Buying a set of building materials from Poland

[dasiri]

When I bought PVC windows from Poland last year, I talked quite a lot with a salesperson who was very interested in the Swedish construction market. We noted that building materials are generally 20-50% cheaper in Poland than in Sweden, and he saw great opportunities in that price difference.

We jointly concluded that the best would be if someone in Poland (i.e., him in our scenario) acted as a logistics hub with contacts at the best Polish hardware stores. Then someone in Sweden (me in our scenario) could send over a list of building materials or order via a website, the goods were collected from the different Polish hardware stores, packed on a truck, and delivered directly to the end customer.

I had no real need for a truck with Polish building materials, so this fell through between me and the Pole. He promised he would get in touch if he started something up, which he hasn't, so I guess nothing has come of it.

But I still think it sounds like something potentially very good, especially now that my need for cheap building materials is a bit larger than last year. But at the same time, it seems a bit too good for no one to have thought of it before. But when I search, the best I find is byggbay.se, which, as I understand it, is a Polish hardware store that started a Swedish (well) website. But their range is quite limited, and their prices are not impressive (by Polish standards).

What I'm looking for is more of a one-stop shop where you can get everything at decent prices and where someone else organizes the shipping. In principle, it would be enough with a Polish hauler who buys what you need at Leroy Merlin in Gdansk and drives it to Sweden for you. But I haven't even seen anything like that.

So my question to the forum is whether this really doesn't exist somewhere? And if not, why not? I'm a bit tempted to contact the Pole I talked to last year and see if he can put together a truckload of building materials for me. But it feels unnecessarily risky if someone else already has the experience and routines to do the same thing.

 

[InsidersUnited]

When I bought PVC windows from Poland last year, I talked quite a bit with a salesman who was very interested in the Swedish construction market. We noted that building materials are generally 20-50% cheaper in Poland than in Sweden, and he saw great opportunities in that price difference.

We jointly concluded that the best option would be if someone in Poland (i.e., him in our scenario) acted as a logistics hub in contact with the best Polish hardware dealers. Then someone in Sweden (me in our scenario) could send over a list of building materials or order via a website, the items would be collected from various Polish hardware dealers, packed on a truck, and driven directly to the end customer.

I didn't actually need a truck full of Polish building materials, so this fell through between me and the Polish guy. He promised that he would get in touch if he started something, which he hasn’t, so I guess nothing has come of it.

But I still think it sounds like something potentially very good, especially now that my need for cheap building materials is a bit greater than last year. But at the same time, it sounds a bit too good for no one to have thought of it before. But when I search, the best I find is byggbay.se, which, as I understand it, is a Polish hardware store that started a Swedish (well) website. But their range is quite limited, and their prices are not impressive (by Polish standards).

What I'm looking for is more of a one-stop-shop where you can get everything at reasonable prices and where someone else organizes the shipping. Basically, it would be enough with a Polish transporter who buys what you need at Leroy Merlin in Gdansk and drives it to Sweden for you. But I haven't even seen anything like that.

So my question to the forum is whether this really doesn't exist anywhere? And if not, why doesn't it? I am a bit tempted to contact the Polish guy I talked to last year and see if he can put together a truckload of building materials for me. But it seems unnecessarily risky if someone else already has experience and routines for doing the same thing.

You avoid customs duties since it is within the EU, but the VAT must be paid by the importer. There are different percentages for the various goods. But go ahead, just make sure it's "the same quality" of the items you sell, I've heard from my craftsmen that they are sometimes quite dissatisfied with certain things that are directly imported. A returned truck eats up the profit for about 3 trips.

 

[dasiri]

You avoid customs duties since it is within the EU, but the VAT must be paid by the importer. The percentage varies for different goods. But go ahead, just check that the items you sell are of "the same quality," as I've heard from my craftsmen that they are sometimes quite dissatisfied with certain things that are directly imported. A returned truckload would eat up the profit of about 3 trips.

There are definitely many pitfalls to avoid. For example, plasterboards in Poland do not seem to follow Swedish standard sizes. Things like that. Therefore, it would be practical if someone else had already established the routine. But I suppose you can't always have everything handed to you on a silver platter.