[19HoosierDaddies67]

I cut this from the Rick's page:

Part #
Product
Quantity Each Total

CV-40 Convertible Well Cover Snap Stud Set (4)*
$ 8.95 $ 8.95

Shipping $ 12.74
Sales Tax $ 0.00
Grand Total $ 21.69

Enter Zero to remove an item from the cart

Change quantity to 0 to remove and item.
Update item quantities and click the Modify Cart Button below.


I have complained about this before and so have so many other but doesn't this seem ridiculous? $8.95 for 4 snaps and $12.74 to ship them?

Can someone do me a favor and pick these up for me, throw them in an envelop and send them in the mail for at most a dollar? Or better yet a padded envelop for 2 bucks.

The worst part is I live 30 minutes from Classic industries and I don't think they carry these. I know people have said a convertible or upolstery shop may have these, but damn it I am lazy and want them on my doorstep. And like I have said before I always remember I need these late at night on the pc checking out TC then want to buy them. Ok thats enough whining from me.....

 

[Mark C]

You can probably buy them at home depot, or Lowes for about .20 each in the hardware aisle. They are just standard snaps, held on with a SS (or chromed) phillips head screw.

 

[SixtyAte]

As a norm these days, we get ripped off at every thing we buy. Electric, distribution fees ? ( It comes over the same wires that it has since I bought my house in 1983 ) Home heating gas, transportation fees ? ( It comes here via a pipeline as it always has) Gasoline, thinking the price will go up fees ? ( If they think the world will fart...the price goes up. ) and so on.

Why can't things be priced as they were before ? Well, because they can get away with it. When we would buy something the price was the price. Now we are fooled into thinking an item is a deal at $25.00 however final price is really $30.00 after handeling fee. Then we add the shipping..and we are way overcharged Pay what they want or don't buy it

Kev

 

[fireeater]

How bout ordering things and waiting 1 1/2 weeks to get them? Once again ordered from Classics on Wednesday, get a e-mail last night, getting small parts on the 5th. Really rubs me wrong and the wife cannot understand why. Paid close to $17 dollars in shipping fees. Are all these companies getting to big where they can't provide customer service anymore?

 

[tonycamaro]

Save yourself the trouble, and don't buy them. I bought them from ricks, and they don't screw into the existing holes in the panels.

 

[BillyZ11]

Tony is right they're one of those repo parts that are just not usable.

 

[JimM]

As a business man who ships products sometimes, I hear this a lot. I charge my customers FEDEX ground shiiping rounded up to the nearest whole dollar. Much of this stuff is going out the door for 10% margin. For you that are math challenged, that means I make $20 to ship a $200 item.

For a $10 item I make a buck. And that's before I pay a $15/hour employee for 10-15 minutes to:
Find the item.
Carry it to the shipping desk.
Pack it, box it, and weigh it.
punch the info into FEDEX shipping manager, print the label, determine the shipping cost.
Enter everything into our system, print and mail an invoice.
Stick the label on the package.

We see a lot of posts like this, and frankly, they really bug me. If I ship a $10 part on a 10% margin, I end up losing $10 on the deal. I would have come out better if I gave it to the guy for free, assuming I coulda talked him into coming to get it.

Just make a bigger order next time.

 

[BillK]

Jim,

Thank you ..... I think everyone should have thier own business for a year, then they will see how it really is. By the way, your $15 an hour guy probably really costs you close to $30 when you figure all of the matching taxes, unemployement, health insurance, workmans comp, uniforms etc etc etc. So that means if he spends 15 minutes shipping a part, he cost you $7.50 just in his time, not to mention the actual shipping fee. Oh and maybe make a profit ????

 

[Lost in the 60's]

I try to consolidate as many parts as I can think of when ordering online from Rick's, or anybody, with a flat starting fee for shipping. If you are truely only needing a few small parts, CALL THEM. They can work with you on a more reasonable cost on the phone. The online calculator STARTS at $12.00+ only for convenience.

 

[JimM]

Jim,

Thank you ..... I think everyone should have thier own business for a year, then they will see how it really is. ..... Oh and maybe make a profit ????

You're welcome Bill. It needs to be said. America is after all the Land of Opportuinity. Profitable businesses MAKE THIS REALITY.

 

[427m22]

JImM, posts like yours really bug people like me. I do run my own business and I do have a good handle on what shipping costs are. Maybe for a small business what you said is true, but I have seen the size of Rick's, NPD's and Classic Industries warehouses and they aren't that big for no reason. They have packing and shipping down to an art form, and UPS and the like make regular stops there. And $15.00 an hour to pack and ship boxes? I'd like to moonlight there to help offset the cost of my parts. Wes

 

[SixtyAte]

If you don't want to ship items out because it costs you money and takes away from your profit, then don't. A small part can be put in a USPS box or envelope and shipped for $2.00. There are some reasons why items have to be sent out next day air etc however that is the purchasers choice or what the product demands.

I have been ripped off many times for scams like $9.99 shipping and order three items only to be charged $29.97 for shipping in three separate boxes. You could have fit 6 items of the same in each carton! Oh what about the "Free Shipping" only to be charged $24.00 handling fee! Look, don't lie and tell it like it is. I don't mind paying for anything if its an honest charge!

Sir, we normally do not ship items however if you need the part it will cost the shipping cost and a slight fee to process. Ok...what is the actual shipping fee ? Does it matter that you choose to ship Fedex, UPS or DHL and not ship a cheap way like USPS ? Yep... the American way, when you are charged in advance for electric,gas,cable,satellite etc then charged for billing of the service ! Can you tell them not to bill..yes but they want a credit card and want to charge a processing fee too.

I am not against anyone making a profit nor am I mad at a small business which is trying to stay alive. I say just be honest and say up front what it will cost. At that point its my choice to purchase the item from you or go somewhere else.

Kev

 

[19HoosierDaddies67]

Ok so let me get this straight. You are trying to makeup your lost profit by over charging on the shipping? Shouldn't the parts be priced so that you make a profit, then the shipping companies make their money by providing their service? I don't think you have your 15 dollar an hour employee pulling one part at a time all day, if this is the case then no wonder why you are having trouble making a profit. The work he does sould be averaged over all the work he does for the day.

What business owners are not talking about is how shipping increases their customer base, which in turn leads to more slaes whcih should equal more profits. If you never shipped anything and didn't advertise on the net then your customer base would be the city you do business in and the surrounding areas. So when I hear you say that we complain about shipping prices, you are damn right, it is too your benefit that people all over the country or world for that matter are patronizing your business; give me a break.

I happen to be in sales, when we put together a quote for a new piece of equipment we charge shipping. Shipping is calculated at 6% of the overall equipment price. So if I applied that rule here; $8.95 part, my shipping should be .53 cents.

If you are in the business to make money on shipping shouldn't I be calling you Fedex or UPS?

Don't take too much offense this is just a spirited debate, I am not angry at "you", it is just frustrating. At the end of the day why are we here, We love Camaros!

 

[JimM]

I'll hit this one more time, then go back in my corner and count all my money.

If any of you bothered to read my post, I typed that I charge FEDEX ground shipping, rounded up to the nearest dollar. I am NOT charging my customers a handling fee, and I am NOT marking up the shipping.

As for my $15/hr employee, we are a SMALL business, with ONE full time office person. She answers the phone, does all the book keeping, schedules service, does much of the purchasing, all of the inventory management, and all of the shipping. I'm certain that larger companies have dedicated lower cost employee's to do shipping, and have it down to more of a science than I do. I couldn't swear to that tho, when I go into D&R to pickup parts, the salesman who is taking my order goes in the back and carries the part up himself. I used this example because it is one I am intimately familiar with, and could quote REALITY rather than imagination.

The point is that there are costs, both in dollars and time, to ship parts. Small orders are problematic. While someone is making a killing if they ship $20k worth of stuff for 6% shipping, this is certainly not true at 6% of ten dollars.

I understand it is frustrating. It is frustrating to me when I need a couple of small parts for my Camaro, and it's equally frustrating when one of my customers needs a couple of small parts from my company.

Even if you go pick something up, your time is worth something, right?

It's tough when you just need a couple of small things to finish a project and you get boofed with a sizable shipping and handling charge. I would not call it being ripped off tho.

 

[DjD]

My .02 on the whole matter! If they disclose the shipping and handling charges and you agree to it you have no right to vent here! If shipping and handling is too much for you, don't order the stuff and tell them why! It's the only way to effect a change... There are not very many parts that one vendor has exclusive rights to and there are a ton of small guys like Matt Gossett, John Firestone and others right here on the site cropping up that would love your business. Just check folks signatures when reading posts to find them...

 

[SixtyAte]

If they disclose the shipping and handling charges and you agree to it you have no right to vent here! If shipping and handling is too much for you, don't order the stuff and tell them why! It's the only way to effect a change... QUOTE]

Dennis... exactly ! I want to be told up front and have the option of canceling the item BEFORE giving my credit card info. A big parts house , who I will not disclose, gets your order, card info and claims free shipping. On the final page of the order, it is disclosed that a $24.99 Handling Fee is added to the final order ! On the front page or on the phone, fees should be addressed and the shipping quote given. In a small business, there are les discounts and profits which we all know , so the thing that will keep customers is good service. If a slight profit or a small part is given, its not forgotten and the customer will remember you and may order again. All I want is honesty and be told what the bottom line is....

Kev

 

[keypilot]

i called ricks about buying my cowl hood. a big item. i thought if they are in gorgia and i am in florida how bad could it be?
HA! $50 more than if it came from california. i asked, why the difference? rick's said, we are not as big as the other guys.
(i went with the other guys)

 

[6781camaro]

So what everyone is saying is that all of these $20-30,000 1969 Camaros that are selling on-line are actually only $10-12,000 Camaros plus shipping for the parts that were ordered to build them. LOL! It is frustrating to say the least, but there are two valid sides to this conversation. The seller needs to profit, and the buyer does not need to get ripped. Making a larger order or buying some of the parts locally at a hardware store are great money-saving ideas. I have done the same. If buying the "name brand" or "certified GM" part is that important to you, then please think about the incredible overall value of your project/investments and realize that it will be worth it in the end....

Keep the magic alive and restore them... Long live the Camaro!!!

 

[zbo2]

i usually make a list of parts and when i get enough together i order. while ricks inital shipping starts at 12 bucks you can add a bunch of stuff before it starts to go up. however sometimes there is that little item that you just have to have right away............then the shipping sucks for that one item.

 

[Gary L]

The only thing I would add is that most of these places will not go out of their way to ship small items using an padded envelope and the USPS. I agree Rick's is a little tougher on shipping. But there are a bunch of other stores out there. Did you try SS396.com? They are usually very fair.