In addition to stocking auto and body parts at great low prices, RockAuto.com also carries tools. The tools are listed under the “Tools & Universal Parts” tab at the top of the RockAuto online catalog.

There are familiar tools like sockets, air hammers, and jumper cables. There are also interesting tools that we at RockAuto now can’t imagine living without. One of those is K Tool’s creeper. The creeper features a fully padded seat for comfort, adjustable headrest, and rugged, durable construction for a lifetime of use. Find the creeper under Tools & Universal Parts : Garage Equipment : Creeper/Pad at RockAuto.com.

RockAuto hopes that the variety of tools offered in the RockAuto catalog make your life as a Do-It-Yourselfer much easier!

quote Originally posted by JessaRockAuto: In addition to stocking auto and body parts at great low prices...

RockAuto's prices for auto parts are indeed great, however...

I wish that RockAuto wouldn't charge such outrageous prices for shipping to Canada. It appears that RockAuto jacks up the shipping fees to Canada (much more than necessary) to simply discourage Canadians from ordering. Fortunately I have a friend's US address just across the border in Washington State that I can use, but it's a nuisance to then have to go on a three hour round trip to pick up the order. It would be so much simpler to have my RockAuto order shipped to me directly, but I refuse to be gouged.

[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 11-12-2012).]

I am guessing the prices are higher to cover the additional pain for shipping to Canada. Now, they could look at opening a warehouse, but then again, that may not be good business.

They need to work with Amazon and come with something like Prime shipping, where you pay a fee and they ship it free or discounted.

[This message has been edited by jaskispyder (edited 11-12-2012).]

Hello,

RockAuto does not inflate shipping charges and we do not consider shipping to be a profit center. We calculate shipping charges using "live" FedEx, US Postal Service, UPS, DHL, and truck freight rates. When you add a part to your shopping cart, change a quantity or change your address, the cart automatically recalculates shipping based on the weight and size of your order and your postal (zip) code. As you're building your order, you'll always know the full delivered cost -- before you've entered your credit card number or any other personal information.

To minimize shipping costs:

Use the truck icons in the shopping cart and in the catalog to help you minimize the number of locations your order will ship from. As you add parts to the shopping cart, the truck icons with letters represent the location where your part will be shipping from (location A, B, C, etc.). A blank truck icon in the catalog is showing you that the particular part is available from the same location as a part in your shopping cart.

Ship to your office or business, rather than your home (commercial rates are lower).

We try to make our shipping charges match what carriers charge us. We do not consider shipping a "profit center" -- on the contrary, we pass on to customers the discounts we receive from carriers. For some orders, the shipping cost does include more than just the postage you see on the box you receive. Examples include:

* Additional fees charged by our suppliers for shipping special-order items directly to consumers
* Costs of inbound shipping from suppliers who will not ship internationally to us before forwarding them on to you (applies only to international or APO/FPO orders of certain low-volume parts)
* Impact of choosing higher-cost suppliers for some parts so everything on an order can ship together (when the cost difference between suppliers is lower than the cost of shipping a separate box)

If any of these situations exists with your order, it's reflected in the shipping cost you see before you submit the order. We never add extra charges after the order is submitted--what you agree to pay when you enter the order is what you will be charged.

I hope this helps explain RockAuto's shipping charges. If something looks incorrect as you are creating your order please don't hesitate to contact our customer service department by email at service@rockauto.com or by phone at 866-762-5288.

Thank you,

www.RockAuto.com

quote Originally posted by jaskispyder: I am guessing the prices are higher to cover the additional pain for shipping to Canada.

All the "pain" is at this end.

I can supply examples if need be (or you can check for yourself), but I suspect the additional charges greatly exceed the actual shipping costs.

[EDIT] Jessa's second post wasn't there before I started this post, so later on when I have a bit more time I'll post an example of what I believe to be inflated shipping charges.

[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 11-12-2012).]

Please email your example to service@rockauto.com so they can look into any specific examples.

Thank you,

www.RockAuto.com

I've used RockAuto for awhile now and though shipping can accumulate quickly based n what you are buying, I still find it cheaper (even after shipping) then buying the same part from the local parts dealer around the corner. The only issue I got is 90% of the time is that 1 or 2 items I need are at another location then the rest of the parts. I normally just take them off the list and find them locally then because with the extra 2nd shipping charge doesn't, it's about the same price then as the locals suppliers are asking for.

Summit Racing has changed how they are shipping many things to Canada to cut the cost for the buyer. They have now got it to where the entire price is included upfront. They have a lot of tools anymore as well as stock parts now.

You have to keep up with these companies anymore as they keep changing their shipping to be more competitive. Also shippers are offering more deals with the poor economy.

quote Originally posted by JessaRockAuto: Please email your example to service@rockauto.com so they can look into any specific examples. Thank you, www.RockAuto.com

I like Rock-Auto.
But you spam a Fiero forum then want to bail out when it gets to hot?

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Project Genisis Lo Budget 3800SC swap

88 Coupe under construction

quote Originally posted by JessaRockAuto: Please email your example to service@rockauto.com so they can look into any specific examples.

With all due respect, I'd rather post it here so everyone is aware of the situation.

There are plenty of examples, but here's an item that I actually ordered a few weeks ago.



It's the seal on the front rotor of a Fiero. The individual seal costs $1.36. Excellent price. The cheapest way to ship it to Blaine Washington costs $3.09. IMO a little expensive to ship a tiny feather-weight item that will fit in a small envelope, but nevertheless acceptable.



Now, to ship this same small light-weight $1.36 item an hour further way to Vancouver BC, the cheapest shipping method from RockAuto costs... are you sitting down... $25.00



This is outrageous.

quote Originally posted by JessaRockAuto: RockAuto does not inflate shipping charges and we do not consider shipping to be a profit center.

I'm sorry, but that is not the situation with items shipped across the border by RockAuto.

[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 11-12-2012).]

Rock Auto rubbed me the wrong way a few years ago when I tried to cancel an order. I try to avoid them if at all possible. Most of the time Advance auto is cheaper when using online discount codes and then I can get the stuff same day.

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Turbo 3800 E85 F23 5spd spec5
11.17@132.6

quote Originally posted by Justinbart: Most of the time Advance auto is cheaper when using online discount codes and then I can get the stuff same day.

The problem with Advance Auto for Canadians is that Advance Auto will not accept a credit card and/or a PayPal payment from a non-US based bank. (I emailed them and said... "What the heck, our banks are more stable than yours!")

That really ticked me off as I had my online order all set up with Advance Auto for a set of Monroe Sensa-Trac shocks/struts, $20 cheaper than RockAuto, and then I was informed when I went to checkout and pay that I was SOL.

[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 11-12-2012).]

I've had good dealings with Rock Auto and they ship fast. On one order of 3 or 4 items the total shipping was high because the items were coming from several locations.
I deleted 1 of those items from the order and got the part local which brought the total job cost to a reasonable range.

Spoon

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"Kilgore Trout once wrote a short story which was a dialogue between two pieces of yeast. They were discussing the possible purposes of life as they ate sugar and suffocated in their own excrement. Because of their limited intelligence, they never came close to guessing that they were making champagne." - Kurt Vonnegut

Same thoughts as some others on Rock Auto. Prices are great, shipping is OK from one location, but it's the three or four locations that kill you. Most times I really only want one thing, but as long as I am placing an order, there are usually more things that I could use. About the time I hit three locations, I give up and either order from someone who will ship all together, or just buy the one thing I needed locally.

I get the feeling that Rock Auto really does not have a warehouse, or stock anything, but just drop ships from suppliers. Low prices, as they have NO inventory, but we pay for the shipping charges. Most times it does not pan out for me.

Just my 2 cents.

Mike

I was needing to redo the whole rear brake system on my old ford ranger.
the local auto parts store (lordco) wanted almost $400 for new drums, shoes, brake clys and brake lines and little bits here and there.
went to rock auto $110 for the same parts. till i saw the shipping costs. in total I would be spending the same amount if i just went to my local auto store,( lordco, where they mark up there parts to the extreame.)
I wont ever buy an item from rock auto unless i lived in the US or they make there shipping costs cheaper for Canadians.

quote Originally posted by Patrick: I'm sorry, but that is not the situation with items shipped across the border by RockAuto.

Patrick . I'm not sticking up for rock auto. I'll let them do that.. but I do know whan I shipped those dash speaker plates. to canada it was a shock ,
I'm going on a limb here. but I'm willing to bet stuff that goes over the boarder has insurance added to it.. as it's more likely to get held up at the boarder and lost..
25.00 is kinda crazy.. but I know my plates that are about the same weight as that seal.. where 15.00 with tracking but no insurance.. 3 times what it was to ship coast to coast..
I work for advanced... If there is something you want from us.. I can order it for you.. and get it shipped... they don't take your over te boarder c/c for a reason.. it's not that your banks are more solid or not.. it's chasing down the money after shipped and the buyer cancels /fights the charge..
you can gift to paypal and either I or almost anyone on here.. in the states can order it for you and they'll ship it to you.. the shipping would be the same as it come out of the same warehouse ,as if you ordered it..

Patrick,

As mentioned previously, we try to make our shipping charges match what carriers charge us. We do not consider shipping a "profit center" -- on the contrary, we pass on to customers the discounts we receive from carriers. For some orders, the shipping cost does include more than just the postage you see on the box you receive. Include in the shipping price for the example you posted above are the broker fees that are charged as a result of shipping to Canada.

If you have any questions regarding any future orders please don't hesitate to contact our customer service department by email at service@rockauto.com or toll free at 1-866-762-5288.

Office Hours(CST)
Mon - Thur 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. / Fri 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. / Sat 7 to 6 / Sun 8 to 4

Thank you,

www.RockAuto.com

Wow a vendor actually tries to explain their position and they get jumped... I have never had a bad experience with Rock- Auto and will continue to use them. I agree with x-thumper-x, shop around locally to verify what kind of a deal you're getting online.

Not all US companies do enough business in the Great White North to warrant discounted/subsidized shipping to those regions. Rock-Auto is not Jegs or Summit.

[This message has been edited by carbon (edited 11-13-2012).]

Patrick...

I hear you. But it's not Rock Auto - it's the shipping companies.

Big stores favor UPS/Fed-ex because they will come up pick up all their shipments.
I think USPS will do it too if there's enough to make it worth their while.

Anything shipped by UPS is gonna cost. If it's over $50, the infamous "brokerage fee" kicks in and you pay at the door. If you order something shipped "UPS Expedited" they just add that in at the shipping end - so it's a "pay me now, or pay me later" situation. I'm sure UPS makes more money off brokerage fees than shipping charges on shipments to Canada.

Just got a Intel computer CPU from the States the other day (they ONLY shipped by UPS - no other choice). It was $78 + $15 shipping. UPS dinged me $34 at the door ($30 brokerage fee to collect the $4 GST). It would have been $9 at the Post Office (only a $5 fee).

But even US Postal Service can kill you. It depends on how lazy the shipper is. Many just use the USPS "flat-rate" box the smallest of which starts at something like $25 to Canada. It's easy - throw the thing in there and ring it up for $25. But if they put the thing in a regular envelope/parcel and shipped it First Class air mail/parcel it's MUCH cheaper - BUT someone has to take it to the Post Office where it gets weighed and priced. They don't want to do that.

An example is Fiero Store calendars. I ordered some a few years back. Came in a First Class padded envelope for something like $6. The last time I ordered a dozen calendars, they came in a USPS "flat-rate" box - shipping cost was $25 or so.

To hear some these companies moan and groan, you'd think almost everything they ship "disappears" in Canada as if it's a banana republic 3rd world country. I HAVE NEVER had anything "get lost" through USPS and almost everything I receive I usually have to sign for - so no way to claim "I never got it" (not that I'd ever do that). Even items I've ordered from Hong Kong and Singapore manage to get here without any problems - and shipping charges are REALLY CHEAP (must be huge volume??).

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My World of Wheels Winners (Click on links below)

3.4L Supercharged 87 GT and Super Duty 4 Indy #163

[This message has been edited by fierosound (edited 11-13-2012).]

I'll second Fierosound's comments on the shipping problem.

I've had good experience in ordering from Rock Auto, but I ship to a friend in the US to avoid the ridiculous shipping premium and brokerage fees that we get hit with by the mainstream carriers. I've had brokerage fees exceed the value of an item with FEDEX, and learned the lesson quickly. I can buy a tank of gas to pick up my parcels for a lot less than the brokerage fees, and even claim them at the border and pay the taxes and still be $$ ahead.

We also pay ridiculous fees for shipping here in Canada, and the postal system can be even more expensive than shipping by courier . Sears has added shipping costs to Internet ordering for orders less than $75, when you used to be able to pick it up at the catalogue depot/ store for free.... so we won't be shopping online with them anymore.

Now I have to think of a good way to thank my friend for all the parcels they receive for us (my wife loves Amazon )

How about Fed Ex? Probably 90% of what I get from Rock Auto comes via Fed Ex but obviously its not going to Canada.

EDIT - fcsmls beat me to it.

[This message has been edited by css9450 (edited 11-13-2012).]

Am I the only one thinking that this original post is an advertisement and should have been in either Totally Off Topic, The Mall, or The Other Mall?

Jonathan

Im just glad we have Rock Auto at our disposal. For large orders I use Rock Auto because it normally saves me big time, for small things I just go to Napa.

quote Originally posted by JessaRockAuto: Patrick, As mentioned previously, we try to make our shipping charges match what carriers charge us. We do not consider shipping a "profit center" -- on the contrary, we pass on to customers the discounts we receive from carriers. For some orders, the shipping cost does include more than just the postage you see on the box you receive. Include in the shipping price for the example you posted above are the broker fees that are charged as a result of shipping to Canada. If you have any questions regarding any future orders please don't hesitate to contact our customer service department by email at service@rockauto.com or toll free at 1-866-762-5288. Office Hours(CST) Mon - Thur 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. / Fri 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. / Sat 7 to 6 / Sun 8 to 4 Thank you, www.RockAuto.com

Quoted, because THIS is how you should handle your customers.

Only an observation, but perhaps Rock Auto will gain a few more customers because of this. Me included.

quote Originally posted by Boostdreamer: Am I the only one thinking that this original post is an advertisement and should have been in either Totally Off Topic, The Mall, or The Other Mall? Jonathan

Maybe this thread should be called:

Something about shipping to Canada that you may not already know!

quote Originally posted by Gall757: Maybe this thread should be called: Something about shipping to Canada that you may not already know!

IMO, that is of more benefit than the original intention/heading.

I've got more responses/questions coming...

I worked in shipping for about 11 years at a machine shop. Shipping out of country was always more expensive than in country because of the additional paperwork. Granted I never shipped a $2 item, I don't think anything I shipped ever fell under the threshold amount to not require duties paperwork, but it takes more work to ship out of country than in country.

quote Originally posted by E.Furgal: I work for advanced... If there is something you want from us.. I can order it for you.. and get it shipped... they don't take your over te boarder c/c for a reason.. it's not that your banks are more solid or not.. it's chasing down the money after shipped and the buyer cancels /fights the charge..

Thanks, I appreciate the offer (I really do), but IMO Advance Auto needs to get on the ball here. Over the last ten years I've placed about 125 orders online from American vendors (mostly, but not exclusively through eBay), and Advance Auto is the first vendor EVER to turn me down because of my credit card and/or PayPal account being affiliated with a non-US bank. None of these other vendors seem to have been too concerned with any problems occuring and then having to "chase down the money". I mean seriously, that is uncalled for and unnecessary. I even have a friend's American address they can use to make shipping easier if need be.

Is the economy that good down there that Advanced Auto wouldn't mind the extra business from Canadians? We've got money, and we wanna spend it!

quote Originally posted by Patrick: Thanks, I appreciate the offer (I really do), but IMO Advance Auto needs to get on the ball here. Over the last ten years I've placed about 125 orders online from American vendors (mostly, but not exclusively through eBay), and Advance Auto is the first vendor EVER to turn me down because of my credit card and/or PayPal account being affiliated with a non-US bank. None of these other vendors seem to have been too concerned with any problems occuring and then having to "chase down the money". I mean seriously, that is uncalled for and unnecessary. I even have a friend's American address they can use to make shipping easier if need be. Is the economy that good down there that Advanced Auto wouldn't mind the extra business from Canadians? We've got money, and we wanna spend it!

I can't comment on why. this is.. but lets just say they have there reason.. and that reason is over a million dollar loss.

quote Originally posted by JessaRockAuto: Include(d) in the shipping price for the example you posted above are the broker fees that are charged as a result of shipping to Canada.

Jessa, I think you need to double-check your information. Unless you can show me otherwise in RockAuto's fine print, I suspect the $25 shipping charge for that tiny seal does NOT include "brokerage" fees. It's been my experience that brokerage fees are usually collected at the customer's end when delivered.

Having said that, I understand that some vendors do use a relatively new type of shipping plan that some private carriers now offer which does combine brokerage fees with shipping charges. However, I don't recall seeing that mentioned at RockAuto's site. If I'm mistaken, please provide a link for me.

I avoided mentioning brokerage fees previously so as to simplify what we're discussing, but now that it's been brought up... yeah, what an insult to have ridiculously high brokerage fees (charged by the private carriers) in addition to the excessive shipping charges for items sent across the border.

This also brings up another important question. Why isn't USPS offered as an option by RockAuto to ship items to Canada? The postal service does NOT gouge customers for brokerage fees like the private carriers do. In my example posted above of the $1.36 seal, USPS was the cheapest option offered to ship the item to Blaine Washington, yet USPS was not offered as an option to ship this same item across the border. This makes absolutely no sense to me.

quote Originally posted by Khw: Shipping out of country was always more expensive than in country because of the additional paperwork... it takes more work to ship out of country than in country.

For someone doing this paperwork for the very first time, sure, it might take a few extra minutes. But for someone working in a shipping department who's shipping all day long and who's done this a hundred times... I honestly don't think it's an issue.

quote Originally posted by Patrick: You probably didn't mean to do it, but that comment rather ticks me off. Who the heck said ANYTHING about "discounted/subsidized shipping" to Canada? I expect to pay what it costs to ship an order, just like you would. I'm being told by Jessa from RockAuto that they don't profit from shipping. So you're trying to tell me it actually costs $25 to ship a $1.36 seal the size of a silver dollar across the border??? Somebody is profiting from that shipping charge, no doubt about it.

you clearly have no idea.. I worked shipping before this advance job.. and you're barking up the wrong tree.. you need to look at boarder customs and brokers..

we shipped dry ink to canada that was 4oz in weight.. it was 39.00 shipping.. and it was only going an hour over the boarder.
on our coast.. and we have an ups account and ship 30 tons a week through ups.. but that was the cost for over the boarder.. why?? thats a good question..
my question to you would be why you not getting the seal from a local parts store.. any parts store that carries national seals would be able to get it..
clearly even with the shipping rockauto was cheaper than local venders.. even with bad parts counter help. you can go in with a part# and say please order these..
why did you order seals online instead of from a local part store..?

quote Originally posted by Patrick: For someone doing this paperwork for the very first time, sure, it might take a few extra minutes. But for someone working in a shipping department who's shipping all day long and who's done this a hundred times... I honestly don't think it's an issue.

The paperwork doesn't do itself. Sure a person gets more efficent at it, but if I have 2 additional forms to fill out plus 5ish pages of export paperwork to generate, that all takes more time than one shipping label and a packing list. An extra few minutes doesn't cover it, more like 20 minutes to a hour depending on how many items and the total value, but again I wasn't shipping a $2 item. The shipments I sent where anywhere from a few hundred to a couple hundred thousand in value. I know it's not exactly the same, but different forms and different paperwork was needed for export shipping and I doubt that changes much as far as value goes once you exceed the threshold amount that requires that paperwork. I agree with you that a $2 item shouldn't cost $25 to ship to you when it could easily fit in a padded envelope. I however am not aware of what kind of records a buisness is supposed to keep on such a low cost item that is exported having not delt with something of such low value in that situation. I just know there's more to the "paperwork" then just a shipping label.

quote Originally posted by Patrick: For someone doing this paperwork for the very first time, sure, it might take a few extra minutes. But for someone working in a shipping department who's shipping all day long and who's done this a hundred times... I honestly don't think it's an issue.

to ship to canada through usps it took 3 forms.. after the normal shipping lable.. the postal clerk does this all the time , it took 10 minutes for that one shipment.. someone has to pay for that time, and all the extra time as it makes it's merry way..

Good discussion, guys. I have more to say (as usual), but I've also got a yoga class to go to first.

Yeah yeah, I know... those flakey Canadians.

I didn't know that you could join this website just to plug your company. Cool, I make illegal moonshine and will sell it for $5.00 per mason jar.....and I ship to Canada. Act now and I'll throw in a 4 foot cannibis plant with each order.

quote Originally posted by x-thumpr-x: I've used RockAuto for awhile now and though shipping can accumulate quickly based n what you are buying, I still find it cheaper (even after shipping) then buying the same part from the local parts dealer around the corner. The only issue I got is 90% of the time is that 1 or 2 items I need are at another location then the rest of the parts. I normally just take them off the list and find them locally then because with the extra 2nd shipping charge doesn't, it's about the same price then as the locals suppliers are asking for.

Ditto...Just ordered parts Monday. I ended up taking an item off because it was coming from a different location.

And JessaRockAuto, You could at least throw us a discount code. I had to do a web search and found one on a different forum...

Bob

quote And JessaRockAuto, You could at least throw us a discount code. I had to do a web search and found one on a different forum... Bob

A current discount code for the forum can be found here: https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum1/HTML/090070.html

Thanks,

www.RockAuto.com

quote Originally posted by Patrick: You probably didn't mean to do it, but that comment rather ticks me off. Who the heck said ANYTHING about "discounted/subsidized shipping" to Canada? I expect to pay what it costs to ship an order, just like you would. I'm being told by Jessa from RockAuto that they don't profit from shipping. So you're trying to tell me it actually costs $25 to ship a $1.36 seal the size of a silver dollar across the border??? Somebody is profiting from that shipping charge, no doubt about it.

Somebody said that Amazon could ship for cheap so why couldn't Rock Auto... my point was that Rock Auto probably doesn't do enough across the border work to negotiate with FedEx/UPS for discounted international shipping, etc... no offense intended. I think Fierosound hit the nail on the head.

The comment about jumping was when Jessa offered to take the discussion customer service and she was accused of bailing... That is all. Also some of the posts that I had based my response on have been edited. :shrug:

Wasn't NAFTA supposed to fix all this?

quote Originally posted by Tony Kania: Quoted, because THIS is how you should handle your customers. Only an observation, but perhaps Rock Auto will gain a few more customers because of this. Me included.

Agreed.

[This message has been edited by carbon (edited 11-14-2012).]

no matter what you thing about them coming here and posting a shamless plug..
at least you know you'll get help when you need it..
as you can p.m. here and get help over and above the normal channels..
that is cool. and only help people..
2 thumbs up..