Overview for Steel Buyers

Steel Spider is designed to help steel buyers quickly find steel they need. There is no charge for steel buyers to use Steel Spider. Registration is free. Registration allows Buyers to use certain features where their contact information is needed.

We provide five platforms to help steel buyers buy steel: Inventory, Offer, Inquire, Auction and Facility Directory.

Multi-Supplier Inventory

This is a searchable virtual inventory comprised of steel from numerous sellers. It can serve as an inventory that supplements your own inventory. At the top of each page is a Quick Search for Steel. Select the steel type and form and provide the requested dimension for a quick search of the Inventory. For a more advanced search go to Search the Multi-Supplier Inventory under Inventory. Select the type of steel you are interested in and fill out the form by describing what you are looking for. Pressing the "Find Steel" button will produce a listing of available steel that matches your requirements.

Click on the company name for any item of interest and you will see any additional information about the item as well as the identity of the seller and his contact information. Contact the seller directly for more information about an item or to place an order. If you have registered, Steel Spider can send a Spider Bite (message) to the supplier for you.

Inventory Change Alert

If you have registered, you can receive Inventory Change Alerts by email or fax advising you when steel is added to the Multi-Supplier Inventory that matches your requirements. Within an hour after new steel is first added, we send an email or fax describing the added steel that matches your requirements. Go to Inventory Change Alert under Inventory to describe the steel you are interested in using a form similar to that used to search the Multi-Supplier Inventory.

Offering

Buyers can also find the steel they need using the Offering platform. Sellers send steel offerings directly to buyers. Offers tend to be large quantities sold as a single lot, special deals, truck, railcar or barge quantities. Go to View Recent Offerings under Offers for a chronological listing of some of the offerings sent within the past week or two. Click on the company name to see more information about an offering and the contact information of the supplier. The listing is chronological based on when it was sent. Offerings are removed automatically after two weeks.

Receive Offerings

To receive Offerings by email, register or login and go to Receive Offerings under Offering. Identify the types of steel you are interested in seeing. Sellers will then be able to send offerings that match your interests to you.

Inquire

If you have an immediate or ongoing need for steel, you can send an Inquiry describing the steel you need to multiple sellers. An Inquiry can be a Request for Quote (RFQ) or a Request for Information (RFI). For examples of Inquiries, go to View Recent Inquiries under Inquire to see some of the Inquiries sent in the past week or two.

Send an Inquiry

To send an Inquiry go to Send an Inquiry under Inquire. Identify the Form and Type of steel that is the subject of your inquiry and then describe your Inquiry. Next identify the delivery point or location of use for the steel. You are also able to include a file to provide additional information about your Inquiry. You have two choices on whom you send your Inquiry to. You can select from a list of suppliers using Steel Spider who deal in the product you need. You can also send it to sellers you know and have included in your Contact List. You can also elect to have your inquiry displayed in View Recent Inquiries under Inquire so additional suppliers can see it.

Auction

Auction is another option for buyers to find the steel they need. Auctions on Steel Spider are invitational in that the supplier invites the buyers who can bid in the Auction. You will not be able to bid unless you have registered and the supplier has authorized you. Not all auctions are visible. In some cases the supplier may elect to make the auction visible so buyers who have not been invited can request entry in that or subsequent auctions. Go to Enter an Auction to enter those auctions where you have been authorized to bid and visible Auctions.

Receive Auction Notice

You can be notified by a supplier when has made his Auction visible to non-authorized bidders in Receive Auction Notices under Auction. You can view the auction and consider whether to contact him about being included as a bidder. If you are invited to participate in an Auction, become familiar with the auction and the bidding process by trying the Demo Single Item Auction and the Demo Multi-Item Auction.

Facility Directory

The Facility Directory is a searchable database to help buyers find companies by company name, by the steel products they deal in or by the company's processing capabilities. Additionally the database can produce a list of company names and addresses within certain radius from the Zip or Postal Code.

Events Calendar

The Events Calendar contains a listing of upcoming events in North America of interest to the users of Steel Spider focusing on networking with those who buy and sell surplus, excess and secondary steel.

Personal Contact List

Registered buyers can maintain a personal Contact List. This allows buyers to use Steel Spider to send Inquires to those sellers they regularly contact including those they may have met through Steel Spider.