Online Retailer for Electrical / Hardware (a la Monoprice)

[Alexandero2]

Is there an online discount retailer for purchasing Electrical or Hardware components (eg. light switches, electrical outlets, screws, light bulbs, etc.)?

Something akin to Monoprice, but for the items mentioned instead. I've googled and came across some sites, but none that seemed to offer anything more competitive than your local Home Depot / Lowes / Rona / etc.

[sprdave]

I haven't found sites for that stuff. It's fairly hard to beat what I can get from a local supplier/store/wholesaler, for the smaller items like that, shipping is a killer.

You also have to keep in mind, when it comes to electrical, you need CSA or CUL approval, which leaves out most USA stuff (and thus sites like Monoprice). They use a lot of different stuff and ratings then here. For example, probably 98% of the wire and panels are different. I've checked. And Canadian sites are just not competitive.

Although, I have done good on some other stuff like circuit breakers, a fair bit of them have CSA. Almost half the cost in the US as stores here. I just got a water heater timer from amazon.com for half the cost. If you're looking for stuff other than you listed, let me know so I can be more specific.

[coolspot]

InfiniteCables.com in Markham, local pickup too.

Sayal Electronics (Several locations).

For electrical (and office grade networking gear), I like Gerrie Electric.

[BuildingHomes]

There is a lot of suspect electrical items at some of these stores. Please be careful about what you buy.

[Techhead]

If your looking for better pricing than HD, Lowes, RONA. But not super savings then check out Paul Wolf Electric (http://www.paulwolf.com/).
You have to walk in to purchace but they are a bit cheaper than the big box stores.

[ssbtech]

If $2 for an outlet or switch at Home Depot is too expensive then I don't know what to tell you...

[goofball]

Go to the electrical dealers that the builders go to. I went this route for my breakers (no choice, no big stores carry them) and pot lights were cheaper as well.

[sprdave]

InfiniteCables.com in Markham, local pickup too.

Sayal Electronics (Several locations).

OP asked for electrical items, and those places don't sell the items mentioned.


There is a lot of suspect electrical items at some of these stores. Please be careful about what you buy.

+1 Know what you are buying... same goes for retail stores.


If $2 for an outlet or switch at Home Depot is too expensive then I don't know what to tell you...

I was thinking that... Is it hardly worth it for devices that cost $1 or so to begin with? And if you are buying a ton of stuff so it is worth it, the suppliers should give a good price anyway. Unless you're looking for stuff like special dimmers, controls, breakers, LED/GFCI, then it might be worth it... But not light switches, receptacles, screws...

[sprdave]

Go to the electrical dealers that the builders go to. I went this route for my breakers (no choice, no big stores carry them) and pot lights were cheaper as well.

Ya, if you're needing a bunch of stuff try places like Westburne, Tobram, or an independent supplier in your area. You need to know what you want though, you just can't browse like Home Depot...

[coolspot]

OP asked for electrical items, and those places don't sell the items mentioned.

OP mentioned monoprice, as most of the stuff monoprice carries is not electrical.

[Alexandero2]

I haven't found sites for that stuff. It's fairly hard to beat what I can get from a local supplier/store/wholesaler, for the smaller items like that, shipping is a killer.

You also have to keep in mind, when it comes to electrical, you need CSA or CUL approval, which leaves out most USA stuff (and thus sites like Monoprice). They use a lot of different stuff and ratings then here. For example, probably 98% of the wire and panels are different. I've checked. And Canadian sites are just not competitive.

Although, I have done good on some other stuff like circuit breakers, a fair bit of them have CSA. Almost half the cost in the US as stores here. I just got a water heater timer from amazon.com for half the cost. If you're looking for stuff other than you listed, let me know so I can be more specific.
Thank you for the insight, that would explain the lack of these online stores (partly anyways). I'll answer your last part at the end since other people asked a similar question.


If your looking for better pricing than HD, Lowes, RONA. But not super savings then check out Paul Wolf Electric (http://www.paulwolf.com/).
You have to walk in to purchace but they are a bit cheaper than the big box stores.
I'll have to try and check that out. They seem to have a "Customer Sign-up" link on their page, but it doesn't appear to work (comes to a page that says it is not available, not 404, an actual page).

Have you been able to sign up this way to browse their selection? Do you happen to know if it shows their pricing?


I was thinking that... Is it hardly worth it for devices that cost $1 or so to begin with? And if you are buying a ton of stuff so it is worth it, the suppliers should give a good price anyway. Unless you're looking for stuff like special dimmers, controls, breakers, LED/GFCI, then it might be worth it... But not light switches, receptacles, screws...

If $2 for an outlet or switch at Home Depot is too expensive then I don't know what to tell you...
Well, yes, I'm not looking for one item alone. That wouldn't be worth my (or anyone elses time)

I recently hardwired our house for CAT6 throughout the house and used Monoprice to buy all the supplies, including the wall plates and outlets for CAT6 / HDMI / Coax / Speaker Wire / etc. Because I had that experience fresh in mind, I was surprised when I walked into HD to see some of the prices. It was $1 for a wall plate and $2 for the light switch, this didn't include the mounting bracket / enclosure should you need it (which I don't in my specific circumstance). Compared to Monoprice, I was paying $0.30 for the wall plate and about $1 or so for each connector required (varied by type), which I would argue is more of a "specialized" item compared to your average light switch.

I need about 20 of the single ones and a few of the 2-gang and 3-gang variety. I also am having a hard time finding 35W Halogen GU10 bulbs at a reasonable price. I can buy them individually from HD / Lowe's / Rona, but at $3.50 a pop or so. Costco sells a bundle of 10 for $11 although for 50W. I was hoping to find the same bundle online for the same price but for 35W. I also am in need of some #4 screws with plastic washers that I couldn't find at the local HD and some specialty screws with rubber ends that are sometimes seen on chairs. There's a few more items but you get the point.

With these items in mind, I figured it was worth exploring to see if there were any online retailers like Monoprice but for the Electrical / Hardware side. You also tend to get ideas while browsing an online inventory for other things you can do throughout the house that didn't jump to mind right away. I've also had to drive between HD / Rona / Lowe's a lot in the last few months looking for specific items without any luck. If I had an online resource to explore, it would just broaden my options.


Go to the electrical dealers that the builders go to. *I went this route for my breakers (no choice, no big stores carry them) and pot lights were cheaper as well.

Ya, if you're needing a bunch of stuff try places like Westburne, Tobram, or an independent supplier in your area. You need to know what you want though, you just can't browse like Home Depot...
I checked Westburne online since they list their items and prices but they don't seem to be any more competitive than the local hardware store. Thank you for the resources though. I guess I'm out of luck for the moment. :(

[sprdave]

OP mentioned monoprice, as most of the stuff monoprice carries is not electrical.



Something akin to Monoprice, but for the items mentioned instead.

And OP asked for electrical...... (I agree it's misleading if you don't read closely)



Well, yes, I'm not looking for one item alone. That wouldn't be worth my (or anyone elses time)

I recently hardwired our house for CAT6 throughout the house and used Monoprice to buy all the supplies, including the wall plates and outlets for CAT6 / HDMI / Coax / Speaker Wire / etc. Because I had that experience fresh in mind, I was surprised when I walked into HD to see some of the prices. It was $1 for a wall plate and $2 for the light switch, this didn't include the mounting bracket / enclosure should you need it (which I don't in my specific circumstance). Compared to Monoprice, I was paying $0.30 for the wall plate and about $1 or so for each connector required (varied by type), which I would argue is more of a "specialized" item compared to your average light switch.

I need about 20 of the single ones and a few of the 2-gang and 3-gang variety. I also am having a hard time finding 35W Halogen GU10 bulbs at a reasonable price. I can buy them individually from HD / Lowe's / Rona, but at $3.50 a pop or so. Costco sells a bundle of 10 for $11 although for 50W. I was hoping to find the same bundle online for the same price but for 35W. I also am in need of some #4 screws with plastic washers that I couldn't find at the local HD and some specialty screws with rubber ends that are sometimes seen on chairs. There's a few more items but you get the point.

With these items in mind, I figured it was worth exploring to see if there were any online retailers like Monoprice but for the Electrical / Hardware side. You also tend to get ideas while browsing an online inventory for other things you can do throughout the house that didn't jump to mind right away. I've also had to drive between HD / Rona / Lowe's a lot in the last few months looking for specific items without any luck. If I had an online resource to explore, it would just broaden my options.

I checked Westburne online since they list their items and prices but they don't seem to be anymore competitive than the local hardware store. Thank you for the resources though. I guess I'm out of luck for the moment. :(

You should be able to get standard switches for under $1, TR receptacles for a little over $1, plates Im not sure but maybe <$0.50. Cat6/RJ45 stuff is maybe more "specialized" at a hardware store as they don't focus much on that. But, from the industry/professional perspective, not really. I would say they are less cost/specialized... There isn't much to that stuff, especially the "cheap" stuff.

I do agree with you about shopping/browsing online, I do that alot too.

I wouldn't go by Westburne's online prices... They show alot more than what they sell at the branch. At least for me at my branch. I try and get most of my stuff there if I can (they aren't the closest to me though) as they have almost always been a fair bit cheaper than Home Depot. Another place to try is Ideal Supply if there's one near you. Their prices have been in between the stores and Westburne for me.

I did run across an online place that sold stuff like lamps, fuses, etc that seemed to have decent prices... I didn't need anything though and just can't think of the name... I'll post when/if I think of it

[goofball]

Are you against going into the store to pick up, or are you just browsing online and willing to go to the store to pick up? What about calling some of these places to get updated pricing, to be sure of the price?

[sprdave]

Not sure if this was the site www.bulbscanada.com , but not going to be much different in cost.

I didn't mean anything personal about being worth your time, I would probably ask the same... I was just being to the point/honest, and that with shipping you aren't likely to save much on the small cost items.

[Techhead]

OP, I usually just call them up and ask for pricing on what I'm looking for.
I think the login is mainly for business partners or contractors. I personally do not have a login.

They are more than accomodating and will tell you which location has how many in stock.

You could try NEDCO, can't remember off hand if they sell online or not.

[Alexandero2]

You should be able to get standard switches for under $1, TR receptacles for a little over $1, plates Im not sure but maybe <$0.50.
That's what I was expecting more or less, but when I walked in to the HD in Ajax, they were $1 for the plates and $2 or so for the switch. There was also a contractor special (package of 10) but no discount whatsoever (it was the same price as 10 purchased individually). I'll have to check out the physical Westburne location



Cat6/RJ45 stuff is maybe more "specialized" at a hardware store as they don't focus much on that. But, from the industry/professional perspective, not really. I would say they are less cost/specialized... There isn't much to that stuff, especially the "cheap" stuff.
I guess all I meant was that CAT6/RJ45 is only needed in some homes who opt for it, where as standard light switches are required in all homes, thus I was expecting the components to cost less, not more, given that they're no more complex.



I wouldn't go by Westburne's online prices... They show alot more than what they sell at the branch. At least for me at my branch. I try and get most of my stuff there if I can (they aren't the closest to me though) as they have almost always been a fair bit cheaper than Home Depot. Another place to try is Ideal Supply if there's one near you. Their prices have been in between the stores and Westburne for me.
Thank you for the heads up, then I'll need to make a visit in person. They're pretty well covering the entire GTA so I'll have to visit the Ajax location to see what I can find.


Are you against going into the store to pick up, or are you just browsing online and willing to go to the store to pick up? What about calling some of these places to get updated pricing, to be sure of the price?I'm definitely not against visiting a store in person, who wants to pay for shipping if they don't have to. ;)

I just wanted to know if there was a better retailer to buy these components from and assumed that an online retailer would be the most likely answer. Kind of how you wouldn't recommend someone to just walk into a FS / BB to buy an HDMI cable at regular price.... or how you can go to Canada Computers / Newegg / Tigerdirect for computer components and find better prices than your local BB / FS / The Source / etc.

From the sounds of it though, it seems that these Electrical specialized stores are the answer.
(I'm new to this whole subject area so I wasn't aware they even existed :o)


Not sure if this was the site www.bulbscanada.com , but not going to be much different in cost.
Yeah, I came across them during my google search but they didn't offer anything more competitive. I was also surprised that no discount is offered for anything under 100 units, and even then, with the discount its still more expensive.



I didn't mean anything personal about being worth your time, I would probably ask the same... I was just being to the point/honest, and that with shipping you aren't likely to save much on the small cost items.
Oh, I didn't take it personally at all. Sorry if my reply came off that way. I agree that a small order is not going to yield much value to anyone. I just wanted to explore the options.

I appreciate any and all help provided by everyone in this thread (and community)

[goofball]

I never gave these places much thought either, until I bought a new home and couldn't find the proper items (like breakers!).
Now I want to match up the same HRV switch as the rest of the home and have to go to small contractors to find the switch since no big box stores have it.