The same board, from the same European mill, can reach a customer at half or at double the price depending on the route it takes. Here is what that route looks like, and what changes when you shorten it.
The usual chain
A board leaving a mill in Poland, Germany or Lithuania typically passes through:
- An importer, who buys by the container and holds the currency and customs risk.
- A wholesaler, who breaks the volume down and stocks it nationally.
- A retailer, who displays it, advises, and sells by the square metre.
Each link takes a margin — legitimately, because each carries stock, staff, premises and risk. But by the time the board reaches the customer, the price has typically doubled. For the same board, from the same mill, with the same wear layer.
What direct buying removes
Not the quality, not the guarantee: the intermediate handling and the stock held twice over. Ordering direct means the goods leave the mill or its European stock and travel to your site on a pallet.
On identical goods, that is worth 30 to 50 %.
What it does not remove
Being straight about this matters more than the sales pitch.
- Transport still costs money. A pallet of flooring weighs 400 to 900 kg and travels by specialist carrier. Nobody moves that for free.
- Lead times are longer than a shop shelf. Count 2 to 10 days depending on the reference and which stock it ships from.
- You will not touch the boards before ordering. Hence samples, and hence the importance of ordering them.
- Advice has to be asked for. There is no salesperson walking the aisle with you.
How it works here
Nine mills and stocks across Europe — France, Belgium, Germany, Poland, Lithuania — more than 500 references and over 200,000 m² available. Each partner site appears under a neutral code (BE-01, PL-01…), orders are prepaid, and the pallet is collected at the mill.
Samples are free apart from €3.90 postage, up to three per order. There is a physical showroom, by appointment.
What to check before ordering anywhere
- The wear layer in millimetres — the single figure that decides lifespan.
- Real availability, not a catalogue entry. Ask how many square metres are in stock.
- The total price: material + waste allowance + delivery.
- The return policy. You have fourteen days to withdraw under EU consumer law — except on goods cut or made to your specification, which the law explicitly excludes.
Who it suits, honestly
Direct buying makes sense if you know roughly what you want, you can wait a few days, and you are ordering enough to justify a pallet. If you need three square metres tomorrow morning to finish a repair, a local shop remains the right answer.
Sources
- Service-public.fr — Fourteen-day right of withdrawal and its exclusions for made-to-order goods.
- PEFC — Chain of custody for timber from sustainably managed forests.