Shipping prices are nuts.

[basketcase]

I spend $6.95 for a bag of screws and it costs $9.95 for shipping and handling. I shopped almost all of the parts houses and they were all pretty much the same. I think the customer is the one getting handled. But what are you going to do when you can't go downtown and buy these special fasteners for your truck. I have been putting off ordering a painted front bumper because it seems like everyone has a $20.00 oversize charge they stick on top of their shipping. I had intended to drive down to Restoration World and pick it up. It would probably cost as much for gas and grub but at least I would get to shop in the store and see what they have.

Imagine my surprise when looking at some other stuff, I found Jegs had the bumper on sale for $91.15 and when I went to check out along with sales tax all they wanted for shipping was $11.99 and they sent it FedEx. I had it in 2 days. So why does it cost $9.95 to send a pack of screws you can put in your pocket.

Rant over.
Tom

[FleetsidePaul]

I can't even tell you how many times I've backed out of a purchase at checkout when I saw the shipping charges.

$6.95 shipping for a sticker? And I'm not talking a big sticker either. About 4 inches long. It would fit in an envelope. I'll pass. I don't want it that bad.

[Redneck Rydes]

When I have to get things shipped up here to Ontario,sometimes the shipping is 3 times the price of the part,but I understand not buying a sticker for $3 and shipping $6, drop it in a envolope and put a 60 cent stamp on it

[Boog]

That shipping and "handling" fee is suspect. Just how much "handling" does it take to prep something to be shipped, well besides slapping a label on a box or envelope?
In comparing parts prices between vendors I see higher part price with lower shipping rate and lower part price with higher shipping rate from another which has many of them fairly close in total cost but just how much profit are they making just on the s&h ? I imagine businesses get a better shipping rate than individuals too?
I sold a new part a while back for $45 shipped and shipped it in the box it came in. UPS charged me $34 to ship it. I assumed it would be more reasonable than that so I didn't take the box in to ask before quoting a shipped price. My mistake. That won't happen again.

[mongocanfly]

It's gotten crazy for sure...I went to buy a small solar panel from academy the other day...the panel was $17 and the shipping was gonna be $19... and the panel is smaller than my hand and only weighs a few ounces.. I hit delete...

[Dead Parrot]

Its going to get worse. IIRC, Fedex and UPS have both announced Xmas season surcharges that kick in sometime in November.

Sometimes you can game the system a little. I ordered a small wiring harness from LMC. Was able to add on a few other small parts without increasing the shipping fee. I do the same game with Amazon. I keep a list of low priority books I want sometime. When I need to order something from Amazon that is less then the $25 free shipping point, I add one or more of the books to the order. Instant free shipping.

[truckster]

I wanted to buy new inner fenders for my Blazer. The prices seemed reasonable, so I added them to my cart and went to the checkout. The shipping was more than the fenders! So I went to two other vendors, and it was the same. I reused my inner fenders.

I have bought a lot of parts on the internet for this build because they're either not available locally or they're really expensive. I spend a lot of time on RockAuto.com and usually they've got a fairly reasonable shipping option if they have the part available. The same part on Summit or Jegs often costs twice as much to ship. If I spend over $99 they offer free shipping on most parts, but what if I need parts totaling $95 (this actually happened yesterday)? Then I have to pay full shipping, or buy something I don't intend to buy at the time.

I find myself going to Amazon often to see if a product is available (I have a Prime account) and how the price compares. I wanted to buy a set of Hella headlights from Summit yesterday, but Summit's price for 2 was 95.20 (no free shipping) and Amazon's was $84 and change... shipping included (with the Prime account). Businesses that want to compete are going to have to come up with a better business model.

[kwmech]

I was ordering 5 yards of gravel the other day. 46.00 per yard, plus delivery and tax. Delivery 65.00 plus a Calif "carb-environmental fee" of 20.00. I'm 2.5 miles from the gravel yard

[RustyPile]

"Shipping and handling" charges are just a hazard of doing business on the internet.. I can't see the difference in the way an item is "handled" in a brick and mortar store and the internet.. There is a difference when a third party gets involved, that's the "shipping" part.. 99% of my purchases are done locally.. I just finished installing power steering on my truck.. Summit, Jeg's, and several of the reproduction vendors have a "kit" for doing this.. Almost all of them want around $600.00 for this kit, plus many add a core charge.. I bought locally, EVERYTHING needed -- gear box, pump, hoses, etc for half that, including the belt and fluid..

That old, tired excuse, "I can't find what I want locally" doesn't fly with me.. Stay away from the franchise parts stores and you'll find what you're looking for without those high cost shipping fees..

[weq92f]

Originally Posted by truckster

I wanted to buy a set of Hella headlights from Summit yesterday, but Summit's price for 2 was 95.20 (no free shipping) and Amazon's was $84 and change... shipping included (with the Prime account). Businesses that want to compete are going to have to come up with a better business model.

I've often run into this same issue...fortunately for me I have big retailers close by...Summit is only a 45 minute drive. So sometimes I can choose convenience over value.

Originally Posted by Boog

That shipping and "handling" fee is suspect. Just how much "handling" does it take to prep something to be shipped, well besides slapping a label on a box or envelope?

You got that right Boog...Lately it seems it's just another markup line item that everybody likes to just add on as profit. I purchased an item off eBay recently that was local to me ( nearby, in the same city ). Before I won the item, I contacted the seller and negotiated via email/ebay-messages that I would do a local pickup and he agreed.

Once I was ready to go pickup the item ( a set of surround speakers $160 ) I called the guy on the phone to confirm everything and he couldn't understand why I wasn't willing to pay shipping. He kept trying to explain that the shipping costs were noted in the eBay listing and so that was the deal. I then kept replying that I was picking up the item, there was NO SHIPPING costs involved!

I did not pay shipping!

-klb

[truckster]

Originally Posted by RustyPile

That old, tired excuse, "I can't find what I want locally" doesn't fly with me.. Stay away from the franchise parts stores and you'll find what you're looking for without those high cost shipping fees..

That may be the case in Elkhart, Texas, but it's certainly not the case everywhere.

[Tom]

I bought 2 used tires on ebay for $110, shipping was free[via fedex].
Once I got them the customer didn't want to drive to get them, so I took them back to fedex to ship them across the city since I didn't have time. We are talking 40miles. They wanted.....$110.
So did the ebay seller from across the country lose money on the deal? No, they get some jacked up discount we don't.

[RustyPile]

Originally Posted by truckster

That may be the case in Elkhart, Texas, but it's certainly not the case everywhere.

The population of Elkhart, Tx is less than fifteen hundred people.. We have one traffic light, one bank, 2 school campuses, 2 gas stations, and a hardware store.. I'd be willing to wager a goodly amount that our hardware store has exactly the "bag of screws" needed by the OP of this thread.. We also have ONE automotive parts store.. Reliable Auto supply is locally owned and operated by highly experienced parts people. They know how and where to find parts.. 95% of the time, parts are "in hand" the next day without shipping charges.

Four years ago when I was restoring a 1960 Cushman scooter, I needed a headlight switch and brake light switch.. Just out of curiosity, I checked with Reliable ---- they had both in stock....

When one man can establish an automotive parts business in a town the size of Elkhart, and can keep in stock or obtain almost immediately, just about anything made for cars, why can't it be done elsewhere?? It's not the location that causes the problem... It's the attitude of the business owner..

[FleetsidePaul]

Originally Posted by truckster

That may be the case in Elkhart, Texas, but it's certainly not the case everywhere.

Exactly. It takes me over an hour one way to drive "down to the corner" and that's if the road is open.

I am all for supporting local businesses. But what do you do when there are none.

If I have to go to Bakersfield to run a errand I'm looking at at least a half a day and a quarter tank of gas.

[truckster]

Originally Posted by RustyPile

The population of Elkhart, Tx is less than fifteen hundred people.. We have one traffic light, one bank, 2 school campuses, 2 gas stations, and a hardware store.. I'd be willing to wager a goodly amount that our hardware store has exactly the "bag of screws" needed by the OP of this thread.. We also have ONE automotive parts store.. Reliable Auto supply is locally owned and operated by highly experienced parts people. They know how and where to find parts.. 95% of the time, parts are "in hand" the next day without shipping charges.

Four years ago when I was restoring a 1960 Cushman scooter, I needed a headlight switch and brake light switch.. Just out of curiosity, I checked with Reliable ---- they had both in stock....

When one man can establish an automotive parts business in a town the size of Elkhart, and can keep in stock or obtain almost immediately, just about anything made for cars, why can't it be done elsewhere?? It's not the location that causes the problem... It's the attitude of the business owner..

I submit that it's easier for an independent business owner to stay in business in Elkhart precisely because it's a small town. Plus you have the advantage of major cities that are not too distant. You also have another advantage... you don't live in an area wear snow and salt have destroyed pretty much every vehicle that's over 20 years old.

But back to your basic premise... you originally said that not being able to find parts locally was a tired, old excuse, implying that people who can't find parts locally are lazy. Then you give the credit for YOU being able to find a part locally to the attitude of a local business owner.

I can tell you that I've spent over five years gathering parts for my Blazer, with a preference to buying OEM and buying local. In many cases it just wasn't possible, and I'm not a bit lazy.

[basketcase]

I always harvest hardware and parts off of trucks when I find them in the yards. Sometime you just don't have or can't find the OEM type automotive fasteners you need to finish a project and have it look correct. Hardwares are short on automotive fasteners and car shops and body shops are usually not too excited about spending their time looking for a special clip for an old vehicle. They have mostly moved on from stocking this stuff and only have stuff for newer vehicle, which means they have a lot of 2 sided tape, metric bolts and odd plastic inserts.

As far as kits go I was looking at a disc brake conversion the other day and I did my '69 for half what the kit cost. NAPA, Autozone and 71/72 spindles from a board member which I picked up saved me a lot.

Tom

[RustyPile]

Originally Posted by truckster

.....<snip>............But back to your basic premise... you originally said that not being able to find parts locally was a tired, old excuse, implying that people who can't find parts locally are lazy. Then you give the credit for YOU being able to find a part locally to the attitude of a local business owner.....<snip>............

Lazy??? You read something I didn't say into something I did say.. I didn't imply anything like that, you did..

Let me clarify what I did say. I'm not referring to just the antique car part business. Basically, I'm referring to retail businesses in general, which encompasses that market also.. I certainly wasn't implying laziness on the customer's part or anyone's part for that matter.. What I'm trying to say is, why aren't more businessmen taking enough interest in broadening their customer base as is Matt here in Elkhart? The money is out there and people are willing to spend it.. My experience is that it's not just an Elkhart thing.. I haven't lived here all my life.. I moved here about 10 years ago after I "officially retired".. Previously lived in a city of 110,000 people.. I wasn't forced to shop the internet there either..

I have other thoughts and opinions on this matter.. But out of respect for the toes that might get stepped on, I'll keep them to myself...

[truckster]

Originally Posted by RustyPile

Lazy??? You read something I didn't say into something I did say.. I didn't imply anything like that, you did..

Let me clarify what I did say. I'm not referring to just the antique car part business. Basically, I'm referring to retail businesses in general, which encompasses that market also.. I certainly wasn't implying laziness on the customer's part or anyone's part for that matter.. What I'm trying to say is, why aren't more businessmen taking enough interest in broadening their customer base as is Matt here in Elkhart? The money is out there and people are willing to spend it.. My experience is that it's not just an Elkhart thing.. I haven't lived here all my life.. I moved here about 10 years ago after I "officially retired".. Previously lived in a city of 110,000 people.. I wasn't forced to shop the internet there either..

I have other thoughts and opinions on this matter.. But out of respect for the toes that might get stepped on, I'll keep them to myself...

Sorry - it just sounded like you were saying that if people tried hard enough they could find local parts. In my part of the country that's mostly a thing of the past.

I completely agree with the idea of business that is driven only by profit margin, and not in taking care of customers. It seems like people don't want to be bothered to go the extra mile anymore. There's a guy here who has a salvage yard that has at least half a dozen 67-72 Chevy trucks in it - he inherited it from his dad. He doesn't want to take the time to open the gate. Instead, he's going to wait until the city condemns the property and then all those trucks will probably go to the crusher.

[best view]

What is carb-inviromental fee iam afraid to ask

[truckster]

Originally Posted by best view

What is carb-inviromental fee iam afraid to ask

CARB is California Air Resources Board. It's why the air is so clean there...

[72c20customcamper]

Ya notice that the price didnt go down when diesel went fro 3.99 to 2.25 ... still a fuel surcharge.


Has nothing to do with their cost it's the demand ,more people ordering online getting stuff delivered trucks are filled

[72c20customcamper]

Originally Posted by truckster

CARB is California Air Resources Board. It's why the air is so clean there...

And a huge joke . Why is it the air quality prior to the fires was so bad .

[RustyPile]

Originally Posted by truckster

Sorry - it just sounded like you were saying that if people tried hard enough they could find local parts. In my part of the country that's mostly a thing of the past.

I completely agree with the idea of business that is driven only by profit margin, and not in taking care of customers. It seems like people don't want to be bothered to go the extra mile anymore. There's a guy here who has a salvage yard that has at least half a dozen 67-72 Chevy trucks in it - he inherited it from his dad. He doesn't want to take the time to open the gate. Instead, he's going to wait until the city condemns the property and then all those trucks will probably go to the crusher.

My point exactly.. I remember way back a few years after WWII ended.. We had just kicked the crap out of Japan and were going about helping them rebuild their war torn economy.. They started exporting lots of junk with about the same quality as the stuff China is dumping on us today.. The difference is, back then the American public learned real quick that the Japanese stuff was not acceptable and refused to buy their products.. In turn the Japanese started to improve the quality.. Today, some of the best automobiles, TV sets, etc, come from Japan..

If the American consumer would stop buying products based on the price and start demanding quality, and be willing to pay for that quality, we wouldn't have near the problems we have today..

[special-K]

My Napa went downhill with this new manager. First of all, although the policy had been "no checks" for over ten years, the prior manager in charge when that began still accepted my checks and I'm sure the others that had an established relationship. Second, no more discount. I don't buy a lot or often these days, so the new manager has me on full retail. The past 20 years mean nothing to him. Third is I go in for common service parts such as an HEI coil, can only find MSD and Accel performance coils and they'll have to order that. It doesn't take a genius to see buying from my local Napa now has no advantage over buying online where I have no benefit of a long term relationship, their retail price beats my local Napa, and parts are ordered in. I get treated like it's my first time walking in now. There is no longer any personal connection, this bothers me, and it makes me no longer concerned if the store survives any longer. And look back at threads on this very topic and you will see my posts in support of your local parts store and preaching against going online for every nit pickin' thing. That's still me to a degree. I still try. I am now working on establishing a good relationship with the Car Quest store in town. I know they were bought by Advance, so it's really giving business to that giant of brick & mortar as well as internet. In fact, when I look up Car Quest parts online (ahead of going in) it's advance barging their fatass in front of Car Quest. But my Car Quest, which I still think of as Mt Airy Auto Parts from back when it was Big A, is still in the old location down in town on Main St with the same vibe as always and the counter guy already knows my face when I walk in the door. The relationship is there already. I haven't hit him up for a discount yet, might never happen. It's mostly important to me that I continue to have a place to go run for parts in my town and those guys keep their jobs. Years ago, I didn't buy from Napa or Big A or any other chain. I always bought from the independents, same as building materials and hardware... everything. My priority remains, start with the smallest business and work my way up when it comes to searching out what I need. Small businesses what made America great, not the big ones.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On shipping costs, they continue to go up. But what we are feeling in the rates we receive or have to pay to the smaller businesses is the burden of making up the difference in cost due to the deep discounts given to the larger corporations that rely on shipping. They get "per pallet" pricing and you'd be amazed at how cheap it is. Even little old me, when I looked into setting up a classic GM truck parts business, I would have been paying per pallet. This has been over ten years now, but as I recall it was $69 per pallet. That's as high as can be stacked. Had nothing to do with weight. How many inner fenders could be stacked on a pallet? Fenders? Tailgates? Wheels? These places can charge no shipping due to deep discounted shipping rates and that can be absorbed into the profit on that item due to volume wholesale discount they receive. The shippers are in business to deliver what the big businesses sell and our individual shipments go to supplement that system. It's that go big or stay home thing at work

[truckster]

I've been turning wrenches a long time. It's a hobby now, but long ago I maintained a fleet of vehicles that included everything from forklifts to tractor-trailers, plus all the refrigeration equipment and industrial equipment. I had a local NAPA that had a decent machine shop - they could do most of what I needed. They knew me when I walked in and if I needed a part they would find it for me, no matter what I was working on.

Now my local NAPA doesn't even have a brake lathe, or if they do, it's sitting in the back gathering rust, because they don't turn drums or rotors. They can send them out to be turned, but it's about the same cost as new replacements. They're not particularly friendly or customer service oriented, and most of them don't seem to know a head gasket from a heater hose.

I still maintain about 20 vehicles (one of the advantages/disadvantages of having a really large family) and my local O'Reilly's used a have a really good manager. Dan was his name, and we'd talk about the classic vehicles we were working on and compare notes, and he always seemed to be able to help me find hard-to-find parts, usually within a day or so. Dan was promoted out of the store, and they've had a string of managers since then that probably had been managers at McDonald's before they went to O'Reilly. And the counter help is every bit as surly as NAPA. They seem to have the attitude, "Hey, I was having a good time stocking the shelves in back. What did you have to come in here for?"