+10 for McMaster-Carr

Flyinfool said:
I have questioned shippers about using huge boxes for tiny items.
One shipper told me that it is because Chicago is between them and me, the rate of small packages that get lost going thru Chicago is huge, it is cheaper to ship in big boxes than to keep re-sending lost orders. I have heard this from a number of big shippers. The shippers even started to put a piece of paper explaining this in every oversize box.
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I can't blame the shippers for trying to fix a problem otherwise out of their control. What a drag - and it's inexcusable.
 
I recently order 3 bandsaw blades from Mars supply in Minneapolis. Each blade was $28 or so. I think shipping was over $30 via UPS to get it 90 miles. They have used Spee Dee delivery in the past (an upper Midwest shipper) which was about $12. Forgot to tell them to ship it Spee Dee so it was my fault, sort of, but still frustrating.
I also ordered a vacuum hose from Rockler Woodworking. Free shipping but again via UPS. Took 5 days. The package went to Illinois for some reason and then back. The box had actually been torn in two and taped back together along with another 1/4 roll of tape to keep the rest of it together. And, it was filthy. Surprisingly, everything that I ordered was still in the box. I have become less than impressed with UPS.
 
I've been ordering from McMaster-Carr for a few decades and never had a complaint about the shipping, it was always far cheaper than any other place I ordered from. Prices from UPS have gone up significantly this past year, so ordering online is not the deal it used to be. I don't recall UPS rates being based on package size in the past as long as it was below the oversize category, but I just tried a sample shipment with two different box sizes for a 10lb weight and the larger box shipping weight went up to 16lb with a corresponding price increase. I try to combine as much as I can when ordering from them now, in the past I would not hesitate to place an order for a single item since the shipping price was so cheap. If shipping costs might be an issue for an order, I will plug in the weight in the UPS rate estimator to get an idea of what the costs will be, but it would be nice for them to be able to add that to the order page so I don't have to do that.

Their steel prices are pretty good, and there is a good selection of grades. I placed an order for several sizes of 1215 in 6' lengths to keep on hand for various projects and even with the shipping charge, they were cheaper than any other place I could find, including my local steel supplier. I also like that what they sell is a quality name brand. I have yet to get a poor quality product from them, and their customer service is some of the best in the industry.
 
Agreed on their metal! I get the majority of my steel and aluminum from a local place that sells a pretty weird mix of metal by the pound, but I buy exclusively from McMaster when I need stuff of a known provenance or of a specific size. Their prices are pretty reasonable (for the stuff I typically buy, usually 4140PH), they're quick, and I now have a great selection of comically oversized cardboard boxes that I can use to patch holes in my roof.
 
If you think the website is awesome, try out the phone app. As easy to use as the website. I only order small stuff, but they never balk and it is shipped and delivered fast. Way better than grainger even with the local presence


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I use McMaster for a lot of hardware items, but find most of their metal is expensive. I stopped at a local equipment dealer last weekend and picked up 12 pcs. 1/2" x 1 1/4" x 12' 6061 aluminum bars for $8.00 ea., and a dozen 3/4" x 1 1/2" x 10" 6061 aluminum bars for $12.00 ea. McMaster is more than triple the price for the same items, plus delivery.

The last time I bought a 6' length of 6061 from McMaster the shipping was nearly the same price as the metal. It came the next day in a nice tube, but the shipping cost can be a killer. If I'm in the market for almost any flat or round stock I always check the equipment dealers first unless I need it in a hurry.
 
Ischgl99 said:
I've been ordering from McMaster-Carr for a few decades and never had a complaint about the shipping, it was always far cheaper than any other place I ordered from. Prices from UPS have gone up significantly this past year, so ordering online is not the deal it used to be. I don't recall UPS rates being based on package size in the past as long as it was below the oversize category, but I just tried a sample shipment with two different box sizes for a 10lb weight and the larger box shipping weight went up to 16lb with a corresponding price increase. I try to combine as much as I can when ordering from them now, in the past I would not hesitate to place an order for a single item since the shipping price was so cheap. If shipping costs might be an issue for an order, I will plug in the weight in the UPS rate estimator to get an idea of what the costs will be, but it would be nice for them to be able to add that to the order page so I don't have to do that.

Their steel prices are pretty good, and there is a good selection of grades. I placed an order for several sizes of 1215 in 6' lengths to keep on hand for various projects and even with the shipping charge, they were cheaper than any other place I could find, including my local steel supplier. I also like that what they sell is a quality name brand. I have yet to get a poor quality product from them, and their customer service is some of the best in the industry.
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Shipping isn’t based only on weight. There is a volume component to their pricing as well. This applies to every shipper. This accounts for costs associated with “shipping air”.


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projectnut said:
I use McMaster for a lot of hardware items, but find most of their metal is expensive. I stopped at a local equipment dealer last weekend and picked up 12 pcs. 1/2" x 1 1/4" x 12' 6061 aluminum bars for $8.00 ea., and a dozen 3/4" x 1 1/2" x 10" 6061 aluminum bars for $12.00 ea. McMaster is more than triple the price for the same items, plus delivery.

The last time I bought a 6' length of 6061 from McMaster the shipping was nearly the same price as the metal. It came the next day in a nice tube, but the shipping cost can be a killer. If I'm in the market for almost any flat or round stock I always check the equipment dealers first unless I need it in a hurry.
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McMaster is not the place to buy short lengths, I don't buy less than 3ft lengths from them.
 
vtcnc said:
Shipping isn’t based only on weight. There is a volume component to their pricing as well. This applies to every shipper. This accounts for costs associated with “shipping air”.


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As I said, I never noticed that in the past. I used to ship a lot of items through UPS and the price did not change when I changed box sizes, so maybe I got lucky and the difference wasn't enough.
 
I received a small order from them today almost exactly at the same time I received an email from them telling me the credit card was out of date. I phone in a new number, but was pleased they'd shipped the items without having billed me.
 
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