TOW shipping policies...

[anj4de]

Hello all

Just wanted to share with you some for me ridiculous shipping policies of the vendor Track of the Wolf.

A while ago I had ordered their catalog, 10$ worth of merchandise and 15$ for sipping it over seas to Germany. As most know this catalog is big so 15$ for a package seemed OK. The catalog arrived after some weeks and i was planning on placing another order, a small one, on some silver inlays! Total merchandise value this time would have been 13,95$. I now was quoted 40$ shipping!!! Those 4 inlays way maybe 25gram in total...
I sent a mail to TOW questioning this and suggested to use a USPS flat rate envelope that can be 15x10 inches and 3/4 inch thick, enough for two pieces of cardboard with the inlays taped onto...easy you would think. The answer to my request was...: "The only way it can go for 5.95 is if it is shipped to a US destination. We have lost way too many foreign packages to foreign countries that we now only ship by priority mail or Fed-Ex for $40.00."
I know wonder how it comes a phone book size catalog can be sent abroad for 15$...this one has a value of 10$...but for tiny pieces of metal should cost 40$. I don't even want to think about what they charge for shipping a gun kit! I am not amused...as the queen would say.
Sorry for the rant, just to let of some steam...

cheers
Uwe

 

[matt denison]

First let me say that I feel your pain and sympathise with you. ON the other hand I know what TOW and other shippers (inluding myself) have had to go through shipping overseas in the past. It is very expensive to have to replace and re-ship orders because the first attempt either vanished or an empty box was delivered to the customer. Not all postal systems are equal. I have talked with several of my fellow vendors who have had expensive and not-so-expensive shipments dissapear at their expense. So if TOW wants to use the most trusted but expensive methods I can't blame them as the alternative is to say, "sorry, we can't ship that there".


:surrender:

 

[Snakebite]

I don't know if it's still there but there used to be a blackpowder club at Grafenwohr. (The Northern Bavarian Renegade Rifles) Not sure where you are in Bavaria, but you might check that out and if there are still shooters there, maybe you could have them ship to an APO address of one of the GIs. I was stationed in Hohenfels but lived in Sulzbach-Rosenber and shot in Graf. I left in 1994 so it's been quite a while and a lot has changed. But might be a possibility.

 

[pargent]

Yes , placed my last order with them ,their service and product range is very very good but they don't honour the correct exchange rates and US postage is extreme in cost to say the least

 

[illuveatar]

I just checked shipment rates for a kit to me in Michigan. ~$40 for shipping ~700 miles. The same kit shipped to Germany was quoted at ~$130 for shipping a distance of 4,300 miles. These prices don't seem unreasonable to me. I think your mistake was in making a small purchase. 4 inlays cost $40 to ship but 400 inlays only costs $50 in shipping fees.

 

[Billnpatti]

Check with Dixie Gun Works. They may have a better shipping policy. If not, just order a catalog (still $5, I think) and ask them to tape the inlays to the inside of the catalog cover and ship it to you for the postage charge for the catalog alone.

 

[ChrisLJ]

I placed an order with TotW the other day for $40.48 and the shipping via USPS Priority was $9.79 to Ohio. It seems high percentage wise but sure beats driving up there.

Last summer I placed a couple of orders to England with one being for ï¿¡19.99 with ï¿¡4.00 shipping via Royal Mail. The other order was comparable, and I thought that was a great deal coming from over seas.

 

[pargent]

YES it is the expence of US postage that is the issue for us internationals , it is extreme to say the least, eg a medium book from US to Australia $50+ ,A canvas gun cover nearly $30 and they will not honour the current exchange rates .Some British companies offer FREE postage world wide on books purchased from them and the cost of our postage is one tenth of what we pay for US postage

 

[Kapow]

It has gone stupid. But they are all going that way. Cabelas and Bass Pro now charge shipping as a percentage of the item cost regardless of size. It makes it unworthwhile. Ie to buy say a pair of binoculars at $700, they charge $350 postage. I mean really, come on.

Have a look at Gunworks Muzzleloading Emporium. They have been kind to me. I only send an order when I have numerous items to purchase to make it more cost effective. It is ridiculous when a huge box full of stuffing and a couple of small items arrives from the other side of the world though. It makes you wonder what kind of morons are working in shipping.

Now try and get trophy animal skins and horns posted and you will really know what it feels like to be violated!

 

[pargent]

It's a real shame because many of us seek out quality US made products to purchase and to use in our sport and displays etc. rather then use sub standard stuff from elsewhere .Our own AUSTPOST tried to go down the same path by making up there own rules etc. but soon got a pineapple from various Gov. levels .

 

[necchi]

Printed media ships at a different rate than normal mail and usually takes week's to a destination instead of days.

A Small Flat rate envelope from the USA to Germany is $23.95, :idunno:
http://ircalc.usps.com/MailService...gDate=10/31/2013&MailingTime=8:00 AM&dv=20.00
I don't know what method of payment is used, maybe there is a fee for the currency exchange or over seas transfer?

I live near TOW, so even if I picked up your inlays and mailed them USPS Flat rate it would still be 23.95 to ship.
I'm 35 miles from there, they wanted $9.30 to ship me a book, I can drive for less than that!?

 

[George T.]

My experiences with Tow , Dixie and many others have been good to me. I think that many providers this day and age are raising shipping costs to keep their prices down. I'm afraid that shipping across the pond may take most of the hit.

They don't sell many MLR items but if you want TOW to look good order something from Midwayusa.

Geo. T.

 

[matt denison]

Everything about shipping sucks. The costs have increased steadily over the past ten years and they will get worse. As the P.O. shuts down distribution centers shipping times will stretch out too. We've already had some issues with this. Some things within the state of Montana have been shipped to distribution in Denver first making it 5 days to go 200 miles. There is no one accountable and so no one to complain to. Might as well just go scream at the dark in the back yard.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I don't believe blaming TOW is the right target of your dissapointment. Shipping overseas is, and always has been, problematic. I used to sell collectibles via the internet. I had many sales to Germany without problems. However shipments to Australia and Canada were always problematic and I refused to sell to those countries.
Actually, I am puzzled as to why there are no European vendors for these products. As may stories like yours we hear, it makes me think an opportunity is there for someone enterprising.Robin, are you listening?

 

[VEARL]

Been there...Done that.
Ordered a small item ( less than $5. Mailing cost more than the item.
Anymore I just wait till I need more items, then I figure it up with mailing cost.
Play the math game. Check your total plus shipping before ordering and you will come out ahead.
Sometimes one vendor will be cheaper on an item but will have the same mailing cost.

 

[Eljay]

Yeah, I ship overseas and even the priority mail flat rate envelopes have gotten absurdly expensive to ship and it's probably twice what it was a few years ago. Add onto that the fact that some counties have customs departments that seem to be run primarily by thieves and/or where packages will sometimes sit for a month before suddenly being delivered and sometimes I feel like it's more trouble than its worth.

I've even had angry Europeans write to me that I'm overcharging them and it only costs X to send something. X is usually about a third of the actual cost, to me anyway. Maybe it only costs X to send from there to here. Or did 20 years ago. I know one person was very upset because they'd calculated the postage from a New York zip code to Europe. Problem is I'm not in New York, I'm in California which is about twice as far and they charge accordingly.

re: media mail - I think that's only domestic, not international, so I don't know why ToW charges less for the catalog. Could be a variety of things including their margin being very high on the catalog to the fact that they can cheap out on the packaging since if they arrive a little beat up nobody cares versus something more fragile.

 

[flahipneck]

Talked to TOW today. They spent about eight to ten minutes doing parts research and ended up with only a $51.00 order including $5.95 shipping. Great customer service and reasonable shipping!

 

[MacRob46]

I own a business and ship overseas occasionally. Week before last I shipped a blazer badge to a customer in Canada. It used to be that I could ship one for a fifty cent up charge over what it would cost to send to a US customer. This time the postage, normally $2.07 was $6.55! That has happened since the last postage increase. Neither our business nor any other business can absorb large amounts of postage cost and remain profitable. Also, don't forget that the packaging costs something too as does the time and effort to pack the item and take it to the shipper - if you have to do that and we do. In the case of foreign shipments we also have to fill out a customs form, which takes time. TOW's cost of shipping overseas is not out of line. Several years ago I shipped a sword to a lady in Australia for her son's Christmas present. The sword was $250 and the shipping by common carrier was $200! It simply is not cheap to ship overseas.

 

[Kentuckywindage]

my brother does electronics and shipping to germany has been a hassle with them losing packages.

 

[dikman]

Yep, it pays to check the shipping rate first to find the optimum point for what you're ordering. My last experience with TOW was that the basic shipping charge to Oz was $17.50, whether it was one item or several, but once you went over the "magic line" (calculated on size and/or weight, I suppose) then the shipping doubled even if it was only a small item that exceeded their "limit".

My RCBS melter (not from TOW) cost $80 shipping. It seemed a lot, but it was a biggish box with a bit of weight to it, so I suppose that was reasonable (at that stage I was just grateful at being able to get one!). And it only took 7 days.

I've found Amazon often have pretty good shipping rates to Oz, whereas others often quote ridiculous prices!

And then there's the other extreme - I've bought many things from Hong Kong and China (some not so small) and they generally include shipping (or it's a very small fee). Just thought I'd mention it......