The Pub (Off Topic)

In this age of Amazon Prime and free shipping coupons and the like, being able to order something online and get it within a few days (or same day, if you are in a major metro area) has become the norm. A company like Amazon, I'm sure, is responsible for shipping an unimaginable number of packages a day and they can afford, due to volume, to provide free or cheap shipping.

However, because part suppliers for our cars are small-fry, their shipping costs are understandably higher. Now, I won't get into how much profit they can make on shipping costs and I know I've paid a lot more for a "If It Fits It Ships" box from the USPS; that's not my point (though I do believe that shipping should be on an "as ordered" basis and not a flat rate based on order value. I'd rather pay more for parts because that's what they are worth than pay inflated prices for shipping when I know I'm getting ripped on that cost...principle fo the thing).

My question is, how many of you order extra or otherwise unnecessary or "just in case" parts with an otherwise necessary order to save on shipping? I just placed a large order with Nigel for some interior bits and I found myself throwing a whole bunch of stuff in the cart just to save on "future me" shipping. Like, on the order of around $100 worth of the stuff was not needed (extra grommets, future projects, etc.), but stuff that I wanted and "while I was there" or stuff that I might damage when putting (like those grommets) and I wanted spares on-hand in case.

Just curious and, maybe in some way, asking if there is a better way to save a buck here or there. The parts that I NEEDED for this order were about $15 (motor mounts, because I separated one). The parts I ended up getting...$200 (not including the interior stuff which was a LOT more than that, but unfair to include). When shipping constitutes a significant percentage of the total order, it bothers me. So, I order more stuff...oxymoron!

Thanks,
Chris

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I learn something new every day...especially if I am working on my LBC!
Please visit my blog and website at http://www.roundtailrestoration.com
and my YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8LASST0WuNG0-po4hK0Maw

Maybe the vendors count on that? I usually find that I've put an order together and complete it only to realize I missed some small cheap items that I will now have to order separately and pay an additional $15 to ship.

Mike,
Yup, I do that, too. As a matter of fact, I did it with my most recent order to SpitBits and my wishlist is already back up to half a dozen parts!

I do think that vendors rely on shipping charges to help cover costs. But, like I mentioned, it's the principle of it that bothers me. It's like airlines charging fees for absolutely everything...death by a thousand cuts. Charge me what it will cost me to get on the airplane at one airport and get off at another...done. Don't wave cheap tickets in front of me and then nail me with all of these fees that make the actual cost of travel not a deal at all. At the extreme, it's deceptive advertising.

Anyway, I do not think guys like SpitBits and TRF (these being the only two that I order from) are being deceptive in any way. Their prices are pretty consistent with each other. But, on the face, I'd rather pay their cost for shipping and pay a bit more for each part. It would be interesting to see what that would really come out to, price-wise. Of course, I'd have to be in someone's books to figure that out.

Thanks,
Chris

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I learn something new every day...especially if I am working on my LBC!
Please visit my blog and website at http://www.roundtailrestoration.com
and my YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8LASST0WuNG0-po4hK0Maw

I don't order extra stuff but I get impatient to get working and will spend extra on shipping to get it as fast as they can, many times paying almost as much in shipping as I did on the part.

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Just because we can, does not mean we should.

What bugs me is that the shipping charges prevent me from ordering based on pricing. You may find a great sale price on something from vendor A, but you need something from vendor B that vendor A doesn't carry. Paying two shipping charges wipes out any savings you might have gotten from vendor A, so you pay the higher price from vendor B to avoid getting hammered by shipping fees.

I wish sometimes that Amazon carried these parts. But, imagine how bad quality control would get.

I often like to buy parts from rock auto for my daily drivers. I can get big savings over the local stores, big enough that shipping costs don't wreck the savings.

But...Rock Auto will often ship from multiple locations. When that happens, they charge additional shipping fees for each location so you have to pick parts from the list based on location, not price, so the shipping doesn't eat up the savings. That makes my head ache when it happens. Fortunately, the website is helpful by showing which parts ship from the same location, so you can throw things in and out of the cart and see the recalculations to determine your best option.

I only occasionally need to resort to the higher priced flaps where the no-name parts sell for higher prices than the better quality parts on Rock Auto.

I can say without a doubt that I will order up to the max on the shipping tiers(I was watching TRF weekly for their sales, but have most everything I need for now). I have extra grommets, rubber plugs, fuses, tune up sets, etc. The last order I got from Spitbits I ended up ordering all the rear brake parts then realized about 2 weeks later that I forgot something and it stalled the project. That was March, and I haven't really gotten back to it yet. Still can't finish it so I am not in any hurry. As for Rock Auto, I can honestly say I have looked but never ordered from them. I actually just looked up a radiator for my 87 GMC full size pickup, and it would save me $8 over the local OReilly's, but I am sure I would owe shipping. Just not worth it to me I guess. Kyle.

Yes, with Rock Auto, you need to know what regular prices are to get bargains. Their prices are often ridiculously low, but for some items were there is not a lot of selection, you have to pay attention. When they do have a lot of selection, and especially when they have close-out items, the savings can be huge. I bought a close-out Spitfire heater fan for $35. Try to even find anybody selling one of those. I didn't need it, but how could I pass it up?

I bought a closeout Pertronix unit for the Spitfire for $45. Again, I didn't need it but bought it an ways to have a spare.

I have never looked at Rock Auto. Guess I should!

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I learn something new every day...especially if I am working on my LBC!
Please visit my blog and website at http://www.roundtailrestoration.com
and my YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8LASST0WuNG0-po4hK0Maw

I keep a clip board in the garage of the things I will need. When I finally have a "Need it now" part, I order it all. The $15 shipping for a 87¢ ignition bulb is outrageous, and I can wait for it. I have looked up parts, and completed an order form, just to get disgusted and cancel the whole thing out of anger, over the ridiculous shipping charges. Rimmers can ship from England cheaper than we can ship in the US to the US according to all of our vendors.

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Matthew
1960 Triumph TR3a
1970 Triumph Spitfire MK 3
2012 Mini Cooper SS Convertible
2018 Jaguar F-Pace
2018 jaguar XE

Ran into a "shipping" problem with a vendor a couple of years ago. I ordered $1500 worth of parts online which had had included free shipping because the order was over $600. The order was sent in on a Sunday morning. Later in the afternoon, I realized that I had missed one $15 item that should have been on the list. I sent in an additional order for that item with a note to please add it and send with the first order I sent in. Just to make sure everything went smoothly, I called the first thing Monday morning. I was told that they couldn't add one order to another and would have to pay shipping on the second order, even though neither of the orders have been pulled yet, never mind being sent. I said, "Well in that case just cancel both orders." The lady on the line said, "OK, whatever you wish." Within ten minutes, I got a call back from one of the principals of the company and was told that there would be no problem with combining the two orders to get the free shipping. I was told that there are certain instructions etc that the office personnel must follow, but perhaps in this case someone higher up should have been consulted.

If I hadn't made that call Monday morning, I would have had to pay shipping on one item and most likely this particular vendor would have lost a customer.

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Art


Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. - Benjamin Franklin

When I first starting dealing with The Roadster Factory, they used to charge actual shipping. They had to change that because it was unpopular. This was the pre-internet days and I used to order by mail, send a check including estimated shipping costs and end up with a credit that I would have to apply to the next order (or a bill for the difference).

I'm like Kyle and will order up to the max for that particular shipping tier. I will also sometimes put off ordering something non-time critical because it may be a $4 part, but since it pushes my shipping up by $6, it's in reality a $10 part and I won't pay $10 for it.

I just got a shipment of ignition parts from Rock Auto that came from two warehouses/two boxes. There were 3 sparkplugs in the one box and I thought "crap! They shorted me!" but then I opened the other box and found the one remaining spark plug had shipped from the other warehouse.

I need various bits to complete my brakes and have a spreadsheet for all the vendors(uk boys too) so i can compare side by side. All have a few items with the best prices, but as mentioned, adding multiple shipping charges kills most deals. In the end its a combo of spitbits and bpnw.

That said, until I started regularly shipping items, between ebay and my hatch spring covers, I never considered what 'handling' part of shipping and handling really meant. Specially sized boxes, packing peanuts, tape, ext. Add to that various tiers of shipping. Perhaps places like spitbits have their shipping charge teirs such that some orders get a minor break on price and others get a little extra, but in the end, the vendor comes out even across multiple orders and the customer never notices.

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~Hazen.

Remember when we used to drive to the local parts and just bought stuff over the counter and never paid a shipping fee? Even if they were out of stock they just ordered it in and called you when it was ready...still no shipping charges.

Today we are conditioned to wait for everything and pay the shipping too. Is that progress? For who?

I'm going back to my rocker now.

What I don't understand is why one of my first places to go - Leacy Classics - can ship an order to me from England free of charge while VB charges ten bucks for something that fits inside a padded envelope. American companies are too obsessed with money. By the way, even with the pound stronger than the dollar, it's still cheaper. Last month I bought a Lucas ammeter from Leacy. Brand new. Cost me $49.00 - to my mailbox.

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"Mr. Filby, do you think he'll ever return?"
"One cannot choose but wonder. You see . . . he has all the time in the world!"