Pros and Cons of Importing Home Construction Supplies

Introduction

building a new home

In the bustling world of real estate, construction companies are always looking for a way to save a few dollars and, in recent years, one method has become more popular. With the boom in Chinese economy, imports of construction materials from overseas into the USA is at an all-time high, and is a great way for companies to cut back costs. Everything from drywall to nails and screws can be imported, and the cost savings are staggering. One homebuilder estimated he will save $150,000 from importing, which is incredible. Are these savings too good to be true though? In this post we will discuss the pros and cons of importing from overseas.

Pros of Importing Materials

Simply put, the pros of importing materials is the cost. You can save a ton of money on your supplies, but should probably read the cons before proceeding.

Cons of Importing Materials

Unfortunately, the cons list far outweighs the pros on this one. First, materials from China are generally poor quality (not all, but most). For example, in Florida a number of people became sick due to contaminated drywall shipped from overseas. Another con is that if something arrives broken, the wrong size, or damaged, that cost you saved by not buying it in the US will be cancelled out because you will need to pay for shipping on a new item. Speaking of shipping, if you do not know the ins and outs of customs, shipping requirements, and other pertinent information, your merchandise could get held up at customs and it will be difficult for you to navigate all the red tape. If you are new to importing, you will need to use an import company to act as your middleman. They know the logistics of bringing items into the country, and can easily assist with bringing your merchandise in. We spoke to an import company based in LA that noted trying to import yourself generally will end up costing more, so we recommend not trying that.

In summary, the end-cost of trying to import construction materials yourself will generally come close to what you would have paid wholesale in the states anyway. On top of this, it can take months to get replacements for pieces that arrive damaged or broken, and the quality of most of the materials is substandard at best.

What is the Solution?

There are a number of ways you can go about acquiring materials in the US. One great way is to check out dedicated building blogs, which will have tons great info for buyers. Another place to go is your local Home Depot, who carry everything you should need to get going.