On 02/10/2020 19:23, Chris B wrote:
I have just received an estimate from a tradesman (based on photographs
to save him the time of a visit) which includes £199Â* Plus VAT for
listed parts.


The very same parts are available from suppliers listed on amazon (not
amazon itself) for £96.98 Including VAT and delivery.


I know that part of the tradesman's profit comes from the Sale of parts
but I always thought that they bought parts from suppliers at trade
prices and then billed for them at retail prices.

Is a markup on parts of well over 100% typical in the building industry
or is this a simple indication that he doesn't want the job?


So far I only have one estimate, as I don't like wasting 3 peoples time
for jobs of less than half a day, when only one is going to get the job.

I am wondering if its worth getting any more or is this typical.



As a professional, I charged for my time. If I bought in services for
clients, I passed them on at cost.

However, I got a quote from a gas fitter recently who charged a fairly
high rate for his time AND wanted to sell me a lot of parts with a 100%
mark-up. This made his hourly rate of charge really high!