i added 4 rotors and 2 sets of pads to my shopping cart for the wife's rendezvous. all shipping from the same location, and the shipping cost is $58.67 for ground shipping? give me a freaking break. you know it costs $30 tops, and you are boosting your bottom line and advertising low low low prices by pumping them back up with inflated shipping charges.
i'm going local. i long for the days when rockauto's shipping rates were fair and i bought everything from them.
Are you including just the shipping costs for UPS, or are you including their handling and packaging charges?
I was looking to throw some rotors on Pa's Grand Marquis and it was cheapest to go RockAuto with shipping than driving over to my local Auto Zone.
That's why I don't shop RockAuto anymore either. The shipping & handling per item is ridiculous.
FYI - Summit now carries "regular" car items like that. Still only $10 S&H per order, no matter how big, where to, or what's in it. Saved me $50 over RA on drums for the Javelin.
I don't get how you guys are having all this trouble with Rockauto. I've bought thousands of dollars worth of parts from them with no goofy shipping costs.
I don't order heavy items like rotors, drums and starters because the shipping cost makes it cheaper to buy locally.
A gas tank that costs $150.00 with $20.00 shipping? I'm all over that.
Shawn
I just hate getting dicked around with shipping from warehouse A, B, and C. That just annoys the piss out of me.
Anti-stance wrote: I just hate getting dicked around with shipping from warehouse A, B, and C. That just annoys the piss out of me.
This is my biggest peave with RA too. I would do a lot more business with them if not for that. That, and the letter designation of the individual warehouses are not fixed. (So if you have 2 items from warehouse A, and want to order something else from a different warehouse, when you put it in Your cart, the new item might ir might not be listed as coming from warehouse B, it might be listed as warehouse A, changing the designation of the other warehouse to B. Its very annoying. )
OTOH, I've developed a good relationship with the local Napa store, and they sell parts to me at wholesale price. Its usually close enough to mail order prices to make it worth while.
One of the side benefits of working retail repair, is the parts houses will sell to me for wholesale, just like they would for the shop.
But given my affinity for German car I still buy most of my stuff from GermanAutoparts.com. Their parts quality has been so on point over the years and shipping is always literally what shipping costs. And coming from upstate NY to DE its like next day shipping for the cost of ground.
When you look at items if there is a truck logo next to the item then it is available at the same warehouse as items already in cart. You can also click "choose for me to minimize cost" and it will select items from that part that are available from the same warehouse.
I always include them in my shopping around for parts I can wait on. I have found going local to be cheaper in some cases others not so much.
I only buy RA when parts, S&H are way lower than local... and I can afford to wait a few days for delivery. And a lot of the time they are.
I've gotten really good at Advance Auto coupon codes. Since I can order now and go pick it up in a few minutes, I usually use that method unless Rock Auto can provide better value.
In reply to Derick Freese:
This except during the week i cant really get to a store.
I AM picking up a new Miata battery for $65 including tax from them tomorrow morning though.
I go to Rockauto first but price check my local Oreilly's and Autozone, both of which are not half bad service wise, as well as Amazon (I have access to Prime shipping.) Most of the time Rockauto wins.
I started checking Amazon for pars. Every now and again, you can find an awesome deal there. I got brake rotors for the wife's Element for $15 each with free shipping.
Well, you had rotors shipped. That's your problem. They weigh a little bit. I know UPS charges a bunch extra if your parcel is over 70 lbs. I'd say 4 rotors and a set of pads for anything but a subcompact are going to weigh over 70 lbs.
DuctTape&Bondo wrote: I go to Rockauto first but price check my local Oreilly's and Autozone, both of which are not half bad service wise, as well as Amazon (I have access to Prime shipping.) Most of the time Rockauto wins.
I look at Rockauto and all of the McParts store pricing on the internet and determine where I am gonna buy from. I also check out Amazon on occasion.
It does also matter whether I need the parts or want the parts and how badly.
I use autopartswarehouse.com for brakes, it's free shipping for orders over $50. I've placed a few orders with them so far and have been pleased.
Derick Freese wrote: I've gotten really good at Advance Auto coupon codes. Since I can order now and go pick it up in a few minutes, I usually use that method unless Rock Auto can provide better value.
If the stuff I am buying is more than $30 or so, I will order it all on my phone while I am in the store, go up and set it down on the counter, and tell them I just picked the newest internet order for them.
Josh wrote:Derick Freese wrote: I've gotten really good at Advance Auto coupon codes. Since I can order now and go pick it up in a few minutes, I usually use that method unless Rock Auto can provide better value.If the stuff I am buying is more than $30 or so, I will order it all on my phone while I am in the store, go up and set it down on the counter, and tell them I just picked the newest internet order for them.
Ditto!
I bought out their entire selection of D.E.I heat management products two weeks ago like this. Walked out with it all for a whopping $80. It was a good $150 worth of merchandise.
Just got a brand new Miata battery last night from Advance for $65 out the door, and i'm about to order a set of Rancho RS9000XL shocks for the Jeep for about $300 for the whole set.
They have a decent tool selection as well which isn't priced very well, but becomes very well priced if you know your discounts. I'm also probably going to start buying -AN fittings from them.
I just did brakes on my mom's old Subaru wagon, and for front pads, both front rotors, and shipping it was less than $35 from Rockauto. Locally the rotors were $22 a piece and the pads were $12 or so. So even with shipping I saved over $20.
I think every parts retailer has some sort of loss leaders. My 02 wrx's radiator died last night. Calling around locally, prices range from $135 to $245, Each of those options would need it dropped to the store, meaning I'd have it tomorrow or the next day. Rock auto ranges from $97 to 127 plus $14 economy shipping, meaning I have the part in 5-6 business days. If I want it this week, then shipping will be at least $50.
The least expensive was a chain affiliated with Federated parts, tied with one that sells auto value. Napa was mid range. Advance was the most expensive.
For what it is worth, I think $14 is reasonable shipping costs for a radiator, given it's size and fragile nature. However, I don't like the risk of relying on a shipping company to get it to my door undamaged, combined with the extra time shipping. Especially when I can buy it locally and inspect the part before walking out the door.
In beer terms, I basically have to give up a twelve pack of good beer to have the radiator before this weekend.
Now if Rock auto shipped parts with beers from around the country.......they'd be making money hand over fist.
My momma told me: You better shop around.
It isn't just RA. I was shopping for a CTS-V oil pan and a few other misc pieces and GMpartsdirect.com had it at a great price. I got to the checkout, put my zip in for estimated shipping and they wanted $66 for UPS ground + S/H.
I read further down and they have a disclaimer that North Carolina residents must pay sales tax. I assume that puts their HQ in NC. I live in SC and they wanted $66 to ship a cast aluminum oil pan and a few other small parts to an adjoining state.
I did shipping for a gas line survey company and was in charge of calculating what we would charge the customer. It seemed a bit high, but my boss didn't give a E36 M3 because the gas companies would pay it.
I would ship something to them that weighed half a pound via UPS Ground. The cheapest it would cost us was roughly $5. Going by our shipping and handling charge on top of that, I would have to add $11.50 if it was under $1000 worth of merchandise and $16.50 if it was over $1000 worth of merchandise. So if you, as our customer bought a screw that cost $.10, I would have to charge you the actual shipping charge($5) plus the $11.50, making your $.10 screw cost you $16.60. Companies would pay it.
(No one ever just bought a $.10 screw, but they would buy a $2 part and pay the $16.50 in shipping)
92CelicaHalfTrac wrote:Josh wrote:Ditto! I bought out their entire selection of D.E.I heat management products two weeks ago like this. Walked out with it all for a whopping $80. It was a good $150 worth of merchandise. Just got a brand new Miata battery last night from Advance for $65 out the door, and i'm about to order a set of Rancho RS9000XL shocks for the Jeep for about $300 for the whole set. They have a decent tool selection as well which isn't priced very well, but becomes very well priced if you know your discounts. I'm also probably going to start buying -AN fittings from them.Derick Freese wrote: I've gotten really good at Advance Auto coupon codes. Since I can order now and go pick it up in a few minutes, I usually use that method unless Rock Auto can provide better value.If the stuff I am buying is more than $30 or so, I will order it all on my phone while I am in the store, go up and set it down on the counter, and tell them I just picked the newest internet order for them.
It'd be nice if we had Advance out where I live, I'd love to take advantage of some of their codes.
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