I'm a cheap skate

[Fly-guy]

I started to order a couple of Lee bullet sizer dies from Midway this evening and discovered they apparently went up on thier shipping charges.

I would appreciate some help in finding some other web site to order Lee products with out being raped because of high shipping & handling charges.

The sizer dies were $18.99 per set and the shipping chargers were almost as much as the die.

I've checked Grafs and Natches (they don't carry what I'm looking for) and am not aware of any other mail order suppliers.

Thanks guys

[Dipperman]

Fly-Guy,

You might take a look at www.midsouthshooterssupply.com.

Dipperman

[ShooterAZ]

I complained to Midway about this very same thing on a couple of occasions...and they even sent me a questionnaire via email about their service. I gave then the lowest possible rating on their shipping charges. I doubt if anything will change. They include their insurance in the shipping charges. You might try Brownells or even Cabelas.

[rsrocket1]

Graf and sons. $5 handling free shipping

[TNFrank]

Graf and sons. $5 handling free shipping

I've ordered from them and they're a good company to do business with. I guess I'm just so use to ordering from Midway USA that it's kind of a habit but when they started making folks pay for shipping a few years back I cut the number of orders down a lot. Still, you can get that crazy UPS/USPS deal(UPS starts the shipment then transfers to USPS for delivery) for pretty reasonable. Only problem is I can use it because I don't have a mail box at the house so USPS won't deliver here, I have to have it sent to my P.O.Box and UPS won't deliver to a P.O.Box so I just pay the extra and have it sent either straight UPS or USPS to the P.O.Box.

[Sonnypie]

May I suggest the very best prices I have found for Lee equipment:

http://www.titanreloading.com/lube-sizing-kit

I've bought a lot of Lee stuff through them.
My only complaint was some idiot in the post office sent my order to Saugus, Mass.
Not Saugus, CA.
Not their fault an idiot got ahold of my order.

[JohnnyFlake]

One of the big problem with Midway is that if your order total is less that $25.00 they will add a special handling charge which can be between $3.00 to $6.00. That significantly increases the cost of shipping & handling!

I use to order things from them when I needed them, now I rarely order from them at all, unless the total for the order is over $25 and the prices for what I want are in line, which is not always the case with them.

[wiersy111]

Try FS Reloading, they were formerly know as Lee Factory Sales.

[StratsMan]

+1 on MidSouthShootersSupply, though they also have a surcharge if your order is less than $20... a standard Lee 2-cav is $18.06 at MidSouth... has been that price for quite awhile, too...

Wideners.com also has reasonable prices, but am not sure of their shipping costs...

[stubshaft]

Order direct from Lee. IIRC - they only charge $4.95.

Midway, Midsouth and Weidners , Graf and Sons always rape my on shipping since I live in Hawaii.

[geargnasher]

+2 for Midsouth. Smaller operation, but they have most of the useful stuff reloaders need and are more honest with their shipping across the board. I used to be a big Midway fan and have spent several thousand dollars with them in the past few years, but the only thing that hasn't gone up is their moral values. Mall Ninjas keep Midway going I think, judging by the product lines, and I noticed every single item in my year-old wish list of about 30 items has gone up at least 10% since they revamped their website, a website which now totally SUCKS by the way.

If I remember right, the Midway surcharge used to be $3 for totals less than $20, looks like that's gone up too, I guess they weren't raking in enough on their already inflated shipping charges.

Gear

[454PB]

Remember the good old days when Midway had free shipping?

[jonas302]

Direct though lee is usually a few dollars more but a lot cheaper to ship
Midway has enough stuff to fill up an order pretty fast also you can google a coupon and get a lot better deal
Here is one for $10 off $50 or more of non sale AR1510

[HardColt]

Go Titan they don't pad the shipping on your order(s).

[SlowSmokeN]

May I suggest the very best prices I have found for Lee equipment:

http://www.titanreloading.com/lube-sizing-kit

I've bought a lot of Lee stuff through them.
My only complaint was some idiot in the post office sent my order to Saugus, Mass.
Not Saugus, CA.
Not their fault an idiot got ahold of my order.


That is a great site. Thanks for sharing

[Fly-guy]

Fly-Guy,

You might take a look at www.midsouthshooterssupply.com.

Dipperman



I tried the Titan web site but couldn't get out of the checkout loop. I ended up placing an order through Midsouth as it was about the least expensive.

The Lee web site shows about $5.00 for shipping but they are charging about $6 or $7 more for each set of the dies and as I explained before, I'm a cheap skate.

Thanks to all of you who responded.

[gandydancer]

I tried the Titan web site but couldn't get out of the checkout loop. I ended up placing an order through Midsouth as it was about the least expensive.

The Lee web site shows about $5.00 for shipping but they are charging about $6 or $7 more for each set of the dies and as I explained before, I'm a cheap skate.

Thanks to all of you who responded.
I can find none cheaper on items or shipping. http://www.fsreloading.com.

[prs]

Shipping costs are going to continue to rise, handling is another issue. We do some shipping in my very small business. It is expensive for us and we do pass the cost along to our customers. Handling is also a significant cost for us. Employee time to package, lable, and deliver (includes driving) the packages to the shipper. We could include all of those costs into the price of the goods, but if we do, the price of the goods appears to be non-competitive at first glance with other sources and we all know that first impressions are lasting impressions. Most folks purchase for the lowest price they see and over-look the shipping and handling. Now, in my little business we are talking several hundreds of dollars a month in such costs in a week. No big deal, but Midway is HUGE now and it is probably in the multiples of millions weekly. Hard to give away that kind of dough even if you lose a few sales to folks who are smart enough to shop by comparing total cost and not just product cost.

prs

[Recluse]

Remember the good old days when Midway had free shipping?

Hell, I remember the good old days when Midway had the best deals of anyone around.

Now the Potterfields are just another parasite in the unsuspecting gun-owners' world.

Another hearty endorsement for Midsouth Shooters. They get the lion's share of my business.

:coffee:

[x101airborne]

Midway also uses the cheapest shipping possible while charging you premium price. I had an order last week that did not come in on my Big Brown Dog. I called and inquired and was told that the package was handed off from UPS to USPS according to their economy shipping policies. This threw the package a full day late. Why if they are charging the same for shipping are they doing economy shipping procedures? I was not a happy camper.

[yovinny]

I use Midsouth first and formost, others only if it's something they dont carry.
I alwaysrecieve my order within a day or two and their customer service is outstanding.
If you can ship to a business address, they also have a cheaper Fedex business rate.

[BoolitSchuuter]

May I suggest the very best prices I have found for Lee equipment:

http://www.titanreloading.com/lube-sizing-kit




+1 on Titan. Very helpful dealing with warranty issues also.

[captaint]

I haven't bought from Midway in a couple of years. After they went nuts with the shipping, I decided enough was enough. Graf's and Natchez get all my money now. You listening, Larry?? enjoy Mike

[rsrocket1]

Absolutley hate the UPS "inovations" deal. An order from Barnes and Noble that should have taken 3 days UPS or 3 days priority mail took 11 days when the two geniuses merged.

It took 2 days to go across the country to the UPS regional warehouse, then disappeared in the USPS system for 9 more days until it arrived at my doorstep and showed up on their tracking system as "delivered" the day after.

[trixter]

So there is not a good place to buy reloading stuff near the west coast???

[Lizard333]

I use opticsplanet. They offer free shipping in orders of 29.99. Word of advice if you end up using them, call and check availability. They do not carry a running inventory of their products. Drives me nuts. But, they are usually the cheapest I find.

[Virginian]

I recently sent an email concerning Midway's shipping charges. Here's their response to me:

Dear Eric,

Thank you for the email concerning shipping charges. We appreciate the feedback that every one of our customers provides. Unfortunately many have yet to realize that use a "Fair and Honest Shipping" system and only charge our customers what it costs us to ship their order. We do not receive any profits from increased shipping rates.

As I mentioned earlier, we greatly value all of our customers feedback and I will be sure to make note of your comments and concerns so they may be reviewed. Please let us know if we can be of further assistance in the future as well!

If you have any additional questions or comments, please feel free to contact us at 1-800-243-3220. Our hours of operation are Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. CT; Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. CT. You may also email us at customerservice@midwayusa.com.

Thanks for Your Business!

Larry G.

[1Shirt]

Before I order any thing, I let my fingers do the walking for comparison between, Midway, Midsouth, GRAF, & Natchez, inclusive of shipping. Availability is also an issue, as one outfit may have the item(s) and the rest may not. My last order was to GRAF, for a mold and some J blts. Saving over the others was in the neighboorhood of $5.00. For $5.00, I will go to the extra effort of a bit of computer time.
1Shirt!

[HangFireW8]

Sanity check- I just put together a MidwayUSA order with 4 Lee size dies, a Lee 6-cavity mold and a really expensive Redding reloading die from my Wish List. The order total was $197.44 plus $14.12 S&H. While maybe not the cheapest S&H around it is certainly within the realm of reason. It doesn't match the assertion that S&H is almost as much as the die(s)... unless you were ordering only one.

If you were ordering only one, you may have been running into the minimum order charge as well. My only reply to that is- don't do that. Wait until you have more to order, or go elsewhere.

As for the rest of the topic, I long ago began comparing FINAL charges including S&H before firing off an order. I'll even spend the time to mix and match between the major sites (Midway, Natchez, MidSouth, etc) to see if splitting up the order helps.

Midway has become like Sears- only buy during sales and closeouts.

HF

[Fly-guy]

Sanity check- I just put together a MidwayUSA order with 4 Lee size dies, a Lee 6-cavity mold and a really expensive Redding reloading die from my Wish List. The order total was $197.44 plus $14.12 S&H. .

Midway has become like Sears- only buy during sales and closeouts.

HF



It's quite obvious that all of the items you ordered weighed less than the two lube sizing dies that I didn't order from them! I don't remember what the charges would have been but I do remember that it was over $16.00.

[geargnasher]

Midway also uses the cheapest shipping possible while charging you premium price. I had an order last week that did not come in on my Big Brown Dog. I called and inquired and was told that the package was handed off from UPS to USPS according to their economy shipping policies. This threw the package a full day late. Why if they are charging the same for shipping are they doing economy shipping procedures? I was not a happy camper.

I made the mistake of selecting the "UPS Basic" shipping once, had a bad feeling after I hit "submit" and did some searching to find out what it was. What it means is UPS delivers to the PO of the destination zip code and contracts with the PO to final deliver to the address, since they're running the route every day anyway. That mistake saved me like three bucks, but added three days to the delivery and royally screwed up the tracking, since it could only be tracked to my local PO.

UPS and their union don't-give-a-damn attitude is bad enough, but combine that with the same thing at the PO and if anything goes wrong, good luck getting resolution. Neither company feels obligated to do their job, so if your order gets lost or damaged imagine the finger pointing that will stalemate the whole situation. I prefer to use FedEx, they aren't perfect but at least they sort of CARE. FedEx is too expensive to even be an option with Midway, I recall it being a much cheaper option with other mail-order warehouses.

Gear

[HangFireW8]

It's quite obvious that all of the items you ordered weighed less than the two lube sizing dies that I didn't order from them!

I thought I was clear... I ordered 4 Lee lead bullet sizing dies... each one comes with a bottle of LLA... plus other stuff... can't see how that all weighs less than your order.

Give me your Midway product #'s and I'll try again!

HF

[DIRT Farmer]

Sometimes Midway is the only game in town. Each time I have to ask for USPS, every time it is cheaper,, I have made an order on Thursday, recieved it on Saturday.
Yes my wife is getting her retirement check from the USPS, but I still can't wast my through away money.

[Fly-guy]

I thought I was clear... I ordered 4 Lee lead bullet sizing dies... each one comes with a bottle of LLA... plus other stuff... can't see how that all weighs less than your order.

Give me your Midway product #'s and I'll try again!

HF



I was being facetious about your order weighing less! Not only am I a cheap skate, I also have a warped sense of humor.

[nwellons]

Also, remember that shipping charges depend on what you are receiving as well as the weight. I try to order a large stockpile of solvent and oil at the same time because many chemicals (and of course primers and powder) will run up the shipping charge.

I have an order coming now with a $4.01 shipping and handling fee.

[dbarnhart]

I try to keep a 'wish list'. Instead of placing individual orders, I wait for the wish list to grow to several items then order them all at once. The shipping charge gets spread over multiple items that way.

[1Shirt]

I took Sunnypies (what a handle) advice, and looked at Titan for Lee stuff. Wanted just the collet die only for 6.5x55 and 7.5x55. They were about a buck cheaper than Midway, and postage was only about $6.00. They were about 3.00 cheaper than GRAF, but better than $5.00 cheaper than Midway. In addition, they had the single dies that I wanted rather than buying complete sets from other outfits. Might not be the best deal in town for a lot of things, but if I am only looking for lee products, will from now on be checking out their site
1Shirt!:lol:

[jandbn]

If your time spent looking for a better deal isn't worth anything, then by all means, shop around. I've been known to search for an hour just to save a couple bucks. And like Sonnypie, I ended up buying at www.titanreloading.com.

[Fly-guy]

I'm a self confessed cheap skate with a warped sense of humor and just discovered that I may also have a touch of senioritis. The lube sizing die that I thought I "needed" wasn't the correct one so it looks like I'm going to have to return it and order the correct one.

I wonder how much that "opps" is gonna cost me!:oops: :groner:

[skeet1]

I've been doing all of my Lee business with Titan and have not been sorry. Very low prices and quick service.

Ken

[looseprojectile]

you can't beat the service of Buffalo Arms in Idaho.

WWW.buffaloarms.com 1 208 263 6953 In the winter you are likely to talk to Dave in person.

I get stuff from Dave Gullo in two days in Washington.
He is a champion shooter too.
He charges ten dollars minum shipping and usually not more. USPS or UPS, your choice I think.
I ordered dies and brass and was very pleased with the stuff and the fast service.
He will give you a catalog with cool fine stuff in it. The guy has good taste and I am proud to help him with the cost of his shooting.

Life is good

[1bluehorse]

Like others here I used to buy a lot from Midway. Not any more. I like Natchez's prices and all but absolutley hate their website. Midsouth and Graf's is where I have been purchasing most of my reloading stuff. Also somebody noted Optic planet, that's where I bought my Pro Melt, best price I could find anywhere w/free shipping. Will definitly go there again..and I have no problem with spending a couple hours or even a couple days of my "valuable" time searching prices.

[dakotashooter2]

I gave up on midway a few years back their shipping policy made it just about impossible to get smaller items at a decent price. I would often wait untill I could make an order large enough to get over the minimum shipping amount. That in itself didn't cause any problems but......It seemed like 1/2 of what I wanted was always out of stock putting me right back a base 1..........

[DLCTEX]

I haven't ordered from Midway in years either. Grafs has gotten the lions share of my business, but I'm looking into Titian. Oops! Looks like it's spelled Titan.

[midnight]

I too shop around with Midway, Midsouth, Natchez, Grafs, Wideners etc. Half the time who I order from is whoever has the fewest backorders. Has anyone else noticed how slooooow Midway's computer system is. I don't think it is my computer since other sites are fast. Last Thursday I placed a big order with Midway cuz they were the only ones with Burris Zee rings in stock. Midsouth showed them in stock but backordered them last Nov. I got tired of waiting. When I "placed order" Thursday I crashed their system. I got a message telling me to go out to the range and shoot for a while and come back and try again. A couple of hours later my shopping cart was still there and I placed the order. It arrived Saturday, USPS all the way. That's my most recent experience.

Bob

[boltons75]

Try FS Reloading, they were formerly know as Lee Factory Sales.

I second these guys, great prices.

Always carry, never tell.

[William Yanda]

"Try FS Reloading, they were formerly know as Lee Factory Sales. "
I recently checked several sources and FS Reloading came out lowest-usually several dollars per item, with reasonable shipping