Overseas Freight Charges - particularly to Australia

[JohninKuranda]

Some info for Forum readers not in the US and hit by high freight costs.

Despite some negative feedback regarding Macs, I have started to use their services again. The reason for this is a fundamental shift in their overseas pricing structure. They are now using a freight service called i-parcel and their shipping rates have dropped considerably. If the freight is over US$28 they will contact you; unlike other vendors who basically say we will charge what we charge - very much a leap of faith on the purchasers behalf.

As a comparison I purchased two similar items - one from Snyders and a second from Macs. Synders charged US$45 freight and handling and it took 3+ weeks to arrive. Macs charged US$28 freight and handling; it was online trackable and here in Australia the package was also trackable through Australia Post when it hit our fair shores, and best of all, the package arrived in 10 days.

Cheaper freight is always a pleasure and is a decider in selection of vendor; I am now on my third parts purchase from Macs under their new freight structure.

Cheers
John

[Curt Campbell]

Good for you! I know you guys get reamed on freight. Nice to know a vendor gives a damn about that.

[Hoogah]

Originally Posted by JohninKuranda

I am now on my third parts purchase from Macs under their new freight structure.

Cheers
John

....and going by your avatar, there'll be plenty more!!
P.S. Kuranda is a pretty nice part of the world - good spot for testing out your brakes!

[pooch]

Some US vendors don't care one hoot about postage costs if you don't demand a prior shipping quote.

We get a rude shock when a huge box turns up stuffed with a cubic foot of waste paper, and the paper is not for protection either, just to get rid of any old boxes and rubbish .

[dave in australia]

Wait until you order some heavy stuff. I looked at buying a C/B crank. It ended up being cheaper to buy from Keith at Henry's Parts. Had to wait a bit, but as I ordered 5, the freight would have killed me. The price ended up being equivalent to cost plus a very modest retail and handling mark up. I usually try Keith first, then look at O/Seas.

[Wagga A'er]

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Sam at Arizona Model A only charges the standard rate per US Post package. He is a great guy and the parts arrive very quickly. Highly recommended

[ian Simpson]

Last fall I ordered $40 worth of small parts for one of our collector cars that would have easily fit in a padded 8 x 10 envelope. They showed up in a large box that cost me $60 to ship. The vendor refused to use US Mail. I refuse to use that vendor again.

To pour salt on the wound, the shipping company billed me $13 extra for taxes and brokerage fees.

For that car, I now buy from Europe where they appear to understand the value of repeat customers.

[pooch]

Originally Posted by dave in australia

Wait until you order some heavy stuff. I looked at buying a C/B crank. It ended up being cheaper to buy from Keith at Henry's Parts. Had to wait a bit, but as I ordered 5, the freight would have killed me. The price ended up being equivalent to cost plus a very modest retail and handling mark up. I usually try Keith first, then look at O/Seas.

Yep, I second that, Keith is a good guy.

[JohninKuranda]

Originally Posted by pooch

Yep, I second that, Keith is a good guy.

I agree - I usually get most of my Model T stuff from Keith - the Model A stuff not so much.

[colin1928]

John just had the same thing with macs got some parts for flathead and shipping was 1/3 what it was 6 months back (when I swore off them) for much the same items
hope it stays like this
Colin

[JohninKuranda]

Originally Posted by 2rosella

John,
What you said about Mac's does not sit right with me.
Reason is that I required the following from Mac's:
1ea Part Number 28-22600-1 Pitman Arm Bolt & Nut set @ $2.75ea.
2ea Part Number 28-22599-1 Pitman Arm Steering Ball Stud @ $6.50ea.
Then asked them a quote for freight which came back as $70.14 !!!!! which is unbelievable. I queried this freight with them and they confirmed that freight will be $70.14. This was on September the 9th this year.
So you must be a special customer maybe ?
Rob.
PS I have just received a shipment from another vendor from USA and have just sent them a please explain with their method of freight to Australia. I will post that problem tomorrow for all to see.

No one special - but I do always make sure I am logged in to my account before starting any ordering and I always make sure I check the line that says - If costs exceeds this you will be contacted - $28.00

[pooch]

With some of the shipping quotes from USA, sometimes I think it would be better to jump on a cheap flight and get a few orders off friends for small parts and bring it back as carry on and bagged luggage and have a bit of a short holiday too .

Seems funny when we can buy small bits from China and it comes as free post , and the same part which has gone from China to USA to then to here needs a bank mortgage to pay for the shipping .

[pooch]

Some costs in USA are fantastic.

Like us looking thru a model A catalogue and seeing the prices of parts, it is like us looking thru a 1980/s catalogue , (and without the GST tax ), to see a bag of 100 stainless bolts for maybe 9 bucks is like christmas to us, we would pay 6 or more times that amount here .

But there are some ripoffs are in USA too, last motorhome trip we did, we got a flat tyre, renters don't supply a jack or wheelbrace, had to ring for service.

A guy shows up in a ute with a wheelbrace, a jack, a tension wrench and a compressor .

He changes the tyre in about 15 minutes, the bill .........$135 wowwww, one and a half hours at $90 an hour , for a semi -skilled tyre jockey.

Glad I wasn't paying the bill.

[Roadster62]

Could someone please explain what eBay tacks on to their "Global Shipping" feature? It sounds good as a seller, items get mailed to a site in Kentucky for the USA flat rate, them they get shipped from ther overseas. Are the boxes opened and inspected, re packed/ Just what happens? Bob .............I knoe a person to person postal rate is cheaper in most cases.

[Hicktick]

The guys on the Packard forum go in together on a container and have it shipped when full .

I think they shipped after Hershey last year as some came to go and had lists from others .

[pooch]

Can anyone here recommend a post-on service that is fair and honest?

Some vendors and private sellers advertise to ship to the lower 48 free .

Then the post-on does an honest business to ship it to Australia etc.

[quickchange]

We ship to NZ by the cubic meter with Mainfreight , Freight price is good its just all the internal charges at the port that costs the $$$, Maybe you guys across the ditch can buy from us at a reasonable rate but then again that could be double freight , Can mail you prices if you wish [email protected] Have tons of used as well as new parts, Had parcels from drakes in big boxes & all packaging , You must ask to consolidate the order when ordering from the US

[JohnLaVoy]

I met the new owner's of MACs at SEMA last year. They are a conglomerate of parts vendors and probably have contracts with various shipping companies for foreign shipments. Good to know they pass the savings along to the customer. I was curious how the new ownership would do with MACs glad to hear they seem to be fitting into the Model A family well.

[CarlG]

Originally Posted by 2rosella

OK,
I had received some items from a vendor in the USA, I won't mention their name but the company rhymes with "Rider".
It was for some small items and 2 spark rods. The length of the spark rods are about 31 inches, but the carton the goods came in was a whopping 54 inches with so much packing at each end to take care of the empty space. Because of this length USPS would not take to ship to Australia so the vendor said that they had to ship FEDEX. Total cost of the freight bill was US$122 !
I had a carton ship by the same vendor a few months ago which was much smaller, more weight & the spark rods could have easily been packed inside, that was shipped by USPS for only US$60.
I got Ripped Off on this one ! I'm not impressed !!

I've had similar experiences with this same vendor shipping to Alaska. Even when things would fit in a "flat-rate" USPS box, they ship them in a much larger box, grossly overpacked as described above.

Having said that, MOST of the time, they do a fairly good job of packing and following my instructions to ship USPS flat-rate. There have been several times that I have been burned, and complaints to management do no good at all.

I still use them as one of my primary sources, just knowing that I may get burned on the freight from time to time.

OH, and they aren't the only one. Shipping to Alaska seems to parallel what the guys down south are dealing with.

[RUNNERBUN]

Yes, I have also been caught in paying inflated postage cost for empty box space. Now I always ask for a firm postage and handling quote before confirming an order. Applies to retail as well as Ebay sellers. If I don't receive a firm quote (or it will be about $??) I just move on. That way I don't get any unpleasant surprises.
Obviously, if you are looking at purchasing an item of large cubic size and the item vale is low, the postage value will appear completely out of proportion in which case your only option is to grin and bear it,buy locally or go without.