Hi.
I have some questions about importing various building materials.
Is it still cheaper to go to Poland to buy tiles and clinker?
If so, where should one go and what should one consider?
I have looked a bit at ordering faucets for the bathroom and kitchen from China, they have much nicer ones there than we have and MUCH cheaper. But first of all, will their faucets fit our standards? I'm thinking about pipe dimensions, could there be differences in the threads or anything else? How does it work with customs duties and the like when importing from China on your own?
Thanks for your answers and insights
I have some questions about importing various building materials.
Is it still cheaper to go to Poland to buy tiles and clinker?
If so, where should one go and what should one consider?
I have looked a bit at ordering faucets for the bathroom and kitchen from China, they have much nicer ones there than we have and MUCH cheaper. But first of all, will their faucets fit our standards? I'm thinking about pipe dimensions, could there be differences in the threads or anything else? How does it work with customs duties and the like when importing from China on your own?
Thanks for your answers and insights
Hi,
I know this thread is long outdated, but just for fun I'm writing anyway, since the question never got answered.
The problem is that we assume the products should be CE marked, which is a European standard. However, if there's something that doesn't need such a quality seal, you can surely save some money, as long as you import a big enough batch. My wife and I ran a small pizzeria, mostly as a pure experiment in China. Built a pizza oven, which cost us about a thousand kronor+ in materials and labor. The bricks went for about 3 SEK per brick because they were heat-resistant, but regular red bricks cost around 0.30 SEK per brick. Unfortunately, bricks are too heavy to import. A half-funny thing I've realized afterwards is that the heat-resistant insulation we had in the oven was probably asbestos :/. The electricity in China is usually 230V, but the plugs on devices are usually American. A small thing we have in our kitchen from China is a portable induction hob, a single burner, which cost us about 300 SEK. Also sold of poorer quality for around 150 SEK. Had to attach a European plug to it.
When it comes to pipe fittings, I wouldn't dare trust Chinese quality. They don't build in wood and therefore don't need the same safety standards as we do, but oh, how cheap it can be. For about 700 kronor, we could get water pipes run from the upstairs to the downstairs in our pizzeria, toilet installed (including breaking up the old concrete floor to fit it, and new tiles). Unfortunately, my father-in-law was mildly upset when he heard the high price we had negotiated and insisted that we cancel and let his friend do it instead. Which, with a restaurant meal as thanks and materials, ended up being about the same in the end anyway. I also remember we could find pipe bends, about 30 mm, steel, for about 4 SEK. However, I would never dare use such here in Sweden, if it were even allowed.
In other words, it's probably Poland you should target if you want to find cheap building materials. China, possibly for some appliances, but everything else is likely to be too complicated, unless you're a large company that can have the products inspected and CE marked, and then import in large batches.
I know this thread is long outdated, but just for fun I'm writing anyway, since the question never got answered.
The problem is that we assume the products should be CE marked, which is a European standard. However, if there's something that doesn't need such a quality seal, you can surely save some money, as long as you import a big enough batch. My wife and I ran a small pizzeria, mostly as a pure experiment in China. Built a pizza oven, which cost us about a thousand kronor+ in materials and labor. The bricks went for about 3 SEK per brick because they were heat-resistant, but regular red bricks cost around 0.30 SEK per brick. Unfortunately, bricks are too heavy to import. A half-funny thing I've realized afterwards is that the heat-resistant insulation we had in the oven was probably asbestos :/. The electricity in China is usually 230V, but the plugs on devices are usually American. A small thing we have in our kitchen from China is a portable induction hob, a single burner, which cost us about 300 SEK. Also sold of poorer quality for around 150 SEK. Had to attach a European plug to it.
When it comes to pipe fittings, I wouldn't dare trust Chinese quality. They don't build in wood and therefore don't need the same safety standards as we do, but oh, how cheap it can be. For about 700 kronor, we could get water pipes run from the upstairs to the downstairs in our pizzeria, toilet installed (including breaking up the old concrete floor to fit it, and new tiles). Unfortunately, my father-in-law was mildly upset when he heard the high price we had negotiated and insisted that we cancel and let his friend do it instead. Which, with a restaurant meal as thanks and materials, ended up being about the same in the end anyway
. I also remember we could find pipe bends, about 30 mm, steel, for about 4 SEK. However, I would never dare use such here in Sweden, if it were even allowed.In other words, it's probably Poland you should target if you want to find cheap building materials. China, possibly for some appliances, but everything else is likely to be too complicated, unless you're a large company that can have the products inspected and CE marked, and then import in large batches.