When you are shopping for iron doors for your home or business, you will probably start looking online. Numerous iron door companies sell iron doors online and offer direct shipping. Yet, you need to be careful that the door you want is available from an U.S.-based company, not an offshore company.
What is an offshore company?
An offshore company is located outside the United States. Their manufacturing plant is in another country. Sometimes, one company may have multiple websites to attract customers from all over the world. The websites may appear to be “local” but could easily be hosted in the same country where the doors are produced.
What is the downside of shopping with an offshore company?
For starters, with so much internet fraud occurring today, do you even know if the company is real? There are fake websites that look real. Their sole purpose is to obtain your personal information and payment information.
You order an iron door and expect it to be shipped, but it never is. Instead, your credit card is maxed out or the account associated with your debit card is emptied. It is better to buy your door from a company that operates out of the United States.
Other downsides of shopping with an offshore company include:
- Quality – Most of the iron doors shipped from outside the U.S. are made with lower-quality steel. The doors may not be finished correctly, which leads to corrosion and rust. Furthermore, the welding and metalwork are often done with machines, so it does not look as elegant or detailed as the work done by an ironsmith.
- Materials Used – The materials used to manufacture the iron door could consist of a mixture of various metals, not 100% steel. This can cause weak areas in the door where it is easier to cut through the steel or even bend it by hand.
- Shorter Lifespan – Just like other lower-quality goods you may purchase, offshore iron doors do not last as long. The paint quickly comes off because the iron was not powder coated and finished correctly. The type of paint used also is prone to fading, chipping, and cracking. If you are lucky, a primer coat may be underneath, but not always.
- Hurts Local Economies – When you order offshore iron doors, you take money away from local businesses here in the United States. Supporting U.S.-operated businesses ensures that money spent stimulates growth in local economies and could potentially stimulate the creation of new jobs.
Why should you shop with Universal Iron Doors?
Universal Iron Doors was founded by brothers Sam and Marat Kapukchyan, who are fifth-generation Kapukchyan blacksmiths. Their family has been in the iron business for over 150 years.
The brothers’ journey to start Universal Iron Doors began over 30 years ago when their grandparents came to the United States from Armenia. Marat always had an interest in blacksmithing and started learning the trade as a young boy.
In 2006, Marat launched the company. In 2007, Sam joined the company, serving as the general manager and salesman, leaving the design, production, and shipment of high-quality iron doors to Marat.
Universal Iron Doors is a family-owned and operated business based in the United States. As such, you do not have to order your iron doors online or attempt to deal with customer service reps in a foreign country.
We use high-quality materials and the proper iron smithing techniques to create high-quality iron doors and other quality iron products. We give you the option of ordering online or contacting us directly at 818-771-1003 for further assistance, requesting a free quote, or learning about our custom-designed iron doors and other quality products.