If you are planning to embark on major landscaping work or if you fancy a new drill, do not hesitate to take a look at private sales sites on the Internet.
Whether at generalists like Veepee or Showroomprivé or at specialists like BricoPrivé, leader in this segment, the discounts offered to Internet users, subject to (very often) free registration, are attractive.
But before validating your basket, take some precautions.
Attractive discounts ...
A quick glance at the discounts announced is enough to seduce any handyman looking for good deals.
On Showroomprivé, you will find Grohe brand faucets at -50%.
At the specialist in private sales in DIY, BricoPrivé (which has just been bought by the Mousquetaires-Intermarché), a clearance offer on Dulux Valentine paints is in progress until Sunday with reductions of up to -60 %.
There are also strong discounts (up to 71%) on Carrera brand radiators and towel warmers or simply this set of 5 universal adhesive tapes from the Tessa brand at 9.99 euros (-79%).
"We offer real broken prices that you will not find anywhere else", affirms Anne-Laure Nicolet, commercial director of BricoPrivé which offers 18 to 22 private sales per day to its 10 million members with reductions ranging "on average from 40 to 80% ”.
"It is direct supply from suppliers with destocking offers (end of series, collections from the previous year ...) or new product lines on which they have reduced their margins to make them known" , she explains.
... Provided you compare the offers
On paper, the proposed reductions are therefore very interesting.
But when it comes to "end of series" or old collections in particular, remember to check whether the starting price announced (and on which the reduction applies) reflects the reality of prices on the market. that time.
In other words, a drill sold for 100 euros on the day of its release can be offered at -50% on a private sale site a year later.
It sounds like a good deal, except that in stores, its price may have also dropped significantly already.
Also beware of overly tempting offers on brands that are little known to the general public and therefore can be difficult to compare.
And as with any online purchase, while there are several small private sales players specializing in DIY, do not hesitate to check the seriousness of the site in question by using the Internet: "It's a question of common sense.
If there are many negative opinions, it is necessary to be able to determine whether these are occasional malfunctions or scams ”, warns Laure Baëté, responsible for legal affairs within the FEVAD (Federation of e-commerce and distance selling).
... and anticipate
Once all these precautions have been taken, also arm yourself with patience.
Because the very principle of private sales is that the offers are ad hoc, limited in time (often 7 days) and that we do not know them in advance.
In other words, if you want to redo your bathroom, you will have to "be thoroughly every day, anticipate well and have a very precise idea of your project and its needs to be reactive when an offer is made", advises Anne -Laure Nicolet from Brico Privé.
Not to mention that delivery times can be long "since it is necessary to wait for the closing of the sale and then for the site to place an order with the supplier", recalls Laure Baëté of FEVAD.
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At BricoPrivé, the deadlines can thus be up to 3 or 4 weeks.
To reduce this waiting time, the site also markets a "permanent" offer of products which is "15 to 20% cheaper compared to Amazon or Mano Mano", assures the commercial director.
“But it's no longer private sales,” she concedes.