Free shipping/cheap shipping

[z7]

I searched a little and didn't find a thread, but what companies have free or cheap shipping for reloading components?

i have been surfing gunbot and use their price per unit sorting method to figure out which company has the best deal for ammo, but shipping needs to be included in that math.


thanks for any and all responses.

 

[dickttx]

It all has to be shipped, so the only thing that matters is the final total cost.

 

[kcofohio]

I agree with dick. For instance, Berry's Bullets ships free if you order over $75. But if you look on Powder Valley's site and order same bullets, the price is lower per item and with $14 for shipping, you would save a couple of bucks and more if you order additional items.

 

[z7]

By company I meant places like powder valley, midway, midsouth. . .including the manufacturers as well. And yes total cost is what I meant by including shipping in the math.

Rephrase my question. What online vendors offer better deals on a consistent basis when shipping costs are included?

Sorry about the confusion

 

[Edster12]

X-Treme Bullets--X-Treme

Always has free shipping. Usually running coupons, and 3% discount for Vets!!!


Forgot about lead. If ya use lead then CB Bullets
another of the free shipping folks. His prices are pretty much in line with the industry.

 

[klcmschlesinger]

Total Cost is the key

I agree with the above posts, you have to verify total cost. But as stated, Xtreme bullets ships free, usually has coupons and is priced right to begin with. Rocky Mountain reloading has free shipping and bullet 2nds are a good deal there. Missouri Bullet is priced right and reasonable on shipping, great service as well.

 

[amlevin]

Be careful with the "free shipping" claims. Some will ship without an extra charge for shipping but nobody's doing this for free. Often you'll find the cost buried in the price.

I use Powder Valley for most of my needs. Their prices are good and they go out of their way to use the least expensive means of shipping your order which can sometimes mean USPS Flat Rate boxes. My postal carrier hates it when I get a "Medium" Flat Rate box that weighs almost 50#.

Some companies will also have a "Flat Shipping Charge". They can screw you with that if you're not careful.

 

[mstreddy]

I'll add that you may have to be creative with your order to stay within the flat rate boxes for shipping.
For example - MBC will ship for around $14 but that's what fits in one medium flat rate box - think 4 packs of 500 typically. If you get 5 500 round packs then you just went into a second FRB and it's another $14. So, at that point you may either scale back the order or plus up to maximize the shipping per order.

At Midway, and other sites, where you can estimate/calculate shipping, you may need to play with adding/removing items to the cart to see the effect on shipping. Recently I found that if I added one $11 item it bumped up the shipping by about $8. So, I didn't really NEED that item just then.

And when you get into the powder/primers with the hazmat fees, then you really have to try and stretch that order to maximize the fees.

 

[Rico567]

I am with the contingent in this thread that says that the bottom line is the only thing that matters. To cite an unrelated area, I am a homebrewer, and shop online from two outlets in Minneapolis-St. Paul. About five years ago, they both had free shipping. Then one dropped the free shipping in favor of a policy of lowest possible price on a given item*. Guess which one has been more expensive since? Yep, the free shipping outfit. Those costs all go somewhere, and the "somewhere" ends up being in what we pay.

*This policy is more fair than "free shipping." Fifty-five pound sacks of malted grain in homebrewing correspond to boxes of a thousand bullets in reloading.

 

[LiveLife]

Not always true about having to consider the "total final" price of your order. Things have changed a bit but during the last 6 months to 1 year, even though some vendors offered free shipping, their "total final" prices were actually lower than vendors who did not offer free shipping.

Companies like Rocky Mountain Reloading, TJ Conevera, UP Ammo Supply, Montana Gold Bullets provided lowest bullet cost for most of jacketed/plated bullets while offering free shipping ($50+ order for TJ Conevera, $44+ order for Up Ammo) when many other vendors raised their prices.

3rd Generation Shooting Supply offers $7.95 flat rate shipping and was one of few vendors who maintained low prices during the worst of the powder shortage.

Graf & Sons offers free shipping but charges $7.95 processing fee for each online order but since they offer comprehensive product lines, if you make a large enough combined purchase, processing fee becomes negligible, especially on sales items.

During the worst of the shortage, Powder Valley did not offer free shipping but had the lowest prices for many popular bullets like Berry's/Missouri/Zero, even when you factored in shipping.

As to lead bullets, both Dardas and Missouri offer 5% THR discount and when you factor the discount, pricing becomes very competitive for very good bullets, even when shipping is factored in. When many casters raised the bullet prices during the shortage, Z-Cast is one of few companies that did not raise the bullet price and still has the lowest prices even when shipping is factored in. Probably due to popularity, wait time has increased to 6-8 weeks but you can always place your order long before you need the bullets.


In recent months, many vendors have raised their prices so as many suggested, comparison shopping to include the "final total" prices will need to be done to determine which vendor offers lower prices. Here are the listing of vendors for your reference:

Bayou Bullets (Free shipping) - http://www.bayoubullets.net/9mm.html

Berry's MFG (Free shipping on $75+ orders) - http://www.berrysmfg.com/products-c2-Bullets.aspx

Gamaliel Shooting Supply (Free "standard shipping" on qualifying items over $50) - http://www.gamaliel.com/content/home.asp

Graf & Sons (Free shipping + $7.95 processing fee per order) - http://www.grafs.com/retail/index/index

Montana Gold Bullets (Free shipping) - http://montanagoldbullet.com/index.php/catalogsearch/result/index/?limit=all&q=bullet

Precision Delta bullets (Free shipping) - http://precisiondelta.com/

Rocky Mountain Reloading (Free shipping on all orders) - http://www.shop.rmrbullets.com/

Scheels Sports ($5 shipping on $50+ orders) - http://www.scheels.com/shop/SearchD...Page=true&pageView=image&searchTerm=reloading

TJ Conevera (Free shipping on $50+ brass/bullet orders) - http://www.tjconevera.com/

UP Ammo Supply (Free shipping/insurance on $44+ orders) - http://www.upammosupply.com/

X-Treme Bullets (Free shipping) - http://www.xtremebullets.com/In-Stock-Now-s/48075.htm

3rd Generation Shooting Supply ($7.95 flat rate shipping) - http://store.thirdgenerationshootingsupply.com/

Powder Valley - http://www.powdervalleyinc.com/

Dardas Cast Bullets (~16 BHN bullets - 5% THR discount promo code HIGHROAD) - http://www.dardascastbullets.com/mm...GY&Store_Code=dardas&Category_Code=OURBULLETS

Missouri Bullet Company (10/12/15/18/20 BHN bullets - 5% THR discount promo code THR-Original) - http://www.missouribullet.com/pricing.php

Z-Cast Bulletz (14-16 BHN bullets) - http://zcastbulletz.com/order.html

 

[Rico567]

^^^^^^

This is excellent and should be made a sticky.

 

[flgolfer29]

Lucky 13 Bullets Great customer service, low prices, and Free shipping.

http://lucky13bullets.com/

joe

 

[z7]

BDS thank you, looks like a great listing and as you stated, we still have to look around and compare, but with that list and explanation its a great start

 

[LiveLife]

I forgot to post Widener's offer free shipping on some of their bulk bullets - http://www.wideners.com/itemview.cfm?dir=278

And although Midsouth Shooters and Natchez don't offer free/flat rate shipping, do include them in your price comparison as often, their sales prices/promo prices are pretty good.

 

[oneounceload]

Always has free shipping.

TANSTAAFL

"Free Shipping" is NEVER free - you pay for it one way or another. With tight profit margins, no company can afford to eat 15% or more on shipping costs, so ALWAYS calculate the total cost to get it to your door.

 

[Otto]

Brownells has free shipping promotions on occasion. I ordered two sets of RCBS dies from them last month which was cheaper than any other online dealer.
Palmetto State Armory has free shipping promos as well.

 

[LiveLife]

So how do you explain why some vendors are able to sell bullets at lower prices with free shipping compared to other vendors who charge for shipping?

 

[flgolfer29]

oneounceload

TANSTAAFL

"Free Shipping" is NEVER free - you pay for it one way or another. With tight profit margins, no company can afford to eat 15% or more on shipping costs, so ALWAYS calculate the total cost to get it to your door.

bds

So how do you explain why some vendors are able to sell bullets at lower prices with free shipping compared to other vendors who charge for shipping?

^^^ this

joe

 

[Rule3]

There is no such thing as free shipping. It is built into the cost of the item.

Some places may sell the same item and have free shipping and still be less that others. They just got a better deal, have less over head or make less profit.

Midway us offering free shipping on almost all its Optics. You thing Larry is giving anything away free? The prices on many scopes are the MSRP , the same if you buy direct from say Nikon.

As others have said, bottom line delivered to you door, do the math,

I find most are pretty close and competitive. I like Wideners as they have good prices, fast shipping and just darn nice people to deal with.

 

[up 2 snuff]

Brass By Bill

One more for the list. I have found a few things at http://www.brassbybill.com. Mainly plinking bullets and once fired brass. It is a mom and pop shop, but they have great service. The prices are pretty good and they run sales. They don't try to make money on shipping and don't have handling fees. The owners respond very quickly to emails and requests. Good luck!

 

[dickttx]

On ALL orders of any significant amount I ALWAYS check all my normal sources and look for the lowest TOTAL cost. There is usually very little difference in the bottom line. Then the next step is to see who actually has all the items in stock. If you have an item backordered then the backorder shipping throws it out of the mix. And, if I buy a new press, I sure don't want to wait around for an appropriate shellplate. So that order goes to whoever has everything in stock.
Certain items I routinely order, because I like the product, and I know they are competitive in cost. (MBC and Starline)

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

You're ALWAYS paying for shipping and handling, whether it's covered by a separate S&H charge or covered by the profit margin of merchandise being sold by the company.

What matters is the bottom line cost to you when all is said and done.

 

[il.bill]

bds

Thanks for that list. I have it saved in a text file for future reference.

 

[oneounceload]

So how do you explain why some vendors are able to sell bullets at lower prices with free shipping compared to other vendors who charge for shipping?

If they are a manufacturer, they have streamlined their operating costs to be able to undercut their competition; if they are a seller only, they usually buy in larger bulk quantities than their competitor. NO company stays in business by losing money on a sale and shipping costs are (typically) about 15%. The average corporation makes roughly 8% after expenses (even those Big Oil companies), so eating 15% would really hurt.

 

[Kernel]

Natchezes has free shipping until midnight 4/14/14 with promo code EB471400. Some of the lowest prices around on reloading supplies (they eat Midway's breakfast, lunch, dinner) AND free shipping. Nice.

http://www.natchezss.com/