USFA Shipping gripe

[coyote nose]

Bought some parts off of USFA. They ship fed Ex for $20 but I cannot receive Fed ex at a PO Box, so they shipped it USPS parcel post rate. Look closely at the envelope they shipped it in (If I can get the photo to load..I always have trouble with this). That is two 42 cent stamps. that is right, 84 cents shipping. They still charged me 20$!! Unreal

[arjunky]

Bought some parts off of USFA. They ship fed Ex for $20 but I cannot receive Fed ex at a PO Box, so they shipped it USPS parcel post rate. Look closely at the envelope they shipped it in (If I can get the photo to load..I always have trouble with this). That is two 42 cent stamps. that is right, 84 cents shipping. They still charged me 20$!! Unreal

The rest went to handling fee.

Byron

[mescalero1]

That is disgraceful, scandalous.

[Andrew]

I hate to say it, but that is starting to be the norm for most companies. They will charge a flat rate for shipping or more correctly a low mark that they will not charge less than. Usually set so that 90% of the claims go in their favor. It really hits people like me that tend to only get $10-20 worth of stuff + $8 shipping. Or 2$ worth of stuff and pay $8 shipping. or get a large box full of goodies and pay $10.50 shipping. Happens on Fleabay and GunBroker too; you get a flat rate from them for shipping and when your stuff gets there it says about $4 less then you payed. I have had people get bit that way though and pay more to ship than their flat rate, but that only happend once or twice. I tend to look for auctions with "actual shipping" under the shipping, or I just look eslewhere.

[brucew44guns]

A $2.00 dollar screw or small part can't take 6.00 worth of handling. They could give away the part, just make thier money on the Costs of the thing to mail it. I've got rifles for 15.00 several times, a lot more involved shipping that, than an envelope with a stamp on it.

[Hobie]

I always charged actual shipping but the company I work for charges $20 flat for shipping prints. There is the cost of the tube, the time spent packing (very carefully I might add), and the UPS charges. Still, they get a little from each transaction. This is like your mechanic's shop. The shop pays the mechanic one hourly rate and charges you another and takes a profit from it.

Was that a padded envelope?

[coyote nose]

yes, a padded envelope. Actually those were forever stamps they probably bought for 41 cents. So I overpaid by $19.18 and I tell you I contacted them. Said there was nothing they can do except maybe discount a few parts on a future order. Sorry...no deal. Probably will not order parts later anyway, and was so soured by the experience....
Some things just are not right and though this obviously is not a big deal in the grand scheme of things (I have MUCH bigger problems..believe me), still I figured any company would use their head on matters like this. I mean...the shipping clerk licking the stamps...did he see the $20 shipping fee and laugh? Did he wonder what was up?? Did he think it was wrong and alert management???

[Hobie]

yes, a padded envelope. Actually those were forever stamps they probably bought for 41 cents. So I overpaid by $19.18 and I tell you I contacted them. Said there was nothing they can do except maybe discount a few parts on a future order. Sorry...no deal. Probably will not order parts later anyway, and was so soured by the experience....
Some things just are not right and though this obviously is not a big deal in the grand scheme of things (I have MUCH bigger problems..believe me), still I figured any company would use their head on matters like this. I mean...the shipping clerk licking the stamps...did he see the $20 shipping fee and laugh? Did he wonder what was up?? Did he think it was wrong and alert management???

Well, in my case I'm one of two employees and I can just change the price on the invoice (and do when appropriate). So many now use a computer program that may not (or may, I don't know) permit changes. Remember, the envelopes are a $1, too. Not that that is much better!

[Mike Hunter]

In cases like that, flat rate shipping charges really don’t bother me. Yes it cost 41 cents to mail your parts, how much does the company pay that person per hour? Or did they take a production person off the line to go find your parts package them up and mail them.

Remember they are a manufacturing facility not a parts supply house. You're lucky you even got parts; most would tell you to talk to an authorized repair station or send the gun in.

I used to sell screws for the old Winchesters, folks would call up and order 1 screw. Ok the screw was .60 cents, my cost was .40 cents so profit margin was .20 cents. So stop what I'm doing, close shop up, drive 16 miles to the post office, then drive back...for what .20 cents.

Good friend of mine makes & sells gun parts; he would get 40 or so calls a week from folks that wanted one or two screws, what’s that… $16 to package, address, & mail 40 packages, you wouldn’t it for that why should someone else?

He was seriously considered getting away from retail completely and strictly wholesale, you could become a wholesaler for an initial purchase of $1000 and $500 for purchases thereafter. He finally settled on $25 minimum purchase.

Stuff to consider …

Mike Hunter

[marlinman93]

That's overpriced no matter how you spin it. Companies like that have USPS, UPS, and Fed Ex all pick up at their door, so they don't go to the post office. Even small companies that do go to the post office don't make a special trip. Heck, I sell a lot of small parts, screws, etc., and I make a trip once or twice a week. I charge a couple dollars to cover postage and the packaging, and I make sure my shipping costs aren't more than $1 profit. If it costs me $2.30 to ship I wont round it up more than .70 cents.
These companies should include the labor of employees into their pricing. Thier profits cover the employee's pay, the lights, and all the other costs of doing business. The ones that charge exhorbitant S&H are just greedy, or trying to suck you in with low prices and then make up for it in S&H overcharges!

[Hobie]

It is always an effort to try to balance customer service against a need for profit. No profit and you've got to close the doors.

[Griff]

I gotta agree with Hobie... my favorite nut & bolt place finally had to close their doors this year. Forced me to find two others that handled the different types of stuff I find myself wanting. But, driving all the way into town to buy two screws would cost me almost at least the cost of a couple gallons of diesel... then the time to do it...

Maybe it ain't right, but...

[coyote nose]

Right marlinman93, no matter how it is spun, $20 for 82 cents postage is too much. Bottom line.

[mescalero1]

This a a hard thing, let us not be too judgemental; as originally presented , it seemed excessive.