Shipping prices on some of these vendor sites are a blatant rip-off.

[Phreaktor]

Expect Priority to be way more.

They always charge a bit above retail, but $50+ for items that weigh less than a pound? I ship through USPS, UPS, FED EX and DHL daily, so I know all the pricing structures including the discounted corporate tier rates. I’m not saying they have to ship via First Class Package for $7-$8, but these items only cost about $12.50 to ship via Priotity Mail and it’s actually cheaper than the USPS PM Medium Flat Rate box they could ship in. I realize it would be difficult to structure each and every product to the optimal method, but this is ridiculous.

Someone please make this make sense using “inflation” as the logical and ethical reasoning. This is a quote from my UPS business account and the USPS rates that are currently available to the general public for a generous 14” x 14” x 3”, 1lb uninsured package from California where www.ophi.com is based. Anyone supporting this is probably a vendor/sponsor on their personal account, lol. :

 

[69hurstolds]

Yet, somehow, I too operate a business that ships about 3K per month between expedited, ground and freight and I have mananaged not to literally rip people off on shipping because the costs for USPS and Ground have not changed even remotely close enough to justify what you just tried to.

This is blatantly using a bullshit price for shipping because directly raising the item price to make a sketchy profit would put them lower in Google Shopping results. If I, as a small business owner, can ship these items for a 1/4 of what they are, that is a RIP-OFF or at minimum an unethical business practice, sir. Some of us still run our businesses ethically. Imagine that.

And you can't get these backing plates anywhere else? Why you not shopping around?

Try Mike's Montes. $94 + tax and FREE shipping for the pair. He's a much more stand-up guy.

78-88 G-Body NEW Front Disc Brake Backing Plate Shield Set | eBay

NEW Front Disc Brake Backing Plate Shield Set for any 1978-1988 G-Body car. Mounting hardware not included. These shields are a perfect feature to add to your classic car to protect your brakes from dust and debris.

www.ebay.com

Or maybe try to get lucky and bid/win on some NOS Gm ones?

78-88 G-Body GM NOS Front Disc Brake Backing Plate Shield Set 459757 459758 | eBay

78-88 G-Body GM NOS Front Disc Brake Backing Plate Shield Set GM part numbers 459757 459758.

www.ebay.com

 

[Rt Jam]

The weight is not why there is more charge. Normally everything goes from a collection center, then gathered up to a bigger collection center. It all goes to some central hub by airplane. Then send to distribution centers in your area. Then to another hub where a distribution center will get that package on a truck. This process takes about a week. When multiplied by the thousands of parcels and mail. Cost of shipping to each sender is divided. This is how something can go across a country for $20.

When Priority is chosen. The package skips all of those steps and is sent from collection center directly to the address in 1 or 2 days. Seems like a deal for the service to me.

I work for a robot company that deals with rush shipments all the time. Big manufacturers do not like to wait 7 to 10 days to get their production line running. Priority shipments are in the thousands quite often.

 

[Dayzedandkonfuzed]

All too often local guys charge more than the shipping costs.

All too often online vendors sell sh*t parts in nice boxes, too. Also, paying the shipping to return a core almost always makes it not worth it.

They always charge a bit above retail, but $50+ for items that weigh less than a pound? I ship through USPS, UPS, FED EX and DHL daily, so I know all the pricing structures including the discounted corporate tier rates. I’m not saying they have to ship via First Class Package for $7-$8, but these items only cost about $12.50 to ship via Priotity Mail and it’s actually cheaper than the USPS PM Medium Flat Rate box they could ship in. I realize it would be difficult to structure each and every product to the optimal method, but this is ridiculous.

Someone please make this make sense using “inflation” as the logical and ethical reasoning. This is a quote from my UPS business account and the USPS rates that are currently available to the general public for a generous 14” x 14” x 3”, 1lb uninsured package from California where www.ophi.com is based. Anyone supporting this is probably a vendor/sponsor on their personal account, lol. :

I'd pay an extra $2.70 for Saturday delivery.... Also you have a business account which gives you a break on price. And UPS and USPS are separate entities that will calculate shipping costs differently.

Maybe there's something I'm missing here, but that looks pretty comparable to me....

 

[69hurstolds]

Once I recall our company paid for a commercial plane seat to ship a specialized ($$$) valve from the company that made them same day. Don't remember that charge but it was in the thousands. Our equipment was back up and running the next morning and the bean counters figured we "saved" almost $1 million in down time by flying the part commercial same day. ROI is king. ALWAYS.

And if you don't think inflation has anything to do with the cost of shipping charges directly, it doesn't. I said it was because inflationary fallout. Higher costs of labor, fuel, and a bunch of other things all add up to higher costs to the consumer, whoever that may be. A few years ago, shipping wasn't that big of a deal cost-wise for auto parts. Now it's getting ridiculous everywhere you turn.

 

[Clone TIE Pilot]

All too often online vendors sell sh*t parts in nice boxes, too. Also, paying the shipping to return a core almost always makes it not worth it.



I'd pay an extra $2.70 for Saturday delivery.... Also you have a business account which gives you a break on price. And UPS and USPS are separate entities that will calculate shipping costs differently.

Maybe there's something I'm missing here, but that looks pretty comparable to me....

That is if the local guys even have the parts you need in stock. Most of the brick and motar parts places don't bother to stock or even carry parts for even slightly older cars anymore to reduce costs. Old car parts are increasingly becoming speciality items that must be ordered including some basic items anymore. Also local guys can still sell sub par parts in nice packaging. I had better luck with online vendors vs Autozone and Advance.

 

[Dayzedandkonfuzed]

That is if the local guys even have the parts you need in stock. Most of the brick and motar parts places don't bother to stock or even carry parts for even slightly older cars anymore to reduce costs due to demand. Old car parts are increasingly becoming speciality items that must be ordered including some basic items anymore. Also local guys can still sell sub par parts in nice packaging. I had better luck with online vendors vs Autozone and Advance.

Fixed that for you

 

[69hurstolds]

Some of the local box stores usually takes the buy online plus shipping, and then adds $5 to that, and that's the price they sell it to you in the store locally IF they even have it. So you must shop around to find the best price for the same part. If you don't, you're an idiot. If I had to pay 18 dollars for something locally, but could get it shipped on line for 17, if I'm already at the store, paying the extra $1 is no big deal. But if the price is 28 local, and 17 on line, and I'm not in a hurry, guess what?

I saw where one of the stores was shipping back rotors and stuff for older vehicles one day when I was in there. I asked what they were doing with all those boxes of rotors. They said they fit 80s and early 90s cars, so they were sending them back to the warehouse as they were "slow movers" taking up shelf space. They could still get them "overnight" but you'd have to order them from the store since they wouldn't be handy in stock.

 

[melloelky]

check w/565bbchevy i believe he picked up a set of those dust shields on Walmart.com I think for rea$onable

 

[Clone TIE Pilot]

Fixed that for you

Reducing inventory is a cost reduction method. Recent retailer trends is to reduce inventory in B&M locations while carry less sale volume items on their website store which can be special ordered and sent to either the store or customer. Of course this makes it increasingly difficult to quickly acquire parts. Moreover, you are assuming that companies are making competent decisions on what to carry which is not always the case as history has shown most companies will cut costs to past the point that it backfires bad on them.

The other issue is poor service. Like Tony above there have been times I had to drive to several stores to find a part locally, offseting any saved shipping costs. Sometimes, I just could not get a part locally at all and forced to shop online. Sometimes you just don't have a choice.