Thanks for all your answers everyone! Just what I was hoping to hear, some good anecdotal stuff. I see a lot of folks buy from Brownells. Can anyone confirm whether the $100 US limit without export paperwork still applies?
Your favourite AR parts shops?
- Thread starter hsnerd
- Start date
onetwentyish
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- East Central AB (AKA Northern Texas)
Sorry cr5, I fully agree with fox hear.
Its on you to shop around. If you do not like the price order else-where. I have spent 1000's with RDSC, and never been disappointed with the price or services provided. That said, I have spent 1000's else where after giving them option to price match. Its up to them if they can afford to price match or not, and its up to you if they have it at a decent price or not. Clearly at the time of purchase you thought it was fine, otherwise you would not have bought it. So it seems to me you are more pissed off with yourself, and your blaming RDSC for your lack of shopping around.
Tier one is a tiny shop run by a couple guys. If anything they should have been more expensive. The difference is that they're not f'ing their customers every chance they get just because they can knowing people will still buy the item they need.
I bought it because I wanted to get my build finished and also because a buddy was stopping in there on his way home from Calgary and messaged me asking if I needed anything so I said LPK. Since I live an hour from town I didn't shop around and just had him grab it for me to save myself the fuel I'd burn driving into town to get it. Five or ten bucks wouldn't have bothered me at all but $40 for the exact same thing is just gouging.
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I buy parts in Canada as an absolute last resort, for the simple reason of the dealers charging ridiculous amounts for mailing costs.
$20 for an 870 extractor ? is just nutz, 2 for a padded envelope and 2 for postage max
$20 for an 870 extractor ? is just nutz, 2 for a padded envelope and 2 for postage max
For Brownells they email me the "end user statement" that you have to fill out and sign for the over $100 but uneder $500 limit. Usually the very next day or 2 after ordering over $500 I'll get an Email from I believe its Sandy
I don't have to do anything other then download it as a PDF, fill out, sign and return in a reply Email....Its pretty simple and has come in handy for me more then a few times already getting parts just under $500 that I cant get in Canada
I've been using RDSC or Red Deer Shooting Center...because they have a lot of really good stuff in stock, they have a telephone number where I can contact them if I have questions, they accept EMT's and they are quick in response and mailing the orders...
Have you ever called and asked about shipping rates on smaller packages? Most shops do flat rate as it's a much easier way to do things and most guys can justify 20 bucks in shipping on a 500 dollar order, but most have been willing to lower the shipping rate when it's small parts.
- Location
- Fort St John B.C.
MOST canadian retailers will not ship via lettermail, they use parcel service so they get a tracking number.... i know, its bullshyt but most of the retailers i know are losing money on shipping even at $15 flat rate.
Can't say enough good things about Tier One, Dale and Greg are great guys! Willing to shoot the sh*t and if you hang around and shut up long enough you'll probably learn something. Best selection hands down and the only guys I have seen around that carry EraThr3 stuff.
Retailers that don't ship via tracked parcel are just asking for credit card chargebacks though lost packages and theft. Not only do you lose the cost of the inventory and the revenue, but the credit card also charges the retailer up to $25 per chargeback.
And a large number of chargebacks can cost a retailer hefty penalty fees (in the thousands) and kicked from the card processor.
Its very unfortunate what our Canadian retailers go through and I try to support CTCS and many other site sponsors as best as I can. I do purchase a considerable amount from Brownell's because of their inventory and selection, however I will STAY away from anything those smog making carbon tax terrorists Chinese will make. That is my only restriction when purchasing firearm related Items.
Not to mention clients who are now pissed at the retailer instead of Canada post.
So does the retailer ship out a new item (say a patch or spring or pin that everyone wants shipped letter post) to keep the client happy, loosing now the cost and profit on the product and loosing the shipping cost of sending it tracked and insured now?
Instead of making maybe $1 in profit the retailer now has an upset client and is minus $20 (ish) direct costs.
I feel for our vendors for sure. These guys are (to my admittedly limited knowledge) not driving Porsches and living large by making a ton of money off our backs. Yes I hate paying $15 or $20 for shipping. Amazon has spoiled us into thinking that free shipping is really free. It's not, and it really screws the little guy who is trying to compete with a juggernaut like Amazon.
Be thankful that these folks are gambling on inventory of items they can only sell to a pretty small audience.
Thanks vendors!
Be thankful that these folks are gambling on inventory of items they can only sell to a pretty small audience.
Thanks vendors!
