Shipping Rock Auto

[NElvina]

In order to save costs, I try and buy parts from Rock Auto that ship from the same location, ie shipping icon next to part.

I've noticed, this changes. For example, 2 hours ago, Fram oil filters had the shipping icon, and 2 hours later, they're gone.

I had the same part in my checkout both times.
Any reason why this happens?

 

[SC Maintenance]

There are 100 threads on this board about RA shipping games. 101 now I guess

 

[NElvina]

Is there exactly 100 threads on this board? Did you count how many there are?

 

[TheOilWizard]

There are 100 threads on this board about RA shipping games. 101 now I guess

Not everyone is familiar with the forum or the content within. To be honest, as a RA customer, I'm also curious if anyone else has seen the shipping information change so rapidly.

 

[Hall]

Not everyone is familiar with the forum or the content within. To be honest, as a RA customer, I'm also curious if anyone else has seen the shipping information change so rapidly.

IMO, it's by design (intentional). For one, this way Rockauto shares orders with their various suppliers vs favoring one or two. Two, they can pad a little extra margin into the freight charges.

 

[Hall]

Is there exactly 100 threads on this board? Did you count how many there are?

He's being sarcastic but the point is, there are MANY, MANY threads on this same topic.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Is there exactly 100 threads on this board? Did you count how many there are?

Yes I did!. Did you read them all?

In all honestly if you did read them you would realize RA doesn't actually ship anything - they farm it out to a whole bunch of independant auto parts wholesalers. So the fact it vanished either means:

1) that wholesaler had sold out the inventory they had available and allotted to RA
2) or, some other wholesaler provided that part at a lower wholesale price to RA, so now they would prefer you buy it from them.
3) or something else in your cart had one of the two things above happen, which now affects the rest of your cart.

RA's shipping games are well documented here. You can either play all there games, or pay more somewhere else.

I like RA. However my last filter order was from an Advance Auto parts promotion. Shipped to my house for free, because in the end it was cheaper.

 

[eljefino]

I put some RA items in my cart, it totalled up to $49 after shipping, tax etc and they had my home address and zip code.

I paid the tab to the penny.

RA then demanded another four bucks or so for "the rest". Huh? So I put that on my credit card, too.

Got my order confirmation, total $53. Huh?

So I opened a new browser tab and put my order in again, it added up to $49 like the first time. So I cancelled my first order, put through my second, and got the price I wanted.

I don't think RA "plays games", they aren't a sentient being. They have an algorithm that works with you or against you. RA drop ships and makes a tiny commission on each sale, but has few employees or capital so it works for them. If it works for you as a buyer, great. It it doesn't, go somewhere else!

Amazon and Ebay offer me stuff at prices that are at times cheaper. They give the same price to the entire country even though my corner in Maine is often pretty far from their warehouse in Southern California, near the Chinese Conex box that everything came here in. Depending on how they ship, they might be losing money on me, if they have to pay "by zone." They hope they're "building a relationship" or whatever, but I'll just cross shop them and RA the next time. (And yes I won't buy things that could be easily counterfeited.)

 

[JMJNet]

I have experience when I added a small o-ring less than $1 on the order and the shipping fee was less by a few dollars.
So, who knows what the algorithm do ?????

 

[D60]

Not everyone is familiar with the forum or the content within. To be honest, as a RA customer, I'm also curious if anyone else has seen the shipping information change so rapidly.

Yes. They update inventory based on orders, but they do also seem to play odd games with shipping.

 

[D60]

One reason I say "games" is because I was recently trying to get some brake parts -- front AND rear.

At first, you KNOW everything is in one place because if you first add, say, a set of pads, everything else that's there lights up with the truck symbol.

So, I kept adding parts all based upon the VERY FIRST truck symbol, but at a point it splits to two warehouses.

Now, I understand they can't necessarily toss four rotors and two sets of pads and maybe some calipers and hoses all in ONE box due to weight, but if it's all initially sitting in Warehouse A, why can't it come from Warehouse A in multiple packages?

When it did this it would also kick over from FedEx to UPS at some threshold I never quite figured. For me from RA I actually prefer FedEx and it's noticeably less expensive (their UPS rates on brake parts pretty much kill the deal).

So, it left me playing games trying to gingerly compile an order small enough to come from one place and go FedEx. Sure, I can try to place that order, checkout, then go gingerly compose a second order with the remainder of what I need.....but nah, I just purchased elsewhere. Much easier

 

[NElvina]

Yes I did!. Did you read them all?

In all honestly if you did read them you would realize RA doesn't actually ship anything - they farm it out to a whole bunch of independant auto parts wholesalers. So the fact it vanished either means:

1) that wholesaler had sold out the inventory they had available and allotted to RA
2) or, some other wholesaler provided that part at a lower wholesale price to RA, so now they would prefer you buy it from them.
3) or something else in your cart had one of the two things above happen, which now affects the rest of your cart.

RA's shipping games are well documented here. You can either play all there games, or pay more somewhere else.

I like RA. However my last filter order was from an Advance Auto parts promotion. Shipped to my house for free, because in the end it was cheaper.

Thank You.

Yes I did!. Did you read them all?

In all honestly if you did read them you would realize RA doesn't actually ship anything - they farm it out to a whole bunch of independant auto parts wholesalers. So the fact it vanished either means:

1) that wholesaler had sold out the inventory they had available and allotted to RA
2) or, some other wholesaler provided that part at a lower wholesale price to RA, so now they would prefer you buy it from them.
3) or something else in your cart had one of the two things above happen, which now affects the rest of your cart.

RA's shipping games are well documented here. You can either play all there games, or pay more somewhere else.

I like RA. However my last filter order was from an Advance Auto parts promotion. Shipped to my house for free, because in the end it was cheaper.

Thank You for answering my question. You're are a smart man.

 

[2strokeNorthstar]

Time of day, quantity, moon pase, solar maximum, anything can change the shipping on RA.

 

[NElvina]

Interesting. 3 hours later.

 

[jhellwig]

You aren't the only one buying stuff from them so a lot can change in 2 hours. Rock autos site has never liked to remember your information for a long time. You need to make sure you log in every time you look at it. Sometimes you have to clear everything out and start over. You can't be picky and want specific items if you want to keep the cost low.

I add all the different brands of whatever part I need then weed it down to make the shipping cost low. I then add other stuff that will be needed eventually looking at the shipping cost bump up point. Some times it doesn't bump back down properly when you remove an item. It is kinda like playing tetris solitaire and minesweeper all at the same time.

 

[Hall]

Anymore, if I need more than one item, I end up shopping/buying elsewhere. The frustrating one is brake parts. Try and get pads and rotors, front and rear, and the same "spec" on the front and rear, from the same warehouse. I seem to recall not even being able to get wiper blades (2 different sizes) from the same warehouse before.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Anymore, if I need more than one item, I end up shopping/buying elsewhere. The frustrating one is brake parts. Try and get pads and rotors, front and rear, and the same "spec" on the front and rear, from the same warehouse. I seem to recall not even being able to get wiper blades (2 different sizes) from the same warehouse before.

At the end of the day its about total cost. A few years ago I got 4 Centric rotors and both sets of EHT pads for like $200 total, shipping and tax. Shipped from 3 different warehouses IIRC. Still cheaper than local.

 

[Hall]

At the end of the day its about total cost.

I often think some people are blind to that though. They see a part for $18 at Rockauto + $10 shipping vs $26 at Amazon (free shipping) or at their local parts store but run with Rockauto .... "'cause it's cheaper for the same part".

 

[SC Maintenance]

I often think some people are blind to that though. They see a part for $18 at Rockauto + $10 shipping vs $26 at Amazon (free shipping) or at their local parts store but run with Rockauto .... "'cause it's cheaper for the same part".

Yes but were all tired of the games.

I just ordered from AAP for the first time ever. 2 air filters and 2 oil filters. I signed up for their spam to get 15% instead of the regular 10%. Guess what - the most expensive part in my basket didn't qualify because it was already "on sale" by $2. So $23 for a fram air filter is on sale I guess?

I am tired of all the loyalty sign up email garbage.

I will say that at least with RA I get a fridge magnet.

 

[kschachn]

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