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MG MGA - Rip-off 'Carriage' charges

Am I the only one noticing this increasing trend? I am getting increasingly fed up with companies that gouge on shipping charges. I increasingly challenge them and am then normally offered a refund of most of what is on the bill and the amount actually on the package.

The most recent culprit is Speedy Cables, who charged me GBP20 for a GBP 8 postage fee (GBP=1.65) , and seek to justify this on the basis that someone has to take it to the post office. Given that it's surely not the only package they shipped that day, I find that completely unreasonable. They won't be getting any more custom from me.

Moss is also a recent culprit, although they did refund the overcharge without question. eBay sellers often try and get away with it until challenged, and US suppliers are just about the worst generally on this subject. I recently cancelled an order worth 800USD on a supplier in the US and went to another because of this issue.

I don't buy from Angloparts or Limora either because of their shipping charges (and their prices are generally high anyway). On normal stuff Brown and Gammons and Moss are very reasonable on shipping.

Am I out on my own on this one?


dominic clancy

You are absolutely right Dominic. I am sure there are plenty of companies who keep the product price low to make them look competitive and then attempt to make their profit on the carriage.

You see lots of very high carriage prices on Ebay.

Steve
Steve Gyles

Not at all, I agree wholeheartedly. Especially on B&G vs Moss. I have a couple of rebuilds to do and plan a drive around UK to the various suppliers with that as one main reason.

The other thing that bothers me (even more, actually) is the number of parts that are sold, which are nothing like the originals, don't fit, don't work properly, or don't last! So I want to see what I am buying!

I just changed the steering rack boots and handbrake cable. Got the bits from B&G at nearly 40% less than Moss with carriage! However, the handbrake cable was covered in black pvc, the boot clips were wider than both the originals and the recesses on the boots, which in turn were different from the originals.

Although I got everything to function correctly (not sure how long the rubber will last though) I believe the distributors should clearly identify those parts that are "pattern" or "similar" and those parts that are "as original". I know that Moss does this for some components, but absolutely not enough.
Neil McGurk

I used to operate a mail order business and admit that postage was a problem area mainly because customers naturally wanted to know shipping charges before they purchased an item whereas we could only be definite after the item was packed and weighed. So to overcome this problem you have to come up with some postal charge rule which starts off with the premise that you do not want to lose money on the shipping side. You then have to build in the cost of packing material and labour to pack it,cost in time and money of taking it to the nearest post office,cost of losses in the post,etc. Then there is the problem of VAT. VAT inspectors do not distinguish between the cost of postage and the cost of the item: they are lumped together and VAT is payable on the total. So don't look at the stamp on the packet and compare it with what you have paid without adding on this and that.
Also Royal Mail now have an annual price hike every April which is usually around 5-7% on average.

However, paying £20 for an £8 postal fee is stretching it a lot plus the fact that Switzerland is none EC so VAT should not come into it.

I think the answer is to make it a golden rule to find out before you commit to purchase what the shipping cost will be and if you think it's too high then go elsewhere but as well as this tell the original company why they have lost the order. I'm afraid in general we don't complain enough.

There is a tendency now,especially for internet purchases, for suppliers to ask for credit card details (and then it's too late) before they tell you what the shipping cost is going to be. Anglo Parts is even worse and you only get to know when the item arrives. I complained to Anglo Parts about their exorbitant shipping charge on a recent order and they said basically to make their life easier they used UPS to handle all their shipping!

So we have to give these outfits more feedback (good or bad).

What we need also is a list somewhere of all the parts suppliers with all their pros and cons including shipping charges. Mike
m.j. moore

In Canada if I purchase from a USA supplier....and they use FedX or UPS I will be charged an $85.00 "Brokerage fee" for documents and border clearance (charge by the courier). This is on top off the price of the part,shipping,packaging & handling, duties,tariffs and postage (charged by the supplier). Therefore the reason I have a mailing box just across the border and will drive 40 kilometers to get my packages.

Gordon Harrison


I ordered some stuff from JCWhitney. Evidently they are now almost entirely a drop ship deal; two out of eight items come from them and the rest from others.
The item that "will ship 18 Aug" got here in two days (28 June), two items shipped 26 June took three. The remainder being off in outer space someplace.
Attached (I hope) is a pic of those two and their packing.

Top is a roll of plastic window film you stick on your windows. The box will hold at least 20 or 24 of them. And the air cushion padding should keep it from getting busted!
Bottom is 4 strut dust cover/bump stops, the 4 boxes they came in, the box they came in - which will hold 12 or 14 of the smaller ones, and the air cushions to keep these extremely fragile pieces from breaking.

I have received a box from MSC, 12"x18"x48" containing one item and 20,000 plastic peanuts. The item being a sheet of neoprene rubber 12x36x.062, rolled up to 12x2 with a rubber band around it.

OTOH, I once got two MGB rear springs in a 2ftx2ftx6ft box - no packing other than a couple of pieces of crumpled up paper, and the springs were loose, not even taped together, The UPS guy told my wife "be careful, this one's really awkward." As she took it from him, the springs shifted in the box, leaving her flat on the driveway with the box on top of her.

Every time we pay the outrageous shipping charges, we are encouraging this nonsense, and the consequent waste of trees, water, oil feed stock, fuel, time, vehicles, etc. Not to mention the piles of crap we then have to dispose of.
It makes sense for a guy selling a few items on ebay to charge packing & gas to go to the PO; it does not make sense for a company whose business is based on shipped parts to do this, or to act like packing materials and such are a surprise to them.

All I can say good is that the air cushion padding seems to utilise the gaseous exudations from the airheads.

Gordon - That's "free trade", by which we have all freely shipped the jobs away and get "freely" traded and there's tax on the vaseline too.


FR Millmore

A freind of mine in the British car business, Jim R, died a few years ago. His wife hired a company to sell off his parts inventory. I bid on E-bay and won a RF MGB shock. They wanted $30.00 shipping to get it 3 blocks away. Though I could see it on the shelf they would not sell it. They were using the shipping cost as a way to steal extra profit from the widow.
R J Brown

Gordon, tell your US suppliers to ship parts to you via USPS (the post office), First Class Mail International is the most economical if the items are not too big or too heavy. Canada Post charges a flat rate $5.00 fee for clearing the package through customs. I have found that if the declared value of the shipment is below about $50.00, the package often arrives at my door with no taxes or brokerage fees owing.
Andy Bounsall

Andy, I try to use that whenever I can but, many companies simply refuse. Their reason is they will actually have to go to the post office. FedX & UPS comes to them.
Gordon Harrison

Gord, LBCarCo (Moss) will use USPS. He will also ship from Windsor Ontario.
Art Pearse

Art, I asked Jeff (Zorn) about that not too long ago. He said that he has been known to do it on occaision, but only for small parts and only if you're not in any rush to get them as he said he doesn't come accross to Windsor very often any more.
Andy Bounsall

This thread was discussed between 04/07/2009 and 06/07/2009

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