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Old 10-17-2018, 12:13 AM   #1
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: San Jose, CA
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Engine: CAT 3208 Marine Diesel
Question Stocking up on Parts & Materials with OSH Late-Stage Liquidation

Orchard Supply Hardware is in Late-Stage Liquidation in San Jose, CA and some categories of product are marked down 80%. These 80% liquidation categories include but are not limited to metal shapes, the entire nuts bolts and metal fastener aisle (excludes wood screws), plumbing connectors / fitments, sink parts, CPVC, rope chain & cable, cabinet fixtures, and other slow-turnover categories in hardware stores in general. OSH is more like ACE hardware than Home Depot - no lumber yard, no insulation, no big appliances, no real roofing supplies, and no real flooring supplies. They are liquidating at no less than 40%.



I wish OSH wouldn't be eaten by vultures but it is and I might as well make the most of the liquidation.


What materials in the categories I mentioned (the ones in 80% liquidation) am I most likely to deploy in my future skoolie conversion to full-time home with full living systems, a 40-45' standard/extra height dog-nose. I thought about this for over a month and only thought of a few things in a few of those categories with my handyman knowlege from building cargo vans & other intermediate DIY projects.




I feel I will be short-changing myself buying things in the 40-50% markdown categories like wire, hobby wood, power tools, electrical, wood jointing, paint, wood screws, HVAC, hardware cloth, copper tubing, sink faucets, etc. Plus theres always the second hand market and Home Depot sales.





Here is what I came up with:
-sheet metal

-plexiglass

-steel rods threaded and unthreaded,
-galvanized/other strap iron
-kitchen sink O-ring packs
-sheetmetal screws assorted.
-steel cable and chain
-packs of various machine screws
-what is most versatile



What kind/type is recommended for a quality skoolie build?:

-right size tubing / pipe for plumbing system, want it to handle full water pressure like in a conventional home when connected to shore-water, and scalding hot water w/o degrading or leaching, any PEX substitutes?

-The standard tubing size for RV propane gas distribution, connections to appliances (would like to buy some propane parts ahead of time if I can)

-size & type of self-tapping / other metal screws for flooring, securing to the bus body, walls, ceiling etc. Screws really add up so I ask should screws, nuts and bolts be my main focus.

-Little odds and ends that are next to the individual nut and bolt bins and drawers in the metal screws & fasten, that you would buy a 1 gallon coffee cans' worth if given a 80% off liquidation opportunity?

I will be making many visits to OSH locations until the last dying breath.

If money was no object (or a small object) I would buy the entire two aisles of containing the nuts and bolts, the rope chain and cable, cabinet fixtures, and the rest of the slow-turnover categories and sort it out later.

The entire OSH chain of 99 stores in California, Oregon and Florida is being liquidated by greedy vulture parent company Lowes.

Any tips, strategies, ideas, warnings, advice, suggestions, recommendations, etc welcome.

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Old 10-17-2018, 11:09 PM   #2
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: San Jose, CA
Posts: 273
Year: 1981
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Chassis: International
Engine: CAT 3208 Marine Diesel
Question

What kind/type is recommended for a quality skoolie build?:

-right size tubing / pipe for plumbing system, want it to handle full water pressure like in a conventional home when connected to shore-water, and scalding hot water w/o degrading or leaching, any PEX substitutes?

-The standard tubing size for RV propane gas distribution, connections to appliances (would like to buy some propane parts ahead of time if I can)

-size & type of self-tapping / other metal screws for flooring, securing to the bus body, walls, ceiling etc. Screws really add up so I ask should screws, nuts and bolts be my main focus.

-Little odds and ends that are next to the individual nut and bolt bins and drawers in the metal screws & fasten, that you would buy a 1 gallon coffee cans' worth if given a 80% off liquidation opportunity?
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Old 10-18-2018, 12:01 AM   #3
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Join Date: Jun 2016
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It's best to find a real industrial hardware supplier in your area that sells commercial quantities of high-quality hardware, not dribs and drabs of no-name Chinese or Indian stuff that may or may not be OK. If it's a good supplier you'll always be able to find EXACTLY what you need whenever you need it, then you'll not waste your money on things you won't ever use or are too crappy to be trustworthy. I use McFadden-Dale Industrial Hardware in Santa Ana CA, but most larger places have an equivalent supplier. Their prices are never more than half of Ace's or HD's prices, usually a third or so, and they definitely sell better quality. I buy stainless washers and NyLok nuts in bags of 100 for an extra 30% discount, split-loom in 100 ft rolls, wire terminals in bags of 50, etc etc; a 1.5" long 1/2" brass nipple is $4.99 at Ace and only a buck something at McFadden-Dale for a better one with cleaner threads. Every Saturday I buy at McFadden-Dale whatever I'll need for the following week, and I've spent literally thousands of dollars there over the last ten years that I've been converting my bus. (I always chuckle when I hear folk saying that they'll convert a bus for only a $1000 - I've spent more than that just on small hardware alone!)

John
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Old 10-18-2018, 07:31 PM   #4
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Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: San Jose, CA
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Chassis: International
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I searched “industrial hardware supplier” and nothing stood out, San Jose itself is over 1 million people. Im not a contractor so I don’t have a inside scoop. “Industrial hardware supplier has prices of less than half of HD or Ace?” Feels as hard to find in San Jose, CA or within 50 miles of me as a unicorn.

PVC pipe, galvanized steel pipe, are also 80% markdown.

Most categories are minimum 50% markdown, including but of course not limited to: paint (includes spray paint & cans of paint), toilet repir, wood stains, garden, Christmas lights, etc etc. Would I be better off finding an industrial hardware supplier?

They claim they converted their bus for less than $1000 because they don’t factor all those trips to the hardware store, and the systems consist of camping gear, half of which “they already had”, and they skimp scrimp & scrounge everywhere physically possible.
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Old 10-23-2018, 05:18 PM   #5
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
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What should I buy for the skoolie in the OSH Late-Stage Liquidation?
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Old 10-28-2018, 02:52 PM   #6
Bus Nut
 
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Welcoming responses.
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Old 11-03-2018, 05:37 PM   #7
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I shopped at two liqidating OSH stores. Got a faucet for my future bathroom sink, some handles and hardware. Picked up a few tarps and a bright yellow rain suit which could be useful if I need to do work in the rain. Biggest score was boxes of 20 compostable bags. I bought 15 boxes at $1.49 each. Should have enough for years. Plan to use in my composting toilet. If I use one a week, that’s nearly 6 years worth.
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