Pissed off about Shipping Costs

[Bigbossfan]

Just wanted to bounce something off the Rev Community. Recently I placed an order with a very popular pinball parts website (I won't go into specifics at this time!). What I ordered, literally could have fit in the palm of your hand and could have been shipped safely (nothing was breakable) in a bubble envelope or a very small box. Instead, I get this huge box that was probably 14" x 12", crammed with plastic bubble wrap and my order. I paid a ridiculous amount for shipping, approx $35 USD. To me that's a cash grab by the company in question.

Am I being uptight?? It's a shame that we don't have GREAT spots in Canada to order our parts that we need. Yes, I know it can be ordered through Starburst, but then they upcharge them crazy. For example, I had to order some coils. Instead of getting them from PBL I got them through Starburst at almost double the price.

Anyway, just venting. And pissed off!! :evil:

 

[luch]

Same thing happened to me . PBL used to ship from with in their own Co. but about a year ago they started using an outside source for shipping. Prices doubled for shipping . I think if you ordered one 555 light bulb the shipping would still be $35 . And don't forget UPS they'll show up at your door stick their hand out and they want another $50 . Bandits without a gun

 

[quarter grabber]

You are not alone. I tried to order some Flintstones target decals, just little pieces of paper. The decals were $32 and the shipping was $30 US, for a few flat pieces of paper, WTF?? Needless to say they didn't get my money. Ordering from the States sucks but even with inflated shipping costs it's still cheaper then ordering here in most cases.

 

[thewebexpert]

I also got fed up with the flat rate shipping, fortunately I can drive to the states in about 60 minutes and there is a cool service that you pay 5 bucks a package, and they will hold anything for a year (and they give you a full shipping address) ... so as long as we are not in a rush .... we make a run to the states, and with the kids in the car and grocery shopping, we have not been stopped yet (however always disclose everything and are ready to pay tax on it ).


also being in ottawa is a bit of a bonus, since starburst will ship to ottawa for free....

Derek

 

[Bigbossfan]

Well, I was that pissed off I e-mailed the company in question. This was a part of the response.

"The size of the box has nothing to do with what it costs to ship. Weight is all that matters. The box has to be big enough for the customs paperwork to fit on one side. This limits how small the box can be, regardless of what you order."

Hmmmm. Seems to me I order many things from other places and receive them in small bubble envelopes with the customs paperwork folded and taped neatly. Blah, sour grapes I guess!

 

[Menace]

When you read between the lines from their response = lazy. Plain and simple, and you as the customer are paying for that privilege. Very unfortunate...

D

 

[Slam_Tilt]

Marcos and a few others were really bad and I stopped ordering from them. PBL was great. Terry always sent back the difference between cost on the website and actual shipping costs once he sent the order. I haven't put an order in for a long time so I haven't experienced the change that Luch mentioned. It would really suck if they got a third party to do their shipping and have flat rates. Pinbits was great for this as well. Hopefully they haven't changed.

One thing I never ever do is order from any place that does UPS shipping. They really rape your ass. I ordered something from MCM a while ago and they had several options for shipping. You can pick UPS, USPS and something else. I picked USPS. When I got the package I found out they shipped UPS and I got dinged with added duty and brokerage fees that ended up equalling the price of the item I bought. But I give props to MCM. I called them up and explained I chose USPS shipping for a reason so I didn't get hit with brokerage fees. They were great and with no arguing refunded me the money for shipping. Basically I ended up paying no shipping at all.

 

[Chris Bardon]

It sucks, but there's not much you can do if you still want to order from those places. Only way I've found to mitigate it is to wait until I need a bunch of stuff to put in an order, and then ask around for others to split shipping with.

 

[mwong168]

I ordered a bunch of stuff from PBL last month and the month before and didn't get the "luch" shipping treatment. It was shipped via USPS and wasn't over charged and typical rates I have been paying for years.

 

[luch]

yes USPS usa postal service is great , any time I order privately from other pinside members . I always ask for usps . no brokerage or taxes . the luch treatment is Purolator , fedex or ups .

 

[stiffler4444]

I am lucky as well, as I am 5 minutes from the border. I send everything to a place that charges $5 a box. If I'm in a hurry though, I pay the starburst prices, because it's on my doorstep the next day.

 

[Slam_Tilt]

yes USPS usa postal service is great , any time I order privately from other pinside members . I always ask for usps . no brokerage or taxes . the luch treatment is Purolator , fedex or ups .

I like FedEx. I never had to pay brokerage fees with them. Its all included in the price of shipping. If your in a hurry FedEx is fine.

 

[Menace]

I like FedEx. I never had to pay brokerage fees with them. Its all included in the price of shipping. If your in a hurry FedEx is fine.

This is true as long as you use P1. Any other Fedex service and the brokerage is not included, so make sure it's always overnight.

D