Steel price increase.

[northwest]

How convenient......so the money keeps making more money with artificial price rises.

I am sorry, I don't quite follow your thinking here.

A really nice young chap I knew started a business off supplying chemicals, he supplied all sorts at a reasonable price and had a little website and sold on ebay. After doing this for a few years and building up a number of good and loyal customers a worldwide crisis hit.

Overnight his cost for alcohol doubled then tripled again, then quadrupled. Being a small business he was only able to order 500 litres max as storage was an issue. Obviously his prices had to go up, he couldn't possibly supply a litre of alcohol at £7.50 when his cost was £20 at one point.

Then the abuse started, negative and bad ebay feedback; Profiteering, rip off merchant and worse, but they paid it, because that was what it cost, from anyone. This guy just stopped. He closed his business and sold up what he could, he couldn't take it.

I don't think this was convenient at all, in fact it was a real shame, he was a nice guy and sold stuff at realistic prices. I now have to put up with the antics of a supplier whose staff, by and large, haven't got a clue and some don't care.

 

[ukracer]

I am sorry, I don't quite follow your thinking here.

A really nice young chap I knew started a business off supplying chemicals, he supplied all sorts at a reasonable price and had a little website and sold on ebay. After doing this for a few years and building up a number of good and loyal customers a worldwide crisis hit.

Overnight his cost for alcohol doubled then tripled again, then quadrupled. Being a small business he was only able to order 500 litres max as storage was an issue. Obviously his prices had to go up, he couldn't possibly supply a litre of alcohol at £7.50 when his cost was £20 at one point.

Then the abuse started, negative and bad ebay feedback; Profiteering, rip off merchant and worse, but they paid it, because that was what it cost, from anyone. This guy just stopped. He closed his business and sold up what he could, he couldn't take it.

I don't think this was convenient at all, in fact it was a real shame, he was a nice guy and sold stuff at realistic prices. I now have to put up with the antics of a supplier whose staff, by and large, haven't got a clue and some don't care.

Well you seem to have summed it up better than me..lol
When prices go up SOMEONE makes extra money.
It's simple logic. It simply has to go to someone.

Yes the guy selling chemicals was a looser in this case. Same with you but someone was making extra money.........

 

[Munkul]

Everyone has to make money, or they wouldn't be in business. Simple.
It's where you see the added value, or perceived added value, that's why you buy what they sell at the price they ask...

 

[More Amps]

Well you seem to have summed it up better than me..lol
When prices go up SOMEONE makes extra money.
It's simple logic. It simply has to go to someone.

Yes the guy selling chemicals was a looser in this case. Same with you but someone was making extra money.........

Its not always the case that someone makes extra money as you put it. Take the case of the simple spud - good weather and the right conditions produce a good harvest; the next year is hit by poor weather followed by a dry summer - demand remains the same but there are less potatoes to go round...the result is higher prices because there isn't sufficient supply to meet demand. Prices are higher, but NO-ONE makes "extra" money - the higher prices don't mean the farmers get more money, as they have fewer potatoes to sell!

 

[mrsbruce]

I often find,with humans,any form of power corrupts them.

With Unions, the biggest problem was that their powers were limited to working to rule (only doing the work you are contractually obliged to do), or calling a strike.

That was the only powers they had as ‘leverage’ in negotiation. Now, if they’d had the legal road that other countries had during that time, then maybe we would not have had the mess we had. Nor would certain powers that be have ‘helped’ them to produce enough rope to hang themselves.

Certain leaders (on all sides) egos did not help either. I know…I was there.

 

[James1979]

It’s very different in other countries,the unions in the USA for example. Much more involved in HSE stuff, including policy making / law consultation than here.

Same in Germany.

The Swedish system is virtually 100% unionised as far as I can tell. They are very involved in all sorts of policy making and workers rights. But they seem to be sensible about it. The unions paid the furlough for the COVID, apparently. There is a hell of a lot of red tape there though. So you can’t have it all I guess.

I worked at a place briefly that had a union. I never joined as I was a self employed guy. The union rep was untouchable it seemed. When I asked around, it turned out he had represented so many of the middle managers he had tons of dirt on them so basically did what he liked all day

 

[James1979]

Update for the thread:

Couple of hours ago I got an email - British Steels have shut their order book. All the stockholders are wanting the same rollings so what's out there is it for now. If you have steel near you at a decent-ish price, I would grab it.

The email also said that prices are now valid for 24 hours only

 

[8ob]

Update for the thread:

Couple of hours ago I got an email - British Steels have shut their order book. All the stockholders are wanting the same rollings so what's out there is it for now. If you have steel near you at a decent-ish price, I would grab it.

The email also said that prices are now valid for 24 hours only

Just as well the food industry doesn't carry on like this, we would all end up eating one another

Bob

 

[James1979]

Just as well the food industry doesn't carry on like this, we would all end up eating one another

Bob

I'd move to Great Yarmouth

More fat people

 

[ukracer]

Its not always the case that someone makes extra money as you put it. Take the case of the simple spud - good weather and the right conditions produce a good harvest; the next year is hit by poor weather followed by a dry summer - demand remains the same but there are less potatoes to go round...the result is higher prices because there isn't sufficient supply to meet demand. Prices are higher, but NO-ONE makes "extra" money - the higher prices don't mean the farmers get more money, as they have fewer potatoes to sell!

Fair point but the price rise is more often than not staying in place to the end user.
Taking the simple spud...chip shop prices rise when new potatoes come round as there are not enough large potatoes to fill demand for a while. But I have never seen prices drop back after that.

My point is that

 

[8ob]

I'd move to Great Yarmouth

More fat people

Hog roast

 

[Tangledfeet]

Hog roast

This forum needs a 'vomit' emoticon...

 

[James1979]

Hog roast

The young ladies of Yarmouth are known for a different style of roast which if I mentioned by name would result in a trip to the naughty step

 

[Tangledfeet]

The young ladies of Yarmouth are known for a different style of roast which if I mentioned by name would result in a trip to the naughty step

Sunday roast..?

 

[James1979]

Sunday roast..?

Early hours of Sunday yes.

Entertaining two gentlemen from the previous evening

 

[Mick Annick]

With Unions, the biggest problem was that their powers were limited to working to rule (only doing the work you are contractually obliged to do), or calling a strike.

That was the only powers they had as ‘leverage’ in negotiation. Now, if they’d had the legal road that other countries had during that time, then maybe we would not have had the mess we had. Nor would certain powers that be have ‘helped’ them to produce enough rope to hang themselves.

Certain leaders (on all sides) egos did not help either. I know…I was there.

Yup, me too - worked at Dagenham in the 80’s for one of the logistics contractors, my drivers were on 3x my salary as a manager. During my time there (2 years 1988/9)) one of my supervisors was paid just shy of £100k not including his milk / fruit juice allowance for dusty conditions in the yard.

As every delivery had a time allowance, if a driver happened to do it in less he had to park up on the A13 and wait until his allotted return time rather than return to the yard and go home. I had 9 shop stewards, whilst they all had job titles few of them actually did anything apart from bother me.

That said, I do believe in the trade union movement and the work they do to protect workers, it’s just that at times the balance is wrong.

 

[Munkul]

Fresh quote for structural steel today - 6.3 ton for £7700 plus vat... That's 1200 quid a ton... 2 weeks ago it was 800!!!

 

[dobbslc]

We need an F Me emoji!

 

[ronan]

Yup, me too - worked at Dagenham in the 80’s for one of the logistics contractors, my drivers were on 3x my salary as a manager. During my time there (2 years 1988/9)) one of my supervisors was paid just shy of £100k not including his milk / fruit juice allowance for dusty conditions in the yard.

As every delivery had a time allowance, if a driver happened to do it in less he had to park up on the A13 and wait until his allotted return time rather than return to the yard and go home. I had 9 shop stewards, whilst they all had job titles few of them actually did anything apart from bother me.

That said, I do believe in the trade union movement and the work they do to protect workers, it’s just that at times the balance is wrong.

Yeah, but that thing only goes on so long before the plop hits the fan. I've seen it before, fella's on huge money for doing very little and bragging about it, thinking its going to last forever.

 

[premmington]

It is not just steel - VAG group car parts ordered back to the factory have gone up 25% since the end of last year.

It is unreal the price rises on stuff I am having to pass onto customers (unhappy customers).

Half of them voted for "puppy dog" - added to "the great plague".

I am not sure where this is gonna end up by the end of this year?

--------------------------

But high steel prices are gonna make high new car prices - which will make higher priced used cars. Which will make my services still cheap compared with funding a new/used car.


This all adds up to inflation does it not?

The Retail Price Index (RPI) is sat at 1.5% in April of this year up 0.7% from March.