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Shipping & Returns

IMPORTANT SHIPPING INFORMATION BEFORE PLACING YOUR ORDER:

Shipping costs & methods regarding your order can be affected by many factors, such as: amount of items ordered, type of materials selected, dimensions of items, current fuel costs, distance.

TOPICS IN THIS SECTION (you may click a topic to go directly to it):

Orders Under $400  | Orders Over $400 |  General Shipping Policies  |  Shipping Restrictions  |  Shipping Costs  | "Free Shipping" |  Expedited Shipping  | Will Call Pickups |  Shipping Delays  |  Delivered Shipments Missing  |  Damaged Shipments  |  Return, Exchange & Cancellation Policies  |  Refund Protocol  |  International Customers | Shipping Cost Add-ons (AKA UPS & FedEx "Dimensional Weight" & Other Surcharges

DETERMINING YOUR SHIPPING COST FOR ORDER TOTALS UNDER $400

You will be able to see what your shipping will be once all of your items have been placed into the shopping cart. Simply click any of the links entitled "View Cart". Once you get there, scroll down a bit until you see "Estimate Shipping & Tax". Click on that and enter your country, state, and zip code and then click "Estimate Shipping & Tax". This will show you your shipping cost before you move on to the payment phase of your order.

Please understand that some items will incur shipping cost based on weight, dimension, quantities, overall bulk, oversized proportion, or any combination of these, which will affect the cost of the shipping. If you would like us to take a look at your shipping cost and see if there is anything we can do to better it, please send a screen capture of your cart. This way we can see exactly what you are ordering, what the shipping estimate is, and then try and see what we can do to help you out by re-configuring packaging and, or, shipping methods.

Also, remember that in some instances certain items may require special shipping, or additional shipping costs, based on weight or dimension, and we may have to contact you with options for your approval before shipping your order.

SHIPPING CENTRAL & WHY IT IS THE BEST SHIPPING SOLUTION FOR ORDERS TOTALING OVER $400:

Please understand that aside from purchasing DVD's, printed materials, or smaller orders of parts & materials, placing orders for heavy, oversized, or dimensionally-squirrely case parts and materials may require special packaging requirements or means of shipment. Due to the size and weight of some parts and materials, ordering such items can be much different than what you may be used to when making other purchases online. Therefore, the costs associated with shipping parts & materials for road case building is not a cut-and-dry issue.

An online store shipping calculator has no way to distinguish such variances, and can not always be pre-set as if you were purchasing a watch, a book, or other items that may easily have pre-set shipping costs online. As an order's total cost begins to increase at our store, the selection of, and quantities of, certain items will require a proper assessment from a human perspective to determine the most economical packaging configurations to get you the best shipping cost possible for an order.

Therefore, the online store shipping calculator will not assess shipping charges on most orders over $400.00, based on the amount, and types, of items in the shopping cart. Shipping cost assessment and payment method will be explained below.

Here is just one example...  if you ordered $600 worth of ball corners, the shipping would be drastically different than if you ordered $600 worth of 2" thick Plank Foam. Same purchase price, but way different shipping methods/costs associated with these two items. $600 worth of Ball Corners will nest neatly in a small box and ship much more economically than $600 worth of 2" thick Plank Foam that will be very bulky and incur extra shipping-related costs due to packaging dimensions.

Having said all of this, your estimated shipping cost in your shopping cart may read "$0.00" and we will need to contact you to offer shipping options before we can ship such items. We will review your order, perform a packaging configuration economy study, and apply that study to our UPS shipping calculator to determine the cheapest possible shipping cost for your order. We only do this to offer our customers the most cost savings possible and we appreciate your patience in these matters! We will then facilitate your shipping payment via our Shipping Central option at our online store.

If you do not want to place your order without knowing the shipping you may contact us to pre-arrange shipping, and this payment will then be facilitated through our Shipping Central option at our online store when you eventually place your order. HOWEVER, it is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED that you enter all of the items you want to order in to the shopping cart and try and create a screen capture/snippet of the cart for us if you have that capability (multiple captures/snippets are acceptable for large shopping carts). This will make the whole process much easier and faster. Otherwise, you will need to email us a list of the PART NUMBERS, PART NAME AND QUANTITIES FOR EACH ITEM to obtain a shipping quote. EITHER WAY PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR ZIP CODE/POSTAL CODE with your inquiry. Thank you.

FOR MORE ABOUT FAIR AND ACCURATE SHIPPING COST ASSESSMENTS CLICK HERE

GENERAL SHIPPING POLICIES:

Orders are processed in the order in which we receive them. Orders ship Monday - Friday. We are headquartered in the Pacific Time Zone, so even though we have multiple warehouses in different time zones, the time of day at which your order is placed will have an effect on the processing and shipping times. Some orders placed before 10am PST may ship that same day. Other than that, most orders will ship within 24 hours - 48 business hours (weekends & holidays don't count) depending on how backed up we might be with orders, or the time of day that you place your order. Generally, orders after 3 pm PST won't process in any of our warehouses until the next business day. Other instances that can extend your delivery date are:

1. Your order is placed just prior to, during, or just after a holiday - especially long holiday weekends.
2. Your order is placed just prior to, or during, a scheduled, or unscheduled, closure of our facilities.
3. Your order is large, requires panels to be laminated, or requires special fabrication.
4. We experience a part(s) stock issue during your order's processing time frame.
5. We are waiting on you for some additional payment for shipping, or order add-ons.
6. We are waiting on further information from you for some reason.
7. Any other unforeseen delay.

Shipment are based on stock at our particular warehouses. Whenever possible, items will be shipped in one shipment to prevent orders from arriving in multiple shipments, and such shipments could originate from any of our warehouses, regardless of where your prior orders may have shipped from. So do not assume that your shipment will always originate from our warehouse closest to you. We make no guarantees as to delivery dates. If you need an order in an expedited manner then you may request, and pay, for such expedited shipping such as UPS or FedEx Next-Day or 2nd-Day Delivery. However, we are not responsible for delays in expedited shipping once your order has been picked up by the carrier.

The bottom line is that it is your responsibility to plan accordingly on your end and allow enough time for the longest possible in-transit time and arrival scenario, and not to schedule project completion dates within such tight time frames regarding delivery of your order.

If you feel that a potential delivery date of your ground shipment could hinder your project completion date, then you should consider expedited shipping, or check with us before placing your order to determine lead times, or any potential delays due to stock issues.  

So, just to re-cap... generally, items will ship within 24-48 business hours (Mon-Fri), unless expedited delivery is requested by you, or one of the above-listed delay rules applies, or we are playing golf.

Once Your Order Is Placed There Are 3 Levels Of Status Regarding Your Order That You Will Receive Notification Emails For:

- Case Hardware, Materials, Ready-to-assemble Kits & Other Specialty Items

Most of these items cannot be shipped via the USPS. Such items will be shipped by a carrier of our choice, or the choice of any third-party vendors that we contract with. Either way, the most cost-effective choice is always utilized to benefit our customers. Many items may be shipped via UPS and FedEx, depending on size and weight restrictions. However, many heavier or oversized items will be shipped and delivered to you via freight/common carrier (tractor trailer). Rates for these types of carriers may fluctuate on a daily basis based on fuel costs, distance, etc., and therefore our shipping costs for such modes of delivery will be calculated on a percentage of your overall order cost, based on the overall weight of your order, BUT NEVER at any profit to us or our third-party vendors. We want to keep the shipping as cheap as possible for our customers -- after all, we want your business!

NOTE REGARDING PART SUBSTITUTIONS: We may substitute the closest possible parts in place of unavailable parts, and parts are subject to change without notice as long as a dimension does not change by more than 1/4". Policy on dimensions is to always go with the next closest size up. 

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WANT TO BILL YOUR SHIPPING TO YOUR UPS OR FEDEX ACCOUNT? Click Here For Details
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SHIPPING RESTRICTIONS

We don't have control over what happens when a delivery arrives at your destination. Please be sure that your location is able to be accessed by common carrier (tractor trailer) in the event that your order is too large for USPS or UPS. Generally, full plywood sheets, trussing, large amounts of foam sheets, or large amounts of aluminum extrusions will have to ship via common carrier.

Large items or anything shipped via freight/common carrier cannot be shipped to USPS PO Boxes. If you have a mailbox rental at a private establishment (The UPS Store, Mail Boxes Etc., PostNet, etc.), please check with their policies.

Also, ANY returned shipments due to items being shipped to an address that will not accept freight/common carrier deliveries will be at the cost of the customer and the original shipping cost will NOT be refunded. Be sure that such deliveries are accepted at the shipping address that you use when placing orders.

SHIPPING COSTS

As discussed above, shipping costs depend on the items ordered, the options you choose, the size and weight of items, the quantities of items selected, and where the order is going. It's really not too complicated. Under normal circumstances you will be able to estimate shipping costs by placing items in your cart and then proceeding to checkout for order totals under $400. For most order totals over $400, we will utilize our Shipping Central as mentioned above. Also, remember that in some instances certain items may require special shipping, or additional shipping costs, and we may have to contact you with options for your approval before shipping your order.

FOR MORE ABOUT FAIR AND ACCURATE SHIPPING COST ASSESSMENTS, PLEASE SEE THIS SECTION AS WELL

"FREE SHIPPING"

There's no such thing as free shipping. Oh sure, we could say "free shipping " like other vendors do to give you a warm fuzzy and make you think you are actually saving money... but then we'd have to secretly add the cost of the shipping into the price of things like every other vendor does. We don't play that bullshit here - we prefer being straight up with our customers.

EXPEDITED SHIPPING

Orders ship from the warehouse closest to the customer (we have 4 in North America - CA, TX, NJ & Windsor, Ontario Canada) unless there are any stock issues at a particular warehouse for an item(s). Orders are processed at our Los Angeles corporate offices, so depending on what time of day an order is received, it may ship that same day, but certainly within 24 hours, barring any unforeseen delays.

We do facilitate expedited shipping. However, due to the varying degrees of weights and dimensions of our parts and materials, expedited shipping is calculated manually on a per-order basis to be sure that the cost is accurate. There are two options for making payment on expedited shipping:

1. Use your own UPS or FedEx account number to bill the shipment to by following these steps:

   - Provide one of these two codes in the Coupon Code box during checkout:

           UPS Coupon Code: CustomerUPS

           FedEx Coupon Code: CustomerFedEx

   The Coupon Code will minus out the visible shipping cost when you submit the order.

   Coupon Codes ARE case sensitive, so be sure and type the code exactly as seen above, or simply copy & paste it.

   Also be sure and specify UPS or FedEX, along with your account number, in the Order Comments section as well, letting us know that you want the shipment billed to your account.

2. We will create a shipping payment item in our Shipping Central  section once we know what is going to be in the order. 

That's all there is to it!

WILL CALL PICKUPS

 

SHIPPING DELAYS

Please understand that delays in shipping may occur for a variety of reasons such as weather, product unavailability, carrier selection, but many times also on the part of our customers. It is important that you provide us with the proper contact information and promptly reply to any phone calls or emails in the event that we contact you regarding shipping matters and options.

Another common problem is that an order may simply be undeliverable for a variety of reasons such as:

- Incorrect Address. (your fault) If the address is incorrect or outdated, the package is typically returned to us by the carrier or the unintended recipient. Please double-check your address carefully when placing a new order.

- Carrier Does Not Deliver to the Address. (your fault) UPS DOES NOT deliver to PO Boxes. You must provide a valid street address for any parts orders. Also, freight/common carriers will not deliver to PO Boxes.

- Address Format. (your fault) If a PO Box address was entered for a parts order, we will not be able to ship your order without first obtaining a valid street address from you. Also, if you are a private mailbox holder (use a local commercial mail receiving agency such as PostNet, The UPS Store, etc.), do not use "Box" for your mailbox number, instead use # or PMB (examples: "#301" or "PMB 14"). This will ensure that your address is not mistaken to be a PO Box. However, be sure of your private mail receiving location's policies for what they will or will not accept as a delivery.

- Failed Delivery Attempts. (your fault) USPS will almost always make multiple attempts to deliver a package, or will leave a notice regarding their attempt to deliver, and instructions for options on how to retrieve your package(s). Packages that contain certain large dollar amounts of merchandise will almost always require a signature no matter what carrier is used. Freight/common carrier deliveries will always require someone be present and sign for the delivery. These carriers almost always contact you to set up a delivery confirmation and time frame so that someone can be present to meet them. In any other circumstance, it is generally up to the driver's discretion to determine whether a signature is required. If the driver feels it is best to obtain a signature and no one is present to accept the delivery, then a notice will be left as to your options.

MISSING SHIPMENTS THAT ARE DELIVERED BUT DISAPPEAR

There is nothing that we can do about this. One customer sent us an email saying, "I didn't ship the stuff. Since you shipped the order on your UPS account, shouldn't you deal with UPS and find my package or send me a new shipment free of charge?"

No, and no. Since the package was delivered, there is nothing more that can be done. It is common policy for UPS to leave a package at the door if there is no one to accept it, unless a "signature required" factor has been implemented PRIOR TO SHIPMENT AT THE TIME OF ORDER. So, always make sure to have your order shipped to a location where someone will be present to accept it, or you are comfortable with having packages left if no one is available. 

If your UPS order was delivered, and a delivery confirmation has been entered into the tracking information, then you should try to get in contact with the driver for your route to make sure that he left it at the correct location. If he did not (and was willing to admit it) then UPS would be responsible. If he in fact left it at your door then UPS is not responsible for the package once it has been left, anymore than we are responsible once it has left our warehouse in the possession of UPS.

A UPS Lost Package Claim does not apply to a package that was actually delivered. It only applies to packages that are delayed, lost, or vanish altogether PRIOR to any delivery. If a Delivery Confirmation and a Proof of Delivery at the proper location is associated with your package(s), then most likely your stuff was stolen. This is why you should make sure your packages are delivered some place where someone will be available to accept them, or request that the delivery must be signed for AT THE TIME YOU PLACE YOUR ORDER. 

Of course, if the package was never delivered, and is missing in action, we would certainly file a claim with UPS, and in the meantime send you another shipment at no cost to you once we have determined that the package is lost forever, however we have yet to ever see this happen with the thousands of shipments we have sent since we have been in business.

DAMAGED SHIPMENTS

ITEMS DAMAGED IN TRANSIT (meaning from the time it leaves our docks until the time it reaches your eager awaiting hands) is not our fault and we can not be held responsible for carriers that abuse your product during shipment. We do not package and ship damaged merchandise. We know how to properly pack our merchandise to protect it in transit under normal handling and conditions. The shipping carrier is responsible for damaged items. Who files the claim with the carrier depends on the following... 

IF YOU, OR SOMEONE ELSE, IS PRESENT AT THE TIME OF THE DELIVERY:

1. DO NOT MERELY SIGN FOR AND TAKE POSSESSION OF PACKAGES THAT ARE OBVIOUSLY DAMAGED. If you do, and later on you eventually discover that any items are damaged, or missing due to a package breach, then you will have to be the one to file a claim with the carrier.
2. If your packaging is damaged, be sure and examine the contents for damaged items, or items that may have been lost due to a package breach. Be sure and have the driver document any damage, or missing items due to package breach (and make sure that he is actually documenting it, and not telling you that "he will") and have him provide you with proof that it's on record. Take photos of the damage to the packaging, take photos of any damaged items.
3. Do not sign for the shipment until all of this has been done, and DO NOT sign for it if the driver is not willing to provide you with proof of the damage, or missing items, claim.
4. Then immediately email us the details of the damage, or any missing items, along with attaching the photos that you took.
5. We will contact our carrier account representative to file the claim and send out your replacement items with our next outgoing carrier pickup.

IF NO ONE IS PRESENT AND THE DAMAGED PACKAGE DELIVERY IS LEFT UNATTENDED:

1. Once you arrive to find your package left in damaged condition, immediately check for damaged items, or missing items due to a package breach. 
2. Take photos of any damaged items AS WELL AS any damaged packaging.
3. If it has been less than 8 hours since the official delivery time, then immediately email us the details of any damage, or any missing items, along with attaching the photos that you took (you can see the official delivery time by checking the tracking number online).
4. KEEP the damaged items AND packaging for carrier inspectors to look at if they need to investigate the damage.
5. If you report the damage, or missing items due to a package breach, within 8 hours of the official deliver time, then we will contact our carrier account representative to file the claim and send out your replacement items with our next outgoing carrier pickup.

We will ship your replacement items via the same method of shipment that you originally paid for. There will be NO expedited shipping on replacement items unless you request and pay for it. The damage wasn't our fault, so we will not eat the expense of expedited shipping.

WHEN WE WILL NOT FILE THE CLAIM WITH THE CARRIER:

IF YOUR SHIPMENT IS LEFT AT YOUR RESIDENCE/BUSINESS UNATTENDED, DAMAGE MUST BE REPORTED TO US WITHIN 8 HOURS FROM THE DELIVERY TIME LOGGED BY THE CARRIER. IF NOT, THEN YOU MUST FILE THE CLAIM WITH THE CARRIER.

IF YOUR SHIPMENT IS LEFT AT YOUR DOOR AND YOU ARE OUT OF TOWN AND RETURN DAYS LATER TO FIND IT DAMAGED, THEN WE WILL NOT BE INVOLVED IN THE CLAIM AND REPLACEMENT PROCESS, AND YOU MUST FILE THE CLAIM WITH THE CARRIER.

IF YOU SIMPLY DON'T GET AROUND TO EXAMINING, OR UNPACKING, YOUR ORDER UNTIL WEEKS, OR MONTHS LATER, AND THEN NOTICE DAMAGE, THEN WE WILL NOT BE INVOLVED IN THE CLAIM AND REPLACEMENT PROCESS, AND YOU MUST FILE THE CLAIM WITH THE CARRIER (good luck with that one).

* Keep in mind that if you are filing the claim, then you will need to re-order the items in question from us. You can order them right away while you wait for your reimbursement from the carrier, or you can wait until you receive reimbursement from the carrier -- the choice is yours.

NOTE: The policies & procedures listed above pertain ONLY to when we will be sending out replacement parts to you right away while we haggle with the carrier for reimbursement. If for any reason you all of a sudden decide that you simply no longer want the items, then it will be YOUR responsibility to file the claim and obtain reimbursement from the carrier for the damaged items that you paid for, but no longer want. We will not provide the refund related to the damaged items that you no longer want. Why? Because this protects us from customers taking a hammer to items that they decided that they no longer want and trying to say that they were damaged during shipment.

HOWEVER, WE DO KNOW THAT THERE MAY ALWAYS BE EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES IN ANY SITUATION, AND WE WILL TRY AND HELP THE BEST THAT WE CAN. HOWEVER, THE FINAL DECISION WILL ALWAYS BE OURS BASED ON THE SPECIFICS OF THE SITUATION.

RETURN, EXCHANGE & CANCELLATION POLICIES

We will take every measure to accommodate you as a valued customer. If you receive the wrong item(s) due to our error, we will gladly provide you with a prepaid return shipping label for the item(s) and replace the item(s) at no expense to you ASAP. 

You MUST contact us first before returning ANY item, and obtain an RA (Return Authorization)  number. ANY item returned to us without an RA number will be refused and returned to you at your expense. The return procedure will be explained to you when you receive your RA number. You must also return items in their original UNDAMAGED packaging. It is a very simple process.

We will also work with you in any way possible to satisfy you, as we value your business and you as a customer. However, we will not be taken advantage of. We know all the tricks, so don't think you can simply take a hammer to an item for the sake of returning it and getting a refund if you actually order incorrectly or simply changed your mind. All items originate with us, and are thoroughly inspected prior to shipment at all locations. We don't send out damaged goods. Therefore, if an item arrives damaged, then the policies in our "Damaged Shipments" section above will take precedence. 

After understanding all of our policies regarding your decision to voluntarily return any items, or cancel your order after it has shipped, you will be subject to the following:

- Return or exchange authorizations must be requested within 10 days of your order's shipping date, or Will Call pickup date.
- A 25% restocking fee (this also includes orders that are processed, packaged, and staged for shipping, and then canceled). Restocking fees compensate for labor required for unpacking, any inspections for re-stocking approval, and the actual re-stocking within the warehouse.
- Responsibility for any return shipping costs.
- Forfeiture of the entire original shipping cost on your invoice.
- Forfeiture of the actual shipping cost if your order shipped with FREE, or discounted, shipping (it still actually costs us to ship it even though we may offer free shipping as an incentive or as a kind gesture for doing business with us).
- Refusing A Shipment delivered on your end as a means of cancelling your order will be subject to all of the above.
- Requesting an order cancellation while it is already en route to you, will be subject to all of the above.
- Items returned after approval by us must be shipped via a method which has a tracking number (such as UPS Ground, FedEx Ground or USPS Priority Mail) & MUST be insured for the the total cost of the item(s) being returned.The tracking number must be provided to us at the time that you ship the package.

* Returns that are exchanges for other items at your request (or any exceptions that we may make regarding items that are NOT eligible for return) are subject to all of the above PLUS the following:

- A $10 Exchange Processing Fee
- Cost of the re-shipment of the new parts
- Once we receive the items that you are returning for the exchange and they have been approved for re-stocking, you will receive a payment link for the total of the 25% restocking fee, $10 Exchange Processing Fee, and cost of the re-shipment. Once this is paid we will re-ship the new items.

We know this seems like a lot of rigmarole and added expense, but the exchange policies are in place to hopefully prevent folks from buying items under the premise of trial & error (you know . . ."Let me see if this part works and if it doesn't I'll just send it back"). We are letting customers know that it's going to cost them money and aggravation for their little experiment. Of course few people read company policies, so unfortunately this then becomes a sticker shock scenario for folks when they want to exchange things. However, exchanges cost us money in labor for everything associated with what it takes to make an exchange happen on our end. Exchanges of this nature are not like walking back into a department store to exchange an item. We appreciate your understanding regarding this matter.

- Items That Are NOT Eligible For Return, Exchange, Or Refund:

- Laminated plywood & composite panels (full sheet, or pre-cut by us to your specifications)
- Oversized items such as ABS & Fiberglass Sheet, Extrusions, etc. (too much risk for damage during a secondary shipment not packed by us)
- Foam products (too much risk for damage during a secondary shipment not packed by us)
- Casters (too much risk for damage during a secondary shipment not packed by us)
- Spray adhesives
- Any item not returned in its original packaging without our approval.
- Downloaded videos, or PDF documents.
- Any item damaged in transit (contact the carrier).
- Any item not returned in the condition it was in when it left our docks.
- Orders that "didn't get to you fast enough." We make no guarantees regarding  
  delivery dates. If you require expedited shipments, then you must request, and
  pay for, such expedited shipping at the time you place your order. Delays in such
  such expedited shipping are not our responsibility once in the hands of the carrier.
- Any parts or materials that are cut to facilitate shipping.
- Any parts or materials that are cut to order.
- Any brain fart on your part.

REFUND PROTOCOL

Everything is encrypted on our end, so we do not actually see the payment information for transactions created through the automated process with the online store. Therefore, we do not know if customers actually used a credit card, checking account debit card or their own PayPal account to make the payment. Refunds processed on our end are funds reversed back to the payment method that customers used to make the purchase.

Refunds for payments made with PayPal, or checking account debit cards, will show up on an individual's PayPal account or checking account almost immediately, or at least within 12-24 hours depending on a bank's operating protocol regarding holidays or weekends. Refunds for payments made with an actual credit card account can show up on those accounts anytime between the time of the refund up until the next billing statement is generated and mailed out to the customer, since the funds on a credit card account are not actual cash dollars like funds in checking accounts or PayPal accounts.

INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMERS

We no longer ship direct to customers outside of the USA. If you are outside of the USA, but would still like to take advantage of our awesome prices without expensive international shipping costs, please utilize a parcel forwarding service. They are easy to use. No additional cost adjustments on our end. No taxes. These parcel forwarders have great arrangements with customs agencies in countries outside of the USA, and are your best source of getting our stuff to your non-USA location in the most economical way.

Here's how it works. If you don't already have an account with a parcel forwarder for receiving shipments from the USA, simply select from our recommended forwarders below. Set up an account with them, and THEY WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH A USA ADDRESS for us to ship to with our excellent UPS, FedEx and USPS rates. Use that address as your shipping address when you place your order with us, and we'll ship your order to that address. 

Once the forwarder receives our shipment, they forward the shipment on to you in your country for much more affordable rates than we could ever offer by shipping internationally directly to you. Most of them will also hold items for you for up to 60 days, so if you have other shopping to do on USA websites, you can have everything forwarded to you at one time, which saves you money!

That's all there is to it!

 

SHIPPING COST ADD-ONS (AKA "Dimensional Weight & Other Carrier Surcharges)

Back before UPS & FedEx instituted their "dimensional weight" policy in 2014, setting up online auto-calculators for shipping costs was much easier. We won't go into all of the complex details and mumbo-jumbo regarding how it all works, but let us just say that the entire process is not an exact science. Then in 2015 and 2016 UPS & FedEx muddied the waters even more by expanding the dimensional weight guidelines and parameters, and also created fluctuating scales for other surcharges such as fuel, zip code variances and other miscellaneous charges... you know, to gouge us with their greedy, borderline criminal, cost levies.

Let us tell you that it's not an exact amount when it comes to so-called "real time" shipping cost calculations. There's no possible way to get exact real-time shipping costs at the time that an order is placed online, before it's even packaged and weighed. It's all based on averages, formulas, shipping history analysis, and complex configuration data from UPS and FedEx (hmmm, part of the problem??). So, unless you sell one item, or a variety of very similar items (in dimensions and weight), where the shipping is pretty much the same every time for that/those item(s), then "real time" shipping cost calculations comes down to what the industry refers to as an "educated estimate" in order to provide customers with a shipping cost at the time that they order. Why? Because customers want everything now (us included), and don't want to have to wait and see what the shipping cost actually is after they have paid for their order and their order is packaged and weighed. We've become a society of hurriers. Back in the day, there was one of two options: 1.) The shipping cost always came later and you were contacted by the vendor after you’ve placed your order regarding the shipping cost, or 2.) Vendors over-inflated (gouged) the shipping costs in their favor... translation, customers always paid more for shipping than the shipping cost actually was. They just never knew it. 

And in reality, in many scenarios, number 2 above still applies today, however, the means to achieve an as-close-to-accurate shipping cost at the time of the order has drastically improved from years gone by (surprisingly + or - $2 - $3 error factor - very livable for everyone involved). Enter the UPS (and FedEx) "dimensional weight" nonsense (a way for them to gouge everyone... greedy bastards). That dimensional weight scenario threw the "educated estimate" shipping cost scenario into a tailspin. And as of yet there hasn't been a sure-fire way to effectively combat that. So that once again created two modern-day scenarios for vendors... 1.) They eat the loss every time the actual shipping ends up being more than what was calculated, and what the customer paid, at the time the order was placed, or 2.) They provide for their shipping calculator to over-estimate (gouge) the shipping cost to protect themselves. And let me tell you, with the extreme varieties of dimensions and weights within orders for case parts and materials, it's an absolute nightmare to effectively stay on top of that and still get a close accurate shipping cost estimated, while still being fair to customers... and being fair is very important to us for our business model and cost to our customers.

Well, for us, because we do such a large volume of sales weekly, eating the frequent losses was not an option. And we refuse to play the price gouge game to benefit ourselves at the cost to our customers. So, until someone comes up with a more effective way to accurately auto-calculate shipping for our kind of widely-varying products in the face of the "dimensional weight" and miscellaneous surcharges game, the best way for us to be fair and accurate with our customers (without us losing thousands of dollars weekly) is to do things the way that we are doing them now. And how are we doing that? We get as close as we can with the initial shipping cost, so that customers don't have to wait for a shipping cost, and so they do not get overcharged. About 60% - 70% of the time, the shipping is pretty much right on with the aforementioned + or - $2 - $3... very livable for us and customers. The rest of the time if we see a potential questionable order where we stand to lose more than $5, then we see what the actual shipping cost after the order is packaged and weighed. That's when we contact the customer with any shipping add-on cost that may apply. We'd rather do that than increase our stores shipping calculator settings and gouge our customers. And so far 99% of our customers agree to the minimal additional charge because they appreciate our efforts for accuracy and our honesty.

We are hoping to come up with an effective way to remedy this, but for now the way we are doing it is the most accurate and fair way we know. Let me tell you that most vendors gouge. It's just that customers never know, because it's behind the scenes. With our current way, we tell customers about the extra cost, and that extra cost brings the customer to the exact shipping cost. Trust us when we say that a LOT of vendors are making a nice piece of change on shipping cost gouging. We're not greedy that way, and our "overall best pricing" pledge is very important to us, and our customers.

Now, we would never bad-mouth another vendor, even a competitor, but let us just tell you something else fact-wise. At least 50%-65% of the time, even with our additional cost add-on scenario, you would find that shipping costs for the same items from other vendors will be noticeably higher than with us. We know, because we check our shopping carts and shipping costs for like items against other vendors daily. And I can also tell you that when vendors offer to cut stuff up (extrusion, foam, carpet, etc.) by showing you how much extra it's going to cost you if you don't have them cut it up, it's not about saving the customer money... it's about the vendor saving (and even making) money. They basically scare you into selecting the cutting up options by showing you how much extra it will cost you if you don't select one of the options for cutting stuff up. And if you ever actually explore this with a variety vendors, you will see that the shipping for their special offers to cut stuff up usually isn't that much different our shipping cost for the same items (including our cost add-on). That should tell you something... that it's very likely costing the other vendors less to ship the cut up stuff than what you paid. They cut for their benefit, not yours... under the guise that they're doing you a big favor and saving you money.

It's all smoke and mirrors when it comes to most businesses telling you what they are doing for you and how they are helping you... don't believe it for a minute. And free shipping? -- there's no such thing. The vendor is always paying for the shipping... and you can bet that you are most certainly the one paying for it because it's absolutely worked into the pricing of those "free shipping" items that you purchase. We are honest and up front with the customer regarding our shipping cost scenario. And we know that we'll lose a few here and there (although we lose very few). All we want to do if give the customer the best bang for their buck without us losing a lot of money in the process.

So, when it comes to this shipping cost scenario stuff, before you lose your mind if we contact you regarding a shipping cost add-on, understand the facts that will make you smarter, so that you can order smart.

For questions regarding any of our policies covered here, or something not covered her, please email your questions to sales@diyroadcases.com

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