Keep this thread about shipping prices

Amazon is the scourge of retail!I have seen what it has done to both mom and pop and big retailers.I ALWAYs try to buy from our pontiac vendors like Ames if close at all.Same with my local stores.When I do need things I cant find I use Ebay instead of Amazon.Just have to pay attention to shipping charges.Was looking at Baldwin filters.Cheap prices but shipping was the deal breaker.Just me.Tom

I can just feel your frustration in the above post and understand. A company like yours does all the work, and essentially a re-packager, logistics expert like Amazon siphons off the easy stuff with no effort. I try to support the hobby, especially Pontiac specific companies. Many others on here do too. However, everyone has their own personal tipping point where they just can't justify the extra cost that in their mind is a "donation" to a vendor. I am sure Ames is looking hard at the shipping costs because they are a separate line item and easily visible to the customer. As more and more on-line vendors provide "free" shipping, Ames may have to absorb some of the shipping costs and distribute them through the cost of the products. That's what Tire Rack has done. Their shipping costs were killing them and all the similar on-line tire sellers were stealing their market. Now, shipping is "free" but the tire costs are up a little. There must be dozens of price levels from each of the shippers. When I send a race clutch to CA for work or re-cert., even with my company Shipping account, it cost me $150.00. When it comes back from the vendor insured the same way, same shipper, it cost $47.00. Really? 2/3 difference in price? Even though Ames is no Amazon, seems like they might be able to twist some arms and possibly offer some incentives to a shipper that really steps up with a better price. I think we all want to see Ames prosper and grow.

What if the vendor gives you poor service? and its not the first time?

A part the doesn't fit, when the catalog says "Excellent quality"
The tech guy asks if you can just "Make it fit" by installing it off center
Then they want you to eat the shipping - both ways / to send it back?
And after multiple emails and phone calls and wasted time your made whole, and find one on ebay?

So, Amazon looks pretty good at that point....

Would you mind sending me a PM? The service you seemed to have receive is unacceptable.

Will do.

Even though fuel prices have gone down, surcharges have not. Please see the attached chart. As you can see, this is nothing we can control.

As mentioned, why not raise the prices on the items rather than ship inefficiently or markup shipping?

It is false value to have lower prices and charge higher shipping. There are only a handful of ways to ship. There are 1000's of people selling parts using those same shippers.
If buyers think your tech support is worth the item price you charge, they will buy from you.

You can sell on Amazon if you chose to. You could provide the same support and sell to the same group of buyers in the hobby. But your prices may not be competitive. Amazon sellers don't kill the hobby.


I don't think lowering shipping costs will kill the willingness to develop parts. If a part is in demand and priced reasonably people will buy them. Heck I paid $500.00 for an air cleaner. Now my wife thinks that is crazy but I did it!

The vendor has purchase power with the shipping company. It's up to the vendor to pass along discounts, or dont.

I agree 100% on supporting our vendors vs Amazon.

Shipping charges have been an issue for Ames as long as I can remember (20+ years). I look at it two ways- either they have a standard freight calculator that doesn’t factor in their discount and they add a little margin on the fright, or the freight just cost more because they are in a very far corner of the US (although this doesn’t explain the order that was shipping e 1/2 hours away).

I do think they need to look at what requires oversize charges. I forget what I ordered last week but there was an oversize charge that I felt wasn’t necessary.

I might have been able to negotiate it- but I really don’t want to argue every time a place an order.

I ordered some items the other day for delivery to Norwalk to avoid shipping charges. The sales rep told me I'd have to pay an oversized shipping fee of $20 from THEIR supplier to the Ames warehouse. I deleted the item (trans cooler lines) and ordered from Inline Tube via EBay. They were $13.00 cheaper and FREE shipping to my home. Got them in 2 days. I can understand oversize shipping fees from Ames to my home, but I have to pay for shipping TO Ames? I'll pass. The idea of delivery to Norwalk was to avoid excessive shipping.

quzkid32, I apologize for the inconvenience! Some of the hard lines are drop shipped directly from the manufacturer, meaning we do not stock them in house. Sometimes we can have these brought to the show still free of any shipping charge, as long as the manufacturer is in attendance. In this case, we should've been able to. Please PM me if possible with your customer number and part number of the lines you were looking at. Thanks!

I have no dog in any of these fights, and am a happy Ames customer, BUT it seems like this one may be too little too late. Just the kind of thing that should have been thought about before losing a customer, not after.

Yes it's too late; you are correct in saying that this should've been thought of when he originally place the order. In this case, the sales representative obviously thought the manufacturer was not in attendance. This is the reason we have these threads, so we can work to effectively solve problems and improve our service for the future. Thanks!

crazy prices on shipping/oversize packages
 

it not just Aims try OPGI EXACT ISSUES. Remember when fuel prices went way up a few years ago.Well the shipping prices went up too.HELLO companies FUEL prices are down so its been time to drop the shipping prices

Ames didn't lose a customer. I just ordered from a different vendor who had a better rate for shipping and price. I still ordered different parts for Norwalk delivery which saved the shipping charges. I'm still good with Ames.

That's good for them. I have and will (im starting another resto) continue to buy from AMES. I dont worry about shipping charges, I just figure its the price of the hobby. I have always had good luck with their products, and usually get my orders within about 3 days. I have tried other vendors but kept going back. I did make one order from Classic with a coupon. But by the time THEY added back shipping the price wasn't all that good, and it took over a week to get me.

LOL!
It's funny how some folks (no one in particular) have tens of thousands invested in multiple classic cars and will complain about shipping costs that are ten thousandths of what they've spent in the hobby.
I don't have much of a budget but shipping costs are just part of the game. If you want to play you've gotta pay.
You are lucky to have a Pontiac supplier like Ames; and when they are gone you will know it. Nothing lasts forever. No one is perfect either.
You get a little more when you buy from Pontiac experts like our host. you get customer support, a forum to learn from, or voice your opinion, or launch your complaints; and some expertise that you might not find on ebay or amazon.
If I had the money that apparently most folks in this hobby seem to have, I wouldn't be complaining about the few extra bucks that the best Pontiac parts source is charging to box and ship.
Flame Away...

shipping
 

all I am saying is make sure the box is the appropriate size for the items being shipped,And everyone will be happy.

I wish they would put the money into some decent engine mounts for A-Body (2 hole) . they could charge $100.00 a set and no one would bat an eye as long as they were strong enough to handle the torque of Pontiac engines.