Tooltopia new shipping rates ****.

[zakmartin]

I just sent this message to the kind folks at ToolTopia.com.

"Guys, I love shopping at ToolTopia, but you just lost a $136.26 purchase (items MRT1058S and SKT4498) because for the same price, I got free shipping at TheToolWarehouse.net - they only require a $75 purchase for free shipping over there. Your former free shipping policy on a $99 purchase was reasonable enough to make me a regular customer at ToolTopia; have a look at my purchasing history and see how much $$$ I've spent with you guys in the past year. Bumping the minimum purchase up an extra $50 seems a bit petty. I'm posting your new shipping rates on GarageJournal.com so that your customer base is aware of the change. I hope you make it right by bringing your rates back to what it was."

In retrospect, even $99 was a bit high, but $149 is enough to make me take my business elsewhere. I hope they don't spin some lame excuse for raising the free shipping minimum. I'll post their response (if I get one) on this thread.

 

[wornoutoldman]

Gotta love Internet Leverage!

 

[Mowerpan]

I don't get the point of trying to pressure them into lowering it through blackmail. I look at total cost when purchasing things online and often go with one slightly more expensive due to better reviews or better/easier to use websites. Sending them an email is one thing but threatening them is low.

Sent from my VS910 4G using Tapatalk 2

 

[oilfieldtrash4]

I don't get the point of trying to pressure them into lowering it through blackmail. I look at total cost when purchasing things online and often go with one slightly more expensive due to better reviews or better/easier to use websites. Sending them an email is one thing but threatening them is low.

Sent from my VS910 4G using Tapatalk 2

Man gotta have his tools.

 

[Scottishross]

will be good if u get a reply

 

[SMKS]

It's relatively short, but not polite enough to be taken seriously by them, I would guess.

I'm not sure accusing them of being "petty" will get you on their good side or make them take you seriously.

A cleaner, simpler letter would have just said you're a paying customer and you're not happy that they upped their minimum purchase. Telling them that they just lost an order to a competitor because of the change is useful. Calling them "petty" probably isn't useful.

 

[91bronc300]

It's relatively short, but not polite enough to be taken seriously by them, I would guess.

I'm not sure accusing them of being"petty" will get you on their good side.

A cleaner, simpler letter would have just said you're a paying customer and you're not happy that they upped their minimum purchase. Telling them that they just lost an order to a competitor because of the change is useful.

I agree, that email is not polite enough. To tell them you are going to go tattle on them at the garage journal is what sounds 'petty' to me.

 

[Skin]

Tooltopia has a very good reputation and a huge catalog and the actual shipping charge for a small order below $150 is measly $5. That's not worth switching to some fly by night outfit who probably has "hello your items are on backorder for a few weeks" on auto send, but that's me.

 

[MPOWERD]

I don't get the point of trying to pressure them into lowering it through blackmail. I look at total cost when purchasing things online and often go with one slightly more expensive due to better reviews or better/easier to use websites. Sending them an email is one thing but threatening them is low.

Sent from my VS910 4G using Tapatalk 2

You missed the point entirely... For a company to decide to undercut its loyal customer base by upping the shipping minimums is what is low. Calling them on it and letting them know you will be passing THEIR bad decision on to THEIR customers isnt...

Its call a business tactic to make the company realize that without its customer base its out of business. They want to up their bottom dollar, but instead will be burying it...

I own several business and listening to my customers is the best thing to do to stay in business... Raising shipping minimums isnt the way to do it...

 

[rollscanhardly]

Funny as I was about to order from Tooltopia yesterday when I noticed the same thing and cancelled my order too. Their requirement for $99 was always a gouge to me.

I am glad you sent your email to them as you are being honest with your sentiments and you have a history as a buying customer. That's the problem with so many companies today, they spend thousands and thousand trying to attract new customers and **** on their existing customers.

 

[Buckgnarly]

I have to agree with the OP, I will go with Toolwarehouse for the free shipping. Both are good companies and both have good prices.

I did not know either had changed free shiping, weren't they both free at 99 for a while?

 

[azcactus]

Tooltopia has a very good reputation and a huge catalog and the actual shipping charge for a small order below $150 is measly $5. That's not worth switching to some fly by night outfit who probably has "hello your items are on backorder for a few weeks" on auto send, but that's me.

That's a good shipping rate imo.

 

[mmack66]

Due to the nature of the OP, I wouldn't have thought this to be a hot deal.

 

[rollscanhardly]

That's a good shipping rate imo.

I don't know where you get the "measly $5" from.

Any order under $150 is more like $9.99 or higher depending on item in my experience.

 

[mspecperformance]

As a small business owner myself (Not sure if you would classify ToolTopia as a small business but w/e) I would see that email as a petty move from yet another selfish consumer only thinking about themselves. You don't know what it costs them to do business or their profit margins. They have decently low prices, not always the lowest but low enough and free shipping $149 min is not ridiculously. Of course I as a consumer would love to have them keep at $99 min but its not a huge deal. Throw a box of a gloves in with your order instead of being annoying.

 

[mmack66]

I don't know where you get the "measly $5" from.

Any order under $150 is more like $9.99 or higher depending on item in my experience.

From Tooltopia website:

Within the Contiguous 48 United States:

Order Value Shipping Cost

$0.01-$98.99: ..... $9.99

$99.00-$148.99: ..... $4.99

$149.00 & Up: ..... $0.00 = Free Shipping!

 

[padronanniversary]

I would tend to agree that they are very reputable and at the end of the day its a business. I am sure the margins are slim, and rates are always going up and being passed along to the customer base. UPS, FedEx, hell even the post office keeps jacking their rates up. I'm sure they can add the cost to the price of the product itself, but its fair that they increase the cutoff on shipping. I'd rather see that than an increase in price on each item. Even labor rates are going up, and consolidating orders just makes sense for a order management standpoint.

 

[pipsters]

I have previously ordered from The Tool Warehouse.net. They were reputable. Every now and then they also send out 10% coupons.

I also returned some items to them, again no issues.

 

[Subyroo651]

I also returned some items to them, again no issues.

I returned a set of unopened wrenches and it took a full month to get refunded.
I had to contact them several times.

I still buy from them, but I reconsider each buy and make sure that I wont regret it. Otherwise its easier to try and sell it.

 

[Ign]

I also think it's great you took the time to tell them how you feel. You were honest and that counts for a lot. I also agree they should listen to their regular customer base as this is their "bread and butter." I've ordered a couple things from them when on really good sales, but by far my default is toolwarehouse altho they have their issues too.

Quite often for good prices and free shipping I just search ebay, too. Doesn't work for everything, and most likely returns are harder but generally works out well.

 

[Tim-Bob]

To put this in perspective, I live in Canada and the shipping rates are atrocious. The last item I bought and had shipped in Canada cost $15 from Ontario to BC, took over a week, and weighed less than a pound. Plus we get to pay 12% tax on top of everything else!!!

Fortunately, I live near the border, so I order most of my tools from the USA and have them delivered to a receiver in Montana. While I like free shipping, it is rare that it is actually free. You have to look at the overall picture, that is, what will the total cost be in the end.

 

[Hootbro]

Jeez, reading the OP's post you would think Tooltopia had run over a bus load of Nuns getting off work from the Orphanage.

Not the crime of the century nor would I hold it against them other than just factoring in on the bottom line when comparison shopping.

I agree with the others it seems petty and borderline Juvenile of threatening them with public dissemination of info that they really were not hiding to begin with.

Sorta picking the fly **** out the pepper here. Most people waste more money daily on stupid stuff like a Fast Food and Starbucks than the measly $5 difference in ToolTopia's shipping fee structure.

Me personally, I think the reality is finally catching up to consumers that "free shipping" and cheap stuff is getting harder and harder for most businesses. At a personal level of the small shipping I do for stuff, shipping rates have gone through the roof the last 2-3 years and Postal rates for shipping went up sharply just last January. So I do not see Tooltopia's policy change as that dramatic. But then I do not put much drama in things like this.

 

[RalphInCA]

I don't get the point of trying to pressure them into lowering it through blackmail. I look at total cost when purchasing things online and often go with one slightly more expensive due to better reviews or better/easier to use websites. Sending them an email is one thing but threatening them is low.

Sent from my VS910 4G using Tapatalk 2

I disagree. He did the right thing. As person who has spent a lot of time in company management, I want to know when customers are unhappy.

 

[Wrenches of Death]

Gotta love Internet Leverage!

Amen brother.

Competition is GOOD!

WoD

 

[dwatsonkc]

Shipping can be a deal breaker. Eastwood is the worst. I have tried to buy from Eastwood a couple of times when an item has been on sale and the shipping scared me off. Once it was $27 for a $125 order. I took my business somewhere else.

I buy all the time online. Shipping is important. Eastwood is an example to me where I'm careful when I buy just because of the "overcharging" of Eastwood shipping charges.

 

[sselander]

Meanwhile, Amazon keeps adding new fulfillment centers to get the products to you faster. Here in CT, we will have to pay sales tax in September for Amazon purchases since they will be building one here. If you don't like the shipping costs from a place, there is always another one. Google is your friend.

Locations of Amazon Fulfillment Centers
http://outright.com/blog/locations-of-amazon-fulfillment-centers-2/

Article on the same day delivery.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/76955.html

 

[Car_Guy]

The sad thing is that free shipping actually is a worse proposution for customers (most of the time) it is figured into the cost of all items and is probably averaged out where some of the heavy items don't pay their full cost and some of the lighter items pay extra. if more places would charge actual shipping and price items accordingly I think we would often get a better deal. There is a certain psychological effect of seeing free shipping though (especially because I know my shipping cost as i shop instead of once i have a cart full of goods.)

 

[NoSloCoupes]

From Tooltopia website:

Within the Contiguous 48 United States:

Order Value Shipping Cost

$0.01-$98.99: ..... $9.99

$99.00-$148.99: ..... $4.99

Seems those two are kinda backwards to me,lol.

 

[WR250F]

****.

This is over $5 ?

If I were ToolTopia I would respond by closing your account permanently, and replying with a short note wishing you well at wherever you wanted to shop.

Look around, things cost more. UPS and FedEx jacked their base rates at the beginning of the new year.

I'm not defending any online retailer, but if you are so damned tight $5 makes you start a shitstorm, what the hell do you do over $6 ?

If you think you deserve a raise this year, or should charge more for whatever it is you do just to offset the cost of living, taxes whatever, it better damn sure not amount to more than $5 or you are a friggin hypocrite.

 

[01ssreda4]

As a small business owner myself (Not sure if you would classify ToolTopia as a small business but w/e) I would see that email as a petty move from yet another selfish consumer only thinking about themselves. You don't know what it costs them to do business or their profit margins. They have decently low prices, not always the lowest but low enough and free shipping $149 min is not ridiculously. Of course I as a consumer would love to have them keep at $99 min but its not a huge deal. Throw a box of a gloves in with your order instead of being annoying.

I agree, OP sounds like a self-entitled cry baby.

 

[mmack66]

Seems those two are kinda backwards to me,lol.

Why? It makes sense that the more you buy, they better they can offset the shipping cost.

I can't imagine the crying that would take place if people had to pay the actual FedEx or UPS shipping charges to have a couple of small items, like the OP was buying, shipped.

 

[ChrisF250]

Competition is good, we live in a capitalistic society the last time I checked. OP made the company aware that he could get a lower price from a different retailer. It's now on the first company to try and find a way to make a more efficent business model. I don't know about you guys but I work damn hard for my money and I'm not about to waste it on a business that can't figure out how to be competitive. And before anyone says it, this is only true when talking about two identical products/retailers, quality and service always costs more.

 

[byoungblood]

The sad thing is that free shipping actually is a worse proposution for customers (most of the time) it is figured into the cost of all items and is probably averaged out where some of the heavy items don't pay their full cost and some of the lighter items pay extra. if more places would charge actual shipping and price items accordingly I think we would often get a better deal. There is a certain psychological effect of seeing free shipping though (especially because I know my shipping cost as i shop instead of once i have a cart full of goods.)

That's exactly it though, it is averaged out. So you may pay $2-3 extra compared to the place that charges actual shipping, but in turn, you avoid their $8 shipping fee.

It tends to be most advantageous on smaller items because the handling fees some places tack onto shipping costs make the shipping almost as much as the item itself, and on large ones, of course because of the weight or size of the item.

This has been my observation with larger retailers. On places like eBay, you can probably toss that theory out the door as I've found most items there (at least what I buy) tend to be more expensive with free shipping, and more often than not they tend to send things first class mail or parcel post, which probably didn't cost them more than a couple of bucks anyway.

But in any case, I wouldn't let $5 on a $100 run me off if they have an otherwise competitive price.

 

[Speed-Racer]

I always compared the delivered price before submitting the order. This stopped me from placing an older last week, need to add more tools to the order or find another source. Maybe it is inflation and I am getting older, but I agree $149 to have free shipping seems a little high.

 

[71goldss]

Maybe internet venders like Tooltopia and others should take a lesson from Amazon and offer their own version of Amazon Prime?

Personally, I prefer to get my order up to the $25 (direct from Amazon) purchase minimum to qualify for free Super Saver shipping, but it's my impression that the majority of GJ members love Prime and are more than willing to pay the annual membership fee. Maybe Tooltopia isn't large enough to make the idea cost effective for them, but just a thought.

 

[Exceller8]

Their new rate structure seems more than fair to me. Everybody wants everything for free these days.

 

[the gypsy]

The sad thing is that free shipping actually is a worse proposution for customers (most of the time) it is figured into the cost of all items and is probably averaged out where some of the heavy items don't pay their full cost and some of the lighter items pay extra. if more places would charge actual shipping and price items accordingly I think we would often get a better deal. There is a certain psychological effect of seeing free shipping though (especially because I know my shipping cost as i shop instead of once i have a cart full of goods.)

I agree with you about the prices of big items probably don't pay full cost of shipping. I certainly hope that that will change BUT only after I order some of the biggest items on sale with a huge discount from their website.

 

[rollscanhardly]

****.

This is over $5 ?

If I were ToolTopia I would respond by closing your account permanently, and replying with a short note wishing you well at wherever you wanted to shop.

Look around, things cost more. UPS and FedEx jacked their base rates at the beginning of the new year.

I'm not defending any online retailer, but if you are so damned tight $5 makes you start a shitstorm, what the hell do you do over $6 ?

If you think you deserve a raise this year, or should charge more for whatever it is you do just to offset the cost of living, taxes whatever, it better damn sure not amount to more than $5 or you are a friggin hypocrite.

You miss the point.

If you have been a regular purchaser from Tooltopia you would know it's not about $5.

When you want to buy an item it's usually $35 or $50 or $60.

And the item you want maybe is a couple dollars cheaper from somewhere else but the $10 in shipping kills the deal. So now you have the dilemma, you had to put out more cash you weren't planning on or had available to buy something that you really didn't need to get the item you really wanted.

That extra bit to buy was ALWAYS a gouge and it virtually impossible to buy something for $99 so you ended up paying $127 to get free shipping the one item you wanted.

So now what do they do? They raise the hurdle by another 50% to get free shipping and you end up buying not $150 but $188 of stuff you don't really need or want to get free shipping or as you said pay $5.

So it's not just over $5, it's the extra $50 or 60 you used to have to tack on now you either have to tack on $50 or $60 more or pay a $5 shipping penalty.

So yes the OP is right to rant, this change ***** and their shipping *****. Sure it's their perogative and it's mine to shop at some place that doesn't put artificially high free shipping goals and shop at places with lower goals. That way I can get ONLY the item I originally wanted.

I have always avoided places that give free shipping for orders that are $200, $250 or $500. And now I will avoid Tooltopia.


And just a footnote, unlike other places, they NEVER offer a coupon or discount code.

 

[bimmerZ5]

I also noticed the free shipping increase, but even worse, a few items I've been tracking also went up in price by $5-$10! so, overall, ToolTopia is getting more expensive to shop in general.

being a business owner myself, i suspect they had a bad quarter and are looking for ways to get out of the red or fix their diminishing margins. they've generally always been good with customer service, so i do feel for them. and it is true that UPS/FedEx/USPS have all increased their prices recently; so some of this might reflect that.

as a consumer, that *****... there were a few items I was planning to buy from them, but with the price increase and increase limit for free shipping, I decided not to buy from them. which is lost business for them....

and so I put my business owner hat back on... and ask myself: ****, I don't increase prices and my margins are too low or i'm in the red, but i increase my prices and **** i just lost customers... i can't win...

 

[buttface]

Free shipping makes or breaks the deal for me. If i Have to spend $75 to save $10-15 in shipping, I'll do it. If they start jacking up the amount you have to spend in order to get free shipping, then the hell with them.

I couldn't help myself, I just ordered $150 in channel locks,, $149 was free shipping.