More on HIGH SHIPPING FEES

BILL WZOREK said:
Bernie G:
This is kind of getting off the original thread BUT it all pertains to the hobbie.
( Which is Good ) Some times it is the search for the part / other times it is the people that you barter with to get the parts. Every part has a story to go with it , and the problem is there can not be a value assigned to it.
It may be better to look at what you have & you all ready know in the back of your mind what you want / need But you may want to consider letting it all go as a lot sum.
If you take each and every part and look at it in great detail and think of what you paid and how you cared for it. You will never be happy with what you finaly get for it.
I Have been there & done that. It's what I call walking down memory Lane.
Sooner or Later some one is going to shut off the lights on memory lane and you will only have the memorys left. JUST A THOUGHT
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Good Thought, I see that happening. I am hoping to shrink my stash considerably before the lights go out, and the memory gets worse. Ain't life Grand. Thanks!
 
Kube said:
I will never argue that a business needs to make a profit. I own businesses and don't do it merely for the fun of it.
That being said, a wise business person rolls the cost of doing business (IE Hard costs) in to the prices of what he sells.
That's pretty much a lesson from Business class 101.
Customers do not like seeing high shipping and handling fees. Me being one of them.
Remember, a customers "perception" is your businesses "reality".
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Kube, It appears that Bob Drake has been paying attention - just got an email that all shipping for the next 2 weeks is free (except trucking). If only anything that he sells was worth buying.........:rolleyes:.....:D:D
 
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I've had nothing but good service from C&G and they do their best when shipping to me at the "*** end of the world". I can't speak highly enough of this company.

GB
 
I bought $80 worth of stuff from Speedway on Friday; the shipping charge was almost $9.00. The merchandise arrived on Monday. That is pretty good. The Speedway order girl Robin said the shipping company was "Speedy" Shipping company.
 
Very interesting thread. Lots of valid points on here, both from the business and private seller point of views.

As a guy who occasionally sells parts that I don't have a need for, I've had interesting experiences with shipping.
First off, as others have mentioned, the cost of packaging. Sure, if I'm sending you some hubcaps, I can probably find a box and some paper without any cost. But if I'm sending a steering column, I need to go buy a box that will fit the column. Then, if you don't want the column to punch through the box or get damaged in transit, I need to bubble wrap the ends and pad the column. That's an additional cost. Depending on the size and shape of the item, that could be $5-$15 in shipping materials before it even gets on a truck. I don't charge for my time, or the gas it takes me to get those three shipping quotes from three different locations, but I do charge actual cost for shipping and shipping materials. Otherwise, it's just coming out of the money I got from selling it in the first place.

Second, packaging itself. Have you ever received a package that had the box ripped open and parts damaged/missing? I have. Usually because the (private) shipper stuffed the part into whatever box he had lying around, regardless of if the part truly fit or not. I'd rather pay an extra $5-$10 for shipping, and get the part in good condition, than cheap out on shipping and have a damaged product.

Third, as has been mentioned, distance. It costs more to ship a part cross country than it does to ship it to the next state/province. That's regardless of size and weight. Most people are highly unrealistic on their shipping costs because they don't factor in where it's being shipped from.

Fourth, some companies have multiple shipping options. The standard seems to be UPS/FedEx 'quick' ship. That's so you get your part in a hurry. But then again, getting it quick means you'll pay more.

Fifth, availability. Is the same part available from a closer distributor/location? You might find that your local parts house charges more up front for the part, but it works out cheaper because there is no shipping involved. If it's not available anywhere else, then I guess you need to either suck it up and pay the shipping costs, or do without.

Whether the seller is private or a company, nobody is out to lose money. Some (most) are fair. Others will gouge. But at the end of the day, the seller has the ball in their court...for better or for worse.
 
There is Bubbas ( great honest car folks ) then there is car guys ( profit at any corner and to heck with how we make it) . Write off the ripp off merchant and shop with car guys with an Ethos like BUBBAS. And quit complaining
 
I purchased about $100 worth of parts from Joe's Antique Auto Parts and shipping was $11.25.
I ordered from Joe's, which is in Massachusetts, on March 13
and my stuff got to me in Illinois on March 15.
That's pretty good. TM
 
A while back I ordered a gasket set & copper washers & nuts for a 8' ford rear end from Currie. The price & shipping I don't recall but the shipping was almost 1/2 the price of the parts. I mentioned this to the person on the other end of the phone line & he said he was sorry but they only used UPS. He then asked me what my shirt size was. He said he would send a one of their very nice Tees @ no charge. That boys & girls is what customer service is all about. It all boils down to the attitudes & company policies.
 
Trust me, you paid for the shirt. JMO

Just placed an online order with Snyder's in Ohio (model A),standard shipping on the $130 order about $19.50 and I'll bet I have the parts wed or thur. He had other shipping options but I'm in no hurry.
Paul in CT

Got confirmation on shipping and a FEDEX tracking # today AND shipping was only about $15 ! ! ! happy happy
 
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May have however the parts guy on the phone didn't have to offer it. The glass isn't always half empty.:)
 
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I just recently discovered a USPS Flat Rate Box that I did not know existed. It is called a board game box, 23 11/16" X 11 3/4" X 3", it is a Large Flat Rate Box (no weight limit, if it fits, it ships) and ships for ~ $16.85 anywhere in the USA (+ whatever insurance you buy).

I went online to the USPS website to order these boxes, as they will deliver any Flat Rate Boxes you want free, right to your doorstep. I saw they had a choice to order from (1) to (20), so I typed in (12). I then received a confirmation email for my free order and noticed a note indicating these boxes come in packs of (25), meaning I had ordered (12) packs of (25) each, or (300) boxes ! I sent a follow-up email telling them I don't need that many, but they shipped them anyway, I took the extras to my local post office.

For those that sell parts often, all the various USPS Flat Rate Boxes makes it easy to test fit parts in the proper size box and tell a buyer what it cost to anywhere in the USA and also a chart for anywhere in Canada. Then if the buyer follows thru, you go ahead and complete the packing when payment arrives. I set up an account with the USPS and print address/postage labels online and my mail person picks these up from our house.

Previously I had shipped (2) brake drums for a Forum member via UPS and the cost was nearly $50.00. The same Forum member is now buying (2) more brake drums and I'm shipping each one in a USPS Flat Rate Box and the total is only $38.00 by comparision.

For larger items, I make custom size boxes and ship via UPS. For really bulky items in the USA I use Greyhound and/or freightquote.com.
 
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