Getting parts to Alaska

[schloss]

I was about to put in my order with Track of the Wolf this morning, until I found out that it will cost about $150 just to ship the stock. If I remove the stock from the order, shipping drops down to just under $60. With the stock, it's over $200. I called them, still waiting on a shipping quote.

Any other Alaskans out there run into this? Know of any place to buy stock blanks up here?

 

[BrownBear]

Don't know of a stock source up here, but TOW is so far out of their gourds they can't even see the garden.

I had a fully assembled, 36" barreled 12-pound rifle shipped up here from The Gun Works in Oregon. They shipped it Priority Mail, and it cost me around $30. If TOW can't get their act together on this, I know for sure that TGW will sell you a stock blank and not soak you for the trouble. Bet there are more, too.

 

[rafterob]

Sometimes you need to research your own shipping terms and remind the retailers what it actually costs. They will often adjust their fees when confronted with the prospect of lost sales. If you research enough you can find alternate purveyors willing to ship for actual cost. More common on small items where they have a minimum shipping fee on purchases under say $50 and shipping will run 12.50 for something they throw in a small envelope.

 

[BrownBear]

Okay, I was wrong.

I just checked the box from TGW, and total shipping weight including packaging and some other stuff I bought was 18 pounds. I dug out the invoice and they charged me $42. And that included the insurance TGW put on it.

TOW needs to get a life on their shipping. Last time I checked Alaska was still part of the union. Even if it's not part of the "continental US", the difference in shipping costs is small. Other shippers to Alaska take note. I'm about 110% fed up with the nonsense.

 

[Walks Alone]

Hate to say it pard, but shipping rates have gone through the roof everywhere, not just to AK/HI. Last small ML rifle I shipped was almost $30 - either UPS ground or priority mail, and it only had to go less than 300 miles. The higher price for USPS insurance made either way about the same.

No doubt a business with an account and pick up by the shipper gets a better price than I do over the counter, but even from Las Vegas an 18 pound package to Anchorage would run $36+ uninsured priority mail, and a whopping $78 UPS Ground with only the included $100 insurance.

Sounds to me like the $42 was probably well in line from MN with insurance and the handling charge most businesses add.

 

[flintlock75]

I had a rifle shipped from Michigan to Alaska and the cost was only $38 dollars by FedX that included $1000.00 insurance.I buy stuff from TOW all the time. Did you call them or use an online order form. When I order from Dixie Gun Works I have to call them to make an order. There online forms try to charge me $60.00 shipping for a niple wrench, "NOT A CHANCE". calling them to place an order will get you a proper rate.
I almost always use USPS priority mail for orders.

 

[BrownBear]

Sounds to me like the $42 was probably well in line from MN with insurance and the handling charge most businesses add.

It was from Oregon to Alaska, but I agree. $42 for shipping and insurance is just fine with me. But the $200 TOW wanted from Schloss for shipping a kit is beneath contempt.

If that can be fixed by placing a call to TOW, fine. But if they really want to fix something, they ought to fix their blinking online forms! I'm wondering just how much business that costs them every year? I sure wouldn't go back there again if I ran into such an outrageous shipping fee. Nosireee.

 

[paulvallandigham]

I don't understand why you don't investigate US mail rates, either bulk or parcel post. For small orders, you can usually send them through the mail much cheaper than using UPS, or FED X.

 

[Walks Alone]

Agree BrownBear. If they have ridiculous rates at their on-line order site they need to fix it AND shouldn't have to be told to do so. TOW made an enemy in me over a firearm, so they won't get any of my business again.

Paul - agree USPS rates are worth a looksee, but they are not the good deal they had always been before they increased rates to include dimensional shipping a while back to get more in line with the other carriers. What kills them many times when shipping firearms is the rates they charge for insurance. Way more than any of the other carriers per $100 value, and on a high dollar gun often the reason I have to ship UPS or FedEx instead.

Doesn't really matter to me what it costs when I sell something (I pass on actual out of pocket), but buyers freak out over shipping to the point they often elect not to pay for insurance. Their choice, but foolish, and they are on their own if there is a problem.

 

[schloss]

Well, I heard back from Track at lunch. The shipping quote is down to about $100, which isn't as bad, but I'm still kind of irritated to have to pay that much. I know rates have gone up considerably recently, but the whole thing kind of bothers me. I just don't see why it costs so much to ship a chunk of wood. I would just buy the stock somewhere else if it came to it, but having split orders doesn't save me anything.

Thanks for the link to The Gun Works. Hadn't heard of them before. Just have to decide who to buy from now.

 

[BrownBear]

If you know someone with a Fedex account, offer to give TOW the account # and see what the rate comes out to. I'm betting it's nowhere near $100 and they're sticking you for some kind of handling or packaging fee.

I'm not affiliated with TGW, but I'm sure a fan. I didn't say it before, but they actually built the box themselves for shipping the rifle to me. At no extra charge! All worked out so well I ended up ordering a second rifle from them about a month later. Had seen it in their shop while I was there, and it kept nagging at me. The owner (Susie, I think) laughed when I called her up, and suggested I buy my wife a nice dinner before the second gun arrived. Good advice!

 

[Walks Alone]

Goes by weight and dimension, but TOW is still missing the boat someplace I think as it still sounds way too high to me.

I have three exhibition grade fiddleback maple stock blanks I bought and never got to use, but when they were shipped to me they didn't cost that much for all three of them combined (and they are heavy). Two came to Las Vegas from NW Washington, one from Maryland to give an idea of how far (and I think all via priority mail with high dollar insurance).

 

[44-henry]

I pass by Elk River a couple times a year and generally stop at TOW when I do. I have found them to be decent people to deal with and their prices aren't horrible (not the cheapest though). Though I would rather have the parts in hand instantly, I have found that paying Minnesota tax generally offsets any potential savings by buying in store. The shipping has always been fast and reasonable in my opinion, but than again I am less than 300 miles away.

 

[BrownBear]

That's what startled me, and at the bottom of my concern. When I've had stuff mailed to me, it always came in at reasonable shipping prices. But when their "shipping estimator" on the web comes out with a price so way out of whack with reality, they're hurting themselves. Bad.

I have no doubt that the price would drop below $100 for Schloss' shipping if they mailed it, even insured. But is he (or am I) willing to risk it?

If you talk to those folks, tell them to prod their webmaster in the proverbial butt and get that problem fixed. If it hasn't cost them business, I can't imagine why not. And they're such a good source that I'd hate to see them lose business and suffer.

 

[Don Robertson]

UPS doesn't consider Alaska and Hawaii as domestic destinations, so they will charge a higher rate. UPS also has a sliding rate charge (depending on how much their customers use the service)and a fuel sur-charge and a destination charge and a pick up fee they charge a shipper. I see rifle stocks and bows come through our office all the time, call TOW and ask for USPS shipping, we don't charge extra for our own countrymen. BTW, just a side note. A one cent rise in the cost of gas costs the USPS 8 million dollars more a day. Everyone in the shipping industries is feeling the pinch.

 

[bob243]

The USPS flat rate boxes are handy for small items.. Its 8.99 for whatever will fit in the box up to 70lbs.. I sent roundballs to my dad on a regular basis because I get them alot cheaper than he can in his area.

 

[Rogue River]

I mailed a rifle from oregon to Florida thru the USPS, insured for $700.00 for under $35.00. It was about 10#'s.