Midway USA foolishness

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Legionnaire said:
That's why I keep a wish list at Midway. Stuff I'd like but don't need immediately goes on the list. I wait to place an order until something I want is on sale or they feature free shipping. A combined order will often get me over their free shipping threshold. Still, gotta check other retailers including Amazon before hitting that "Place My Order" button.
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^^ THis
 
Midway... part cost, $6.95. Total $15.85 ...$8 shipping.

Wilson... part cost, $6.95. Total, $7.37......$0 shipping.

I get things have gone up and all, but to charge $8 for something that could go in an envelope for the cost of a first class stamp? Thats more than just a tad excessive. And why they lost the sale. ;)
 
As a future reference I would try calling them? Ask, ''I see your shipping charges as Mr. Computer figures it, but how much to put it in an envelope & mail it.''

A plus if they lookup your name acct etc. , and see you've ordered in the past with any frequency. ''Can I get a little consideration here'' never hurt anybody to ask!
 
I called and asked about one of their scope deals one time. They had a pretty good deal at the time on the scope, with a free ($100) scope mount.

I ordered one, and then though about it, and went back to order another, and of course, they were already "back ordered".

I called and asked if I the order now, on back-order, would I still get the deal and mount for free. They told me that if it came in before the deal was up, Id get it. If it came in after, no. I asked when they thought it might come in, the day after the deal was over.

Dont get me wrong here, over the past couple of decades, Ive ordered a TON of stuff from them. In the past, they were much more reasonable with the shipping, and how they packed things was better too. It just seems too, in the past few years, things have just gone downhill a lot, and more often than not now, unless its one of their rare "smoking" deals, or I cant find it anywhere else and need it, I end up giving the money to someone else.
 
Here's a possibility if you're dealing with a small flexible outfit on shipping... Ask them to consider postal Priority Mail boxes instead, if the items being shipped aren't firearms, ammo, or other HAZMAT items... Much much cheaper, relatively quick shipping - well worth a try... I get most of my fishing and boat supplies (nothing like towing a skiff 20,000 miles a year to wear out this or that...) that way if possible. Outfits like UPS or FedEx have relatively high rates - while the post office (if it fits it ships in three different sized boxes...) is actually relatively reasonable still. Since I also make items and ship them to my customers as well, those Priority Mail boxes are my first choice when I'm the shipper.. .
 
I've been a Midway customer for several years and I'm mostly happy with them. They did go through a time where their packaging methods sucked. And I agree that smaller parts could be mailed cheaper.

Like the others have said, there are smart ways to shop. And you need to know the market to some extent. Like I know that Powder Valley will always be cheaper on powder and primers. I watch for free shipping notices, often buy small items to put me up to the free shipping amount, watch for sales, ect.

I made an order a few weeks ago and it arrived in 2-1/2 days.
 
I don’t buy as much from them as I use to , but it looks like their shipping prices have gone down from the past to me . Their packaging is still bad , but they have always made it right without a hassle when something is damaged . I ordered something recently and it wasn’t packaged properly , but my item wasn’t damaged this time . I still called them and let them know how carelessly my order was packaged . If it is an employee problem I figure they would want to know . I also try to wait for free shipping . As far away as I live from a gun store , $20 dollar shipping would probably be cheaper than me driving if they had what I was looking for and take half a day of my time . Then I would probably stop somewhere to eat and spend another 15 to 20 dollars , but it would be a fun day .
 
My general experience with Midway goes as such…

1. find item I need that’s out of stock elsewhere
2. Add other stuff for free shipping
3. Wait weeks to receive packages (it never all comes together)
4. Get items after I change my mind about what I’m gonna do or have found another way to do what I wanted to.

So slow that I change my mind. It’s hard to keep ordering.
 
WrongHanded said:
I like Midway USA. I just understand that they are not Amazon. When I buy from them, I buy enough to justify the higher shipping costs, or push myself over the threshold for free shipping. I can always justify more ammo, magazines, or bullets.
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I've been buying stuff from Midway for 30+ years... back when you had to give the 6-digit stock number to the nice lady on the phone. Yes, I think their shipping prices are a bit high, but it's like everything else... there are no absolutes. Sometimes you get a good deal, sometimes you have to pay for the convenience of them having it in stock... it's just the way it is, and Midway is not alone.

I do take issue with Midway's shipping department, however.... their packaging flat out SUCKS. I have had items damaged in shipping on more than one occasion because of poor packaging, and if I order bulk bullets, it's even money that the box will be broken open by the time I get it.
 
When Larry's kids took over Midway things changed. They used to have a "fair and honest" shipping or some such thing. That went away. They stopped honoring home FFLs as well. They told me directly on the phone if my "shop" wasn't separate from my home, they will no longer honor my FFL.

I'm not a Midway fan.

On the other hand, I've been dealing with Brownells since 1995. I used to get the big catalog and lay on the floor and go through it like the Sears catalog and daydream. They are a good company.
 
What I hate is when they ship UPS first, goes to my post office next, then me. To me thats an unnecessary extra day's wait. Not every time tho. This week the order was for 2 little dies. UPS then USPS then me. Shipping was free tho.
 
I’m a big fan of flat rate shipping or when companies off free shipping for orders after a certain amount. I prefer when things are simple and transparent.
 
This is not Midways fault , but my mailbox is 2 miles from my house on the main road and my road , on a post with 10 other mailboxes . On a recent order of a blackpowder revolver I chose the higher shipping option , UPS to be delivered to my door . UPS delivered it to the mailbox .
 
I’m no fan of Midway because of unacceptable customer support concerning a lost shipment (basically told me that I was on my own to find it), but high shipping costs from all vendors are prohibitive. I didn’t follow through on a recent purchase of a sight rail because the shipping was $29.00. I found the rail at another vendor who offered “free shipping” even though the item was a few dollars more. They shipped it priority mail and the higher price I’m sure covered the mailing cost. I wish that more would offer to mail small parts in padded envelopes instead of loosely boxing them and charging ups or FedEx prices.
 
I shipped an item UPS the other day that would have fit in a USPS Large Flat Rate box for $120.

Someone else was paying for the shipping and they insisted on UPS.

Freight isnt getting any less expensive but its not like the vendors cant shop around.
 
earlthegoat2 said:
Freight isnt getting any less expensive but its not like the vendors cant shop around.
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It is time consuming for someone who ships in the volume that Midway does to 'shop around' for less expensive shipping options. They usually strike up a deal with one major shipper for their volume shipping, at a discount, and use other methods at full pop if it's necessary. It would be nice if they would put a little more thought into how they are packaging up things, however.
 
Part of the issue is our impatience. We want everything in two days. I remember back in the day when you ordered something off the back of a cereal box or even an Outdoor/Gun Rag, the disclaimer was "six to eight weeks". I remeber ordering a Shakespeare"Super Necedah" bow and two dozen wooden arrows from Cabela's when their catalog was just a 35 page black and white pamphlet. It took over a month to get the catalog ordering it from the back of an Outdoor Life and over a month to get the bow and arrows after mailing a money order in. Even then tho, there was "postage and handling" of $5.95, iffin I remember correctly. Midway is like Cabela's, Amazon and other large online retailers. They build a large loyal customer base, have to expand, build new fancy buildings and warehouses, have to pay their loyal employees well and give them good benefits, and on top, have to pay UPS and FED-ex so they can do the same. In the case of Midway and the Wilson parts, Midway has paid Wilson a profit on the part, plus paid to have it shipped to them. Wilson can afford to pay to ship small parts because of the profit they make selling at retail and not wholesale. They have cut out the "middle man".
 
trackskippy said:
Midway... part cost, $6.95. Total $15.85 ...$8 shipping.

Wilson... part cost, $6.95. Total, $7.37......$0 shipping.

I get things have gone up and all, but to charge $8 for something that could go in an envelope for the cost of a first class stamp? Thats more than just a tad excessive. And why they lost the sale. ;)
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Did Wilson put the part in a plain #10 envelope with a single stamp on the front? I'm guessing no because a sear spring with zero packing would make that envelope lumpy enough to not feed through flat envelope sorting machinery. Which would mean that Wilson paid a few bucks for a padded envelope and shipping costs, which probably ate up the profit on the part. I guess Wilson might see it as a loss leader.

Reminds of supplies that customers order from the company I work for. When a salesman can deliver it, we don't charge shipping because he can turn it into a sales call. But as soon as we have to pay another company to deliver it, shipping charges get tacked on. Which usually causes some bitchin' from the customer that wants free delivery, but not the sales call. We simply can't suck up shipping costs in competitively priced commodity items.

It's hard to return to the golden days of internet shopping when shipping was always free and no taxes were charged.
 
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I haven't got the spring yet. Ive ordered small stuff from them before and Im pretty sure it came in a padded envelope.
 
EMC45 said:
I used to get the big catalog and lay on the floor and go through it like the Sears catalog and daydream.
Click to expand...

I really miss the catalogs, both from Brownells and Midway. It's a lot more fun than going through multiple webpages, especially for those times when you're looking for random inspiration or just don't want to stare at the screen anymore. I just contacted Midway a few days and asked if they still did any catalogs. "We haven't published a catalog since 2012" was the reply, and I said gee that's funny because I'm looking right now at a Midway reloading catalog that was printed in 2019 (maybe it was 2017). I forget how many pages it was but it was over an inch thick. I still have my Brownells catalog #53 for 2000-2001 right next to me. 444 numbered pages. Guess it's time to toss it at this point.

Another beef I have with Midway is if you place a backorder there's no way to cancel it! I got a Uberti cap and ball revolver last year and thought a spare cylinder would be nice to have, but it was backordered. After several months I decided I could use the money more than the spare cylinder, but could not cancel the backorder. Weeks later I got the cylinder and had to pay shipping to send it back for a refund, so we both probably lost money on the sale.

I still like them, but don't have quite the same warm feeling I used to about Midway.
 
I buy a lot of stuff from Sportsman's Guide where every order over $49.95 is free shipping. I'm a member too, so that's an automatic discount also. If my order's under $49.95 I just a box or two of ammunition to get the free shipping. I'm wary of low cost ammunition that suddenly get's expensive when you add the shipping charges.
 
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