Rock Auto rant.....

[ZZman]

I like RA. I have ordered many parts from them. But what really irritates me is multiple shipping charges. I can understand it on parts that are not similar. However I looked at brake parts like rotors, pads and hardware and it could mean shipping charges from 2-3 warehouses.
Why wouldn't they keep all their brake parts in one warehouse?

 

[sasilverbullet]

Simple economics, they have suppliers that have the stuff in their warehouses and they ship it with the RockAuto tape. In the long run it usually saves us a bunch of money.

 

[Jooksing]

I agree.. if they figured how to simplify and lower their shipping cost like amazon they would be making a killing.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Are the pads and rotors the same brand? There is more success if you choose the same brand pads and rotors (for example, Wagner pads and Wagner rotors). Are any of them labeled "wholesaler closeout" or "private label" package? These will only come from the wholesaler's warehouse that is being closed out. They may also try to find the closest warehouse to you that has the parts you're ordering.

Anything labeled "Ultra Power" will come from the same warehouse in Sugar Land, TX.

In some cases they drop ship directly from the manufacturer or distributor. If the parts are made in different factories that are not nearby, they may not stock (and thus ship) them in the same warehouse.

You can also have the parts shipped to your work, which will lower the shipping charge (commercial address vs residential)

 

[The_Jeff]

Think of how many trips across country the rotors at your local NAPA must take.

 

[Omahaug]

Sucks but what kind of helps this is they show a little shipping icon, which means selecting that will ship with your cart and not incur an extra shipping charge.

So if I'm stuck with indecision between one or more items I could equally choose, I choose the one that's going to ship with the stuff in my cart and save me money.

In most cases you can find an alternative that ships from the same location as the cart. If you can't you can usually rejigger your cart contents around to avoid the shipping charge.

 

[demarpaint]

That's my biggest beef with them too. If I have to pay shipping from multiple locations I usually shop somewhere else. Bottom line is whoever comes out costing me less money gets the business.

 

[Dave Hess]

I order brake pads for my RSX, air filter, PCV value and cabin filter...

My order came from 4 different warehouses.

 

[RamFan]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
That's my biggest beef with them too. If I have to pay shipping from multiple locations I usually shop somewhere else. Bottom line is whoever comes out costing me less money gets the business.


I completely agree, which is why I continue to shop with RA.

Even with shipping, more times than not they end up being cheaper than Amazon, AZ, AA, O'Reilly and Napa.

 

[Imp4]

I have often wondered about this. It seems that they don't keep any of their own inventory. It's as if they just source from wholesalers and charge you shipping based on whatever wholesaler warehouse it originates from.

Amazon Prime is usually competitive when you add shipping into RA prices even with the 5% discount code.

And Amazon is much easier to deal with on returns and shipping delivery times.

 

[thescreensavers]

I rarely purchase from Rockauto if I cannot get all my items from the same warehouse then I'd look at the price differences with Amazon and maybe another site.

But Rockauto shows you what parts ship from the same wearhouse while you are in the catalog once you have an item in your cart. so it's easy not to buy from four different wearhouses. If you end up with buying from multiple wearhouse then you aren't using Rockauto efficiently

 

[dlundblad]

Doesn't bother me one bit as they are still saving me money. They are a big company that sells many products from many warehouses. I can buy cheap all the way to OE.

I doubt they make a dime on shipping by the way. That's all FedEx, USPS, and DHL's doing. Could be wrong though.

 

[Oro_O]

Yes, they certainly aren’t making anything on shipping. Sometimes I’m sure they’ve actually lost a little on some things I’ve ordered. They price things very close to the bulk shipper’s cost and little or no margin for packing materials.

Another thing they do I like is that for light items, they take advantage of fast, cheap USPS First Class rates. Not a lot of shippers bother with that at all - they are clearly working all the angles they can for the consumer. They have improved the system in the last few years to help buyers navigate the issue. It can waste a little time trying to minimize shipping sources, but it’s better than it used to be.

 

[Carmudgeon]

Originally Posted By: Imp4
I have often wondered about this. It seems that they don't keep any of their own inventory. It's as if they just source from wholesalers and charge you shipping based on whatever wholesaler warehouse it originates from.

And Amazon is much easier to deal with on returns and shipping delivery times.


Exactly.

RockAuto is not Amazon.

It doesn't carry inventory or operate warehouses.

It's an online storefront that takes orders and dispatches them to its network of suppliers to be fulfilled and shipped.

"Make auto parts affordable (by remaining a strictly online company, we have no store locations, no counter-people and don't have a lot of money tied up in slow-moving inventory. We pass on those savings with lower prices so cars of all ages can be reliable and fun to drive.)"

Unlike other storefronts who operate through a limited handful of wholesale distributors and have standardized shipping cost structures, RA casts a wider net and the result is that shipping will vary widely based on location and carrier options.

It can work for, and against, customers, but how the company operates is clear and upfront, before an order is ever committed.

 

[JC1]

It would be nice if they had icons next to each part to tell you which Warehouse it was located in before we get to the shipping page. I'm sure sales would increase.

In just bought 6 oil filters all Fram ultras for borhe vehicles. It was a game figuring out how many I should by to lower the shipping cost per unit.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: RamFan
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
That's my biggest beef with them too. If I have to pay shipping from multiple locations I usually shop somewhere else. Bottom line is whoever comes out costing me less money gets the business.


I completely agree, which is why I continue to shop with RA.

Even with shipping, more times than not they end up being cheaper than Amazon, AZ, AA, O'Reilly and Napa.


I switch things around to try and get everything from one place if possible to get the best pricing. Then I compare it to Rock's competition, the best price wins. With regard to CS, Rock's automated system sucks imo, so CS has little to do with it, and in all honesty AMZN will win the CS war over RA any day of the week in my book.

 

[dlundblad]

They have a phone number for their CS.

I once had an issue with an alternator with a damaged, yet replaceable component. Did the online stuff and would have cost around $9 to purchase and ship the new component since fixing it myself was an option for correcting the issue. Math wise, it must not worked out for the system and that was that. Granted it was for a classic car so perhaps that's why it was so $$$ to begin with.

I called and explained my issue. Told them I was buying the cheapest option with choosing the cheapest shipping option. They asked for the part number and my zip code so I imagine they could see if I was being truthful, but they shaved that $9 off my bill issue free.

I've also used their online system for a damaged HVAC fan and a few filters. No problems there. They let me keep the damaged filters, but wanted the fan back which is fine since they paid for the shipping.

 

[Trav]

To make matters worse now they are doing this smart post thing with UPS and Fedex. USPS from CA 2-3 days smart post 8+.
I still buys some stuff from them but less and less all the time due to their lousy shipping.

 

[Jimzz]

Originally Posted By: Trav
To make matters worse now they are doing this smart post thing with UPS and Fedex. USPS from CA 2-3 days smart post 8+.
I still buys some stuff from them but less and less all the time due to their lousy shipping.


They offer that option as its usually a dollar cheaper. If you don't need it right away then save a dollar. If so check the regular USPS shipping option.

Are you seriously complaining they give to many shipping options?

 

[charbaby]

Here's a funny story from one of my RockAuto purchases.
I needed some brake bleeders. So I dabbled with the prices/shipping.
At .99 cents/ea, I put 2 bleeders into my shopping cart. Shipping was $3....$5
Next, I put 4 bleeders into the cart and shipping was $7...$11
Then I put 6 bleeders into my cart and the shipping was $4...$10 and they came USPS.

So, I bought the 6 for $10
I played a bit more but the shipping was starting to rise again.