your Own Material
You see, when you supply the material, guess what? We can’t warranty that. So if two months later that switch stops working, now you’ve got to pay us to go back and replace it. If you purchase the material and something's missing, we either have to go get it or wait around for you to go get it. That incurs additional expense.
The markup on our material isn’t just about profit. What it does is cover the cost of:
Going to the supply house
Picking up items
Returning to fix mistakes
Finding missing parts
Making a second trip to another supplier
All of that costs time and money, and our markup covers that overhead.
Real-Life Example: The Garage Light Fixtures
A couple of years ago, we did a job where a homeowner was adamant about supplying his own garage light fixtures. Now, typically, we want the homeowner to pick out decorative light fixtures for their home, and in those cases, we’re fine with them buying them. But these were just basic fluorescent lights for a garage, nothing special. We usually like to supply those because they’re standard and straightforward. Still, this person didn't want to pay the little markup we had on them. I told him:
“That’s fine, but you’ll need to sign off that if something’s missing or not working, and we have to wait or return, you’re responsible for that added time.”
Sure enough, the home was vacant. He hadn’t even moved in yet. He ordered everything through Home Depot and had it delivered. We got there, and things were missing.
We called him. He told us to go get them. So we did. But you know how long it takes to go to Lowe’s or Home Depot:
15–20 minutes to get there
30+ minutes to handle the in-store process
Another 15–20 minutes to return
In the end, we had to bill the customer a couple of hundred dollars more. He freaked out.
“Oh my gosh, this is more than the lights are worth!”
I said, “You're absolutely right, but do you remember signing this? That’s what happened.” And of course, he said, “I’ll never do that again.”
The Hidden Costs You Might Not Consider
We’re just asking you to reconsider buying your own material. It could be more of a headache than it’s worth. Another thing people forget is that businesses have to cover overhead and make a profit on the entire job, including the material.
So when you buy the material yourself, our overhead doesn’t go down. Now that we’re not making anything on the material, we have to make it up on the labor. That means the total price of the job still has to go up, maybe not as much as the full price of the fixture, but we still have to cover the difference.
In the end, it really doesn’t save you any money.
Alternatives If You're Concerned About Budget
If finances are a concern, talk to us. We’re happy to help. There are a few ways we can reduce the cost, such as:
Changing scope of work
Pre-wiring now, finishing later
Substituting materials for more budget-friendly options
There are many things we can do to help you get the work done affordably.
Final Thoughts
That’s my tip for today. Sure, you can buy your own material or lights, but be aware, there may be a cost that outweighs the savings.
If you have questions, give us a call at (919) 859-9588 or visit us online at NCExpress.Pro
God bless you, thanks for being a customer, and make it a great day!
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