**Rant** Another reason I don't ship parts anywhere...

['Cuda Hunter]

I rely heavily on shipping since I live up in the Colorado mountains.
If not for shippers, I'd never get a pile running !
Shipping sucks. Dash's are the worst !!


At least you helped a guy out.   

[moparstyle]

If you are not willing to ship, then advertise parts for free if people will pick them up and just leave the parts on the footpath for pick up, you will not have any lost time at all getting stuck talking shop with fellow enthusiasts then. Simple solution really.
I would be lost without the help of people who do post items they are selling, the price of a part will have the shipping quote from your door to the post office included, if you take a small loss on that, then so be it, parts still need to be priced accordingly anyway or you might as well just leave the parts on the footpath anyway.........
Everyone who sells parts knows this is a part of the selling expierance and accept that they have to do a bit of leg work to make the deal. If i did not have to deal with shipping at all, i have already spent enough money to have been building a real numbers matching HEMI car, the shipping costs is what is the killer in this whole senario really, they kill us guys who do not have access at all to these parts and struggle to find exactly what we are after in the first place.
So in reality, those shock plates owed you nothing sitting around, as i have a spare set from a car just sitting around also and they do not take up much room really, the price of travel should be calculated in to the part, so i think that you did alright at the end of the day, and the best part is that you got to help out a guy who really needed a set of them and was happy with what you quoted as a final price.
It is a Win Win situation really.
I wish shipping was FREE for everyone

Wisely spoken, Ken!
Alan runs a business which makes this a different game.
For me, this is a hobby and i feel good when i have sold some leftover part. I help a guy and it comes to use instead if laying on my garage shelf.
I come very far with the resto of my GC and without the help from members here, sellers at E-bay etc, this would not have been possible.
From a hobbbyist point of view, it is a win-win.

And, i try not to think about what i have spent on shipping...but the wife reminds me occasionally...
 

[hemiken]

Wisely spoken, Ken!
Alan runs a business which makes this a different game.
For me, this is a hobby and i feel good when i have sold some leftover part. I help a guy and it comes to use instead if laying on my garage shelf.
I come very far with the resto of my GC and without the help from members here, sellers at E-bay etc, this would not have been possible.
From a hobbbyist point of view, it is a win-win.

And, i try not to think about what i have spent on shipping...but the wife reminds me occasionally...
 

Thanks mate,
I am in the exact same boat,  my business as a custom master fabricator and restoration specialist has the same boundries being a one man show, i do everything physically on my own with my own two hands and time lost is a part of the business when someone works for themselves, i am sure their is many more that would be in the exact same boat also.
I think it is great that the new owner of the plates did get exactly the part he has been looking for by the end of the transaction, that is the bottom line here in all reality

[torredcuda]

I agree with Alan that shipping parts can be a PITA as the only way for an accurate quote is to bring the part to the Post Office or UPS so that is time and money(gas) spent. The thing is if I want to sell some parts it is much better to have the larger area of buyers than just trying to sell local. BTW Alan, how do you get parts that you buy for your projects, UPS to your do or

[anlauto]

BTW Alan, how do you get parts that you buy for your projects, UPS to your do or

I average buying about $30K in parts a year for customers and sometimes as much as another $20K for my own projects.

I try like crazy to avoid shipping altogether by buying what I can on my trip to Carlisle. It's not unusual for me to whip through $10K in two days down there (other peoples money usually).

More recently in the last couple of years I got myself an US address about 1 1/2hrs from home. I take three hours out of my day to make the trip there once a month or so. I've noticed a lot of larger companies have free shipping within the States so that always helps. Sometimes if a package cost $20 to ship to NY, the same package would be $60 to Canada.

If it's a slow month and it's not worth my time to drive there, I will have some smaller stuff just shipped here, not too often lately.

When buying parts for people I try my hardest to get them the best deal I can, combine their parts with other peoples to split shipping costs etc.... I have accounts with a lot of vendors that give me a discount, sometimes up to 33% off which I pass on to my customers as well.


In the end I'm happy this guy got his parts, I guess I shouldn't rant about the cost of business these days. I know myself I've had to rely on people boxing and shipping stuff to me....However in the past I've paid $15 for shipping to find out it cost the guy $3 to mail it

Cheers...

[PasiR]

Alan, I'm glad you helped me with shock plates.
Some day you just need to work an hour later to get that $40 back... 

[MEK-Dangerfield]

Stephens Performance charged me $150 for shock mount plates that were basically hunks of rust.   

I wished you had been here years earlier Alan!   

[anlauto]

Alan, I'm glad you helped me with shock plates.
Some day you just need to work an hour later to get that $40 back... 

Pasi...Didn't realize you were a member here ! This thread was by no means a dig at you, in fact you stepped up quickly enough with full payment....thank you.....

I guess I'm just becoming a crusty old fart as I get older....

[Katfish]

This is a lesson for all the people looking to buy a project car, no one ever factors in the extra cost of buying and shipping parts.
Once you pay eBay/paypal/shipping it can add 25% or more to the piece part amount.

Buy the most complete car you can, projects ALWAYS end up costing more.

[anlauto]

Tru Dat

[PasiR]

Pasi...Didn't realize you were a member here ! This thread was by no means a dig at you, in fact you stepped up quickly enough with full payment....thank you.....

I guess I'm just becoming a crusty old fart as I get older....

No problem. 

[hemiken]

I average buying about $30K in parts a year for customers and sometimes as much as another $20K for my own projects.

I try like crazy to avoid shipping altogether by buying what I can on my trip to Carlisle. It's not unusual for me to whip through $10K in two days down there (other peoples money usually).

More recently in the last couple of years I got myself an US address about 1 1/2hrs from home. I take three hours out of my day to make the trip there once a month or so. I've noticed a lot of larger companies have free shipping within the States so that always helps. Sometimes if a package cost $20 to ship to NY, the same package would be $60 to Canada.

If it's a slow month and it's not worth my time to drive there, I will have some smaller stuff just shipped here, not too often lately.

When buying parts for people I try my hardest to get them the best deal I can, combine their parts with other peoples to split shipping costs etc.... I have accounts with a lot of vendors that give me a discount, sometimes up to 33% off which I pass on to my customers as well.


In the end I'm happy this guy got his parts, I guess I shouldn't rant about the cost of business these days. I know myself I've had to rely on people boxing and shipping stuff to me....However in the past I've paid $15 for shipping to find out it cost the guy $3 to mail it

Cheers...

Thanks for posting this up Shows good charactor. Awesome comeback Thank you.

[ragtopdodge]

Boxing up shock plates and going to the USPS is $40?

Ya, if that's what you value shipping parts, then I wouldn't ship a thing.  If I charged that for what I ship, I'd be out at least $1000 over the past few months (Cuda grille crate, shaker bubble, adapter ring, wheels, etc.).

Business or not, my time is worth something, but that's just the name of the game rather than either have them sit on the shelf, or sell at a swap meet where no one brings any money for anything.

[anlauto]

Yea I hear ya....I realize I'm being petty by calculating my time as a dollar figure. I guess if I'd sold a $500 carb or something it wouldn't bother me as much....
Just seems like there's not enough hours in the day sometimes....

[torredcuda]

The two things I never have enough of - time and money!!!