Another Drake Shipping Charge Rant !!

39 STD

39 STD

Senior Member
About 30 some days ago I ordered parts for Bob Drake totaling about $140. At the time the ¼ glass seales were on back order. I called and asked, What happens Now? Was told, as soon as they came in I would receive a call asking if I still wanted them.
Last week a lady called & said they were in & inquired if I still wanted them. I said yes.
I received them today. A pair of $30-- ¼ glass seals in a padded envelope shipped thru FedX.

:eek::eek::eek: $12.67 shipping :eek::eek::eek:.

The same seals could have been shipped in a Priority Mail USPS Flat Rate Padded envelope for $4.95.
I have NO problems with the seals. They are of high quaility. But about ½ the total price for was shipping :mad::mad::mad:
 
Fedex does a pickup @ your business & USPS you have to take to the PO & stand in line. I don't think you want to pay the travel time & wage for that worker.
 
B-O-B said:
Fedex does a pickup @ your business & USPS you have to take to the PO & stand in line. I don't think you want to pay the travel time & wage for that worker.
Click to expand...

B-O-B that's BS. I understand that Drake's maybe under some kind of contract with FedX but $12.67 for an envelope. No way.
 
You got it ,Bob must have a contract with Fed X. And that my friend is what you are going to get.
 
Guys this shipping issue has been discussed and discussed.
And i havent seen any wrong answers from either side, however as a business owner let me throw my two cents in :

The majority of my injection and distributor is shipped to another state. We use everything available ups, usps, fed ex and any other method to get you the product. However we need to purchase boxes and packing materials each and every month. If we choose to use usps one of my employees needs to drive a few blocks out of their way to drop off the packages. Parts are packaged each and every day , we try not to loose any money on shipping and usually just use a flat rate fee. However it is very hard to deal with shippers and not loose money.
Just a thought for the next time you think shipping is too high , just think in regards to what the seller had to do to pack the product and get it to you.

In our case we will work with you to get the cheapest price available ( shipping is no charge to all alliance members on the hamb etc)
Just another take on the issue...............
 
When I buy parts at Mac's I ask them to ship USPS. Not only is it cheaper but they deliver on Saturday.

Shadetree
 
Macs also dislikes sending through the Post Office. I'm sure they have a deal with UPS. One lady told me that if the order weighed a certain amount that it absolutely had to go UPS. She made it sound like a federal law had been passed.

Also, MACs wants extra money now ($3 I believe) to ship it out the day you order. "We are swamped, but for a charge we will get it out today," they say. One more strategy. I've ordered several other places that regularly ship same day.
 
My take from down in New Zealand; I have always found USPS offer a far cheaper service than do UPS [at least 50%]. However, a certain vendor has advised they use UPS exclusively as UPS do the entire packaging job. If I stipulate that I want USPS to deliver my order, that vendor imposes a $50.00 surcharge, allegedly to pay for their [the vendors] cost in getting their staff to package up my order and fill out the neccessary customs declarations etc.
Result is that they no longer see one cent of my money.
Personally, I prefer to deal with one outfit in the USA, and I'll advertise their name: Joblot in New York. If they don't carry a particular item I'm seeking they will source it and ship it to me for a few meagre bucks more than if I purchased direct off of the other supplier. They are most obliging and helpful.
So, you have suppliers that contract out the actual shipping expenses to a third party because they are driven primarily by profit, then you get the caring supplier, whose goal is to best fulfill their customers wishes, even though this involves their staff doing any manner of tasks in order to accomplish this. Ultimately, it is our choice, but the options aren't presented to us until we encounter this little dilemma.
My opinion only; yours may differ, Brian
 
We ship UPS and USPS every day. When you use the post office, there is generally no way to track the package. By the time you use a method of mail to provide tracking and insure the package, UPS is sometimes less expensive. It's all getting high. Customers are usually OK with no tracking and no insurance if I ask. Drake probably only wants one shipper to deal with. Even when customers are OK with the mail, they still call wanting to know when their package will arrive. With mail, we can only tell them when it left our store. Also, I know with UPS there is the normal charge and then about $3 more per package if it is not going to a business.
 
We use both UPS and USPS. With the mail, in order to get the full protection of the insurance, you must get the insurance receipt stamped at the counter. If the package "fell out of the system" you would have no way to prove you even gave them the package w/o that receipt. This means someone must drive to the post office and stand in line. Obviously, we can't afford to make that trip more than once a day. We do not charge anything extra for this.

In the case of international shipments, UPS is cost prohibitive, so the USPS mail is the only alternative.

The bigger outfits do not want to pay to send someone to drive to the post office. Plus, you can imagine the general unhappiness at your local post office when you show up with more than a couple packages.....between the "smiling faces" behind the counter and the disgruntled customers standing in line behind you, there is no incentive to show up with a cart full of packages. Plus, the international packages with their customs forms bring an immediate look of chagrin to the counter folks....

The post office mail carrier will pick up at your home or office. BUT...he doesn't have that important stamp for your package receipts that shows he accepted them.

So, as always, there are two sides to this issue. I feel the guy's pain at $12.67 but I also know the cost of time spent running off to the local post office. Just my two cents......
 
I haven't needed or ordered anything from Bob Drake since I finished my last project in 2008 but surely remember that almost every order was incomplete with something backordered, no new revelation there. What I do remember was any backordered part was included on original shipping charge and not a new separate charge ,as it should be,not the customers fault if part is listed in catalog for sale but tempoarily out at order time. I remember one time getting three separate deliveries from one order and assuming that Drake must have a contract with Fedex that covers such. Mayby economy has changed policy or mayby it makes it easier for companies to do this with your credit card at their disposal. Might want to go back to filling out an order form and sending a money order if they still allow. Guess someone is going to have to pay for the new Chinaman 40 coupes.:confused:
 
Those "Flat-Rate" boxes from the Post Office are really great deals for heavy objects. If an object weighs less than seventy pounds, and fits into the Medium box, you can mail it from Florida to Hawaii, by Priority Mail, for $10.95 ! I know, because I have done it and it only took three days !
More vendors should use this service. So what, if they have to get off their butt and go to the Post Office. It should mean more business, to them, if they can do it cheaper.
MIKE :)
 
Thank your lucky stars that you're not in the UK ! Some U.S, parts suppliers BEGIN by charging 40% of the price of the part and then go from there !
 
seals in a padded envelope ?? 12 bucks , Scam in seller trying to make an extra buck. Oh he had to pack it and Charge?? you say? well I have to recieve it un pack iot and throw away the paper whoz going to pay me???
 
As I stated, I have No issue with the price or quaility of the seals. I ordered them from Drake because I've always got fresh rubber produces.
I just think that the shipping cost, in nothing other than a FedX envelope, was out of line.
But on a lighter side ;) I have 2 of Drakes key rings, FREE, you pay shipping :)
 
The only choices are FedEx or UPS. Obviously USPS can be cheaper in a lot of cases with their flat rate boxes. I recently bought motor mount kits (new bolts, washers etc) You don't find out what shipping costs until after you place the order.

On another note, I selected 3rd day shipping because cheaper but faster than ground. It came FedEx. Tracking showed it in the local warehouse the next day, and ON THE TRUCK locally, but not delivered because "not due". Same thing the 2nd day. So it could have been delivered the next day, but they held onto it for three days because I shipped it 3rd day rate. How bizarre is that policy?
 
Have you also noticed the $2 fee attached to each order from B-O-B for insurance? Never mind the friggin insurance is included with the shipping fee. when items are sent vis UPS and FedEx.

I wonder if B-O-B is related to that guy "honest Bob" that sold used cars down the road when I was kid? That guy was one shady fella...I think he got run ouit of town...
 
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