There are some shenanigans afoot in the Ipe decking world and we want to educate buyers of some shady practices going on.
Currently, there are companies that are out of stock on a lot of common Ipe sizes. But this has not stopped them from quoting the boards. They will, in fact, build you a quote like normal. These quotes are then used by contractors and homeowners to build their quotes and set budgets for the project. But, when you go to buy, and they will say they are out of wood and it won’t be in for sometimes months!
Why would a company quote wood they know they don’t currently have? We agree that it is shady. We have some theories, here is why we think, Ipe is purchased seasonally from Brazil. In the off-season when the wood is not being floated down the rivers because they are dried up it cost more. So if they did not properly project their Ipe needs they would have to buy at a higher price as the supply is much lower. Rather than tell the customer this it seems that they prefer to quote at the lower price and just keep them hanging on until they can get the cheaper wood prices in the right season.
Why are we publicly making this warning?
We know how hard contractors work to bid projects properly and to get projects done on time. This purposeful deception not only can cause contractors to have delayed projects but even lose credibility with clients and lose customers. Here at Ipe Woods USA, we do not believe this practice to be ethical or respectful of customers time and reputation.
What can I do?
Maybe you want to hold out for a better price? Later in the year is a cheaper time to buy historically. Once the other companies have inventory all prices (including our own) will usually be lower. It might be a better time to buy. However, there is not a guarantee.
Get it in writing!
If a company is telling you to wait, we recommend you get it in writing that:
1. They will have inventory by a specific date.
2. They will honor the quote you got from them.
We know your project and time are valuable and if they can not guarantee this it may be costing you money and projects, getting it in writing at least gives you some recourse.
Ipe Woods USA is Committed to Customers!
We are committed to never knowingly quoting inventory that is out of stock. We work hard to try and ensure we always have inventory available.