Figuring out how much the lumber is likely to cost before making a final purchase can be a challenge, both for the buyer and the lumber dealer. There are a number of important considerations that can make the cost go up or down. Naturally, you want to know how much you’re going to have to spend during the planning stage so you can decide if a certain project will fall within your budget. To many customers, it seems frustratingly difficult to get solid quotes from lumber dealers as far in advance of a purchase as they’d like.

Either the price for different species of lumber is unlisted, or dealers seem to give customers the run-around when they ask for a price. Worst of all, sometimes when you’re quoted a price for certain thickness, width, length, and species of wood one day, the total at purchasing time ends up exceeding the quote, even if the final purchase is made only a couple of days later! Oftentimes in these circumstances, lumber dealers give the explanation that wood prices tend to change rapidly. Still, customers can’t help but sometimes feel as if they’re not being given fair, honest treatment.

These price fluctuations and failure to be upfront about pricing have given dealers in the lumber industry a bad name across the board. Customers regularly complain about getting stuck paying unexpectedly high prices when it comes time to check out at the lumber yard, whether they’re making a small or large purchase. How refreshing it is, then, when you find a lumber dealer who strives to be as upfront and forthright as possible about what customers can expect to pay.

It’s sort of like finding an honest mechanic for your vehicle. Once you discover someone who isn’t going to come across like they’re taking advantage of your lack of expertise, that person tends to earn long-term customer loyalty. That’s why smart lumber dealers will do their best to keep customers well informed when it comes to the different factors that can influence lumber prices. Sharing information about the variables that come into play in determining lumber costs is the purpose of this series of articles.

Setting Lumber Prices is No Simple Matter

Aside from the bad apples among lumber dealers who really do try to price gouge, there are plenty of legitimate reasons why honest lumber dealers have trouble setting their lumber prices far in advance of a purchase. In the rest of the installments of this article series, we’ll get into a few of the reasons why lumber prices tend to be so unpredictable. Hopefully, after reading these helpful articles you’ll be better equipped to understand the complexities of the lumber market, and you’ll know the right questions to ask dealers. These questions could help you to get a more detailed, accurate quote when you head to the lumber yard. The more informed you are, the more prepared you should also be to set a realistic lumber materials budget for your next project.

Continue reading with Part 2.