Doc Posted February 3, 2008 Report Share Posted February 3, 2008 I had an interesting experience with Midway yesterday. I decided to buy 100 nickle-plated .222 cases that were advertised for $24.99. That's a pretty good price, so I figured I would satisfy my curiosity about how these cases perform and hold up. Anyway, I was headed out for an appointment, so I had my wife place the order. It turned out to be quite a surprise when I returned and found out that that great price had grown considerably. First of all, it turns out that they have a minimum order of $25, and since I was 1 penny under they had to charge an additional $3 for the order. $.01 under cost me an additional $3. Now there's great way to win over customer satisfaction. Then we get to the handling and shipping charges. $8.20 to ship 100 .222 cases. I can fit all 100 in my pants pocket and they weigh almost nothing. I know for a fact that it doesn't cost anywhere near $8.20 to ship anything that size and weight. So bottom line: my wonderful $24.99 sale price grew to $36.19. If I had been the one on the phone I would have told them to shove it, but apparently my wife figured I really wanted those cases so she let the terms of the order stand. I have instructed my wife to treat any Midway flyers or catalogs as junk-mail and file them in the appropriate trash container. Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted February 3, 2008 Report Share Posted February 3, 2008 That is too bad Doc. Have ordered a few things from midway here, and I have no complaints about them. btw, welcome back. Hope you had a good season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin R10 man Posted February 3, 2008 Report Share Posted February 3, 2008 HI,..Im Larry Potterfield,..and Thank You for your business. LOL..first thing that came to my mind!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LETMGROW Posted February 3, 2008 Report Share Posted February 3, 2008 Without a doubt some of these excess charges are meant to cover some of the expense the co. has if you paid by credit card. More and more companies have raised the " handling charge " to cover these costs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
str8shooter48 Posted February 3, 2008 Report Share Posted February 3, 2008 Sorry to hear you had a bad experience with Midway. Midway has been my go to place for the past couple years. I've always found they have great prices and usually have what your looking for in stock. Haven't had a problem with them yet. I have no stock in the company and nothing to gain by promoting them. I wouldn't give up on them for the one incident. I also buy from Mid South and Natchez Shooters Supply. I believe they have a $35.00 minimum purchase or you pay a small fee. Check the fine print. Just make sure your order exceeds the minimum. Its hard to make a killing on a one item purchase through any supply co. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doubleA Posted February 4, 2008 Report Share Posted February 4, 2008 I have never been a Midway fan, their prices are usually on the high side. Years ago, shipping used to be included in the price when they offered "free" shipping. Every once in a while I'll get something there when I cant find it anywhere else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeramie Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 It wont do any good but I would send an email! That is a great way to lose a customer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest swan hunter Posted February 10, 2008 Report Share Posted February 10, 2008 Devil's Advocate I too hate high shipping and handling prices...But, if you have shipped anything lately, those prices are outrageous! The profit on a $25 bag of brass can't be much after you figure in the overhead of doing business. Then, shipping materials and paying someone to pack, I can see where they need to set a minimum. I never order from any of these places unless I know what they charge up front for Shipping. Some places really make a killing on shipping and handling but Midway does average out to a better rate if you buy more stuff. I just bought some ammo from another dealer and the shipping was $65. Hate it and it hurts but just the way it is! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted February 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2008 Most of the time, when I buy from a mail order outfit, it is because they have a better price than I can find locally. However, if they insist on placing exhorbitant shipping and handling costs, along with $3 surcharges for being $.01 under their minimum order, that marketing advantage quickly goes out the window. The cost quickly dwarfs that of local outlets even when you add in the state sales taxes and such. In short, they have just lost their edge in the market, and taken away whatever reason I have for going there with my purchases. In the case of Midway, they also have another advantage, that being that they stock certain items that may be unavailable locally. When that is the case, that occasional very rare purchase may be the only reason I will ever have for returning there to do business, and I'll guarantee that it will be a rare occasion indeed. So how much money did that little chincey action cost them? I probably would have been spending hundreds of dollars buying bullets, primers, cases, powder and all kinds of other reloading equipment and supplies. Now, if there is any possibility to find it anywhere locally, all that money will be spent here at home or anyplace else that I can realize a REAL savings rather than at Midway. So just how smart is that policy anyway? It doesn't take consumers too long to realize when someone is publishing low prices and then ripping you off by adding exhorbitant fees and charges. Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasDeerHunter Posted February 10, 2008 Report Share Posted February 10, 2008 I would give them a call or email, they might make it right. If they have a minimum then it should not matter if you were on cent or ten dollars under, you were still under. They have to draw a line and stick to it or where would it end. What about the guy who says " I was only five bucks under" , why should you get treated differently than him? you both were under the minimum. Just food for thought , I do agree with you on the handling charges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_218 Posted February 10, 2008 Report Share Posted February 10, 2008 That is too bad Doc. Have ordered a few things from midway here, and I have no complaints about them. btw, welcome back. Hope you had a good season. I also order from Midway USA occasionally, and never had a problem. They state their min. order is $25. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted February 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2008 I would give them a call or email, they might make it right. If they have a minimum then it should not matter if you were on cent or ten dollars under, you were still under. They have to draw a line and stick to it or where would it end. Yes, and I guess I, as the consumer have to draw the line too somewhere too. That policy may have gained them $3, but that penalty for $.01 cost them a whole lot more. I guess the idea of applying a little flexibility on policies as a way of gaining customer good will is becoming a bit passe, but they sure didn't impress me a whole lot with that kind of cheap-skate treatment. It really opened my eyes as to just what kind of savings you really get when buying from them. That little penalty along with the exhorbitant $8 shipping and handling cost me quite a bit more than I could have bought those cases for somewhere else. $36 for $25 worth of cases. Not much of savings there. When fees and other charges start to approach 50% of the purchase price, there is certainly something wrong with that. Pay attention to the shipping and handling charges on any other mail order purchase, and see if you are paying that high a percentage. It's just another way of trying to hide their REAL costs of their products. Well, it worked this once, but they will never catch me that way again. Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted February 11, 2008 Report Share Posted February 11, 2008 Did you contact them Doc? Bet they would make it right somehow. Pay attention to the shipping and handling charges on any other mail order purchase, and see if you are paying that high a percentage. It is always a good idea to know what charges are involved with any order that is being shipped to you. Last order I placed with Midway was around $80 or so and the shipping was minimal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerClay Posted February 11, 2008 Report Share Posted February 11, 2008 Yes, and I guess I, as the consumer have to draw the line too somewhere too. That policy may have gained them $3, but that penalty for $.01 cost them a whole lot more. I guess the idea of applying a little flexibility on policies as a way of gaining customer good will is becoming a bit passe, but they sure didn't impress me a whole lot with that kind of cheap-skate treatment. It really opened my eyes as to just what kind of savings you really get when buying from them. That little penalty along with the exhorbitant $8 shipping and handling cost me quite a bit more than I could have bought those cases for somewhere else. $36 for $25 worth of cases. Not much of savings there. When fees and other charges start to approach 50% of the purchase price, there is certainly something wrong with that. Pay attention to the shipping and handling charges on any other mail order purchase, and see if you are paying that high a percentage. It's just another way of trying to hide their REAL costs of their products. Well, it worked this once, but they will never catch me that way again. Doc I have come to expect high shipping costs lately. That is one reason I quit selling on ebay because it was costing me big bucks to ship items. However this $3 charge sticks in my craw. Midway advertises about there huge stock of hard to find items. So I need a $5 part for my reloader, now you tell me that I have to buy more stuff or you will charge me money. That is just wrong. I can go to McDonalds and get an item off the dollar menu and use my debit card. They will get a charge for me using my card but that is the price of doing business. I have never done business with Midway because of their large shipping cost. Now that I know more I probably never will. Doc, next time go to Gander Mountain and ask them to do a special order. That is how I got my .45 brass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted February 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2008 Doc, next time go to Gander Mountain and ask them to do a special order. That is how I got my .45 brass. Good tip........Thanks. Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.