Insane shipping prices

[CApighunter]

I was going to purchase some stuff from Midway when I went to check out, the shipping for my order (boresnake and some targets, under $25) was $9and some change plus a $3 dollar handling fee. That is $12 dollars for what could fit in a small flat rate box. I went to Midsouth Shooters Supply and it was $11 to ship the exact same things. Is this increase new? I have ordered from Midway many times in the past and don't remember the shipping being this extreme, maybe like 5-6 bucks. Any body know of an online retailer that has reasonable shipping fees? Thinking of taking my business to amazon...
CApighunter

 

[musicman10_1]

Graf and Sons is decent.

 

[mdemetz]

The $3 fee is for orders under $25
Did you check your shipping options?
USPS 1st Class Mail and UPS Mail Innovations are cheapest but may not be availble for some items. The targets may be the problem because of their size.

 

[OARNGESI]

I had te same thought need a 1.99 spring shipping was 10.99

 

[morcey2]

I've been ordering lots of stuff from grafs instead of midway because the cost including shipping is much better, even with the dealer discount through midway.

Matt

 

[oneounceload]

Do you think their shipping boxes and personnel are free? It costs to ship - that's reality. When someone says "free shipping" all it means it is buried somewhere else in the price. Walmart carries boresnakes and targets at less than Midway, even with tax

 

[OilyPablo]

I rarely shop Midway any more. Their prices aren't that low and their shipping is crazy high. I'm not hurting for any supplies - I can always find the same stuff at lower prices with lower shipping.

 

[EBK]

The shipping was cheaper through midway. The special handling fee of 3$ was for your order of less than 20$ so the shipping was only 9 bucks.

This is not new and it has been this way since I have ordered from them back in 2006

 

[OcelotZ3]

I've got a C&R discount through Midway, and still the prices are higher than most places... Note sure how they make money.

 

[DurangoKid]

I just ordered a Simmons 6.5 X 20 50MM on special for $107.00. They gave me a 15% Birthday discount. The scope and High Weaver rings all Freight paid shipped total cost. $107.00. These scopes were $247.00. I just needed a cheapo varmint scope for a old H&R Topper truck gun. Midway USA is OK.

 

[oldandslow]

CAp, 11/30/12

I used to be a loyal Midway customer until they started charging exhorbitant shipping rates. I ordered a 12 gauge Remington 870 rifled barrel for about $200. Weight was about four pounds. Shipping charge, regular USPS was $33 or about $8/pound.

I called recently about two soft sided rifle cases, total weight about three pounds. Their shipping quote USPS was $55. I asked the Midway rep to recheck the shipping charge and she confirmed the $55 charge. I canceled my order and ordered from either Natchez's or Midsouthshooter's and the shipping was about $10. Needless to say I don't even consider Midway anymore when I'm looking for shooting supplies.

best wishes- oldandslow

 

[OldMac]

I was surprised recently by Academy's $1 shipping for a $16 rifle case. They had the same price in store but i really couldn't put on pants and get out of the driveway for $1. It showed up in a few days in 5' long box.

 

[Pilot]

Shipping, and handling fees are profit centers for many of these companies.

 

[jim243]

I rarely shop Midway any more.

I love it when they give you $1.80 off on an item and then charge you $3.00 because it is the only thing you need. And then they charge you $9 to $12 to ship it.

That's how Larry Potterfield can get all his toys and be a big shot to the NRA. It's with your money.

Any time I can I will buy from Cheaper than Dirt or CDNN they have specials every now and then for $4.99 shipping on your whole order.

Jim

 

[Centurian22]

Well I'll gladly play devils advocate here. I just ordered almost $600 worth of reloading equipment, some 12ga shells, books, and bullets and my shipping was under $12 for over 42lbs worth of stuff. Plus I got $35 off for the AR15 promo code. Maybe I just got lucky (sounds like it from most of these posts). Cheaper Than Dirt is one place you have to watch on the shipping because of there 'multiple warehouses' concept.

It shouldn't be a big surprise to anyone that many if not most online retailers are going to charge alot for shipping a small item. This is nothing new! They try to get you to buy more. I agree its not 'nice' or 'right' but its reality.

I appreciate the postings of places that have better prices and reasonable shipping, I'll look into them in the future especially for small orders but I won't be so quick to turn my back on midway.

 

[primalmu]

It is what it is. Midway is cheaper on some things than others. I shop around. Brownells is a good choice. Heck, for a boresnake and some targets Amazon would probably work out well, too.

 

[Krogen]

I use nearly all of the online sellers. It's quite simple to open up multiple tabs in your web browser and fill a cart with your items at each of them. Then add shipping costs and look at the bottom line. Some places with cheaper shipping have reduced prices on the items themselves, so it can be cheaper overall to just pay the shipping. Just don't click "submit" for each of the carts!

Other times adding one small item into your cart puts you into the next box size and you incur a big jump in shipping costs. Try playing around with quantities - do you really need 7 boxes of ammo? Try changing to 6 and see if your shipping drops significantly.

Watch what you put in your order. Chemicals or ammo force you into a different shipping category. For example, buy 2000 cast bullets and they can be shipped in a USPS flat-rate box. That's a great deal! Then add a single box of 22 LR ammo and your whole order may get shipped UPS or FEDEX ground and you pay major $$. Same thing with chemicals. Add a 4 oz bottle of solvent and your flat-rate box morphs into a UPS shipment.

 

[oneounceload]

Cheaper Than Dirt is one place you have to watch on the shipping because of there 'multiple warehouses' concept.

Exactly - Cheaper than Dirt - ISN'T!

Midway also has powder dropped shipped from Powder Valley; so if you order primers and powders in one order, you will get hit with two hazmat fees and shipping costs

 

[jdietz]

I no longer order from Midway. I ordered an item from their closeout flyer. The shipping was more than the item I ordered.

Natchez. Widner's, and Sportsman's Guide are about the only place I order from now.

 

[Centurian22]

Oneounce: now I didn't go saying that. Often CTD has very good prices on things you just have to be aware of what warehouse(s) your items are coming from. I actually really like CTD and midway both. As Krogen said: shop around, it takes very little time / effort to compare a few sites. If that is too much 'work' for you then pay for the convenience of ordering from just your one chosen place and don't complain about it later.

 

[22-rimfire]

Shipping costs have continued to go up. FedEx raised their rates this year at least once and maybe twice. I feel sure UPS did the same thing as they do shop each other. Rates will be going up again in January. The USPS is raising their rates. Others will follow regardless of the price of fuel.

What is the result? With FedEx, I stopped almost entirely shipping next day morning. Some stuff is shipped next day afternoon, but the majority is two-day or ground now when in the past it was almost exclusively next day morning or afternoon.

I watch for the free shipping announcements at some of the regular "online" retailers. I prefer it to a 10% off sale and so forth.

In business, you try to make money at every charge item if you can. You have inventory that you paid for and often is financed, handling costs (materials and labor), and actual shipping costs. It costs to simply handle the money. This is one of the reasons that I find Amazon so cost effective. They discount the item and if you are willing to accept ground shipping, it's "free" for orders over $25.

I try to buy locally, and yes, pay sales tax. I buy online for convenience or because I have trouble finding the item locally. I buy match grade ammunition from time to time and calibers which local retailers do not typically carry, I buy online and make a judgement call as to the reasonableness of the shipping cost. Yes, shipping on one box of ammo might be more than the cost of the ammunition, so you buy in larger quantities and again make your own judgements on cost.

 

[holdencm9]

I like to support the smaller businesses and gun shops as much as possible, but now that I have Amazon prime, with free 2-day shipping, pretty much anything that can be ordered via Amazon, IS ordered through amazon. And they have a surprising amount of firearms-related stuff. It also helps that if I order to my office it doesn't say MIDWAY USA all over the box, or any gun-related stuff on the shipping label. A few coworkers know about my hobby but I don't want to broadcast it any more than necessary.

For instance, recently I just wanted to get some brass trimming stuff, just like $20 worth, Amazon was a couple bucks more, but free shipping more than balanced it out, and although Midway is usually very fast, I won't get it in 2 days.

 

[mberoose]

Ebay ladies & gentlemen, Ebay.

 

[41]

I ordered an aimpoint from midway a few days ago. Midway was tied for the lowest price with a few other retailers, us they had a 30 dollar coupon code on orders larger than $300. So with the coupon was the lowest price. Plus they had free shipping so I thought that was a pretty good deal.

 

[Captaingyro]

One of the secrets of efficient shopping at MidwayUSA is their online wishlists. When I think of something I want, I go to the website and add it to my wishlist. After years of doing this, my wishlist is quite extensive.

The wishlist can be used in many different ways to cut down on shipping costs. First, if my order doesn't meet the minimum to avoid a special handling fee ($25 for regular accounts, $40 for dealer accounts), I just add something small from the wishlist, such as a bore brush, spring, or die lock rings.

Alternatively, I periodically go down the wishlist and look for anything that's on sale. If I find a few things I'll make an order, just to lock in the best prices. Again, pay attention to the minimum dollar amount.

Finally, the wishlist is a great way to keep track of part numbers and model numbers. "What's the part number for the Wolff 15-pound recoil spring for a 92fs?" It's catalogued in my wishlist. In this way the wishlist becomes your own little online database of parts and accessories.