Is their any Homebrew stores that don't charge arm and leg for shipping?

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What do you consider an arm and a leg? Many places are under $10 flat rate if the total purchase is under $50 or so, and it's free shipping if the total purchase is over that amount.
 
i just shipped 25lb's of malt...it cost $70, for $6 worth of barley...maybe you should check if there are cheaper shipping options?
 
Many of them offer free shipping for orders above a certain minimum. Some offer reasonable flat rate shipping for orders under the minimum. But then, the prices may be all over the road.

Open a few browser tabs, load the shopping cart for your items at some different suppliers and see which one works out cheapest once shipping is added.
 
Do you have any homebrew supply stores local to you? I am lucky and have a couple near me so I've been throwing my support their way as if late.

I've noticed the big online shops do have decent shipping deals and are very reasonable for the most part given the climate we are in currently.
 
Shipping for grain can be expensive, and AFAIK, nobody includes 50 lb. bags in their free shipping. But with some (MoreBeer and Williams come to mind), you can order grain in 10 lb. bags covered under their free shipping. Need 50 lbs? Get 5x 10lb bags and it ships free if the minimum order amount is reached.

Other heavy items are often excluded in free shipping, like carboys, cases of bottles, etc.

I miss my old LHBS, which closed up a couple years ago. It was only 3 miles away--nice if I just wanted to pick up a few things. MW and NB are kind of close to me, about a 45 min drive to either if traffic is good, but not really practical for getting onesie-twosie items. I do online only now. I wait until I need $100 or so of supplies and check a few places for the best deal.
 
I have been buying most of my stuff from ritebrew.com. Shipping is actual cost for small things (dry yeast packages) and very reasonable for grain and heavier things- but I can't order a full sack of grain for that shipping price. I can order 2 25 pound amounts, but not 1 sack, if that makes sense, since it comes in two boxes then. I ordered quite a bit of stuff about two weeks ago, grain, yeast, beerline, and I think shipping was under $12.
 
My local homebrew store beats out the online stores. At least for base malt by sack. I'm wondering what's ahead with world dealing with shortages. China seems to have bought most of our corn crop for stuff not even harvested yet to feed their pig herds.
 
If you're looking for something specific, make sure to give credit to the online places that carry those specialized parts...as often their prices will be cheaper even factoring in shipping! If you buy 20 things and pay $20 for shipping, that's like saying, is it cheaper by a dollar than my LHBS for that same part?
Alternatively, I'd try to buy your sacks of grain at your LHBS to support them, and it'll be cheaper for you too unless you go in on a pallet with some friends from the mfr or a local brewery.
 
shipping is just part of commerce. across town or across the ocean...someone has to move it. And get paid every time it moves.

In the end all that matters is "total delivered price". Free shipping is not free. Those costs are factored into the price.

If you expect it for next to nothing do you yourself expect to get paid next to nothing for your own work/time as well?
 
Seems everyone has good points about where to buy. I have been watching shipping cost for 20 years as most of my customers are very keen on freight.

Shipping costs have increased significantly the past couple years. They are big on "dimensional weight" which is why a 6G PET carboy may not be free shipping, UPS and FedEx charge extra for the light and bulky items as they take more room... they want "x" dollars per cubic foot of truck. They also like small boxes that stack neatly. I don't discuss/bother with USPS, they piss me off.

The small profit on bulk grain coupled with the shipping company charging by weight density makes it impossible to ship for free. I was shocked to see what they do for a 50# sack of grain.

Shipping is "maximizing profits" per corporate standards. Maybe one day they will have legit competition, I imagine delivery drones will eventually put the proverbial boot in their rear.
 
I agree with @MaxStout that it's the order with shipping and the way to get that is to price some orders. My results may be skewed because I'm an extract brewer. I just checked and here's the price of 3 lbs. of Briess DME at the places mentioned:
Adventures in Home Brewing 13.64
Atlantic Brewing 11.99
Label Peelers 10.64
Northern Brewer 15.99
Ritebrew 9.19

Now that's quite a spread in pricing and some might have free shipping, but two of those, Atlantic Brewing & Ritebrew, do not carry Munton's DME, which is what I actually want. Label Peelers carries it at .15 for 3 lbs. more than Briess. Label Peelers does not have free shipping, but my last order (in November, 2020) had Munton's priced at 8.34 for 3 lbs. in a site wide sale. When totaled all up, Label Peelers saves me money. The down side is I feel I have to wait for the sales and difficulty getting the grains I would prefer for steeping. The only other place I've used recently (in a number of years) is Atlantic Brewing. I was happy with them, but I just like to use Munton's DME.

Edit: I did buy some hops from Steampunk Brew Works, which used to be St. louis Wine and Beer Making, a local shop.
 
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I do believe it is back to privately owned.. AB sold to Blackstreet Capital Holdings in 2019
Yes, I learned this when I also whined about "the evil empire" owning them on an HBT thread. So I have sympathy for @Brewbuzzard. I wound up ordering from Label Peelers when I quit ordering from Midwest Supplies. I had gotten upset by the pricing changes at Midwest and discovered that they had been bought by Northern Brewer. Northern Brewer was then bought by AB-InBev, a.k.a. "the evil empire." Northern Brewer and Midwest are now privately owned, technically separate, and now operate differently again, but I've not returned to ordering from Midwest.

BTW: Midwest 12.99
 
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Yes, I learned this when I also whined about "the evil empire" owning them on an HBT thread.

That is the exact way I learned about the ownership change! HA! luckily for me I live 20 minutes from either AIH locations in Michigan although I take advantage of free shipping where I can. I dont know the exact connection with Austin Homebrew but they ship from each-others location at times.
 
I suspect the shops are just as frustrated with shipping costs as you are; I sure am!

Since March of last year, the cost of shipping has just been going up and up, and now they're talking about even more dramatic increases thanks to the momentary gas situation. In my day job, I work with enough MBA types that I know that whenever there is an opportunity for a price increase, they'll build in extra to pad their own margins. I kind of doubt this is going on with most mom & pop stores, which is why I typically buy from those guys.

I mention that simply because I hope people will put that into their calculations for lowest price. Big shops buy big amounts, get bulk discounts, and get better freight rates. But a lot of them don't give you the kind of service you'll get from a smaller place. Just sayin'. :)

Rick
 
I suspect the shops are just as frustrated with shipping costs as you are; I sure am!

Since March of last year, the cost of shipping has just been going up and up, and now they're talking about even more dramatic increases thanks to the momentary gas situation. In my day job, I work with enough MBA types that I know that whenever there is an opportunity for a price increase, they'll build in extra to pad their own margins. I kind of doubt this is going on with most mom & pop stores, which is why I typically buy from those guys.

I mention that simply because I hope people will put that into their calculations for lowest price. Big shops buy big amounts, get bulk discounts, and get better freight rates. But a lot of them don't give you the kind of service you'll get from a smaller place. Just sayin'. :)

Rick
I agree wholeheartedly. I get everything I can from my local shop "HomeBrew Headquarters" in Richardson, Texas. They keep the shipping down as best they can to keep the prices more attractive to their customers. It's hard for them to compete with the big boys but they are the heart and soul of the home brewing community. They support the clubs, competitions, and brewers. I would hate to imagine life without them.
 
That is the exact way I learned about the ownership change! HA! luckily for me I live 20 minutes from either AIH locations in Michigan although I take advantage of free shipping where I can. I dont know the exact connection with Austin Homebrew but they ship from each-others location at times.


I'm pretty certain that they're owned by AIH. Jay bought them a number of years ago and moved down there for a time (maybe still lives there? I've not seen him in a long time!)

K
 
A lot of shops offer fixed-price shipping if you break a certain amount, or even free if you spend even more. Big, bulky, and heavy things are usually exempt from those policies. Check out Atlantic Brew Supply ($8 flat rate over $59) and HBYOB, (Free Shipping over $99) for example...
 
Morebeer is free over $59. 50lb sacks of grain don't qualify. But they sell most grain in 10lb packages that works out to just slightly more. Keeps the grain fresher anyway.
 
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