cripe dist. shipping rates

[mustang79]

Anyone else wondering why cripes shipping rates are ridiculously high. Went to do a little shopping this morning and when I went to check out the shipping was going to be $45.00. All the items were hand tools and couldn't weight that much. Just wondering if anyone else had noticed this.

 

[Buckgnarly]

Did you ask them for a shipping total? I have bought probably 1k+ of stuff from them, never had an issue with shipping...but I also contacted them everytime I ordered stuff before I paid.

 

[Stephenw]

I bought something from them on eBay with a flat shipping rate listed. They refunded the difference between the flat rate amount and actual shipping without me even asking about it.

Great Service

 

[Fedwrench]

was this from their Ebay store or their website?

As others have pointed out, I've gotten reduced shipping when combining Ebay items from them. You can also use coupon code RDKBS for 5% off prices (not shipping) if paying with paypal on an order from their website. Even with all of these efforts, their shipping still seems high to me. I wish they would offer free shipping say on a $150 order, or at least try to use USPS flat rate boxes for smaller items. I still buy from them but, their shipping is a turn off and keeps me from ordering more.

 

[Skin]

Anyone else wondering why cripes shipping rates are ridiculously high. Went to do a little shopping this morning and when I went to check out the shipping was going to be $45.00. All the items were hand tools and couldn't weight that much. Just wondering if anyone else had noticed this.

you have to ask for a combined shipping quote. Even if you are interested in a few large items it should end up somewhere around $20-$25 at most.

 

[Rogue1987]

I just placed an order with them via ebay. It was about 10 items, and with each one shipping totaled up to about $45. I requested an invoice for combined shipping and they sent one back (very quickly for a Saturday morning) for $16. Much better.

Now I can't wait for my goodies! Finding this place (GarageJournal) has caused me to spend a bunch of money!

 

[honcho]

Cripe Distributing shipping costs are on the high end but, if you get a good enough deal, it's still worth it. Those folks who live closer to their location fare better.

Shipping is expensive and while Amazon and all the other people who offer "free" or low cost shipping make Cripe look expensive, they've just decided to price their shipping closer to what it really costs them rather than bundling more of the cost of packing and handling into the item price. It's not immoral, unethical nor deceptive. They're decent folks at Cripes and have just chosen a different pricing path that may or may not be the best way for them or their customers but it's their way!

So, just keep in mind that your cost is Item Cost PLUS Shipping Cost.

I've passed on some great item prices at Cripe because the shipping cost made the total price too rich for me. It's your hard-earned money so spend it how you want to.

 

[btbsandman]

I use Cripe, but I firmly their shipping rates is eroding their sales. They should offer a discounted rated for consistent buyers.

 

[honcho]

A common misconception is that by selling more of anything, you make more money. Ferrari could sell a lot more cars if they were $50k instead of $200k (and up) than they do but would they make more money? Maybe, maybe not. Cripe Distributing might be able to sell more stuff, but if you're limited in by the amount of capital your business has, space, labor, any number of things--many times you can make more by selling less and getting healthier margins or lower expenses, thereby realizing more profits. We don't have access to their financial records so your guess is as good as mine as to their financial success.

I'll agree that Cripes shipping charges limit their sales, but we don't know about how profitable the business is or what direction they want to take their business. Since they seem to sell mostly overstocks and closeouts, they may want to limit how much they invest in space and shipping facilities since they never know what kind of stock will be available in the future. Furthermore, some small, privately owned businesses just prefer to do things their way no matter what would make their customers happier.

Don't like their prices? You can vote every day with your money. The power of the marketplace in action.

 

[csmitty]

The ebay prices are high but they usually combine for less. Only issue i've had is UPS lost/stole the one item I was looking foward to the most. 18pc 6pt CMan pro combos. Either that or someone took it off my porch in the 2.5hrs it took from delivery till I got home. Its not cripe's fault by any means and unfortunantly they only had one.

Other than that i've been pleased with them. Even with slightly higher shipping it comes out cheaper than other places.

 

[dankicksass]

I got my first order from Cripe this week. Delivery was expensive ($100) and slow (14 days - not entirely their fault though, 3day weather delay but 11 days is still slow) and there was no packing list with my freight. However, the customer service was excellent. I called with a small problem and they took care of it immediately, re-shipping a replacement tool today. Absolutely better than Sears.

 

[Tatsuya]

I'm a loyal Cripe customer. Their shipping keeps me away from smaller purchases, so I regularly keep an eye on what's new and maintain a wishlist of sorts. I don't usually make a purchase less than $100 and typically pay $10-15 on very fast shipping. Then again, I live in the next state. Dan, what did you buy that demanded $100 in shipping?

 

[dankicksass]

2 Kobalt torque wrenches, 3/8 and 1/4in Napa (Gearwrench) boxed sets, self leveling locking pliers, impact sockets, a bunch of ratchets, a serpentine belt tool, some other stuff... nothing oversized. About 75 lbs distributed in two boxes. If they get the same UPS rates I do, and I'll bet they pay a lot less, they're high on freight by 50-70%.

Still, their prices are very good, and their customer service is too. If 50-70% of their S&H is a handling fee, that's fine. Their packaging was top notch, banded and very secure. Even with the S&H charge, I saved $500 off list on my order.

 

[Danglerb]

Ask for combined shipping, takes a bit more time, but once you know a vendor is good for doing it, pretty safe to go ahead and bid/win, then ask for an invoice with combined shipping. If you pay the ebay suggested shipping, can't expect them reject it.

Maybe ebay sellers are feeling the pinch from ebay fees and shipping costs, and ebay got real pushy about putting flat rate shipping in all listings, so best as a seller to err on the high side.

 

[BrokewrenchLS1]

Ask for combined shipping, takes a bit more time, but once you know a vendor is good for doing it, pretty safe to go ahead and bid/win, then ask for an invoice with combined shipping. If you pay the ebay suggested shipping, can't expect them reject it.

Maybe ebay sellers are feeling the pinch from ebay fees and shipping costs, and ebay got real pushy about putting flat rate shipping in all listings, so best as a seller to err on the high side.

I think it applies to their normal web store, too. I put an order in recently that wasn't too big - various socket sets, some pliers, couple smaller miscellaneous things - and the shipping was about 50% higher than I expected it to be. However, given the variety of stuff they sell, if there are only 2 or 3 people doing selecting and packing, I can see why the prices are a bit higher than expected - if it takes someone 15 minutes to pull and pack a $20 order, you've got to make that time up through packing fees.

Given their tool prices, it's hard to complain about shipping, in most situations.