Plantation Shutters sold in Melbourne and even in Australia wide has very similar supply chain system.
Learn more information from our blog “Supply Chain – Retailer, Wholesaler, & Factory”
Most customers are dealing with Retailers as you don’t have negotiating power to buy volume from Wholesaler, and not to mention ordering directly from Factory.
Some retailers charge by a measured unit price, like square meter, or per panel
Most retailers has no referred price but case by case depending on the project
Regardless how its priced, here are some factors do have impact on the cost
Material: PVC, Wood, Aluminium or some composition
Normally Wood is more expensive than PVC, while Aluminium is the most expensive option but more durable than any of them
Window Shape: Standard square or rectangle. Arch, Tri-angle, or Corner and Bay windows
None-Standard shape shutters are most likely hand made, takes more time to manufacture and also need very preciously measurement.
Mount: Fixed, Hinged, Bi-Fold and Sliding
Bi-Fold and Sliding has extra hardware such as castor wheels and tracks, as well as matching board and filler for nice final finish. It also costs more time for installation than standard fixed or hinge open shutters.
Origin : Oversea made or Australia local Made
Australian made shutters surely cost more than oversea made due to local sourced material and components and higher labour cost here to cut and assemble.
Other indirect pricing factors include reputation of retailer, and experience of installation.
1 “Why the lowest quote might not be the best choice”
A well played supplier always keep a reasonable margin to cover the cost for long terms business development:
- Source from reliable wholesaler
- Keep a good quality control process
- Provide experienced installation team
- Offer Good Customer Service - Pre-sales and Post-sale Warranty
- ACCC has many complains in construction and home improvement industry, that bad workmanship or less qualified products suppliers. It makes sense that low price normally leads to low satisfaction in this industry.
- Price like two-edged sword
- If its too high, bad for customers
- Too low, that may lead to compromised service and product supplied
Timber Plantation Shutters is not a cheap stuff compared with other windows covering like blinds and curtains. Its a permanent structure fitting on your windows, will last 10, 20 years even more with appropriate maintenance required. Ideally customers need to think this as a short to long term investment to its property, so it is a key to find a good supplier who offer reasonable price in the market, and with long standing reputation with social proof like word of mouth and online reviews.
