Can You Get a Deal on Surplus Steel Buildings?

It’s a common scenario. You call a steel buildings broker to get a bid on a metal building for your workshop, garages or shed and the salesman on the other end tells you that he has a “surplus steel building” on the lot that he can let you have for half price. He may tell you that he can afford to do that because a previous customer put down a large deposit and then didn’t take delivery or couldn’t complete the purchase, or some similar story that sounds plausible – if you don’t understand how steel buildings are ordered and manufactured.

In truth, there is really no such thing as “surplus steel buildings.” It’s a standard high pressure sales tactic used by salesmen who are trying to pressure a potential buyer into a quick sale, preferably before the buyer can call around and get competitive bids. Here’s what you should know about buying steel buildings for use as garages, barns and any other use.

Generally, buyers do not purchase steel buildings on a whim. Every steel building must be precision engineered to custom specifications. That’s the case even with “standard” steel buildings that are built to a certain size with standard door and window openings, mainly because there are differing building codes in cities and states around the country. Because metal buildings generally ship directly from the manufacturer to the building site, it’s highly unlikely that a broker has a random steel building sitting around on the lot waiting for you to come along and purchase it.

Of course, strange things happen all the time, and it’s possible that someone really did get silly and place an order for a steel building that he couldn’t take delivery on. Maybe he fell for the surplus steel building sales pitch and put down a deposit before checking with his local zoning office and found out that metal buildings aren’t allowed on his property. Even if that’s the case, the chance that the building sitting on the lot will be suitable for your needs is pretty slim indeed.

That’s because steel buildings that are rated for Colorado weather tolerances probably won’t meet the standards for a Florida steel building. Every geographic region has specific weather loads and tolerances they must meet in order to meet the local building codes. The right metal building for your needs will be built to withstand the typical wind speed, snowfall and seismic activity in your geographic region.

So the moment a salesman mentions that he has a nice, shiny, barely used surplus steel building just sitting there waiting for you to plunk down your money, thank him politely, hang up the phone and look for manufacturers of steel buildings that will deal with you honestly.