Shipping anything anymore is just unpredictable and expensive.
I shipped a small box (about 3" x 3" x 7" weighing 1lb to Michigan from Philadelphia. - $17
Shipped another box (about 7" x 7" x 11") weighing 25lbs to Miami from Philadelphia - $20
And that is BEFORE any S&H charges that might be added depending on what I ship.
UPS likes to charge for volume AND weight. Sometimes it sucks and sometimes it really sucks.
Years ago freight companies added a fuel surcharge to invoices because of increased fuel costs. Now that the fuel costs are back down to the level that they were before the surcharge they are still charging the surcharge. Good for them when the surcharge could pay for the entire load of a tractor trailer and you only have 2 skids on the truck.
But comparing shipping costs and time between domestic and europe can almost be the same or quicker.
I do try to spread my spending around though.
LRDirect.com is the fastest shipper by far and they always have what I need in stock. Their down side is they have zero tech support. If you don't have a part number you aren't going to order from them. Also a return to the U.K. would be a PITA.
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BIG shout out to LRDirect. I just placed a pretty big order and the order was placed on a Thursday late UK time and I had everything Tuesday afternoon in the US. I priced US suppliers and for 2 parts I got 14 from the UK for the same money. Added bonus the shipping was less than many recent US based orders.
Yes you have to have a part number for everything you want but they now have a customer support number available for US customers. I like that they carry lots of brands and let you choose the manufacture and price point you want.
I will not purchase from US sources unless it's available at same price and cheaper shipping. I see zero need to shop US anymore.
No real ding to US based suppliers as they have overhead with people inventory and such but when you can't touch something like a transfer box output flange kit (STC3432/33) for under $50 US and they can be purchased all day long for $16 in the UK it's hard to justify buying US. The shipping is also crazy. I have shipped lots of small parts to people on forums and eBay sales and it's always crazy the prices you have to pay to move stuff across the country. But somehow LRDirect gets DHL to deliver from UK to US (CO) for only a few dollars more than I can send from CO to CA or NY.
US based suppliers are fans of the brand and very knowledgeable in many cases so I would much prefer to use them but it's hard to not maximize my dollar and spend across the pond. Added bonus is the extra gaskets and washers and the many other small items that come the packaged deals offered overseas.
All good points. For me, if I need something, its usually for a customers truck. If a US based supplier doesnt have it on the shelf, they have to order it from the UK and none of them drop ship directly. If after a couple calls I can't find something here, in the interest of time, I order from the UK myself. I like LRdirect because the site show's if its in stock for immediate shipment or not.
I recently made a large order from SP 4x4. Large as in a pair of doors and 3 pairs of wings, IE 3 huge boxes. The shipping cost was 200gbp and the items went from SP in Liverpool to American Airlines @ Manchester airport and flew into Philly and then were trucked down to the Richmond, Va airport where I went and cleared them through customs and picked the crates up. From the time the crates left SP @ Liverpool to in my hands was 48 hrs, zero damage to anything. Pretty hard to beat that for $259 bucks.
That said, it is way easier, while working on a truck, to pick up the phone, send Zack a text and ask if he has something. He says yes, last 4 of the card you want use ? Bamm, Bob's your Uncle.
I recently made a large order from SP 4x4. Large as in a pair of doors and 3 pairs of wings, IE 3 huge boxes. The shipping cost was 200gbp and the items went from SP in Liverpool to American Airlines @ Manchester airport and flew into Philly and then were trucked down to the Richmond, Va airport where I went and cleared them through customs and picked the crates up. From the time the crates left SP @ Liverpool to in my hands was 48 hrs, zero damage to anything. Pretty hard to beat that for $259 bucks.
USPS has great prices for shipping & they supply the boxes of various sizes & you get a tracking number.
Sent a set of 4 wheel spacers from AZ to PA for $20.00 , Got there in 3 days. There's no way UPS of FedEx could come close to that price or time frame for twenty bucks.
Used Workshop to find proper German spec Puma headlamp assemblies I needed.