When is the Best Time to Buy Fence?

If you are looking for temporary fence for sale, odds are you can find some available product at any time of the year. However – as is the case with many consumer products – there is a good (and a bad time) of the year to buy temporary fence. For instance, you might know that one of the best times to buy major appliances is in September and October, when manufacturers start to roll out new models and stores are looking to clear out old inventory.

Similarly, there is a seasonality when it comes to temporary construction fence. Although we offer light-duty panels for sale all year round, we often have customers who are interested in buying our heavy-duty rental fence inventory. If that sounds like you, then you need to be strategic about the timing of your purchase to get the best deal.

So when is the best time of year to buy fence?

If you’re in the market for good quality used fence, now is the time to buy! Allow us to explain why.

Halloween is a scary time of year in the fence industry – and not just because of the goblins and ghouls! It’s the time of year that fence starts coming back to our depots from customer sites. In the rental fence industry, suppliers want their fence to be standing on site as long as possible. Consistent, recurring revenue is the goal for any temporary fence supplier.

But as the weather starts to cool, construction jobs wrap up and the events season comes to an end. Fall is generally when our inventory starts to come back, and we begin sorting fence and planning repairs. This is the optimal time to start shopping for fence panels.

You want to strike while the iron is hot, so to speak…when inventory levels are high and there is more product available. If possible, try to avoid purchasing temporary fence in the spring and summer months. This is when most construction starts are scheduled and events season is in full swing. The result is that our inventory is totally depleted.

Because all of our fence is out on sites in the summertime, we want to hold on to any little bit we have left as an emergency reserve. Our heavy-duty fence inventory is much more valuable to us as a rental item than a sale item. That’s because it has the potential to earn much more over its lifetime if it is rented versus sold.

The other issue with buying fence when inventory levels are low is that you have fewer options when it come to the grade of fence available. Generally, the best fence panels will be in use on events, and good quality construction fence will be standing on active job sites. Often whatever is left in our shops is not being used for one of two reasons. Either it is being held for an upcoming job, or it doesn’t meet our standards and is awaiting repair.

In the fall and winter, we spend time sorting our fence according to its “grade” or condition. We use the grading system to allocate fence for events, construction or repair. At this time of year, there is a greater variety of grades available. This is ideal, as you can more easily find the fence that best suits your needs and your budget.

Due to our commitment to Excellent, Reliable Service, we make additional investments in our product to bring it back up to Modu-Loc standards. Winter is when we spend time and dollars repairing damaged fence panels so they can return to our rental inventory.

Some of the panels only need minor repairs, and may be perfectly suitable for some customers and certain applications. In that situation, it makes more business sense to sell the panel as is rather than making the investment in repairs. Again, if you are looking for rental fence for a reasonable price, and you’re not too concerned about the aesthetics, then late fall is a great time to buy!

Finally, if we are looking to replace or discontinue certain product lines, those decisions will generally be made in the fall and winter. That means we sometimes need to move large quantities of product for a very competitive price. You can capitalize on those situations when products aren’t performing well as part of our rental inventory, but would be useful to you or your job site.

For all of these reasons, late fall is the best time of year to purchase used temporary fence. Again, we do still offer light-duty fence panels exclusively for sale year-round. Although pricing is generally less flexible for dedicated sale items, we may still be more motivated to sell as we replenish inventory in the winter. Of course, you may find yourself in a situation where you can’t wait until November to purchase your fence. In that case, these light-duty panels are an especially great option!

Not sure if buying is the way to go? Read our buying versus renting blog post to find out whether owning your own rental fence makes sense.