McMaster Carr.... shipping?

[reader2580]

We order from McMaster every single day and we receive our shipments via Spee-Dee Delivery which is a regional delivery service and cheaper than UPS.

Spee-Dee is cheaper, but they also don't have the redundancy of Fedex/UPS in case of problems. A year and a half ago I ended up with three or four parcels supposed to be delivered by Spee-Dee within a two day span. The parcels didn't show up for almost a week. I made multiple calls to Spee-Dee and they said the route driver was out sick. I was thinking don't you have other drivers to fill in when drivers are sick?

I have a note on my MCM account to ship by Spee-Dee. They did so for a time and then started using UPS again. It turns out they quit using Spee-Dee, but more recently they are using Spee-Dee again. I like Spee-Dee because they are cheaper and when things work right I get the delivery from MCM the next day.

 

[Cobra5150]

I think I got you beat! Ordered around 7AM and by the time I got home from work, it was waiting for me. I think UPS dropped off the package around 3-4PM? Crazy!

I can top that.

Less than 6.5 hours.

Ordered at 8:30AM and was on the porch when the wife got home at 3PM. No idea when it was actually dropped off.

 

[Nor'Easter]

In addition to the material properties for raw materials on each listing, almost every item can be downloaded as a .prt and brought directly into solidworks. Huge time saver and makes prototyping very easy.

 

[RKA]

I can top that.

Less than 6.5 hours.

Ordered at 8:30AM and was on the porch when the wife got home at 3PM. No idea when it was actually dropped off.

You win!

 

[CraigStu]

I have looked at Grainger lots of times but only bought from them once. Their prices always seem high compared to whatever other sources pop up in a search.

 

[bwringer]

I have looked at Grainger lots of times but only bought from them once. Their prices always seem high compared to whatever other sources pop up in a search.

All the industrial suppliers have much lower pricing levels for high-volume accounts. I think Grainger deliberately makes their "public" prices higher than the others to discourage those low volume onesie-twosie orders.

McMaster-Carr's low-volume pricing ain't too bad most of the time for us home gamers, but if you're a purchaser for a factory ordering thousands and thousands of dollars' worth of stuff every month, you'll see much lower pricing.

 

[McLean]

Mcmaster has never been anything but great for my business and personal needs. Up front shipping quote would be nice, but I have also ordered enough and shipped enough to know that the rates they are charging are reasonable, heavily discounted UPS rates.

I have only had a few issues over the years and all have been resolved amazingly well. I recall that once I was alarmed by the shipping cost- multiple larger items ended up coming out of different warehouses so I got billed with 2x shipping I was anticipating. So I called to explain and they dropped the 2nd shipping charge, no questions asked.

 

[Outahere]

That is absolutely the truth. I used to use MSC quite a bit but their web site ***** compared to MMC.

I was recently searching/shopping for some individual drill bits and the McMaster website was 20X easier and faster to navigate than the MSC website.

 

[Grant Gunderson]

I love them minus 2 gripes. They never tell you who the MFG is. It’s always good quantum it would be nice to know. Second, here in WA state the shipping to us can crush you on small orders. So I now always do a minimum order with them of at least $100 so the surprise shipping costs are more manageable.

 

[Sumboodie]

If you order very small/lightweight (ie <1lb) parts they'll ignore your request to ship USPS and will charge you the UPS rates. (UPS is uncompetitive for small parcels).

For larger shipments they seem fair.

My pet pieve is companies that don't offer a USPS First Class Parcel rate for <1lb shipments.

UPS is expensive period.

Shipped a chainsaw once through them and it was almost $200!

 

[Sumboodie]

Maybe 3 yrs ago I was ordering several 3ft lengths of steel round, flat and square tube. I had some empty spots in my number drill index so added them to the order. Figured just throw them in w/ the steel. Well I ended up w/ three different shipments form 3 warehouses and $20+ shipping. I called and said, if I had known it was coming from 3 warehouses, I wouldn't have bothered w/ the bits. Really nice lady says, no problem I will refund your shipping, want it to go to the same card? I said no need for that, I am glad to pay shipping for the steel. No problem MrS, I will refund it all. Another time I was ordering something that I thought might be expensive to ship due to size rather than weight. So I had it ready to click 'confirm order' and called. Asked if she could tell me shipping charge. It was very reasonable and she asks if I want her to complete the order. I figured may be a good idea to make sure her quote wouldn't be lost in the system. About 30 seconds later she says it will be on the way in about an hour. Another time I ordered something at 945pm. As I was going to sleep I thought of something else. Got to work at 7Am and called to add it to the order. She says I am sorry, your order has already shipped. Wow! In addition to the fantastic stock and service, their online catalog is a wealth of information. What alloy steel would be best, what type of plastic would be best? The answer is all there. I am just a retired hobby tinkerer getting stuff shipped to my house. My record from time of confirmation email to ups at my door is 21.5 hours. Unbelievable. McMC is absolutely the best vendor I have ever dealt with

Dang!

Normally takes 7-10 days here.

Amazon Prime too though.

 

[nicholsmf]

I order from them often and have never had a shipping charge I would consider unreasonable.

 

[slidehammer]

McMaster-Carr updated their website recently. It now shows the shipping fee at check-out.

 

[McGR]

McMaster-Carr is awesome. Even before the Internet, their catalog was a bible of information and products - always close at hand. Their web site is one of the best out there too.

I'm in the Chicago area and if I place my order before about 9:00 AM, usually we'll get the goods around 2:00 PM. It don't get any better than that.

 

[Steve_P]

I love McMaster but in the past you could get killed on shipping. But they are charging their UPS rates, lower than I'd pay. In the last few weeks they now show shipping cost.

 

[DeeKay]

Mcmaster is hands down my favorite supplier to deal with. Customer service is top notch, and I've never gotten something that wasn't high quality.
Their shipping can be kind of odd sometimes and changes depending on where you ship to the most.
For example I was shipping a lot of parts to my house for work, at least 1-2 orders per week. I would get the stuff the next morning around 9AM if I ordered by 6PM. Then I started shipping to my plant which is 15 minutes down the road, shipping changed to 2 days out. After about a month of orders to my plant, the stuff started showing up the next day by 9am and now any time I ship to my house it takes 2 days. Pricing never changed between the two addresses and was always reasonable, just thought the transit time changes were kind of weird.

Just make sure you watch out for oversized stuff that gets charged to freight, I ordered a 48"x48" galvanized .024" sheet for like $65 and ended up paying $150 for shipping... I didn't even think about it until it was too late.

Any time I get caught pouring through the big yellow bible my old lady says there you go again Mcmasturbating over there.

 

[Cobra5150]

I think I got you beat! Ordered around 7AM and by the time I got home from work, it was waiting for me. I think UPS dropped off the package around 3-4PM? Crazy!

I've ordered at 8:30 AM and it was on the porch when the wife got home at 3PM

 

[mcbane]

McMaster is awesome. They have saved my schedule numerous times. I don’t sweat the shipping. Where I’m at, even if HD has something in stock, it costs me $30 in gas for the round trip. And I’d rather get quality parts than the ChiCom junk HD offers.


Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[bwringer]

McMaster-Carr updated their website recently. It now shows the shipping fee at check-out.

Just when you thought they couldn't get any more perfect...

 

[snyder]

The only dis I have about mcmaster carr is the way they hide the brand name.

 

[LS1-IROC]

Love McMaster, I get shipments every week from them. Shipping is reasonable considering the current market. The best thing about McMaster is their customer service though! I got a shipment on New Years eve and realized some of the parts fell out of the tube due to the end cap getting damaged. I sent them an email on New Years day to let them know thinking it would be days later I would get a response. Nope, someone contacted me that day, they refunded my whole purchase and sent the replacement the next day at no cost to me.

 

[rbgearz]

I've had an account with McMaster Carr for around 30-35 years. They've always been my go to for materials and hardware and such. Most of the time my order arrives either next day or 2nd day. Their shipping rates have gone up but it's worth it to me. Don't know if it's true but I've heard that unless you are a large business and have had an account for awhile that they will no longer ship to Canada. Anyone from Canada ordering from them?

 

[Yooper920]

The only dis I have about mcmaster carr is the way they hide the brand name.

I've called them up several times to ask who the manufacturer of a particular item was and they graciously shared the info

 

[Bad Mojo]

I've called them up several times to ask who the manufacturer of a particular item was and they graciously shared the info

Agreed, the few times I have need to do that they have been great and responded extremely quickly when I have emailed. Additionally, I have learned not to worry about brand with them too much because I know it will be high quality and often made in the USA.

 

[jshillin]

McMaster is the place I look when I can't find the hardware locally. They have never let me down.

 

[Moss]

In Canada the shipping does show up prior to order now and the rates are reasonable. Sometimes items even arrive the following morning which is fantastic.

 

[HenryAZ]

McMaster's shipping charges are now shown in your cart, as you build your order.

 

[BearsFan315]

order from them personally but also for work. we usually get everything next day if we order before cutoff. most items shipped cost us around $0 or so. now if we order oversized or heavy items, even bunch of little items add up then shipping is more. based on current shipping rates, they are on point.

If i order weekday before 2pm then we usually have it next day before lunch.

it does kind of **** at times to order a $3 or $4 part and it cost around $9 to ship, but ask myself do I need it ? usually ordering because I can NOT get it locally. If i can get item locally I do so.

 

[slowtwitch73]

The shipping is not cheap, or excessive. They are nobody's fool. If you want free two day yada yada, Amazon is your place.

 

[maplewood]

order from them personally but also for work. we usually get everything next day if we order before cutoff. most items shipped cost us around $0 or so. now if we order oversized or heavy items, even bunch of little items add up then shipping is more. based on current shipping rates, they are on point.

If i order weekday before 2pm then we usually have it next day before lunch.

it does kind of **** at times to order a $3 or $4 part and it cost around $9 to ship, but ask myself do I need it ? usually ordering because I can NOT get it locally. If i can get item locally I do so.

This is how I end up with so much stuff, some of which is for sure a lifetime supply. There's so many fasteners and electrical components that are hard to find locally. I'm always working on something so I don't have a build sheet in front of me, so for cheap stuff I'll end up way overbuying so I don't pay in time and shipping costs the next time I need it.

 

[Zeke]

We had a Grainger's 2 miles from me and shipping to the store was free. Now they are 6 miles away. Not such a great deal at >6 bucks a gal. McM is about 15 miles. That's an hour's drive round trip plus waiting in SoCal. I don't care what it costs to ship. I don't get exposed to COVID which is on the uptick.

 

[racer8432955]

when in doubt call for the shipping. years ago i bought a 4 or 6 ft nylon rod from mmc. the rod was like 10bucks and shipping was 20/30ish.
not saying it was a high shipping price, i was in a hurry and didn't think about the 6ft box. live and learn....

 

[kald]

McMaster is insane!

Only option is for a piece of tubing is $25!!!

I can understand a service charge on small order but $25?

They are that hot crazy girl you dated in your 20's. Great, but you eventually need some sanity in your life.

 

[imagineer]

Has anyone ever been to one of their warehouses? It must be truly impressive. I wonder if they give tours?

I've been to the Aurora, Oh facility. It's huge!

And to answer the original question, I feel McMaster-Carr's shipping charges are too high.

 

[tinmanwpk]

They are, but do you want it? They have it! We buy lots of stuff from them for our business and their shipping has gone way high, but so has everyone's.

 

[nadogail]

I always have somebody drive me whenever I need to go to a supply house. The price of my drivers labor makes shipping charges a bargain. I do my best to combine my shopping with a necessary trip, for example when Mrs Nadogail gets her hair done I ride along and use the driver who would be waiting for her to take me to whatever errands I can.

 

[TomC750]

I have used them off and on for almost 60 years! Never a disappointment.

 

[Hank11]

Fast service, quality product, and full price.
If you need something in a week or two you might find it cheaper. Or not.

 

[Mattilac]

McMaster-Carr is my favorite company, period.

 

[CraigStu]

Maybe 8 yrs ago I needed an 8" or 9"x7/16 bolt to hang a PS pump off the head of a SBF. No one had in including MCM. But they did have threaded rod, many alloys of threaded rod. So I make my choice and find a 16inch piece was going to be about $30. Whoa, but I need it and no other options I could find so ordered it. Two days later I get a call at work from a trucking company driver asking where I want him to leave my 16 FOOT cardboard tube. Ah, front porch will be fine. Yep I had mistakenly ordered 16ft of that rod. Now the $30 price made sense. I still have a couple of 2-3ft pieces of that rod. Just last Thursday afternoon I realized that my last carbide grinding bit had cracked so looked at L and HD. Neither had what I wanted in stock. OK MCM, here I come. I was surprised that, as I was checking out, it told me I would get it on Monday. Dang this is the MCM website right? Oh well. Well it showed up mid day Saturday. Ah, back to the MCM I really like.