Buying tools online – crazy shipping pri
I just wanted to share with you guys an email I just got this morning on a couple of tool prices & shipping costs. I emailed a company in Ontario ( I live in Eastern Canada) for a price on a Bostitch nailer (F33PT) & a pack of Bosch jigsaw blades. I got a price of $359 for the nailer & $9.99 for the pack of blades. Now here’s where it gets interesting, the nailer weighs A LOT more than a pack of 3 jigsaw blades so it’ll cost me $24.56 for shipping while the 3-pk. of blades will cost me $10.70 for shipping. Imagine $10.70 for 3 blades while a heavy air nailer weighs 7.9 lbs. (Bostitch’s website info).
Have any of ever encountered crazy prices for shipping on tools? I’ve seen some crazy prices for shipping on tools on Ebay before.
Paul
Replies
Never like that.
I bought a japanese nail set from Lee Valley and the nail set was around $5 and the s&h was $7. I added another nail set and a precision stainless square and the shiping went up to maybe $8 total.
As far as your outfit. Maybe they typically ship the gun in the mfg packaging and put the blades in a separate box. They need to think outside the box and put your blades in the gun box. Can you call them to discuss it?
I never order just one item from Lee Valley. The tiered s/h generally means you're better off lumping several items together.
And i'm a sucker for Amazon's free s/h.
jt8
"Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy" --Leo F. Buscaglia
<And i'm a sucker for Amazon's free s/h.>I finally signed up for Amazon Prime. has more than paid for itself in convenience.Prior to AmPrime I would fill up small orders with pony clamps to get to the $25 mark. You can never have enough clamps.
TFB (Bill)
I am on my second year of Amazon Prime and love it. Takes the worry out of needing something quick. Frustrates me to find the item is only carried by a non-prime partner though.
Me too, I generally move on when something is not directly from Amazon.
TFB (Bill)
I needed a part for a Grizzly tool last year. For some reason (I suspect they got a deal on a container of said bolts no one wanted), no one carried the bolt that I needed (odd pitch). Grizzly was happy to send me a new bolt for $.95 but they wanted something like $12 to ship it. After complaining, their only response was "I could order more things up to $25 worth and still pay the same shipping." I ended up giving them a one-finger salute and having a buddy tap it out for a thread that I could buy at the corner hardware store.
To this day, I fail to see how a company that buys a full two page spread right inside the front cover of every magazine I get in attempt to attract new customers, sends me a giant full color catalog every year, won't do a guy a favor and send him a 10 cent part to keep him as a customer.
A few months ago, I had another part I needed for a different tool. Customer service INSISTED it was a given size (1/4-20) and after several attempts to get that to work, it turns out to be 6mm. Then it took me a month to find an allen wrench long enough to get it in place.
I know I'm done buying their tools. When I was a design engineer, the ability to repair and maintain an item was as important as the ability to have it actually do the job it was intended to do, without breaking.
Crazy shipping prices? All the time.
Once bought a 450lb Unisaw... free shipping.
Bought a blade for it... $15 to ship.
Today's shippers all have tiered pricing to merchants based on volume and merchandise types, etc. Often the shipping price you're paying is a combo of the retailer's overhead plus the out of pocket going to UPS, FedEx, etc.
My bottom line is always what's the full, delivered price? Call it shipping or markup, I really don't care.
For fun, check out UShip.com sometime. It's an auction site for shipping. You tell them what your shipping and the to/from and people bid on getting it there. I've never used it, but it's an interesting thought.
As a fellow canuck I'll tell you about the last few items from US via UPS. After placing an order from Conneticut saw and tool for four clamps that fit into a skate box I thought I had paid shipping and delivery. I get nailed for $87 customs brokers fees. What a boatload of ####.
Where in Ontario you buying from?
Have a good day
Cliffy
Cliffy, the company is JeanCalude Cayer somewhere in eastern Onatrio.
http://www.jccayer.com/EN/Home.html
I live in Newfoundland and cannot find the blades I'm looking for at two local stores. I know of a couple stores in B.C. that sell Bosch jigsaw blades so I'm gonna phone them this afternoon since there's like 4-1/2 hrs. time difference.
paul
There in in Ottawa. If I wasn't 350 miles away I would run over there. At least you won't have any border issues. Surely you can find those blades closer.
Good luck with your tool orders.
Have a good day
Cliffy
Both UPS and FedEx have pricing structures that are made up of a fixed portion and a variable portion. For any package there's a fixed portion between $6 and $8, depending on how far the package is going. Then you add on the variable portion depending on how much it weighs.
So a 20# shipment might be $8 for the fixed part and then $10 for the weight ($0.50 per pound). Total is $18 dollars.
But a 10# carton will still be $8 plus $5 for the weight. Total is $13.
It may half the weight, but it won't be half the cost.
Companies will add there own handling costs, but ultimately, their prices are based on the costs coming from UPS or FedEx.
Guys, I couldn't wait to update you with this little bit of info. I was given a shipping quote on 3 Bosch jigsaw blades of $10+. Curiousity was killing me so I took a 5 pack of Bosch blades to my local post office to see how much it would cost to send that pack right to the area code of the tool company I got the quote from and would you beleive this: the post master told me I could send it a plain letter envelope for $1.70. Now how come 3 blades cost $10.70 while 5 blades cost $1.70 to go in the opposite direction? God I gotta laugh.
The post master wondered if the tool company would put the pack of baldes in an 8" x 8" box loaded with balled up paper/styrofoam packaging. Still in all there's no need for such a box to send 3 little jigsaw blades.
Paul
Does the $1.70 include the cost to take it to the post office?.
.
A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
I live in a small town so the post office is like 4-6 minutes walk away from my house.
Paul
You think the company makes a trip to the post office to send their stuff out ?Let alone... a separate trip to the post office for each package...
When it rains, it snows.
No, that was the whole point..
.
A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
Ah.=0)Good point.
When it rains, it snows.
There is a large shipping discount given to large volume sellers. Like QVC, JCPenny, Amazon can ship things much cheaper than smaller sellers.
I ordered a Honda 5hp snowblower from a dealer in Nj. Had it shiped to MI via FED-EX ground for $45. I dident think that was bad considering it only took 2 days was a large box and was 80lbs.
I decided to call a mail order company that I have bought a few things from over the years and the guy on the phone was very helpful. He asked me what kind of jigsaw I had and I told him it was Bosch I bought from them last year. He then asked how did I like my purchase and I told him it was money well spent. Anyways he gave me a price on the blades at $9.95 + $7.95 shipping. He then told me it would be shipped in a "bubble" envelope and not just a plain letter envelope. He even told me that it would in my best interest to order 4 packs of blades a sthe shipping would only be $1 more. So because of the great customer service I felt I got from this company I am once again gonna send 'em an order.
paul
Shipping rates are up for all of the carriers because oil prices doubled over the past two years. All of them have fuel surcharges that add considerably depending on the distance. Remember too that vendors have to pack and box the stuff, and the cost of packing materials is up dramatically since last year. The shipping box and padding for those $2 blades might cost the vendor more than the blades.
Inflation is here and it's not going away anytime soon. Expect to pay a lot more for everything, and plan your purchases accordingly.
I worked for a relatively major company in the direct sales industry for years. Our annually shipping costs were around 40 million. The transportation analyst worked for me.
When the sales department would come to us looking for shipping prices for a certain promotion, we were responsible for coming up with the pricing structure for the shipping and handling.
It was expected by the upper management that the pricing had to cover the cost for the average customer plus we would actually make a little extra on the deal. I worked for a reputable company too, many others are using the deceiving practice of tacking on extra for shipping to make you still think you got a good deal on your original purchase.
It's a sales game, we shouldn't be so surprised to see it on a regular basis. Because we all fall for it.
Many of the big mail order firms view their catalog and shipping departments as profit centers. Why should a shipping department lose money?
Edited 2/27/2008 3:43 pm ET by TJK
Don't forget that there are human beings packing those boxes.
You know all about the costs associated with keeping good employees who will not steal from the shipments.
Have you considered buying from the US. I picked up a F33PT from Amazon.com a couple of months ago for $145 when they had it on sale. Mind you, I live in BC near the border and have a US mailing address. I know you don't but I have also have had other air tools sent directly to me; having paid only GST/PST when they arrive. Btw, Canada Customs charges no duty on pneumatic tools such as nailers. Also depending on your carrier, the brokerage fee is often nominal if shipped via air. It's more expensive than ground but often much cheaper in the long run. If you have it sent via USPS, it's a flat $5 for brokerage + any applicable taxes. Anyway, take a look on Ebay/Amazon for sellers such as Hardware Sales who will ship into Canada. You will save some cash if anything, especially on Bostich tools. Just remember Screech & framing guns do not mix!
I wouldn't think about buying in the U.S. because there's a company in Ontario that sells tools, including the F33PT, at really good prices. Now most of the tools are refurbs but that's nothing really. Have you heard of http://www.worldtools.com ?
By the way, what's your honest opinion of the F33PT? Whatcha mean Screech and framing guns don't mix? That's only if you try to nail with the Screech and drink the nails, ha ha.
Paul
Thanks for the heads up. I just bookmarked the site. Prices are very reasonable for Canada. As for the F33PT. I haven't fired too many nails though it but it seems to work fine and I have no complaints. The depth adjustment is quick & effective. It's a bit heavy compared to others but it does shoot metal connector nails. This it does quite well although the nails are a bit hard to find. If you were looking for just a straight nailer, I'ld also look at Milwaukee (Ridgid?)as they are lighter, rear loading, have rafter hook and don't require you to change out the trigger when going between contact & sequential. You know you will never do it if you have to get a tool to do so. Personally, I don't own a Milwaukee framer but do own several of their other nailers & am quite happy with them. Just my two bits.
BTW. This week, Crappy Tire has their Mastercraft brand nailer on sale for $99.99 which has all of the above features except the rafter hook. They also have a $10 off online coupon but I'm not sure if it applicable. Inexpensive & you can always take it back if it doesn't work for you.
Don't mention "Crappy Tire" around me as I can't stand their tools. That Mastercraft Maximum is garbage. A contractor dropped by my place Wednesday morning and he saw my Dewalt 18V drill (DC925KAV) and my Dewalt 12" dual bevel miter saw. He looked 'em both over and made some kinda comment about "you get what you pay for it". He said he's tired of buying Mastercraft stuff. Oh, funny thing he said, We live in small town Newfoundland and the city is like 4 hours drive. He was in the city last week and went into Home Depot looking for a hinge butt template (I think that's what they're called). Anyways he couldn't find what he was looking for so he asked the guy in the tool dept.. This guy in the store had no idea what he was talking about. The contractor friend of mine wondered why people like this were working there at all. The last time I was there the guy in tools was a retired welding instructor. Very nice guy I sensed through our conversation.
Paul
You got me there about Mastercraft. If you want to go even one step lower, pick up their Jobmate brand. Using your Dewalt will make it seem like you've died & gone to heaven. You're abolutely right about you get what you pay for. I personally only consider some of their hand tools. Seriously, how can you screw up a wrench?
I forgot about another tool I have. It's a Bosch 1590 (not sure on full model#) jigsaw. everyt ool review I've read on jigsaws give it the top ratings. It's over $200 but it's money well spent. I used to have a cheap Black & Decker but something broke inside of it. The Bosch jigsaw came on sale at thee right time. I don't regret paying the money for it.
Paul
Some of the pricing could be a flat rate based on the size of the box.
The jigsaw might ship straight from the distributor, so it is based on weight and probably a markup.
The blades might be stocked at the store, and shipped in a standard size box that has a flat rate carrier negotiated shipping charge- no matter what that box weighs or where it is shipped to within the declared shipping area. Your box of blades is a money maker while the same box of bricks is a money loser.
eBay shipping allows the seller to tack on a "handling" charge. Boxes, supplies and time should be paid for, but sometimes it is excessive- especially if the item still arrives damaged.
Shipping rates are based on volume. Businesses with a UPS pickup pay a *lot* less than you or I shipping from the UPS counter at retail rates.