Midwest Shipping

[Diver165]

Anyone else got sticker shock from Midwest Supplies shipping? I went to order some extras (dry yeasts, and a very small container of sodium benzonate) and the shipping was more than the order! I had $6.38 worth of items and the shipping alone was going to be over 9.38!!! . .

WTF! I guess I'll hold out and make up an order to atleast make the $9.38 more worth while

 

[brewser09]

yeah I was going to purchase a Pale ale kit a few weeks ago and S/H was twelve bucks, but on the flip side when i purchased my keg kit and 4 beer kits it was like 15 or 20 bucks for S/H it really wasn't that bad :S Just have to order more stuff...Damn....

 

[Diver165]

Yeah it just bums me out. They really have nice kits and great selection of stuff. I'll probably look to them for larger orders. I just can't justify 9 bucks to ship 6 dollars worth of stuff.

Hmmm, wonder if SWMBO would understand if I ordered my kettles now. I can see it now, "Honey I had to order these to get a break on shipping!" I think she'll totally go for it.

 

[ultravista]

Same thing here. The shipping was overboard although they state actual FedEx shipping rates. My order was $25+ in shipping alone. Adding a bottline wand to the oder drove shipping up $3.00. My gut tells me it is an estimation, not actual, as it grows by volume added to the cart.

Maybe Midwest ought to think about UPS from now on.

You know the Midwest folks are concious about their shipping charges; hence the disclaimer prominantly anchored to the shopping cart.

With that being said ... I called Austin Homebrew and asked if they would price match. Well, they wouldn't match any competitors price but offered "we're hiring a pricing specialist soon so things may be cheaper after we do" instead.

 

[rico567]

This is not a situation unique to Midwest, as the OP implies that it is. Small size orders anywhere often involve a minimum shipping charge that may be more than the item. If you're short a packet of yeast, and can't find it anywhere else, call Midwest directly, and usually some alternative can be worked out at a somewhat lower shipping cost..

The other factor in this equation is that time is money, and as an order grows, the amount of money it costs to fill the order and pack it tends to shrink, so the costs be less per $$ of the order.

 

[Austinhomebrew]

You can't blame Midwest for charging actual shipping charges. I don't think people realize how much shipping costs now. Gas prices and a 5% increase every year from shipping companies has resulted in the fact that it costs $8-10 to ship one pound across the street. Go to www.ups.com and act like you are shipping a pound to yourself.

We offer free shipping on orders over $100 and $7.99 flat rate under $100. We take care of the shipping charges after that. This applies to everything on the website.

When comparing prices you have to compare the delivered price. We will be looking at all of our prices after the beginning of the year. Our larger facility and increased buying power will allow us to pass the savings on to you and maintain the free shipping option.

We can't have the lowest price on every single item but overall you should save money.

Forrest

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

When comparing prices you have to compare the delivered price.

Bingo, just compare the bottom line. Smaller orders and heavier/larger single-item orders (like a heavy brew pot or something) are usually best from the flat-rate-shpping online HBSs. I get most of my non-bulk malt from Midwest (price but also the selection of malts and full disclosure of each maltster, I HAVE to know exactly what malt I'm using) but rarely get any big/heavy equipment purchases from them.

I always have to have a running shopping list written down somewhere, otherwise I'll forget that I need another carboy cap, some PBW, yeast nutrient, whirlfloc, or other important yet easily forgotten items. Eliminates those smaller orders of 'extras'.

 

[Yooper]

I had a jar of 5.2 buffer I gave away on the "pay it forward" thread. I paid $14 for the jar. Bob mailed it "the cheapest way" to PA for me. That's all that was in the package- nothing else. It was $7.50 shipping.

The cost of shipping is outrageous. I've stopped participating in beer swaps because of it.

The cost of shipping is not the Vendor's fault. Midwest charges actual shipping. We're used to the $6.99 or $7.99 (or free!) shipping rates for many of our vendors, that's why actual shipping rates are a shock.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

Anyone else got sticker shock from Midwest Supplies shipping? I went to order some extras (dry yeasts, and a very small container of sodium benzonate) and the shipping was more than the order! I had $6.38 worth of items and the shipping alone was going to be over 9.38!!! . .

WTF! I guess I'll hold out and make up an order to atleast make the $9.38 more worth while

Kinda makes you want to do biz with Austin Homebrew don't it?

 

[bja]

We offer free shipping on orders over $100 and $7.99 flat rate under $100. We take care of the shipping charges after that. This applies to everything on the website.

Does that include sacks of grain?

 

[Dogphish]

i had too much hops in my freezer, so i told another brewer that i would send him a half pound, thinking that i could get i shipped for $5. WRONG! it cost me $10 to send a half pound of hops an hour and a half away (in state). what a rip off. i researched the lowest cost option online too.

 

[evilhomer]

It's been my experience that there's a minimum charge to ship anything fedex, it'd probably be at least $5 for a sheet of paper.

Was wondering if for small orders the USPS option might be better. Went to midwest and put in some dry yeast and sodium benzoate, put in my zip. It was $11 for Fedex or $5 USPS.

 

[the_bird]

I was actually a little surprised, I just sold a 3-gallon keg, shipping on it was only $11 via UPS. It wasn't going far, just over to NY, but I still figured it was going to be at least $15 or $16. I'm sure there's a logic in these prices somewhere...

EDIT: The other thing, KegCowboy, shipping for a 40-plate chiller was in the neighborhood of $25, but a 30-plate chiller was ~$15. I know the 40-plate obviously weighs more, but 33% more (and there's more to the calculation than just the weight). I'd expect a LITTLE difference, but not that much since they're almost certainly going to be shipped in the exact same box.

Those Post Office commercials about "If it fits, it ships!" are starting to make a lot of sense...

 

[Austinhomebrew]

The shipping is a base price plus more depending on weight. If you order something large (in a box bigger than 22x22x15) it doesnt matter how much it weighs, you get charged for 30 pounds (unless it wieghs more than 30 pounds).

There is also a charge (around $2) if you live off the beaten path.

Interesting point as well. The drivers path is layed out based on the addresses in the truck. They also are set up to only make right turns if possible.

Forrest

 

[rico567]

Good points. People should try to understand that shipping is not free, and vendors are constantly trying to have a system for shipping that appeals to customers and is understandable at the same time. But apart from some saving because I live closer, e.g., to supplier X than supplier Y, all suppliers are paying on average the same for shipping (not counting the overhead involved in handling, which on big, complicated homebrew order is no joke), and somebody's going to pay to move that stuff from the dealer to my house. When I buy anything, I assume I'm paying for these things, it's just a question of finding the dealer that works best for me.

Then there's the matter of service, which is somewhat different. Let's use insurance as an example. Companies X, Y, and Z on TV all run ads constantly, telling me that I can save "up to $$$" over another provider by buying their insurance. When I actually do the comparisons, strangely enough the amounts I "may" save all amount to around.....$100. I've been with the same relatively small Midwestern insurance company for nearly 35 years that has given us impeccable service any time we've had a claim on our car or homeowner's insurance. So one of the bigs expects me to switch for $100 a year? Not a chance. The service I'm getting, with real live people to talk to if I have issues, is worth that, and more.

 

[SKMO]

I've ordered from all of the majors, and as far as I can tell it's kind of a wash. One outfit will have cheap prices, but expensive shipping. Others moderate prices but reasonable shipping.

What irks me is that with some, if not most vendors, who have a variable shipping rate, I waste 30 minutes putting an order together and have to get to the final check-out to see what the heck the shipping is going to actually cost.

I personally like to know up front "all orders shipped for $7", or "$100 orders shipped free". Whatever. I don't appreciate putting an order of 20 plus items together on a slow website (you know who), thinking I was getting some good prices only to get a $38 dollar shipping bill on one simple large box.

So I'll take a known shipping bill, up front, and order from that guy, any day. I really like to see a link on a company's front page called "Shipping Policies" that lets me know what I am getting into. Otherwise I tend to feel like I'm the rube at the county fair getting tasken for a cheap ride.

This business of unknown shipping charges until I get into the e-checkout line is over for me, personally.

 

[JJL]

Just the way it is. It's more cost effective to ship more weight. No matter what carrier you use to ship something, a box that weighs up to a pound is going to cost you $5-$6. But, you can usually ship a 50lb sack of grain for around $20.

The reason some places offer flat rate shipping is because they make it up in the prices of their products, or with the guy who orders a few ounces of hops and a yeast vile and pays $8 flat shipping.