RockAuto.....What happened???????

[69hurstolds]

I run every part# through Amazon, for comparison. If it's STOCKED and SHIPPED through Amazon, it's almost always cheaper than the competition. Here's the deal... You, and Me, can sell on Amazon, as 3rd party sellers. My price on VR1 oil, is NOT going to be as cheap as Amazon's, and MY oil will not qualify for Prime's " free shipping ", because I'm a 3rd party seller. So any item that is STOCKED and SHIPPED through Amazon will qualify for Prime's free shipping. Almost guaranteed to be cheapest option. I am a Prime member. Now, add in my Amazon Employee discount, and I got the upper hand on ALOT of purchases. I'm also a huge JEGS supporter. They carry items that Amazon does not. They send me MANY discount offers. They also " price match ", and offer free shipping over $99. So, I wait until I have $99 worth of stuff in " My Cart " and then use my discount offer, and as most of you know... That's how I do it. So as stated above, in a previous post, do the math, Google your part #'s, and you may be surprised how far you can stretch that dollar. I'll end this on a Positive note for Rock Auto... they sell Mopar parts. So that water pump I needed for my Hemi Ram, was $220 at the dealer. NOT!! I started looking around... the same Mopar part # on Rock Auto was $140 = SOLD. 😊

Having that employee discount makes a huge difference as well. Some people are too lazy to do all the comparison shopping. Which is fine. If I'm looking for a bolt, and don't care who makes it, I'll try a few places and buy where I think it's the best value, not necessarily the lowest price. But if I'm looking at say, a GM bolt in the GM package, I'll search the LOWEST FINAL cost I can find, including rebates, cost match, drive time, shipping options, everything. Part won't care how much I spend on it. For example, Summit has pretty good prices for example, but if you aren't buying 100 bucks worth of parts, you will get dinged for shipping. Or you stumble upon something on ebay with free shipping. Buy it now price less than anywhere else on earth. Click. It's now yours. Just make sure you check all the little hidden costs/tax, etc. to make an apples to apples comparison.

Rockauto has clearance items sometimes you just can't beat. For example, I bought some ACDelco parts a few years ago they wanted gone. 1986 Olds V8 Oil fill caps #22531828. Clearanced at 1.29 EACH with 30 day warranty. Came in the Delco/GM box and everything. I bought all 12 of them. I think it was just a tad over 20 bucks including the shipping. Sold one on ebay and got all my money back and then some, and still have 11 essentially free caps. Simple math. Plus being in the right place at the right time.

And what was it...a couple years ago, I think it was on here somewhere that someone said Rockauto was selling LOF or PPG rear glass for the G-body on clearance. I want to say it was less than 100 bucks, but wasn't much more if it wasn't. Screaming deal and it was tinted with the rear grid defogger for 85 and earlier. Those didn't last long.

EDIT: Found the receipt. With shipping it was 166 and change. 105 for the part. Still a helluva deal. GM p/n 20358212. Yikes, that was 3 years ago.

You still can benefit by shopping around. Today's "shopping" is a whole lot better than it used to be. In the days before interwebz, you used to have to wait for the latest catalog or Hemming's to get the latest pricing or parts out there, or get shocked when you ordered crap on the phone and were told the price was higher than expected. You could comparison shop, but it would take you a month usually. Now you can spend an hour or two and come up with some of the lowest pricing in general after shopping 40 different places.

 

[olds307 and 403]

They are a mail order company that farms out the sales to different warehouses or vendors

Im pretty sure the return labels dont say RockAuto

post office isnt my problem when others offer it cheaper or free ship.

Just because they ship from different locations isnt my problem either

The need to step up there game or increase that BS 5% off

I guarantee Rock Auto are part of a big buying group. It costs some dollars to be part of them but gives you awesome prices. My old Boss was part of one, paid 5 grand years before to be part of the buying group but could get me parts at US prices up here.

 

[bob64]

So after seeing the heading of this post and reading the comments l was curious.

As parts are soooo much cheaper in the States for the same damn name brand l do my fair share of ordering from Rockauto, Summit an so on.

Went to Rockauto website threw 3 things l needed for my Denali, parts were cheap price wise $180cadthen shipping truck freight it came out to $550cad.

So l get on to Summit, same parts and brand name, parts $330cad and with shipping truck feieght totalled $500cad.

Now they both have to ship out of 2 different warehouses so they both said. I honestly can't make sense in it out of such a price different. Parts only weigh in at about 15lbs.

Rockauto needs to buck up and get better deals on shipping or change couriers. I wish they were like Summit, pick your own courier.

Blah blah l'm done!

 

[PBGBodyFan]

I think it’s always been this way with Rock Auto, just that competition has caught up to them so they aren’t as clear of a choice anymore.

Still use them but as with anything, compare prices and with shipping.

 

[olds307 and 403]

So after seeing the heading of this post and reading the comments l was curious.

As parts are soooo much cheaper in the States for the same damn name brand l do my fair share of ordering from Rockauto, Summit an so on.

Went to Rockauto website threw 3 things l needed for my Denali, parts were cheap price wise $180cadthen shipping truck freight it came out to $550cad.

So l get on to Summit, same parts and brand name, parts $330cad and with shipping truck feieght totalled $500cad.

Now they both have to ship out of 2 different warehouses so they both said. I honestly can't make sense in it out of such a price different. Parts only weigh in at about 15lbs.

Rockauto needs to buck up and get better deals on shipping or change couriers. I wish they were like Summit, pick your own courier.

Blah blah l'm done!

Shipping should be cheaper to Ontario vs Saskatchewan unless their warehouses are in the mid west or west coast. The only reason my shipping was so much was the $80 charge to ship a torque converter, otherwise it would have added up to around $100 for 3 warehouses.

 

[motorheadmike]

I use Summit, Amazon (both US and Canada), and eBay for things that make it through normal mail - most will ship to my door at a fair price. Large items (wheels, tires, bumpers, rearends, etc.) go to my logistic holding company in New York.

I do shop around - but, at the end of the day I need parts to build/service our cars so whomever can get me what I need, when I need it, wins every time.

 

[83beater]

That literally just happen!!! I was trying to order spring insulator and the shipping was almost the same price as the product
That Why I'm here hahah

 

[Bonnewagon]

You have to admit though- Rock Auto has the stuff. I have always said what will kill our old cars is the lack of simple maintenance parts. When you can't get oil, air, gas filters, spark lugs, brakes, etc, we are done. I was in Pep Boys and looked for a simple Pontiac V-8 oil filter, which covers all V-8 from '55 to '79? There were NONE!!! And if there was they would be $8 each. I can get them for a buck or two on RA so I buy them by the case and don't look back. Just this last summer I bought a case of the Pontiac pancake chrome air cleaner elements that only were used in '66 and '67. Priceless! And as mentioned the closeouts are beyond belief. I bought the absolute last delay wiper switch for a tilt column negative ground. It was over $100 and wilting on the vine but when it was discounted to $45 I snagged it .

 

[81cutlass]

Rock auto has always had the issue with being high on shipping, but they have parts nobody else does. I usually drop 3 or so of the same part in my car and get the 4-5 items I need and pick and choose which ones in the end come from the same warehouse.

The best part about rock auto is the "secret" catalog.

Most parts that are only available through ford/GM ect directly you can grab the part number from one of their factory service manuals and copy and paste the part # into rock auto and they have it, but don't advertise it. Example, needed a trim panel for her fusion, ford wanted $150+, rock auto didnt have it in the vehicle fitment category. However, drop the part # in the search bar and they have it 98% of the time, it was like $34 or something.

Also, friend of mine needed wiring pins for some dodge wiring harness. Waytek, all the Chrysler shops, ect didn't have them. Even chrysler specialty resoration supply shops said they were out of production. he had the part number and I pasted the number in rock auto and bam, $0.18 each.

Amazon is cheapest 20% of the time, when ebay had their 15% off thing I used them quite a bit, and sometimes summit is really good for free shipping, but it seems 9 times out of 10 if you are smart with your cart it's the best price.

 

[Bonnewagon]

The best part about rock auto is the "secret" catalog.

Absolutely. The search feature has hundreds of manufacturers too. They even have a "contact me when it is available" service. I finally got the rare driver-side-exit dual exhaust pipe for my wagon after they notified me.