Midway USA Shipping Charges

[Swamprat1052]

Is it just me or has anyone else noticed that Midway has gone into the business of making money off of shipping. I started to order 2 screwdriver bits, the notched ones for the Ruger Blackhawk Base Pin Latch. No biggie, I notched a screwdriver a while back but now I cant find it. I was gonna get these and keep in my box of bits. Thats all I needed, I was gonna pay the $3 extra and forget it.
They wanted $12.06 to ship them. They will fit in a thimble much less an envelope. I was given no options other than UPS and if I was in a hurry I could pay up to $60.28 for next day air. Good Grief!!! I used their customer service chat to see if it was a mistake................nope. I just got the standard shipping is calculated on size and weight explanation. DANG. I went out and notched another screwdriver, job done.

I sent smiling, we appreciate your business Larry an email complaining, I am curious to see if I hear from him.

[geargnasher]

They want you to order more stuff, make the shipping worthwhile, ya know? None of the big outfits want to mess with you if you're going to order something that only nets them $6 or so. Never mind the hundreds or even thousands you may have spent with them in the past.

Order small stuff like that from Brownell's next time, I ordered a single spring pack from them a year or two ago and I think it was a minimum of $5 for the shipping/handling.

Gear

[Swamprat1052]

Yeah, I should have used Brownells in the first place but I order so much from Midway its sort
of a habit. I told Smiling Larry I would be shopping around for reloading supplies from now on.

Got an email from Grafs, free shipping on my next order, it will be pretty big.

Swamprat

[geargnasher]

I have a rather loose allegiance to any single outfit. They all do things I like and things I don't, so I use the one that fits my product and shipping needs best at the time. Graf's, Natchez, Midsouth, and Powder Valley are good places too. I only shop Cabelas and Bass Pro in person.

Gear

[Alan in Vermont]

I used to buy from Midsouth back in the 70s and liked them then. Comparing their pricing to Midway I still like them. The difference betweem them and Midway is a bit over 10% on Lee and RCBS, I just sent in an order for around $100 and the price difference just about paid the shipping.

[Patrick L]

I agree that they all have their good and bad points, but I also agree Midway shipping is getting ridiculous.

Last week I ordered their tactical rifle case that was on sale from $34.99 to $19.99; a great deal. I added a $9.80 bag of shotshell wads I have been wanting to try.

Grand total? $46.00!

[oldandslow]

swamprat, 5/1/12

I have also been put off by Midway's shipping prices. A couple of weeks ago I ordered two soft sided rifle cases. Their shipping quote for regular USPS (not next day) was $55. I asked the customer rep if that was a mistake and she says that was the price. I canceled the order and called Midsouthshooters supply and ordered two soft sided cases and shipping was $22. So Midway charges two and a half tiimes what its competitors charge for shipping. So long Midway.

best wishes- oldandslow

[405]

Oh ya, Smilin', "thanks for your business", Larry. In the last 10 years I've had three big issues with them. Won't go into details but clearly their mistakes. Very difficult to get one of the service reps or IT techs to fully understand anything outside a very narrow job description and that I believe is the price paid for getting so big so fast. I hold nothing against Potterfield as a business man but he probably doesn't realize or remember the whole reason he was able to succeed was precisely because of small order normal shooters and reloaders. I also believe he was desperately attempting to compete with and maybe outcompete Cabela's and Brownell's so used a business model similar to Cabela's. Of course I'm sure Cabela's lost a lot of that same small order normal shooter and reloader business long ago- for all the same reasons. The rise in shipping costs is fairly easy to understand- increases by USPS and the parcel carriers AND he has to pay for his automated state of the art order processing/shipping system. Also, I recently noticed (and confirmed) a clear instance of price gouging of a single item by Midway but hey, they can charge whatever they like. I'll avoid any more sour grapes and leave it at that. "thanks for letting us give you the business"

Have used and continue to use Graf, Midsouth and Brownell's more and more.

[Gtek]

Today I ordered what would fit in half a shoe box, $14.99. It appears his new business model makes money all the way out the door. I have spent a lot of my hard earned there. Next time I will go a little slower and look into others more. Gtek

[Dennis Eugene]

Quoted from Geargnasher
I only shop Cabelas and Bass Pro in person.

Wow, what's iy like to shop in person? :kidding: Dennis

[canyon-ghost]

Minimum orders from Midway should total $50 or more to avoid the high shipping costs. I talk to them on the phone like I would anyone else, they always get my orders to me and correct any mistakes just fine. The number is toll free for a reason, guys!

[parrott1969]

My supplier sent out notices saying that UPS/Fed x were raising their rates to compensate for the cost of fuel. Makes sense to me as these trucks only get 6 MPG. But dang it hurts! I just had a package shiped to LA. It weighed a whopping 6 pounds and freight was $15.50.

[tomme boy]

I worked at a large company that ships a semi trailer load every day through UPS. I will tell you, ALL of the companies are making money on you from shipping. Whwn I was there, I had to ship a few items. I wanted to see the differance of what I would have to pay. So I went to a UPS hub and had them run a qoute for me on a rifle I had to ship. It came to $47 and some cents. I went to work the next day and shipped it there. $12 and change. I know Midway ships more that we did and they probaly get a better rate than we did.

It sucks, but if you want an item you are going to have to pay for it. One way or another.

[rodsvet]

I try to buy from Graf and Sons. Internet orders no matter what you buy are shipped for $5.95. That being said, UPS charges are way up. I just sent a pistol {I mean machined parts} from Calif. to AZ and it was $34.00 for a 3 pound package insured for $700.00. Two years ago they charged $14.00 for the same package. Obama strikes again!! Rod

[HighHook]

I know it hurts. My V8 truck gets 15mpg and i have to drive 50 miles RT. at $4.12 a gal. and 2-3 hours of time the $14. Gouge in shipping seem to ease the Shaft we feel.

Forgot about the 8.75 in tax savings

[bobthenailer]

To throw another pice of wood in the fire ! Most all companies who do a certian amount of busness with UPS not sure about FED X get a kick back check based on there precentage of shipping done with them . im sure with MIDWAY it would be a tidy sum .

[TXBRILL]

A couple of years ago I actually called Larry and got him on the phone to copplain about the shipping charges. He told me they were working on a complicated program that included shipping with USPS. Whose rates are reasonable. For a while the rates did drop and USPS was a choice, now USPS is no longer a choice and the high rates are back. He must have figured out how much he was losing by not screwing us on shipping.

[CJR]

I also found Midway's "shipping costs" to be too high and no longer do business with them. If you order items from Cabelas, the shipping is free to any Cabelas store that is close to you for pick up. Likewise, you can find some shooting books etc. on Amazon and get free shipping.

Best regards,

CJR

[Pete P]

There are a lot of little things that I would like to buy but I don't because the shipping is to high. I can't see paying $8 to buy a $10 dollar item.

[Uncle Grinch]

Can't remember which mail order company it was, but when calculating shipping, I elected to have it shipped to a business address (where I worked part-time). It was substancially cheaper than residential deliver. (via UPS)

If given the option, try it next time, you may save some money...

[Recluse]

A couple of years ago I actually called Larry and got him on the phone to copplain about the shipping charges. He told me they were working on a complicated program that included shipping with USPS. Whose rates are reasonable. For a while the rates did drop and USPS was a choice, now USPS is no longer a choice and the high rates are back. He must have figured out how much he was losing by not screwing us on shipping.


I also found Midway's "shipping costs" to be too high and no longer do business with them. If you order items from Cabelas, the shipping is free to any Cabelas store that is close to you for pick up. Likewise, you can find some shooting books etc. on Amazon and get free shipping.

Best regards,

CJR

I've written Midway off and any new shooters I run into, I urge them to stay away while explaining why.

Rising fuel costs? Hey, they're the SAME for every single one of the other gun-businesses out there, but they aren't screwing us the way Midway is on shipping.

:coffee:

[HollowPoint]

I think that Midway has become a large enough company by now that they could implement a shipping program using their own shipping trucks and forgo any third party shippers.

It may be expensive for them at first but, if managed correctly, in the long run it would make them the king-of-the-hill. None of their competitors would be able to touch them. In time their profit margins would return and even increase if done properly.

It's not likely to ever happen though. They're making to much money with their existing shipping policies.

HollowPoint

[Ickisrulz]

Just like with anything, you have to shop around and compare prices. No matter where you buy from it pays to order lots of stuff at once to lower the shipping charges.

MidwayUSA for sure has the largest selection out of anybody. I needed some Mini 14 factory magazines. They are now on sale at MidwayUSA, but even prior to that their price beat everyone else even with shipping. So I ordered from Midway.

Like many people I only do Cabela's and Basspro Shops in person. Then in most cases don't buy anything. They are too expensive. Not only that, but ordering stuff online doesn't save tax money as their are physical stores everywhere now.

[rexherring]

It's getting that way on many of the companies. I had ordered two RCBS top punches from an e-bay dealer. They arrived in Two separate boxes, two shipping charges of about $6 each. I emailed him and they did refund my Pay-Pal for one of the shipping charges. the top punches would have fit in a small padded envelope for a shipping fee of $3.50.

[Larry Gibson]

Come on guys, Midway is abusiness just like any other business. They are there to make money, a proffit. That's the American way unless you subscribe to Obama's vising of a changed US with all business needing government subsidy. How much proffit is there in a $3 transaction to enable them to ship for free? Have you been to the post office lately to mail anything? I'm betting there's not enough proffit in that $3 transaction to even pay for a stamp, envelope and the time to for the order to be filled and put into a mail box. Do we think that Midway has any real control over shipping costs?

Do we really expect Midway, regardles of whether you like Larry's commercials or the quality of people he hires, to lose money because the OP lost a couple bits and wants new ones? Pretty unreasonable IMHO.

Larry Gibson

[montana_charlie]

I don't order much from Midway, so I can't say that I have 'kept track' of any changes in their shipping rates.

But, it's tough to find any IMI or PP M193 ammo on the net right now. Midway doesn't have any, either, but at least they have an estimation of when they will get some.
So, I went through the checkout process to see how shipping worked out.

A 200-round battle pack cost about $17 to ship. 2 packs needed a little over $19. And 600 rounds cost $23.
I consider the low end to be kinda steep, but the twenty-three bucks is about right for the package.

If their estimate is right, I should see it around the end of May.

CM

[crowbuster]

Only order from them when I have a good promo code. Makes it like free shipping again.

[Recluse]

There is a difference between making a profit and profiteering (aka gouging). Easy enough to do a minimum order (price-wise) which last time I checked, Midway ALSO did--ostensibly to keep shipping costs reasonable.

The overwhelming majority of customers realize that a small $3 part could just as easily run $2/$3 for shipping--but if Midway stopped there, that would be one thing.

But charging their base minimum of $12 for a part that weighs less than four ounces and is less than an inch long??? That is gouging, plain and simple.

For some reason, Brownell's is able to make a profit on shipping small one-off parts and pieces but a giant like Midway can't? I'm not buying it.

Most retail operations work off of a minimum 33% profit, with the average being around 50% for hardline items (ie not clothes or soft goods). I used to have to figure the costs of our mailroom for a 1600 employee ad agency against what we shipped and received, then justify that in billback charges to our clients.

If I'd tried charging Pepsi or Pizza Hut or Snickers or Sears or Penneys or any of our huge clients the ridiculous rates Midway charges their baseline customers, I would've lost those accounts.

We ran our mailroom to be revenue-neutral. That is, we didn't lose money and we didn't make money--it paid for itself which included the hourly wages of our employees, costs of materials and a small budget for emergencies or unforseen circumstances.

I have no problem with a company making a profit--I WANT them to make a profit. To that end, Midway does just fine because they're the largest--and the most expensive--of the mail-order houses for gun-owners. But when their shipping is so far over the top compared to the other mail-order houses, profit becomes gouging--and I refuse to be gouged.

But, no big deal--I just choose not to do business with them (Midway) and explain to other shooters who are unaware as to why I choose not to do business with them. I appreciate their pioneering spirit and ways for firearms related supplies in the mail-order world (I also remember when shipping was free with them; or more accurately, figured in with the final sales price of merchandise like Grafs) and I certainly appreciate their support of the NRA and shooting sports.

What I don't appreciate is being gouged and then blatantly lied to when I inquire as to why in regards to shipping. Fuel costs, again, are the same for everyone. My shipping charges from Midsouth are always 12% - 15% less than Midways. Always--and that's for the SAME service by the SAME carriers!

That's the difference.

:coffee:

[prs]

I reckon MidWay's policies will keep them in business long after the free shippers have turned into peat or coal. If the postage costs them X, then that expense to them needs to be marked-up to give them a profit on that expendature. If the wharehouse depreciation factor per shippment is Y then they need to mark that up for profit too, if the gal picking the order out of bins and packaging it is getting paid Z per that parcel, then that has to be marked-up too. If you do it for cost you will have no profits. Worse, if you absorb all those costs and ship "free", then the profits you planned to recover from the actual goods will be lost. At least they let you know what you are in for and like the OP you can use your brain to opt out and get what you need local. But the local guy will go broke too if he does not mark-up all his costs in providing the goods. "Back in the day" we thought handling to be free, but those old boys were not nuts, the fee was part of the price. Modern pricing makes the goods look cheap, but the handling look high. In the end, the consumer pays all the tab.

prs

[Rick R]

I believe that it pays to shop around and had gone to using other sources than Midway. Then earlier this year they had something I needed that no one else had and I noticed that apparently their shipping rate had dropped for small orders.

I've since made a few more purchases and the shipping rate seems lower.

Maybe someone listened?

[Ole]

I was all set to order 3 packages of their shoot and see stick on targets (they have blem sales on them on occasion). They wanted over $11 to ship 3 packages that could have easily fit in a USPS flat rate envelope.

Their extra shipping costs cost them my business on that particular day.

[Longwood]

Wayfair is also guilty about ripping off people for shipping.
I bought a fine adjuster for a Malcolm scope that weighs less than an ounce and they would only send it by UPS which cost me almost $9.:shock:

[prs]

Great post, you were posting as I was keyboarding. Revenue neutral is doing it for free. Your agency needed profits from somewhere to pay bills and salaries, and perks and and and... so the profits you "should have/could have/ might have" made by marking up mailroom costs were paid by clients in some other way. It all worked out in the end, but the piper was paid.

prs



There is a difference between making a profit and profiteering (aka gouging). Easy enough to do a minimum order (price-wise) which last time I checked, Midway ALSO did--ostensibly to keep shipping costs reasonable.

The overwhelming majority of customers realize that a small $3 part could just as easily run $2/$3 for shipping--but if Midway stopped there, that would be one thing.

But charging their base minimum of $12 for a part that weighs less than four ounces and is less than an inch long??? That is gouging, plain and simple.

For some reason, Brownell's is able to make a profit on shipping small one-off parts and pieces but a giant like Midway can't? I'm not buying it.

Most retail operations work off of a minimum 33% profit, with the average being around 50% for hardline items (ie not clothes or soft goods). I used to have to figure the costs of our mailroom for a 1600 employee ad agency against what we shipped and received, then justify that in billback charges to our clients.

If I'd tried charging Pepsi or Pizza Hut or Snickers or Sears or Penneys or any of our huge clients the ridiculous rates Midway charges their baseline customers, I would've lost those accounts.

We ran our mailroom to be revenue-neutral. That is, we didn't lose money and we didn't make money--it paid for itself which included the hourly wages of our employees, costs of materials and a small budget for emergencies or unforseen circumstances.

I have no problem with a company making a profit--I WANT them to make a profit. To that end, Midway does just fine because they're the largest--and the most expensive--of the mail-order houses for gun-owners. But when their shipping is so far over the top compared to the other mail-order houses, profit becomes gouging--and I refuse to be gouged.

But, no big deal--I just choose not to do business with them (Midway) and explain to other shooters who are unaware as to why I choose not to do business with them. I appreciate their pioneering spirit and ways for firearms related supplies in the mail-order world (I also remember when shipping was free with them; or more accurately, figured in with the final sales price of merchandise like Grafs) and I certainly appreciate their support of the NRA and shooting sports.

What I don't appreciate is being gouged and then blatantly lied to when I inquire as to why in regards to shipping. Fuel costs, again, are the same for everyone. My shipping charges from Midsouth are always 12% - 15% less than Midways. Always--and that's for the SAME service by the SAME carriers!

That's the difference.

:coffee:

[M-Tecs]

Just go online and type” Midway USA coupons 2012”. Normally I can find 10% off or free shipping or both. Same for Brownell’s

[soldierbilly1]

ya, shop around. that's what the internet is for!!

they don't want small orders. OK, I will look elsewhere.
dont have to go far to get better prices!

bill boy

[GRUMPA]

I'm sure there's alot of us folk that remember back in the day when shipping was actually free. I did alot of business with them back then even though it was the same price at the local sporting goods store. I didn't have to drive to get it or pay the tax on it either so I figured it worked in my favor, so they got alot of my business.

The next thing I knew was the announcement that Larry's daughter just got out of college and she was going to be running things within the company. Next thing I knew I was getting a notice that my personal information was going to be distributed to god only knows and if I objected I had to send them a note basically to complain about it. At that point they also mentioned that they would now charge for shipping, which for me defeated the sole reason why I shopped at Midway in the first place.

If they want to charge so much for so little, so be it. But I don't think I'll be funding there vacation get away either. Now if I order from them once a year it's a small miracle only because the other on-line suppliers are out of what it is I need.

Needless to say what once was favorable to them back then, seems to be more of there down fall now.

[Ickisrulz]

It is not price gouging when you have alternative places to shop and get what you want.

Place a large enough order and most times the prices will be comparable to other online sellers. But what MidwayUSA has is a large selection and therefore one-stop shopping.

Midway also has sales and promo codes going quite a bit. It’s funny how often this topic comes up.

[trixter]

OK so I live in Orygun, and I want to save some on shipping, are there any places to order that don't have to ship halfway across the country?

[Swamprat1052]

WOW, I really hit a nerve with this one. I didnt say I would never order from them again, I'll watch the sales and when its convenient and cost worthy for me I'll buy from them. That said I ordered almost $200 from Grafs yesterday because of the free shipping deal I got in an email. I wasnt going to order that much but the free shipping prompted me to do it. From now on I'll watch for those deals, whoever has them.

By the way, no word from Smiling Larry yet.

Swamprat

[joec]

WOW, I really hit a nerve with this one. I didnt say I would never order from them again, I'll watch the sales and when its convenient and cost worthy for me I'll buy from them. That said I ordered almost $200 from Grafs yesterday because of the free shipping deal I got in an email. I wasnt going to order that much but the free shipping prompted me to do it. From now on I'll watch for those deals, whoever has them.

By the way, no word from Smiling Larry yet.

Swamprat

I agree regardless of who I'm thinking about ordering from. Look for the selling price + Shipping as well as if tax or handling charges are also added. Then and only then is when and where I decide to buy something. Now with that said I agree Midway USA has some of the highest shipping charges though I still do order from them however. I will hold off till I have enough to order at one time so I'm not spending as much to ship as the item. I often spend more for an item + local sales tax and still save money in some cases when all cost factors are including in the cost.

[Shiloh]

Midway shipping has been on the rise for several years now. Bummer about the $12 for $6 woth of bits.

Shiloh

[sig2009]

Midway sucks! I stopped using them a long time ago because of their inflated shipping charges!

[geargnasher]

I have to mention, along the lines of what MC said, that there's a point at which Midway's shipping becomes quite reasonable. I've done a lot of business with them in the past few years, using several of their shipping options. A few months ago I ordered some large and heavy items from them, all coming to me in one big box that was nearly 70 lbs. Shipping if I recall right was about $25 for UPS ground. More than fair IMO. Now I've ordered 5 lbs of stuff in a shoebox sized box that was nearly that much. The fuel is about the same to deliver it either way.

If you aren't paying for it with mail-room add-ons, you're paying for it somewhere else, or the company is working on a lower profit margin. Go to a Cabela's store, or Bass Pro, and you'll understand very quickly how an amped-up retail end affects prices. Small, mostly mail-order companies like PV and Graf's have much less overhead, so can have both low prices and more reasonable (or possibly even zero) shipping markups.

Gear

[kenyerian]

My local gun shop has a delivery every Thursday from his main supplier so I can usually get items from him cheaper and faster than ordering online. if it is something he has to special order I will shop around online . Over the years I should own stock in Midway but I find myself going other directions now.

[Thecyberguy]

I have a "dealer" status with Midway and the other day I received an email saying I had left items in my "cart" and they wanted to know why.

I told them exactly why. After figuring all things in, I bought the exact same items elsewhere a fair amount cheaper. That was even getting my "dealer" price!
I got a reply stating that they feel they are very competitive with pricing and shipping costs.

They asked, I told, they choose not to listen. I just bought 500 bullets from Graf , shipped to my door $8 dollars cheaper than I could get the same thing from Midway. I emptied my cart that time to save getting an email asking why I didn't complete my order.

I shop around and I buy from the place with the best price to my door. If it turns out to be Midway...then I buy form them.
I have purchased 2 AR 15 uppers from them since January, so it is nothing personal...it is bottom line.



TCG

[Papa smurf]

Spent a lot of money at Midway since the 1980's -----not lately. Grafs gets ALL my bucks now . Great people ! ---------------------Good Shooting-----------Papa Smurf

[Revolver]

This morning I had a $100 cart at Midway then saw the shipping charges. Went to grafs instead, product was cheaper and free shipping (Googled a coupon for no handling fee too).

[David2011]

Shipping is a deal breaker at times for me as well. I agree with the gripes about high charges for small parts that don't weigh much and exceed the price of the item.

OTOH, and I'm not defending Midway, we usually ship with a free box from USPS or a scrounged box. Have you BOUGHT a cardboard box lately? Mass merchandisers have to buy everything new. Look at the price of bubble wrap or foam peanuts. Then you have assembly lines where the orders are packed after picking. You have to pay those people and revenue neutral is a loss on the spreadsheet. I can see where the costs to pack and ship far exceed the price of a flat rate box.

I don't like it and will continue to buy from the vendors with the most reasonable shipping charges when buying for myself. If I'm buying parts to repair a gun for a paying customer, the shipping charges are passed to the customer at my cost.

David

[joec]

How about buying two screws that cost about $2 each and shipping costs of $6. Hell the price of a stamp though USPS would be sufficient and cheaper no more than .45 cents.

[dmize]

There is more to shipping charges than most see. I deal with it on a daily basis at my job,LOTS of times a $5 part ends up costing $20 BEFORE it makes it to our dealership.
Also Im not taking sides BUT Midway is a heck of a lot bigger than Grafs'. I think its like 4 city blocks of area.
I do busines with both places, buy from Grafs if I have time to drive to Mexico,but usually order from Midway,since they started allowing customer pick up's and my brother works in Columbia I dont pay shipping charges but still pay tax.
I dont know Larry,but have talked to people that do or have worked for him and said he is one of the best employers there is,they have also been recognised for the same thing by the City of Columbia and Boone County.
And before people start sounding like our commander in chief,as in slamming somebody just because they succeded,like his hunts and TV show. Go out and start your own gun/reloading/outdoor supply store. Manage to keep it liquid and turning a profit for 30 years and then NOT enjoy the fruits of your labor?????
And dont forget about all that he is contributing BACK to our sport and lifestyle,through his support.

[DCP]

In Business today every job must make a profit.[smilie=b:

Soon those toll free customer service people will answer the phone.

May I have your CC info so we can continue our conversation. :groner:

[garym1a2]

Not sure where the $12.06 quote to ship came from. I just went on their site to see what they where upto latly and used their shipping estimater, they charge $3.84 to ship two of the 896243 bits first class mail.

The bits cost $4.79 each and a $3 special service fee for a shipment under $20.

I don't see the ripoff on this low cost part, you pay someone to stuff the part in an envelope. labor is not free.



Is it just me or has anyone else noticed that Midway has gone into the business of making money off of shipping. I started to order 2 screwdriver bits, the notched ones for the Ruger Blackhawk Base Pin Latch. No biggie, I notched a screwdriver a while back but now I cant find it. I was gonna get these and keep in my box of bits. Thats all I needed, I was gonna pay the $3 extra and forget it.
They wanted $12.06 to ship them. They will fit in a thimble much less an envelope. I was given no options other than UPS and if I was in a hurry I could pay up to $60.28 for next day air. Good Grief!!! I used their customer service chat to see if it was a mistake................nope. I just got the standard shipping is calculated on size and weight explanation. DANG. I went out and notched another screwdriver, job done.

I sent smiling, we appreciate your business Larry an email complaining, I am curious to see if I hear from him.

[Swamprat1052]

The $12.06 came from MIDWAY!!!! I got an email today that they were adding
USPS back into my account and they would ship it for for $3.84. Dont know why it was taken out of my account but thats better. Customer service didnt offer me that option before sending my email.

Swamprat

[sig2009]

Not sure where the $12.06 quote to ship came from. I just went on their site to see what they where upto latly and used their shipping estimater, they charge $3.84 to ship two of the 896243 bits first class mail.

The bits cost $4.79 each and a $3 special service fee for a shipment under $20.

I don't see the ripoff on this low cost part, you pay someone to stuff the part in an envelope. labor is not free.

If I am ordering from your company I refuse to pay a service charge. I don't care how much I order. They have people working in shipping to ship whether it's one item or 10 items. They lost my business. I don't care how much they contribute to the shooting sports!

[HangFireW8]

I won't defend Midway's shipping charges, as others have noted for small orders they rarely make sense, for large orders it may all come out in the wash.

Midway has the best shooting vendor web site, bar none, and their search function actually works, unlike Graf's. They've taken the time to cross index matching parts and accessories. Since most of my recent orders are small orders or molds, Graf's gets most of my business, usually I find their items by starting at Midway and then using Google's site search to find it on Graf's.

Lately MidSouth has their own brand of USA made cartridge boxes, this is the best deal hands down. Unfortunately Midway's version has become far too brittle since moving to China, I won't be buying them again.

For most orders I bring up Natchez, Graf's, MidSouth and Midway and see who has the best deal including shipping. Midway rarely wins except when they have items the others don't. On occasion their specials or closeouts make them unbeatable.

[excess650]

I shop around and compare prices for the items SHIPPED before I order.

The price of shipping continues to rise. Not only is weight a consideration, but dimensions of the packages are as well. Why? The price of fuel is a big contibutor. IF drilling was permitted in the Gulf, on Federal Lands, off the east and west coasts, in the ANWR, supply would be up and prices down. Too, add in the Keystone pipline to decrease the cost of transporting crude (and all the jobs created by drilling HERE and building the pipeling) and fuel prices would decrease dramatically.

Don't blame the suppliers of the goods you're buying or the shippers. EVERYTHING is brought by truck at some point. The current administration in DC is to blame, and YOU can help remedy that. I didn't intend this to become political, but THAT is the root of the perceived problem. <end of rant>

[Jammer Six]

Nope.

Since you were rude enough to bring politics into a non-political discussion, outside of the political forum, I'll say this: the current administration had nothing to do with dumping oil into the gulf, and everything to do with preventing it from happening again. So far.

I intend to vote for the President, since the Romney is the front running opposition.

Anything but him. I'd rather have a vice president who can't spell potato than Mitt Romney.

Now.

Dragging politics, with all it's stink, out of the political forum is bad manners. All it does is stir up bad feelings, and it reminds everyone why we have a sty reserved for the pigs who can't keep their politics, their choice of bed partner(s) and their colostomy bag to themselves.

Back under the stairs, shoo, shoo!

And clean this filth off the floor before you go. Shoo, now!

[wiljen]

Alright, having both had a chance to speak your piece at this point, I suggest any further politics be taken to the appropriate forum.

[Longwood]

Alright, having both had a chance to speak your piece at this point, I suggest any further politics be taken to the appropriate forum.

Facebook,, would be my suggestion.

[Jammer Six]

I'm surprised and a little embarrassed that my post was allowed to stand.

Humbled, I am, by the tolerance shown by the mods.

If I could keep my mouth shut at key times, I'd be rich.

I compare Powder Valley, Midway and Graf and go with the total shipped.

Who wins changes, depending on what I'm ordering and how much of it I'm ordering.

I like to buy my powder locally, I have a favorite shop where the guys remember my name, and in the long drought between buying guns, I use powder as my excuse to go in there, say hi, and chatter with them.

So it ends up being bullets and primers that I buy, and lately, it's been Powder Valley and Midway going head to head, with very slight differences in the price when it hits my porch.

I sincerely apologize to anyone I've offended in this thread, including Excess650.

Please forgive me.

~Jammer

[dakotashooter2]

It doesn't end with the shipping. The small order charge also burns my butt. Not because they have it but because often it's difficult to avoid it. When you have a large enough order to place but 1/2 of it isn't in stock, and you don't want to wait for it you get stuck in the small order category. Thats's not my fault it's theirs. I suspect much of the high shipping price is due to that if you do place an order in which many of the items are out of stock they have to make additional shippments to get it to you..... again...their problem NOT mine............

[Danderdude]

I worked for a gun dealer on weekends running a gun show road crew for a while, and heard some other dealers talking about the same thing.

---EVERYTHING-BELOW-THIS-LINE-ARE-RUMORS---
One claimed to be a former a business partner with Potterfield and Graf a while back. He said Potterfield left because the other partners wouldn't agree to do catalogs and charge a minimum service fee per order to cover those costs. They were using flat rates for shipping back then, as Grafs still does today on the retail website (dealers still pay shipping). So Larry leaves to start MidwayUSA, where they still apparently have the hidden service charge baked into shipping.

[BruceB]

Having just hung up after placing an order with Midway, I will say this:

1. Out of about fifteen wildly-assorted items, ALL, repeat, ALL were in stock and being shipped, arrival time about five days to Nevada.

2. My order came to a total of $193 with the "NRA Roundup" applied. SHIPPING COST IS ONLY $6.17, which I think is a fine deal.

Could it be that the outfit has finally gotten a handle on this issue, which has caused so much anguish and breast-beating in our ranks?

[dudel]

I got an email earlier this week from Midway talking about their new lower shipping rates. I've never had too much of a complaint about their shipping, because it generally came out less than having to pay shipping to several other vendors to get all the stuff I wanted. Midway had the best inventory for what I was looking for. Their new shipping prices seem to be a big step in the right direction. Looks like they also got rid of the minimum order dollar amount (which did tick me off if I just needed one small part for a Glock).

What I'd like now, would be for them to get enough order in, so that when I get an alert about 22LR being in stock, it's not gone 3 nanoseconds later when I login to buy. Of course, how much stock they get it is not always under their control.

[Gtek]

I also received the email and maybe market forces are at play. With the wonderful economy chugging along under the ***, sorry misspell POTUS, I am sure his (Larry's) power point charts are not as pretty as they once were. I am glad to see, ALWAYS great service just wish they would put A LITTLE MORE TAPE ON THE BOX!

[W.R.Buchanan]

I got the same email and was anxious to see exactly what it was going to be $wise.

I have told their CS people several times that they were NOT getting the best deal they could from UPS.

I ship product often to 4 Wheel Dive Hardware in Ohio, Northridge 4X4, and 4 Wheel Parts Wholesalers. All are large 4WD aftermarket distributors.

I ship using their account numbers, and I ship in boxes that weigh 20,30, and 40 lbs each.

Each box is $8 ! period. This is their High Volume discount price. There is absolutely no reason why Potterfield shouldn't be getting this same price. and maybe he is now. but the reason why is that he ships more product in one day than these other outfits do in a week,,, combined.

Yes Midway ships three 53' vans full every day! and sometimes more.

He should have a flat rate for shipping larger orders of say $13, IE it costs him $8 to UPS and makes $5 on the handling side which is what I charge. And should use USPS postal envelopes for small parts or small orders.

This is why I only use Midway if I am going to buy $100 or more of product from them. That way the shipping is amortized over more items. Still the shipping should only be calculated based on the volume and weight of the package. The dollar amount of the sale should not enter into it.

Unless you are buying something huge the shipping costs should never be more than $13-15 for anything they sell.

You always have to shop this stuff as it is too easy to get screwed nowadays.

My .02 on this subject.

Randy

[kenn]

I'm going to have to defend midway here as I am careful. When they have stuff on sale, I get after it... when you reach 175, shipping is free, so if you have several items, bundle them.

I got a mold that broken upon first use... I called customer service and the send a replacement mold FREE SHIPPING and told me to put a receipt in the box for the return shipping and they would credit me that, too. Basically they swapped a defective product and covered shipping both ways. That's pretty stand up business if you ask me.

I just got a postcard today noting cheaper "nitro express" shipping options. Maybe they are listening...

[44man]

I needed two oil filters for my Polaris, checked on line and the filters came to $16 but shipping was $17.30. I closed that up fast! Found filters at NAPA, cost a little more each but I still saved a bundle.
I ordered a new 4 Runner Wheel bearing and front axle from Rock Auto, two heavy items and the axle came Fedex from CA to WV. I think shipping was around $6, two separate shipments with one USPS. Total cost for them and another bag of seals came to $118.
I don't go to Midway, I would rather pay a little more for an item. Midsouth has been good to me forever and they are pleasant to talk to. My list of no bull companies;
Midsouth, Graf's, Natchez, Brownell's, Sinclair, Softener Parts, Rock Auto, Bob's Batteries. Need batteries for your dots, go to Bob's, get a whole strip at the cost of one battery in the store and free shipping.

[Tatume]

... Bob's Batteries. Need batteries for your dots, go to Bob's, get a whole strip at the cost of one battery in the store and free shipping.

Do you mean Battery Bob?

http://www.batterybob.com/

Take care, Tom

[44man]

Do you mean Battery Bob?

http://www.batterybob.com/

Take care, Tom
Yes, sorry for the mistake.