Outrageous freight charges

Some of you may remember I posted a while back about looking for some metal clips to repair the lever on a plow I'm working on. I finally bit the bullet and gave the part no. to my John Deere connection. They looked them up and it said they had some. HORRENDOUSLY over priced, which was to be expected, but we went ahead and ordered 4 of them anyway. After getting jerked around for several weeks and the company cancelling the order twice, it was finally determined that they didn't have any on hand after all.
So then they checked with one of their outside NOS parts suppliers. Turns out they did have some, and at a lower price than Deere (still too much, but they went ahead and ordered them anyway). BUT....now they added freight charges, which were almost as much as the parts themselves!! Mind you, these are 4 metal clips, each about 1" square! They could have slipped them into a padded envelope and threw them in the mail for a couple bucks!
So, as long as they were getting jerked around anyway, they had them shipped directly to me. They arrived by UPS the other evening. This picture shows the parts along side the box they came in! This was all that was in the box--not even any packing paper or bubble wrap or anything (not that it needed any).

Can you say "RIP OFF"?

(quoted from post at 12:48:40 11/13/21) Some of you may remember I posted a while back about looking for some metal clips to repair the lever on a plow I'm working on. I finally bit the bullet and gave the part no. to my John Deere connection. They looked them up and it said they had some. HORRENDOUSLY over priced, which was to be expected, but we went ahead and ordered 4 of them anyway. After getting jerked around for several weeks and the company cancelling the order twice, it was finally determined that they didn't have any on hand after all.
So then they checked with one of their outside NOS parts suppliers. Turns out they did have some, and at a lower price than Deere (still too much, but they went ahead and ordered them anyway). BUT....now they added freight charges, which were almost as much as the parts themselves!! Mind you, these are 4 metal clips, each about 1" square! They could have slipped them into a padded envelope and threw them in the mail for a couple bucks!
So, as long as they were getting jerked around anyway, they had them shipped directly to me. They arrived by UPS the other evening. This picture shows the parts along side the box they came in! This was all that was in the box--not even any packing paper or bubble wrap or anything (not that it needed any).

Can you say "RIP OFF"?

Click to expand...

es Sir! A few weeks back, I needed a gasket & found it available for $2.50, but shipping cost was going to be just over $10.00. About one ounce and 8 x 13 inches.

Is the shipping charge displayed before you can press the place order button?

My License to Steal Deere dealer charges $3 per pound shipping for anything ordered into the store,,about once a month they will toss a shipping charge into my bill for $100 to $200..with no hint of why..I would think that the overly priced parts could at least absorb the shipping cost..

I made some similar to what you have there
for my Case plow. Found a piece of 3/16
bar stock the correct width, cut a couple
the right length, drilled 1/4 hole in the
center & used square nuts like original on
the round headed machine screws. Toughest
part was finding square nuts.

(quoted from post at 14:32:09 11/13/21) Is the shipping charge displayed before you can press the place order button?

Click to expand...

Maybe not.

McMaster Carr was that way up until the past year.

3 inch sq x .005 steel shim
$9.50 to ship regular ups 400 miles.

0.224 ounces

Dont think I see what the shipping charge actually was?

Sent a trail camera to Browning via USPS. $27.95 to get it there the fastest. $9.25 to get it there in two days and for a dime less it will be delivered within 6 days. Being the big spender I am, I went with the 9.25.

Cost them the same to pack and mail a $2 part a a $200 part,

the point ?

Also, not true. Possible but VERY unlikely. Just sayin'

I thought Chucks post would get Zapped...

I'm working on patient for Vaseline mixed with teflon. It can be used to relieve pain
when you get it put to you. I think you need to buy a jar of my pain reliever before
you pay shipping again..
My orders are shipped free when you buy the jumbo jar. Only $19.95 plus tax and
handling fee. No shipping fee. lol
Buy two and give one as Christmas gift.
Discounts for large orders.

Cmon, I can't stand the suspense. How much was it?

On what grounds to you accuse the supplier of over-pricing? You likely have not one clue as to the cost of maintaining an inventory, particularly an inventory of old parts that are no longer in production. Hi prices are the way the vendor manages to keep some in stock for the next guy.

As to shipping, likely you are clueless there as well.

We will have to be more astute buyers. In this age of online shopping, the urge is to buy now, we need it tomorrow, maybe even later today, without considering the value, quality and
shipping cost. In reality, the internet is instant but packing, shipping and delivery will take along a more old school' look, - and maybe a higher price and some disappointments
because we can't drive in to town, feel it, touch it and buy it and run home.

So how much was it ?

It's unfortunate that most vendors fail to list that charge properly. But they do it on purpose, so folks don't know that it is really a little bit of postage or package carrier charge and more a seller's handling charge. And like all money input into a business it is expected to return a profit.

And the basic handling charge on every order contains the same costs, pull from the shelf, put it a box with some padding, tape it up, add a label and deliver to the real shipper. Size and weight can add to those basic items too.

So, labor, box, label, tape, printer ink (and amortized cost of said printer)are all part of that handling charge which we all pay (or charge if we sell). Then add the carrier's charge. And the mandatory profit, mandatory or the business won't last long.

I orderlots and ship lots for my occupation. haz mat is bad if not the worst. I get a 82% discount ups. that means if you pay ups posted rate of $10 I pay (depending on your calculation method)basically $1.80 Now, this MUST mean that cost of doing business is less just because. NOT. I buy wrap, labels, ink, tape, usually have boxes so I do not need to purchase cartons, zip lock bags, And in the end my packages average a running cost just for parer, tape, wraping, bags, ink, and time, $10.00 per shipped parcel, factoring the true cost to wrap something, package it, tape, label, and ship. Apparently we have not all went to the store and spent $100 bill and change to buy 2 weeks worth of ink, paper, tape, and packaging material. This does no factor in any percentage for replacing tape dispensers and printers and other facility enhancements. Not to mention that I built a dedicated table and 1/2 of one room of my house to just shipping. Bottom line--- dont expect everyone to work and slave for free for everyone elses benefit, I have offered certain merchandise for free--- Just mail me a carton, a return label, all packaging material, And I just set in a box and let ups come and get it. Cost often outweighed the free merchandise. Unless someone works way more efficiently than me and wraps, bags, packages, tapes, and labels faster, I don't live in town, and never seem to have envelopes for much more than letters, so I use boxes for lots of small parts. I might no get to town for a week for supplies and noone wants to wait for a reduced rate for me to obtain envelopes that may or may not be in stock at store. Go buy a bunch of tape, ink, paper, bubble wrap, bags, and let us know how much it costs.

I must be the only surviving person who expects to pay MORE for a product I order... because If I am buying it I must need It- and If I could have purchased it local- I would no longer need to buy it because I have it now, but If I am ordering it, must mean I have not been able to source it- Now I expect to have to pay a credit card fee since I pay cash locally on top of a shipping charge so that I can get it. The alternative in my world is you do without.

Ive yet to see the actual cost of the outrageous shipping has anyone else ?

Have not seen the actual invoice yet, but based on what I was told on the phone it's in the $22.00 range, if not more. That's just the freight part! The cost of the parts is irrelevant; I knew that going in and chose to order them anyway.
I also understand the time involved to get it off the shelf, print the label and all that. But to put those little parts in that big of a box and ship it through UPS is just plain nuts! Even the people at the dealership were shaking their heads on that!

I ordered a bearing from Agco for the narrow front on a WD. The
bearing was an odd size had to come from Allis. It was $300.00.
Agco charged me $80 freight to get the bearing from the
warehouse in Alabama to the dealer in Nebraska. Than $15 freight
from the dealer to me.

The bearing would have easily fit in a small flat rate box for
around $5 at that time.

Anymore they throw a price at the wall and hope it sticks

For years I supplied my own grit free,when dealing with dispatchers,then realized what's good for the goose is also good for the gander.
Don,t have to worry about 'roads.

Why is that,same size,same box,same person packing and shipping? That is why I don't sell small cheap used part off of parts machines,no one wants to pay what it costs to get them shipped out.