Fowles Direct Sales and Auctions: Two Ways to Buy

The three weekly Fowles auctions—carpet, timber + building materials, and home renovators—are a point of pride for us. We believe the auctions make us stand out in the Melbourne market. They are unique, innovative and the best way to get a fantastic price on high quality merchandise. But, many of our customers buy from us direct, too.

Direct Sales or Auctions What is the Best
Direct Sales or Auctions What is the Best

We have a huge showroom with over 150 species and styles of timber flooring, and our carpet showroom at the Clayton Superstore is huge — typically there are over 5,000 rolls of discount carpet available. The savings may not match the savings you’ll find at our auctions, but we volume-buy, and our buying power means you can expect to pay between 25 and 40 percent less than other carpet retailers charge.

Let’s face it, auctions are fun

Which method of buying is right for you? Well, buying by auction has its advantages. There’s the pricing advantage, for sure, but it’s also a unique and, dare we say, fun retail experience.

Take your time; get some advice

Buying direct has its advantages as well. One of the things that makes Fowles stand out is our depth of product knowledge. You may have special circumstances: a high-traffic area, for example, or an outdoor application, or you may need to carpet a wet area. Come to our showroom and get our advice. You’ll find that our professional staff is extremely knowledgeable about different types and styles of carpet, and which is right for your situation. Buying direct is a little more leisurely than buying by auction. We’ll let you take your time to decide what’s best for you.

When buying direct, you can take full advantage of our free estimating service. We can visit your home, take a few measurements and tell you exactly what to expect. The service is free to anyone in the Melbourne metropolitan area. From estimate to final installation, it usually takes less than 10 working days. Installation services are also available if you buy at auction. We can make arrangements for you at the auction itself.

Our auctions are big, but not as big as our showroom

Typically, we’ll have 250 to 300 rolls of carpet up for bids at our weekly auction. That’s a lot, but for the full range of carpeting Fowles has on offer, you’ll have to visit the showroom; 5,000 rolls is a lot of carpet. Big buyers like property developers and home renovators love our auctions because of the huge discounts they offer. Homeowners can get those discounts as well, and many of the lots on offer are of an ideal size for an individual homeowner.

So really, whether you want to buy direct or buy at auction is a matter of personal preference. We’re here to help you either way.