[Darth Menace]

I am new to the Pontiac parts ordering, but not new to the online ordering. I have bought numerous Pontiac parts from different sellers and have yet to be shocked by the total cost of the parts I ordered from Ames, but maybe that is just me and my luck.

Compared to twice I ordered from thepartsplaceinc.com and I was scammed both times. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. I wish I learned my lesson the first time. Wishing both these times I did it proper and bought from Ames which was a few dollars more, if any.

[68 Firebird]

Darth I agree with you whole heartedly. I have been burned by the cheaper
route enough to have learned. Always cheaper to do it right the first time!!!!
Part from both PY and Ames have served me well over the years.

[Formulabruce]

I live about 75 miles from Ames, same state. Small 4X4 box with bolts under 1 lb, is 10 bucks UPS. A ( Postal service) USPS VCR size box priority is 6 bucks plus any packing material , but box is FREE to shipper. I believe Ames has a contract with UPS to give them X #'s of packages or dollars to get a discount. This is a guess.

[400 4spd.]

I have more of a problem with the wait times for orders to ship out than I do the cost. My last order of in-stock items took so many days to ship out that it's caused me to buy from other sources that will get the parts shipped to me days faster. If I call in an order on a Friday morning (all items confirmed in stock) I can't wait until the following Thursday for it to ship. Then add 4 more days to arrive. It kills me on my work scheduling. I try to avoid ordering 1 or 2 items because of the shipping cost, so I might order 10-30 parts at one time.
If I was a hobbyist it would be easier for me to deal with, but I'm doing three Pontiacs. Add to that one Mopar, three Chevies, a Ford and whatever else rolls in and it makes sense to buy from a competitor that handles all of those lines.
Kevin has told me that his order filling has been behind and the company is working to speed that up. If it improves to a 24-48 hour range I'll be glad to buy more from Ames than I currently do.

[rohrt]

We found out this week that JP Cycles one of the largest Motor cycle distributors located here in Iowa is moving their main warehouse to KY. It was a strategic move so that most part order would arrive in 2-3 days to most people in the US.

As for the shipping I'm more use to the $8-12 for small items. $18 is excessive in my IMO. I use to buy in bulk $1000 at a time. Now I'm down to just a few items at a time.

[62 bv]

can some one tell me y it cost 10 to ship two decals in a bubble bag it weighs 0.2 lb this is y i try and not buy anything from ames just venting

[sonjaab]

Check shipping prices from GM parts direct...................

ONE Impala decal cost $12.95 to ship with them !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just got a new OEM TORO friction disc. on line off fleabay for $36 bucks
and it was with free shipping...................
Local dealer was $55 plus tax!

[FunctionalShaker]

Originally Posted by Formulabruce

UPS and Fed ex BOTH will deliver to a local post office to have your package delivered by a local Postal worker.
The USPS doesnt FLY, but UPS and fed ex DO, so you can, and will get RE Labeled Items delivered. UPS flies the express mail etc...
USPS priority and express boxes are free and delivered free, ordered online. Flat Rate Priority box seems best value now that each delivery unit has a scanner. These same delivery folks can and do Pick ups that are ready to ship and just need a scan. All ya need is a scale and a printer, and account with USPS.
I get UPS shipped items all the time with a USPS label on them generated at the local post office, when UPS dropped it there with many others.

USPS goes everywhere, the others don't, so they'll use postal. Also, The USPS uses FedEx planes for shipping. They're all interconnected. USPS tends to be cheaper under 3lbs.

[GT182]

Originally Posted by 62 bv

can some one tell me y it cost 10 to ship two decals in a bubble bag it weighs 0.2 lb this is y i try and not buy anything from ames just venting

Well, Ames is expensive but not as expensive as OPG. Try National Parts Depot. They're shipping isn't all that bad, but it also depends on what the parts weight is. I bought my steering rag-joint from them for 26.95. With shipping it was a total of 38 dollars and change.

[carbking]

Shipping is basically a "no-win" situation for a vendor. You just cannot please everyone. Having done mail/telephone order for more than 40 years, I have plenty of experience.

Some individuals want the fastest service.
Some individuals want the cheapest service.
Everyone (I think) actually wants their order reasonably on time.
Each carrier has their good points AND their bad points.
Each carrier is probably as good (or bad) as the local service in your area.

The best advice I can give is to ask the shipping charges BEFORE you actually finalize the order. If they are more than you want to spend, ask if there is an alternative. If not, tell the sales rep POLITELY thank you, but the shipping charges are more than you wish to spend, and purchase elsewhere. Cursing or insulting the sales rep is like trying to teach a pig to sing. It is a waste of time, and it does annoy the pig! You might wish to place an order in the future.

GENERALLY, THERE IS A REASON WHY THE VENDOR CHOSE A SPECIFIC SHIPPING CARRIER. Greed is generally NOT that reason.

Jon.

[abefromen]

Here is a question I have:

Why two completely different shipping charges depending where you buy the same exact item they sell?

I was quoted a crazy $68 to ship an oversize item using their webpage checkout.

The same item in their catalog at the same price sold by them on ebay?

$33 shipping.


Obviously not all catalog items are sold on ebay but for whatever reason the ebay shipping costs are always cheaper.... at least in my case.

Go figure.

[Formulabruce]

Ebay shipping charges, especially for oversize items, is a calculation, and is often not correct. most sellers will put this in the shipping description section.
Some non ebay sellers, like for instance Franks used Pontiac parts, adds a packing Charge to EVERY order, so you see the packing costs broken down in the total cost.
While some of the small packing costs could be reduced by using the USPS free boxes, I still think that UPS has been very reliable for Ames and so Ames gives them the business.
As easy as it is to complain, even for me, its cheaper ( usually) to get stuffed shipped over than driving way down to Ames to grab it. Most all the small stuff they send UPS comes by USPS anyways, so its in my mail box...

[Willshire]

For those who want to complain about shipping, try living in Canada! Ontario is closer to Ames than Texas lol. So, the next time you would like to complain about shipping to the lower 48, remember your frozen brethren to the North get to pay shipping, customs, HST tax, and exchange. Your 100 dollar part with 24 dollars shipping costs us just under $200. I have not had a problem with Ames yet. If i am ordering something i just get it close to the high dollar amount of that shipping class. Thank you Ames!

[Sidponcho]

Originally Posted by Willshire

For those who want to complain about shipping, try living in Canada! Ontario is closer to Ames than Texas lol. So, the next time you would like to complain about shipping to the lower 48, remember your frozen brethren to the North get to pay shipping, customs, HST tax, and exchange. Your 100 dollar part with 24 dollars shipping costs us just under $200. I have not had a problem with Ames yet. If i am ordering something i just get it close to the high dollar amount of that shipping class. Thank you Ames!

I sell my US products into Ontario on a daily basis. It's BRUTAL. For those that are unfamiliar with the "HST". Look at these percentages!!!


From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
HST: Harmonized Sales Tax
This article is about the blended sales tax in force in five of the ten Canadian provinces.
The Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) is a consumption tax in Canada. It is used in provinces where both the federal Goods and Services Tax (GST) and the regional Provincial Sales Tax (PST) have been combined into a single value added sales tax.

Province - HST Rate (%)
New Brunswick 13
Newfoundland and Labrador 13
Nova Scotia 15
Ontario 13
Prince Edward Island 14

[Willshire]

yep. every single dollar is $1.13. nothing is exempt except some foods. Can you imagine paying 13% more on your custom built house? a $300k new home costs you $339k! Resale houses are exempt though. you also get to pay it on used cars for which HST has already been paid before. highway robbery!

[rlfonad]

Just ordered 26 LED bulbs.

Could have been shipped in a padded envelope for $6. Shipped UPS for $18.

Not the shipping as much as "common sense".

Ron

[ChuckG]

I have no problem with Ames shipping. I live almost three hours away. I do large (over $1K) orders and drive down and pick all my stuff up. Call in on Wednesday and pick up on Friday. I've done this 6 or 7 times and have been very happy to be able to do this.

[1lemans]

why do you have to pay ups charges for delivery when it is delivered by the postal service (which would have been cheaper in the first place).why do ames only use ups which i have found to be sometimes double the cost of DHL or fedex?why not give the option of which company you want to use?look at summits check out,alist of approximately 10 ways you can have your parts delivered.what about iparcel for an example,may take a little longer but its the cheapest option.living in australia we already pay approx 25% more due to the dollar exchange rate then get kicked in the bum with ups outrageous charges for freight.i laugh when i hear you guys bitchin about having to pay $20-$30 for delivery.you don,t realise how good you,ve got it.cheers peter

[im4darush]

Was billed $24.00 for UPS ground for what could have fit a medium USPS priority box for less than half and been received in half the time.

Next time I will insist USPS

[tiacguy]

there is a reason for excess its called profit LOL