Shipping costs...MY RANT!

mtntrainman Jul 11, 2013

  1. DrMb

    DrMb TrainBoard Member

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    Not to sound snarky but now you know how Canadians feel when we shop online. You could live within 5 minutes of the US boarder and live next door to the local post office which is in the same town as the regional distribution centre which handles cross boarder shipments, but the fact that an order has to cross that boarder spikes the cost of shipping dramatically.

    But this is just another polite reminder that you should check with your local hobby store first for the things you want because you might save money with them when you factor in shipping costs; especially if you are buying only one item.
     
  2. montanan

    montanan TrainBoard Member

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    Last year I shipped some sagebrush which I use to make trees from Montana to a friend in Vancouver, BC. The postage wasn't too bad, but it took six weeks to get to him.
     
  3. Hytec

    Hytec TrainBoard Member

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    Excellent point. My LHS charges full MSRP, but does not charge anything extra even for the quirkiest or tiniest special order. Though I'll acknowledge that for George and others in his predicament, the cost of fuel visiting their LHS up to 200 miles away would far outweigh the exorbitant cost of shipping that George paid.
     
  4. bremner

    bremner Staff Member

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    I tend to agree about the retail LHS, but when the shipping from Fifer is about the same as the gas, and I don't have to drive an hour each way...Fifer has got a few orders from me. I have never felt gouged by their pricing on shipping, and usually is delivered to a co-workers house in 2 days
     
  5. mtntrainman

    mtntrainman TrainBoard Supporter

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    I agree about Fifer. I usually shop around first...just to see what it will cost me. Thats what I did when I found the $14.00 shipping fees !! I went to Fifers site and found the item I wanted...and shipping was only about $7.00....half the cost of shipping the same or similar item from the other 2 sources !! I use Fifers almost exclusively. Shopping around is an eye opener though ;-)
     
  6. bman

    bman TrainBoard Member

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    Having worked in transportation for 20 years, the last 2 with one of the big 2 small package companies, I almost exclusively shop with my LHS. Now living in a large metro area, I do not have to travel very far at all to visit not one, two, but three hobby shops. I know I'm lucky in that respect. That said, when I do order online, and I do probably once every month or 2, I make sure the cheapest option is always picked when checking out. I've seen a website or 2 automatically pop up with "next day air" as the shipping option, and that isn't cheap. But even at $7.00, when you add that to the price of 1 discounted freight car, it still adds up. Now for those of you that do not have the luxury of a hobby shop willing to order items for you nearby, $7 is a good deal as the price of gas to drive an hour is way more. And I normally would get lunch during the trip as well so that adds another $10 to the trip.
     
  7. bigford

    bigford TrainBoard Member

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    how about 5 n scale Exactrail Trinity reefers for $14.60 from texas to NY
    i bought 5 of the FVM gevos from woo woo woo and paid $8.75
     
  8. NorsemanJack

    NorsemanJack TrainBoard Member

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    Okay, I double checked George's info.

    a) I'm seeing the same thing as George on the first one. It appears that there is something rotten in Cockeysville, as the last time I purchased from that source I only paid $7.55 for Priority Mail. I'll second George's concern on this one.
    b) The second one matched up with George's account, however there is more to the story:
    -standard shipping to anything but a PO box is $7.99
    -shipping to a PO box is actual priority mail cost plus $3, howerver there is a 20% or $15 deposit required with any excess refunded
    It is clear that this retailer uses primarily FedEx and, as a service for those with only a PO box, will make the trip to the post office for an extra $3. So, maybe just an honest misunderstanding, but I would hardly throw stones over this one.

    btw: I'm aware that some may be resisting the temptation to tell us we're all cheap skates, tight wads, or less favorable terms. That said, if you check your favorite on-line encyclopedia under "cheap," you may find my photo, so don't waste your time trying to convince me that "it's only a couple of dollars." ;)
     
  9. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    I believe many folks don't understand what it means to be frugal, or how many folks out here must watch pennies, carefully. There is quite a difference.
     
  10. Pedro

    Pedro TrainBoard Member

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    Not sure if it is an option at all post offices, but when I signed up for a PO box recently I opted in for the (free) option of "street address" package delivery. This allows you to use the street address of the post office to accept deliveries via UPS/FedEx. The fact that it is a PO Box becomes transparent to the shipper. Something to consider.
     
  11. Hytec

    Hytec TrainBoard Member

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    Most UPS Stores also offer Boxes for non-P.O. Box deliveries. Your delivery address then becomes Suite XXX, UPS Store street address, City, State, Zip.
     
  12. Boilerman

    Boilerman TrainBoard Supporter

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    I look at it this way, if I drive to my local Hobby Shop and make a purchase I have to pay for the item at list price plus Tax and then the fuel at $3.50/gal @14 MPG (closest hobby shop is about 27 miles from my home) and insurance on my auto plus if you figure in the % cost of the auto, and ware and tare, (tires maintenance).
    It makes purchasing on line pretty good and delivery to my PO Box by US Mail is a lesser cost as I get a discounted price, do not have to pay tax and no auto cost other than a short trip to The Post Office if that trip is exclusive for picking up the mail.
     
  13. VentureForth

    VentureForth TrainBoard Member

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    I was going to say something similar. I will be going to a swap meet this weekend 3 1/2 hours away (we're really short on LHS around here). After spending around $80 on food/gas/etc., I'll have to buy at least that much while I'm there. :D Of course, some of those folks that go to swap meets are REALLY proud of their products. So I hope this isn't a wasted trip and that they have SOME N-stuff.

    Sent from my Galaxy S3 using Tapatalk.
     
  14. mtntrainman

    mtntrainman TrainBoard Supporter

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    Thnxs for taking the time and confirming all that that Jack :)

    Looks like Fifer is still the best shipping wise...and they ship to a PO Box. :)

    I hope Mike and Robin dont have to up shipping too :-(

    Now my wife says I am only half crazy...for playing with trains to begin with....LOL
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 12, 2013
  15. Calzephyr

    Calzephyr TrainBoard Supporter

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    I feel bad for many model railroaders that live far from good quality well stocked hobby stores. I'm fortunate to have one within 5 miles of where I live and they have a good stock of N scale with some discounting. Even at such a close proximity... the cost of fuel is such that a round trip just to go to that store uses up about $2.00 to $3.00 in gasoline. Bearing that in mind... one even has to plan around when to go places to save on fuel costs. The postal service, UPS and FedEx are very much aware of the cost of fuel as they have to use quite a bit of it to make their rounds. They've raised their shipping charges over the past few months too. There is not much one can do to avoid this expense... regardless of having something shipped... or personally picking your items up at an LHS... its something we will have to budget for in the hobby. None-the-less... if we cannot acquire what we want locally... then the next best thing is to be a 'wise' consumer and check prices before buying. Saving 5% on a $20.00 item is only $1.00... but if shipping costs $10.00... you may find that the cheapest vendor may not end up as the best value.

    I've visited the website of that Cockeyed MD e-tailer several times... found them to have somewhat high shipping depending on the AMOUNT of the purchase... not necessarily the weight or size of the purchase. It doesn't seem quite right to me... but... there are others that have done the same... one very large one in Milwaukee comes to mind. I'm finding the only way I'll buy from these vendors is if they are blowing out a product I don't have at a highly reduced prices... cause they're going to make up some of the loss on the shipping. Let me reiterate... It doesn't seem quite right to me...
     
  16. YoHo

    YoHo TrainBoard Supporter

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    I live about a 20 minute Walk from My local Hobby shop. I appreciate the costs of shipping and how many Hobbyshops have left us, but often as not, it is a choice to live in such rural or ez-urban locations. I have more sympathy for someone in a larger metro that lacks good options. If you live in the boonies, it's the price you pay for the life you choose. Not that I think the mentioned prices are reasonable mind you.
     
  17. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Just remember, without those millions of us who live in what city folks consider to be the boonies, (which most really aren't that rural), a lot of city folks wouldn't be worrying about hobby shops...
     
  18. YoHo

    YoHo TrainBoard Supporter

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    True enough, but it is still a personal choice. I doubt lack of lhs is regularly part of the decision though.
     
  19. mtntrainman

    mtntrainman TrainBoard Supporter

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    Yuppppp...its a personal choice. One I am happy I made. But...if ya think about it...some modelers drive 15-20 miles one way and find out their LHS DOESNT have the item they want. Wasted time and $$$$$$. Me...I go to an etailer and click on an item...its either "in stock" or "not in stock". If its outta stock...or shipping is to high...the next etailer is only a mouse click away ;-) No $$$$ lost !!

    :teeth:
     
  20. Flashwave

    Flashwave TrainBoard Member

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    I usually do both, I tend to order through Walthers and have it sent to the Hobby shop. Mine's nice enough to do that. they get my business. I know what I want is there, and the delivery is secure. Shipping is moot, because Walthers sends it to them like a part of a regular stock order, and I usually go to the LHS as part of another run, or on my way home from work, so the trip realyl isn't that big of a price factor.

    Its weird, for us to ship to ro from Canada isn't bad. For the Canadians to do it, costs a few kidneys...

    For a while, I worked in a warehouse for Amazon as an unloader for trucks. I got about everything through the loose box department, everything from one or two item stock orders to returns to rejected shipments (Like the 200lb generator UPS wouldn't take by ground... THAT was fun to move...) to items that didn't exactly fit on pallets (Did you know you can buy coffins from Amazon in Kit Form? Me neither. And then Days and Nights played Ping Pong with a trailer of about 100 of them until yours truly got to unload them....) Learned some stuff. One, USPS does frequently handle UPS shipments (and FedEx) usually its in the last leg of the delivery, and in fringe areas that UP/EX doesn't cover a lot, while USPS almost has to have a presence. There's an upcharge fee right there for the hand-off. Also, USPS really doesn't like sitting on something they cannot deliver that isn't theirs, so either that's an upcharge, or it gets sent back "Return undeliverable". This is probably why UPS/FedEx usually don't take it to PO's, since most shipments are not conviently sized N scale cars that actuially fit in a PO Box, and therefore take up space in a crowded Post Office. Got a lot of those, UPS shipments, a still relatively pristine box (although I swear some of those boxes were used for street hockey or Soccer on break in some sorting hub... especially yhe one marked GLASS) , obviously unopened, probably never made it to the stoop of its destination, with a big fat USPS sticker slapped on top of it. Some of these types of items will "bounce" between the USPS office and UPS to attempt to be delivered a second or third time. And sometimes they end up getting a nicew whirlwind tour of the MidWest...

    Now, some of that is changing, what with USPS budgetting closing Post Offices while UPS and FedEx both are opening more of their own respective stores, the opposite is becoming true. For me, shipping USPS was almost always cheaper than doing it UPS or FedEx. I find it interesting that Kenneth is seeing the opposite, although the difference may be delivery vs. shipping.
     

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