Has anyone else noticed that Midway USA is now about the highest priced place around when it comes to shipping. I ordered a set of Burris rings and inserts last week and the shipping was 9.70. Ok that's high but no big deal because UPS is reliable and gets it here pretty quick. And living 30 miles from the nearest reloading store, and diesel fuel at 3.19 a gallon I figured I had no time invested and was proably saving a buck or two not driving to Rice Lake for supplies. The the shipping conformation came and the sent it U.S.P.S. parcel post. Now the damn things will be here sometime in the next three weeks if then. Or they will get delivered to one of the other farms around here and I may never see them. All for the small little cost of $9.60. So much for doing business with Midway!

That's nothing! Try ordering from Cheaper-Than-Dirt! They will ship from two different warehouses and charge you that amount twice!!!!!

Natchez is about the worst I've seen shipping wise.

I ordered a small 2-7 Browning scope from them a few weeks back and they charged me $15 shipping. I don't mind paying shipping but, I prefer to pay actual shipping and not a large "handling" fee.

Reloader

I don't object to paying the actual and reasonable shipping fee, I expect that as part of doing mail-order business.

I vehemently object to paying ANY amount of a so-called "handling fee." THAT is an understood function of any seller doing a mail order business. That's his choice so it's not my responsibility to cover it in a seperate fee for them! All that is to let them post phony costs of the items but make up for it on shipping, etc. Just not an honest way to do business, IMHO.

Quite a few mail orders dealers would do well to give away their merchandise and still get rich on the "shipping and handling" charges! Cheaper Than Dirt is one, Midway and Natchez are getting there.

quote:

THAT is an understood function of any seller doing a mail order business. That's his choice so it's not my responsibility to cover it in a seperate fee for them! All that is to let them post phony costs of the items but make up for it on shipping, etc.

I guess I look at it differently. I simply look at the total delivered cost. What I've found is places without handling and lower shipping have higher base prices. I don't really care how they want to slice the price up and what they call it. I just want the cheapest delivered price. They could sell it for $1 and charge a 50 handling if that got to me cheapest. Everylace is going to cover their cost and turn a profit they just do it differently.

Ramrod hit the nail on the head...

if you want low shipping fees, then contact either Grafs... they charge $5.95 flat rate.. but their product costs are usually higher, but what gets it there on the doorstep is my concerned bottomline...

then there is also Cabelas... they base their price on the dollar volume you order... if you order something for $10.00 they have like a $7.00 shipping fee...

however, you order $100.00 or more, their fee is only like $10.00.... and after $120.00 or so.. it is the flat $10.00 or $12.00....

I tend to shop several sources for an item...

but I tend to do more and more business with Grafs and Cabelas.. and less and less with Midway... and haven't done much with Natchez or Mid South for quite a while...

In all fairness fellow shooters ; What would it cost you to drive and pick it up or purchase it from a store closer to you ?.

Hey I'm NOT siding with any company ; I'm in Kommyfornia next to the really BIG Pond !. So don't tell me about shipping charges , as we all know where & who sells what is !.

I simply stopped to consider one day , someone had to take the order process it . Then someone else had to package the order and ship and insure it ( Box packing tape label ). Now someone else actually several people have to deliver it !.

So when you look at the overall picture well it's not so bad Huh ?.

I simply order as much as possible at one time to minimize the shipping sting !.

Shoot Straight Know Your Target . ...

"What would it cost you to drive and pick it up or purchase it from a store closer to you ?."

IF the few locals have what I want, that's what I do. But they, like Walmart, tend to stock what sells fastest and few of the slow turn over items are available. The best selection available is in Columbia, SC, Sportsman's Warehouse, and they are something like 110 miles away, one way.

I agree that the bottom line is what anything costs, shipping and "handling" included, and that's what I base my dealings on. But, a low base price with high "handling" is basically a scam and I resent that. Actual shipping is out of their hands but the inhouse costs are not. The sales price of products should reflect those inhouse costs, otherwise the listed price is irrelivant and misleading. I might find a price of $200 on an appliance at Lowe's and know that's $100 less than HomeDepot; a real deal, right? But, when the sale is rung up, I note they added $125 for "handling" the item! WRONG WAY TO DO BUSINESS!

Midway is not a good bet if you want one item. Order enough stuff & shipping isn't bad.

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Midway is not a good bet if you want one item. Order enough stuff & shipping isn't bad

Yep I agree. The one low priced item will nail you. What I have found is on the bottomline Grafs and Midway will be real close. Some items higher at each place. While Grafs is free shipping. They do charge $3.95 handling and require a minimum order of $30. Every place has their own issues.

I just never place a small order. I save up and make a seveal large purchases.

quote:

Originally posted by Joe Miller:
Has anyone else noticed that Midway USA is now about the highest priced place around when it comes to shipping. I ordered a set of Burris rings and inserts last week and the shipping was 9.70. Ok that's high but no big deal because UPS is reliable and gets it here pretty quick. And living 30 miles from the nearest reloading store, and diesel fuel at 3.19 a gallon I figured I had no time invested and was proably saving a buck or two not driving to Rice Lake for supplies. The the shipping conformation came and the sent it U.S.P.S. parcel post. Now the damn things will be here sometime in the next three weeks if then. Or they will get delivered to one of the other farms around here and I may never see them. All for the small little cost of $9.60. So much for doing business with Midway!

When I order from Midway they ask for MY shipping preference?? Priority Mail is the cheapest, most reliable and as quick as any (to Alaska ).

quote:

Originally posted by ramrod340:
[I guess I look at it differently. I simply look at the total delivered cost. What I've found is places without handling and lower shipping have higher base prices.

Exactly, somehow they incorporate the cost of teh packaging/shipping department into the price. Either base price or via a handling fee or sometimes both.

You can go to the post office and buy a priority box that has a very high weight limit, I think it is about 80#, for around $9. There are cheaper ones too. I bought 2 small items from Midway and it cost over $12 for shipping and handling. They should use the priority boxes.

I'm sure they do use the priority boxes and I would bet they get a break on those from the USPS. The part that burns me is I know they can ship for less that I can and instead they charge three times as much. It will be a cold day in the Congo before I order from them again.

I live half way up a mountain and postal service is not available, I have to go into town to the local P.O. While I can get delivery service from UPS, FE, and Dehl, I find it's cheaper to specify Priority Mail, and it arrives quicker too!

I have noticed lockstock.com... is pretty resonable. I will be ordering several Hornady items from the in the real near future...Anyone have any issues with them?

Midway is quite inflexible and very expensive for shipping....especially for me in Alaska.

Don't overlook your local shops--if the prices are close you can keep them in business so that you have a shop to go to when you need one locally.

If you recall, Midway used to do business very differently years ago....I think they shipped free on all but the smallest orders. (15 years ago, or so IIRC)

They've come full circle, but then so have I. Look for the combination of service and price that you want to do business with.

Cheers,

Dan

I was ordering once a week from Midway until they changed the shipping policy ~ 7 years ago.

I have switched to other suppliers as a result:
http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/
http://www.grafs.com/
http://www.lockstock.com/
http://www.sinclairintl.com/
http://www.wideners.com/
http://www.wholesalehunter.com/
http://www.westernbullet.com/
http://www.gardnerscache.com/
https://www.buffaloarms.com/


I was really pissed off at Midway for a while, but as the years go by, I think about them less and less.

Widener's is close enough to me that I do drive down there when I have a big order. Have to pay sales tax, but that beats shipping and hazmat if there's powder or primers involved.

I order pretty often from Midway. I usually order several things at once so shipping saves me money compared to sales tax.
I can see how paying $9.60 shipping for just 1 pair of rings would suck. But when I think about it, I at $3.20 a gallon for Diesel, $9.60 shipping would be cheaper than driving more than 30miles or so not including saving 8.375% sales tax.

No Company is perfect but Midway has been better than most for me.....................DJ

Although Midway give great service, inthat they ship out your purchase very quickly. I do try to find the item I am looking for locally first. I usually save a little by doing so, but there is a 6% sales tax here in Indiana.

I try to buy from my local suppliers even if it costs more because I appreciate them being there and having what I want when I want it. But then I am lucky to have local suppliers who basically have most of what I need.

While I usually chafe at shipping charges from any mail order or on line retailer, I don't find that Midway is more expensive on their shipping than any other seller than I do busniness with. By the time I figure the total price including shipping a lot of their prices are cheaper than Cabela's, Bass Pro, Amazon.com or other retailers.

When possible I usually support my local retailers but there are a lot of things that the local stores won't have.

quote:

Originally posted by Mort Canard:
..I don't find that Midway is more expensive on their shipping than any other seller than I do busniness with. By the time I figure the total price including shipping a lot of their prices are cheaper than Cabela's, Bass Pro, Amazon.com or other retailers.

That and $5 will get you coffee.
Cabela's gets too much of my money.

quote:

Originally posted by tnekkcc:

quote:

Originally posted by Mort Canard:
..I don't find that Midway is more expensive on their shipping than any other seller than I do busniness with. By the time I figure the total price including shipping a lot of their prices are cheaper than Cabela's, Bass Pro, Amazon.com or other retailers.

That and $5 will get you coffee.
Cabela's gets too much of my money.

If you're willing to pay $5 for coffee then there ain't a lot I can do for you!

quote:

Originally posted by Mort Canard:

If you're willing to pay $5 for coffee then there ain't a lot I can do for you!

I have never bought stock in Starbucks nor paid $5 for their cups of coffee, but that is the world we live in.
Some people do shop a Starbucks and some people do shop at Midway, that is the world we live in.

I called midway to order 2 boxes of sst's and they wanted 12.59 to ship them so i told them no well about a week later I needed forster dies so i called midway and asked how much the shipping would be with the 2 boxes of sst's also they said 12.59 so it was like shipping the dies for free.must be there minimum shipping fee

lockstock.com Harold & company are nice folks to deal with. I ordered a "free shipping" scope and with a phone call got several other small items included in the "free" box.

High handling fees are also secret restocking fees - try and recover them when something is unsatisfactory.

I'm not defending any of them, but if you've checked the cost of diesel fuel lately, you'd better get used to higher shipping charges. Most of the bigger shippers get discounts, we don't.

It costs just as much to ship one small item as several larger items for most shippers, so you need to "stack" your orders or just do without until you've got something else you need with it. One example, when you do order, don't order just one set of scope rings, get two or three for the type guns you use. You'll need them sooner or later, and in effect, one set is nearly free because of the shipping charges.

OTOH, Graf's throughly pisses me off, they say, "compare prices, our shipping is free, etc." Well, it isn't free, they have that $5.95 (I think, been a while and it pissed me off so much I forget the exact amount) handling charge on there. Free is free, charges aren't free. I hate being mislead. For that reason, they are my LAST choice when ordering AND I will pay MORE from someone else than order from them, all charges considered.

Unlike several in here, I've found Natchez charges to be very reasonable, but I'm usually ordering some quantity of stuff.

Finally, as mentioned, count the costs of gas or diesel, your time, and state taxes, and nearly all of them are dirt cheap compared to going and getting it yourself.

I support my local gun shop and buy from him often if he has it in stock even if it costs me quite a bit more and it usually does when you factor in taxes which, of course, he has no control over.

quote:

Originally posted by Gatogordo:
I support my local gun shop and buy from him often if he has it in stock even if it costs me quite a bit more and it usually does when you factor in taxes which, of course, he has no control over.

Well, actually he does. The local guy can decrease his prices enough to cover the sales tax & get you to buy from him instead of MO. The loacal guys around here charge full retail. By the time you add the tax & gas to drive there, I catually save money ordering from someplace like PV.

I don't think Midway's shipping charges are any higher than anyone else I've recently done business with.

Couple months ago I received a 32# box from Midway. Shipping was $15.81, which IMO is very reasonable. But then I never have just one or two items in an order.

quote:

Originally posted by seafire2:
Ramrod hit the nail on the head...

if you want low shipping fees, then contact either Grafs... they charge $5.95 flat rate.. but their product costs are usually higher, but what gets it there on the doorstep is my concerned bottomline...

then there is also Cabelas... they base their price on the dollar volume you order... if you order something for $10.00 they have like a $7.00 shipping fee...

however, you order $100.00 or more, their fee is only like $10.00.... and after $120.00 or so.. it is the flat $10.00 or $12.00....

I tend to shop several sources for an item...

but I tend to do more and more business with Grafs and Cabelas.. and less and less with Midway... and haven't done much with Natchez or Mid South for quite a while...

What I object to about shipping fees based on the cost of the merchandise is thatr it is inequitable-a $500.00 item can be smaller and lighter than something that costs $20.00 - why the hell should you have to pay more to have it shipped?? It'sa maka no sense to me.....

I fired off anasty email to midway after not placeing my last order because of shipping costs. I ordered two front sight blades for a ruger superredhawk. They where almost 20 bucks apiece so I meet their mininium so no special fee was charged. They wanted 8.63 to ship two fricking sightblades. Lets see but them in an evelope with two stamps on the damn thing. They emailed me back stating they figure shipping based on weight and size of package. Well guess what shipping is for two boxes of 50 hornady xtp 325 grain 475 bullets. Yep 8.63. I brought this to their attention guess what I never got an explanation as too why this was. So midway only gets my business if they sell something noone else has or they have real good sale that is still a sale after adding shipping.

I called Lock Stock and Barrel on Tuesday and ordered two boxes of bullets. The person answering the phone was intelligent.

That will never happen at Midway.


The US mail large box charge was $10.50.
That is the same price I would pay at the post office.
The box arrived two days later on Thursday.


Midway would never do that.
How could Midway gouge me on shipping with that deal?

No extra "screw me" fee.
Midway would never pass up a "screw me" fee.


And before the shipping screwing starts, Midway wants more for the bullets.

quote:

Originally posted by fredj338:

quote:

Originally posted by Gatogordo:
I support my local gun shop and buy from him often if he has it in stock even if it costs me quite a bit more and it usually does when you factor in taxes which, of course, he has no control over.

Well, actually he does. The local guy can decrease his prices enough to cover the sales tax & get you to buy from him instead of MO. The loacal guys around here charge full retail. By the time you add the tax & gas to drive there, I catually save money ordering from someplace like PV.

Fred:

With all due respect, it pretty obvious you've never run a small business. Most of these guys are in the gun business because they like it, not because they're making a killing. If you backed out the usual state/local sales tax of 8% plus on everything they sold then they would either be working for less than minimum wage or go under or both. Truth it, it isn't fair for them to have to collect sales taxes and internet sales not be subject to the same situation, but that's the way it is. Yep, no doubt you can usually save money by ordering off the net, but I like being able to visit my local gun shops and without my and others support, they won't be there. Think about it.

I've never had issue with the shipping charges from Midway, but I haven't ever placed a "small" order with them! I work for a small distribution business, and we use UPS as our primary shipper, so it's given me a leg-up when other companies try to screw me over on shipping charges. $10 for a set of scope rings sounds a little high unless it's from one end of the country to the other...

quote:

Originally posted by mike7mm08:
I fired off anasty email to midway after not placeing my last order because of shipping costs. I ordered two front sight blades for a ruger superredhawk. They where almost 20 bucks apiece so I meet their mininium so no special fee was charged. They wanted 8.63 to ship two fricking sightblades. Lets see but them in an evelope with two stamps on the damn thing. They emailed me back stating they figure shipping based on weight and size of package. Well guess what shipping is for two boxes of 50 hornady xtp 325 grain 475 bullets. Yep 8.63. I brought this to their attention guess what I never got an explanation as too why this was. So midway only gets my business if they sell something noone else has or they have real good sale that is still a sale after adding shipping.

I have never forgiven Midway. Once I bought two sets of Lee dies from them, (yeah, I know!) and about a day after they arrived, Midway started a special deal. If you bought a set of Lee dies from them, they'd throw in one of those real basic Lee single stage presses for another ten bucks. Thinking such a contraption might work for seating bullets, I asked them for the same deal, since I had just bought two sets of dies from them. Guess what?? This deal only applies to dies you buy today, not yesterday or the day before yesterday! Now, I figure it would have cost Midway maybe $2.00 to send me the cheapie press and have a happy customer...HELLNO!

I generally buy from Graf's instead these days......