Hazmat fees are CRAZY!

Mustang65 said:

I hear you. However, the smaller businesses don't get the breaks that the big box stores do. Fedex and UPS, set the hazmat fees. That being said, if the small business store does it's own shipping, they have to account for tape, boxes, and the shipping fee itself. Now some do set an awful high price for shipping, way beyond what actual shipping charges are. Like you, I avoid them also.

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Thanks for layin all that out. Much appreciated.

I bought from Traveler's back in October and the hazmat was at last years rate plus shipping. Me and a partner split a 25 lb order delivered by FEDEX. When the total charge per pound was figured up, our cost was just shy of $21 per pound. Extremely happy all the way around. Key is, if you plan your order accordingly and go in with a friend or two shipping and hazmat are quite acceptable. Some thinners and or leather glues that I use require a hazmat charge if the container is 1 gallon or more. I buy by the quart when I can, but some types only come in 1 gallon containers and require the hazmat fee, if you need it you need it, I just factor that into the end product.

Just a thought. When you are near a rendezvous, head on over and you might find some real good prices on powder and caps.

Seems there is a lot of "whine" that goes along with those Haz-Mat fees. Just reality. Planning a group buy in quantity pretty much makes the Haz-Mat fee a minor issue. Might as well get used to it, cause it ain't gonna change!

Blackpowder77 said:

Fyi, I am the shipper, and the Hazmat Fee is set by FEDEX, not me. I have fought for a better rate for 3 years. I was being charged 39 hazmat last year then both fedexcand ups raised the rate to 44 on jan 1 this year. Im just a small shop trying to keep everyone supplied, i lose money on shipping on nearly every hazmat package.
The fees charged by ups and fedex are posted on there websites. Check it out before bashing me accusing me of trying to screw you over with hazmat charges. You were fully aware of the charge before you even placed the order. I told you like i do every customer up front, please place a large enough order to offset the hazmat and shipping costs.

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I love your store man! Hazmat fees are just a pain in the neck. I don’t mean to bash your store, and I’m sorry that it sounded that way!

Blackpowder77 said:

Fyi, I am the shipper, and the Hazmat Fee is set by FEDEX, not me. I have fought for a better rate for 3 years. I was being charged 39 hazmat last year then both fedexcand ups raised the rate to 44 on jan 1 this year. Im just a small shop trying to keep everyone supplied, i lose money on shipping on nearly every hazmat package.
The fees charged by ups and fedex are posted on there websites. Check it out before bashing me accusing me of trying to screw you over with hazmat charges. You were fully aware of the charge before you even placed the order. I told you like i do every customer up front, please place a large enough order to offset the hazmat and shipping costs.

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My apologies. I didn’t know they were set by the company.

Ultimately, you have to drop the item in your shopping cart at Vendor X and Vendor Y and whichever comes out cheaper after all the variables are factored in wins.

maillemaker said:

Ultimately, you have to drop the item in your shopping cart at Vendor X and Vendor Y and whichever comes out cheaper after all the variables are factored in wins.

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Yep, I just did - exactly that on a powder order.

Nor Cal Mikie said:

Gas in California is running just at $6.00 a gallon and a bit more at some stations. (forget the diesel) Saw $6.19 for unleaded this morning.
15 miles from town. Our local small market sells gas for $6.00+. I'll gas up on the way home from our rural Post office.
So, if I drive into town, that's at least 15 miles to the closest gas station, it'll cost me $6.00+ so gassing up close to home really isn't that bad.
Same as running out of milk. Cost more to drive to town + gas and milk is about .50 cents more here close to home. Shop local.

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HAz mat fees may be the least of our problems soon. How can you buy what you need for our hobby when everything from the base price to shipping has doubled? CA seems the test case to see if the economy there can withstand 100% increases. Truckers and businesses are either closing up or leaving in droves as they cannot make ends meet. (Add to it my spies at the state water board say just the water issues may be the coup de gras despite the propaganda to the contrary.

My BP club just received a mixed case of Schutzen 2 3 and 4f from Traveler’s Antuics and Trading in Tx.. Delivered to California within two weeks and average price after Hazmat and shipping was under $23. Considering the price of gas etc. $23 seems pretty cheap.
Doc,

vintovka said:

HAz mat fees may be the least of our problems soon. How can you buy what you need for our hobby when everything from the base price to shipping has doubled? CA seems the test case to see if the economy there can withstand 100% increases. Truckers and businesses are either closing up or leaving in droves as they cannot make ends meet. (Add to it my spies at the state water board say just the water issues may be the coup de gras despite the propaganda to the contrary.

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Well, the "good news" is that oil futures are way down. The speculators see the incoming recession which will mean reduced demand for goods and services which means reduced demand for energy which means lower costs for oil and gasoline. Basically, it's demand damage. I read this morning that gasoline demand is the lowest it has been since like 1999. The high prices are causing people to permanently change their behaviors.

As a society, I think we are on the precipice of a serious problem. Everything in our civilization depends on energy. Energy is the key to everything. Every single thing you touch in your life was produced by the consumption of some kind of energy it took to make it and bring it to your hand.

Mankind learned how to harness energy on an industrial scale only about 160 years ago. The Industrial Revolution began in 1760. Internal combustion engines were invented in the 1860s. Since then, we have been powering our world mostly by burning things. This is not sustainable. First, you start running out of things to burn, and second, the pollution destroys your environment. It may very well be that civilizations everywhere enjoy a brief period of some 500 years of "easy" energy production and then fade away either because the energy sources are gone or their environment is destroyed. It may be the "Great Filter" that explains the Fermi Paradox (where is everyone in the universe?)

I don't want to get into a debate about how much fuel is really left to burn or how dangerous to the environment it may or may not be to keep burning it.

I'm just going to accept for the sake of argument that fossil fuel use is going away.

So here's the problem: Today, 80% of the world's energy comes from fossil fuels. 60% of US electrical generation comes from fossil fuels.

If you take away that energy, you take away civilization.

That means there are some stark times ahead. Either we find ways to replace that energy from other sources, or everyone is going to start living on a lot less energy, which means a drastically lower standard of living for most people.

I read that the average person in the world uses 55 kWh of energy a day. The average American uses 200 kWh of energy per day. You cut the American energy use by 70% and you will find that your energy consumption matches that of the average person in the world today. Which means your way of life is going to become a lot like the average person in the world today. By the way, 3/4 of the world lives in poverty.

Which means that very soon luxuries like buying antique guns and the things to make them go bang will be a luxury on par with golden toilet seats before too long.

And "back in the day" they kept pushing the NEW electric appliances, BIG TIME.
Not thinking fossil fuel will be going away any time soon.
Then there's pushing the Green Energy thing? Solar? What happens after dark when the batteries are dead and there's no Sun? No wind so the wind mills can't produce enough energy to build up the "dead batteries"? At night it's STILL 100+* and folks don't like being hot.
Then in Europe, they're going back to coal fired power plants?
Not thinking of ONE politician that is hurting because of higher prices of fuel, food or the cost of energy.
Bet the Stupid SOB Brandon doesn't pay BIG $$$ to fill HIS cars with gas or even pay for HIS food?

Nor Cal Mikie said:

And "back in the day" they kept pushing the NEW electric appliances, BIG TIME.
Not thinking fossil fuel will be going away any time soon.
Then there's pushing the Green Energy thing? Solar? What happens after dark when the batteries are dead and there's no Sun? No wind so the wind mills can't produce enough energy to build up the "dead batteries"? At night it's STILL 100+* and folks don't like being hot.
Then in Europe, they're going back to coal fired power plants?
Not thinking of ONE politician that is hurting because of higher prices of fuel, food or the cost of energy.
Bet the Stupid SOB Brandon doesn't pay BIG $$$ to fill HIS cars with gas or even pay for HIS food?

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Do as I say, say not as I do.

Nor Cal Mikie said:

And "back in the day" they kept pushing the NEW electric appliances, BIG TIME.
Not thinking fossil fuel will be going away any time soon.
Then there's pushing the Green Energy thing? Solar? What happens after dark when the batteries are dead and there's no Sun? No wind so the wind mills can't produce enough energy to build up the "dead batteries"? At night it's STILL 100+* and folks don't like being hot.
Then in Europe, they're going back to coal fired power plants?
Not thinking of ONE politician that is hurting because of higher prices of fuel, food or the cost of energy.
Bet the Stupid SOB Brandon doesn't pay BIG $$$ to fill HIS cars with gas or even pay for HIS food?

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CA right now has to buy energy from other states and still has rolling brown-outs, soon to be black outs!! Solar and wind are not technologically feasible at this time, nor are they cost efficient. Cut out fossil fuels,,,,watch starvation ensue, along with riots, revolution, etc!!

The videos of Lake Mead may be the death knell for a major part of CA. Wonder what life will be like for millions when water rationing is like 20 gallons per day???

So it appear we are done with the Hazmat Fee discussion...

LD