So just the other day I purchased two things online. One of them was the Flowmaster American Thunder exhaust system from Summit, $280.00 including taxes , ground shipping its here in two days. No shipping fees Its weight is 73lbs. Flowmaster website has it selling for 473.00 BTW "Go Summit!!"

The other purchase was for a pack of 5 retainer clips from GMPartDirect (Part #3817880) I would estimate the weight of the 5 pack to be less than 1/4 a pound, the price for the parts was $3.85 and the shipping was $7.95!!
I know of quite a few questionable companies that make all of their profit from shipping but I did not think GMPartsDirect was one of them...

Sad

Bill

I think you'd find Summit to be the same way with their handling fee. Rick's is another that comes to mind. Come to think of it most all have this 5.95 to 8.95 handling fee. It does make ordering small inexpensive parts a real pain. I try to wait and get many items at one time but sometimes you just can't. I especially hate it when I forget to order that one little part with my last big order.

Actually the last time I looked, GMPartsDirect charges about 20% of the cost of an item for "shipping and handling." When you compare their all-in price (the price of the item plus shipping) to the all-in price at other on-line places like Scoggins Dickey and Sallee, they're pretty much the same, unless you return an item, in which case you don't get a refund on shipping and handling from GMPartsDirect.

I priced the GM Deluxe serpentine belt system at GMPartsDirect. With shipping it was $785.89. The same item at Scoggins Dickey was $782.90. BUT, if you return for a full refund to GMPartsDirect, you get $654.91 back; if if you return for a full refund to Scoggins Dickey, you get $753.95 back.

BTW, Summit was the cheapest by about $20.

Looking at the Summit order it does show an 8.95 handling fee. (D'oh!) I guess its just because GmPartsDirect listed it as a shipping fee I thought they were over charging for the shipping as compared to the Summit order. Its funny, being that they all are a web based companies there will ALWAYS be a handling fee because everything is shipped. You would think that they would absorb those costs in the prices of their products. I guess they would not have the lowest prices then tho :)

Bill

i must be the only person to ever get a good deal from GMpartsdirect.
when i ordered my C4 Vette calipers and brackets from them, my cost to my door- including shipping and handling and what not- was less than what a friend of mine that worked at a Chev dealer could have gotten them for at dealer cost.
as for paying the s/h fee for $3 worth of clips- why not just take that part number to your local dealer and save some $$$ and aggravation?if you have a part number, even a rookie parts guy can get you the right parts.

Man I am a dumbass, so I emailed GMPartsDirect to ask about my order as it has not shipped yet. They said it would be at least another 7 days before it would ship, this will not do as my goal was to be driving by fathers day. So I called my local dealer and he said he would have the parts tomorrow, on a Saturday, at HALF the price I paid GMPartsDirect. Of course GMPD told me its to late to cancel my order or they would have to charge me a $20 restocking fee, the order was almost half that so I guess I will have a lot of extra retainer clips (9 to be exact). If anyone needs part number 381880 let me know before you order a pack of 5. Its the retainer used on the clevis pin for the clutch pedal on my car. I am sure its used in many other places too.


Bill

how can they charge a "restocking fee" for something that won't even ship for a week?
i'd tell GMPD that you are canceling, and then call your credit card company to have them not pay the charges..
what are they gonna do- sue you over less than $20?

how can they charge a "restocking fee" for something that won't even ship for a week?
My thoughts exactly, that's a rip off. You know why they are doing this? It's because they ordered the parts after you did. They will be stuck with them if you cancel. This is how they can keep prices low, no stock or overhead. Sounds like a crock to me. More of that new "just in time" invetory/service crap.

Bill,
Everyone of you guys should have to own your own business........
If you go to the UPS web site and figure shipping on a 1 lb (minimum allowed) package from Winston Salem NC where Flow Chevrolet (GM Parts Direct) is, to San Diego its $6.02. Lets add 50 cents for a box and some packaging. Oh by the way, we do have to pay someone to do this .... lets say minimum wage plus benefits, taxes etc probably ends up costing at least $12 an hour ... he can pull and ship an order every ten minutes if he is good ... Thats another $2 added to the cost... looks like a total of $8.52 to ship your $3.85 part that they probably made less than a dollar on. And that does not even include paying the electric bill, rent etc etc etc. Now .... does it look like a rip off ????? Looks like there is a good chance they lost money on the deal :(

Bill,
Everyone of you guys should have to own your own business........
If you go to the UPS web site and figure shipping on a 1 lb (minimum allowed) package from Winston Salem NC where Flow Chevrolet (GM Parts Direct) is, to San Diego its $6.02. Lets add 50 cents for a box and some packaging. Oh by the way, we do have to pay someone to do this .... lets say minimum wage plus benefits, taxes etc probably ends up costing at least $12 an hour ... he can pull and ship an order every ten minutes if he is good ... Thats another $2 added to the cost... looks like a total of $8.52 to ship your $3.85 part that they probably made less than a dollar on. And that does not even include paying the electric bill, rent etc etc etc. Now .... does it look like a rip off ????? Looks like there is a good chance they lost money on the deal :(

Fair enough, but explain to me a "shipping and handling" charge of about $140 on the GMPP serpentine kit.

Yes Bill I understand that. I just thought that they would make their profit on the mark-up of the items not the shipping fee as they are a ship only business (To much hype on the boob-tube lately about profit from shipping charges on free or lowest advertised priced items). Then I realized if they did that they could not say they have the lowest prices. BTW I show the shipping as $4.48.

Bill

It is not hard to compare to the door prices. Sometimes you find that the local guys are as good even with sales tax factored in.

The point about GMPD and returns is excellent though. I had not thought of that.

PM me for the email of a guy who has the absolute best shipped prices on GM parts.