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Email templates · Building supply store

Email template to request a bulk materials quote from a building supply store

You are building a deck, fencing a yard, or finishing a basement, and the materials list runs to dozens of lines. Buying that off the shelf at posted prices is the most expensive way to do it. Lumber yards and building supply stores quote large orders as a package, and the price per board or per bag often drops once the order is big enough. The quote also tells you what is in stock and what has to be ordered, which decides your schedule. Email lets you send the list once, exactly as you have it, and get a written number back that you can compare with a second yard.

Before you send

  • Your materials list, line by line: quantity, size, grade or type, and any brand you require. "Pressure-treated 2x6, 12 feet, 40 pieces" is a quotable line. "Some deck boards" is not.
  • Whether you will pick up or need delivery, and the delivery address. Delivery is usually a separate charge based on distance and whether they need a forklift or boom truck.
  • When you need it. Special-order items can take two to six weeks, and the yard needs to know if that matters.
  • Whether you are a homeowner or a contractor with a business account. Many yards have a separate price level for trade customers.
  • The name of a second yard, so you can send the same list to both.
Subject Quote request for [project, e.g. deck materials], about [number] line items 
Hi [store or sales desk name],

I'm putting together materials for a [project, e.g. 16 by 20 foot deck] at [city or address] and would like a written quote on the list below. I'd like unit prices and line totals, plus the total with tax.

- [quantity] x [item, size, grade, e.g. 2x6 pressure-treated, 12 ft]
- [quantity] x [item]
- [quantity] x [item]
- [quantity] x [item]

I [will pick up / need delivery to the address above]. If delivery, please include the delivery charge and whether you can place the load in the driveway or backyard.

I'm hoping to start on [date], so please note anything on the list that is not in stock and how long it would take to get. If you have a comparable product you'd suggest instead of any line, I'm open to it, as long as it's marked as a substitution.

Thanks,
[Your name]
[Your phone number]

Everything in brackets is yours to fill in. Keep the rest as it is or change the tone to match how you write.

After you send

  • Expect a reply in one to two business days with a quote that has an expiration date, often 7 to 30 days, because lumber prices move. Note that date.
  • Check every line for a substitution. A different grade or a shorter length can look cheaper and cost you more in waste.
  • If the total is higher than you hoped, ask directly whether there is a better price for the full order or for paying up front. Yards have room on big orders.
  • If the yard will not quote in writing and wants you to come in, send the list to another yard. A written quote is standard for any order this size.

Or don't send it yourself

Forward the job to myagent@standinfor.me and let StandIn run the whole thread.

StandIn is an email assistant that handles conversations with businesses for you. You write it one email saying what you need. It writes to the business, waits for the answer, follows up when they go quiet, pushes back on the number when it should, and brings the results back to your inbox for you to decide. You don't need to install an app or sign up. The first email you send is already the start of the task.

Hand this to StandIn opens an email to myagent@standinfor.me with the job already written out

To myagent@standinfor.me Subject Get me quotes on a materials list 
Hi StandIn,

Please get me written quotes on a building materials list from a few supply stores.

The project: [what you're building, and the city or address].
The list: [quantity, size, grade for each line, or attach it].
Pickup or delivery: [pickup / delivery to address].
When I need it: [start date].
Who I am: [homeowner / contractor with a business account].

Send the same list to two or three yards near me, ask them to flag anything not in stock, ask for their best price on the full order, and bring me the quotes side by side with any substitutions marked.

Thanks,
[Your name]

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