What is it with Midway's shipping prices?

[Monkeyleg]

Shipping is an issue that really gets under my skin. I hate to get to the checkout only to find that the shipping costs are outrageous.

On my online store I have free shipping on all items. At first glance it looks like many other online retailers are more expensive than I am, but when you add the shipping charges, my prices are usually lower.

Another thing that bugs me is bait-and-switch. If you search by price on Google Products for an EOTech 512, for example, you'll see that OpticsPlanet.net has them advertised for $359. But when you get to their site you see that the $359 price is for a model 511. There's a radio button you click and--surprise!--the 512 is actually $399, which is more expensive than my price.

I wish companies would be more honest.

 

[cracked butt]

I dunno, last time I ordered from Midway, my package gots its money's worth in vacation travel. It got to the Chicago in 1 day, then reversed course back to Missouri the next day, then hitched a ride to New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, then back to Chicago ,then to my doorstep 2 weeks after ordering it. Can't blame Midway for that fiasco though....


I just wish Midway would keep some items in stock. I only order if everthing I want is in stock at the same time- its been over a year since I placed an order with them.:banghead:

 

[Cannonball888]

Midway- $44 shipping on a $36 order

Probably still less expensive than Cheaper than Dirt

 

[Horsemany]

Even if the computer messed up and it should have only been $15.60 that's STILL twice what the other company charged to ship the same thing. Midway's got a real problem with how they do business the last couple of years. Many people feel they've been betrayed by a good company they helped to create. I've been a Midway customer since they had FREE shippng in the late 80's/early 90's. They used to have wholesale prices. Now they are more expensive than both my local Scheel's and Cabela's which are both housed in multi-million dollar buildings with considerable overhead. They have a real problem keeping things in stock so most orders I've tried in the last year I haven't followed through on since I don't want to be charged 2 or 3 times for their base $9.00 shipping. There's another long thread about this in "art of the rifle".

By the way I still remember the letter they sent out in the mid 90's stating they could no longer offer free shipping because people were abusing it by ordering small inexpensive items on an almost daily basis. Gunsmiths?

 

[Aguila Blanca]

I don't believe I have ever gotten as far as calculating shipping on the Midway site. I find their web site to be almost totally disfunctional, first off. Then, if I can get around all the "can't get there from here" navigation problems ... half of what I want isn't available anyway.

At that point I just give up, and order from Natchez Shooting Supply.

 

[MinnMooney]

Midway- $44 shipping on a $36 order

Did you order powder and/or primers to get the shipping/hazmat that high??? I order from Midway a lot and NEVER run into anything like what you're describing.

 

[ilbob]

My experience with Midway is that their s/h fees are somewhat higher than others, but not by that much.

They used to have eveything in stock, but laterly when i checked for stuff a lot of things are out of stock.

 

[19-3Ben]

I suspect a communist plot.

 

[coloradokevin]

My numbers didn't come out as high as the OP's, but I still think the shipping is getting ridiculous with a lot of online companies (to the point of being far more than it costs me to ship a comparable product by the same carrier, even with the fuel prices as high as they are).

Given that these companies are in the business of shipping products, I can only assume that they look at shipping as an additional revenue stream for their company.

You pay, one way or another.


I plugged numbers for two different Lee reloading dies that I've been meaning to pick up. Cabelas didn't carry either one the last time I checked (8mm Mauser, 45 GAP).

Midway:

8mm Mauser: $20.99
45 GAP: $25.99
Shipping: $19.40 (because one item was out of stock, and I'd have to pay shipping twice... since Midway is ALWAYS out of stock on a lot of stuff, this isn't an uncommon issue)

That gives me a total of: $65.88


Then I went to Lee Precision, knowing that they sell factory-direct. Prices there were just astronomical for the dies:

8mm Mauser: $32.98
45 GAP: $37.98
Shipping: appears to be $4

That totals to $74.96


I just wish I could find this stuff in one of our local stores. Sportsmans Warehouse and Bass Pro both have better prices than either of the websites I checked, once you factor in shipping (or even sticker price with Lee).

I've always had decent luck with Cabelas, but they don't carry the dies I'm looking for!

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

Never have had that kind of shipping charge from Midway ever---and I buy stuff from them at least every couple months.

Another place to look for hard to find reloading stuff is Graf's-----prices are so so but they do have a lot of obscure stuff.

 

[Flintlock Tom]

I agree that Midway has higher shipping prices, generally speaking, but they have my C&R FFL on file so I get the "Dealer prices". This saves me anywhere from 5% to 30% on some items.
Last week I ordered some small gun parts that came to about $40, the shipping was about $10.
If some items are out-of-stock, if I am not in a hurry, I just put it on my "Wish List" and when it comes in, I'll place an order.

 

[Water-Man]

They add on an additional $ 3.00 for orders under $ 25.00