VCCA Home Forums GENERAL DISCUSSION General Discussions discount

Just thought I would run this by the top people at the VCCA and see what response I get. I have been buying parts from the Filling Station and some prices seem pretty high , just wondering why VCCA members don't get a little bit of a discount since the club shoves a lot of business their way. Just a thought.

That is something that you would have to talk to the Filling Station about. Contact Steve Kassis at the Filling Station. He is the owner and also a long time VCCA member.

JYD is right, the VCCA does not control what The Filling Station charges.
I would think Steve sells at the best price he can even as you say a lot of business does come from VCCA members. He knows his Chevrolet parts and what he stocks.
Tony

I expect he tries to have the best price. There is some competition and as it's a fixed market with tight margins, it can be expensive to keep inventory. From what I gather here Steve gives VCCA members exceptional service and that alone can warrant the price. Remember the number of cars being restored in reducing each year so he also has a dwindling market. Not a good recipe for reduced prices.

I agree with Cabboy with TFS service. Also their product coverage and new product development is exceptional. It's a tough job to develop a product that is going to have a limited market . Large volume production is necessary to get reduced cost and that just doedn't happen in the old car hobby. How many times have we looked for a certain item only to find it's out of stock and the last production run was years ago and there is no future production scheduled.

Thanks gentlemen ,I wanted others thoughts on the subject and understand the situation.

My complaint with all the providers is that they charge 9 or 10 dollars for shipping a small part such as a gasket when it could clearly be sent using a 50 cent stamp. I try to make a list of things I need before ordering anything but sometimes you don't know ahead of time that you are going to really need a small part to continue your restoration/repair work and so you have to order just that part. I know it takes time to pull the part from inventory, plus overhead (which is already calculated as part of the cost of the item), but I think it is way out of line to charge so much for "shipping and handling" of those small parts. When I have to buy something small and it is not available locally, I order it from one of the providers and when it comes and the bill is $15.00, I wonder if I couldn't have waited. Maybe that is why I have so many unfinished projects on my car; I just haven't put together a list of all the things I need to finish them! Beamer

I have the same position ,shipping cost when some small item could be put in a padded envelope for a couple of bucks instead gets shipped in a box way to big packed full of paper to keep part from ratteling around in the box, just saying.

I only ship thru the post office and have chosen boxes that match the parts I am selling to allow a safety spacing inside.

Postal prices are determined by size of the box , weight and destination , even on the cheapest way possible. For us that means using the postal system, driving to the post office and waiting in line to be served. When I questioned them at I & I repro about the CHARGE for handling, they said it was for the trip too and wait at the post office. UPS and FED-X and DHL all come to your garage house to pick up, reducing your cost by not having to go to the P O.

Putting parts that can get damaged into a padded envelope is foolhardy.

My parts sold on ebay USA are shipped by my business partner out of Prineville Oregon. We have not encountered any problems and shipping rates which the customer pays for are reasonable.

Now shipping parts from here, CANADA, to the USA can get stupid real fast. Can cause a loss of sales because of shipping charges.

I learned quickly after one order with I & I and also TFS, NOT to have items shipped directly to Canada, but shipped to a USA border NY address and go get it every three months.

mike lynch

Regarding shipping charges, I agree that sticking a little part like a gasket in a box is overkill.

However, I have had good luck specifically requesting small parts be shipped via US Mail in envelopes. I have done this successfully with Chevs of the Forties. It's well worth it, but you have to specifically request it.

I suppose service depends a lot on where you live. The small part in the big box is a "deal" the shippers have with Fed X and UPS. I USE to ship everything FedX for years until they moved their main shipping office 20 miles over to the airport. If you use a local "store" that ships Fedx, or UPS "store", you get eat alive with the extra charge they put on it. They are NOT owned by FedX or UPS. For now, as long as it will go postal service they get my business. I go by the post office every single day and they have always been very helpful to me shipping a lot of old parts and stuff. I'm sure not all postal service is not the same.

....I have requested many times for parts to be shipped in a small envelop, and make them give me shipping charges before confirming my order many times. I am not sure now but when I was restoring my 37 Jim Carter was the one vendor that charged you exactly what it cost to ship but he does only truck parts......I've bought from him for over 20 years and in person he is a nice guy as well. (and can get a discount)
Another of the high priced shippers is Car Shop and a lot of times you don't know the shipping until you have "placed" your order. Luckily I have a daughter just minutes from there and picks stuff up for me. They now have a place in Charlotte N.C. and sometimes a friend and I will spend a couple hours to drive up and SEE what we're buying and have lunch. For some of you Charlotte may be a lot closer than Ca.

Please allow me to say a few more words about shipping. Many times when I buy a part from a fellow hobbyist I specifically say send it the most economical way, usually plain ole ground......only to get a package that has been sent with 2 day delivery guaranteed....and other similar situations. THAT torques my butt. I always wrap a package as small as I can and ship according to the "buyers" wish.

Ways to save money.....for me I have an account with Fed X which saves a buck or two, and if you can ship to a business address and not a home delivery you can save a couple bucks. Another the girls at FedX taught me was to make sure its as small as it can be because 99% of the time the small fraction of an inch is rounded up. And with folks I trust I even let them ship using my customer number to save me money. Many parts can simply be "wrapped" in plastic and shipped. I have sent many parts with the "saran type wrap" with the label on it and had no problems. I go to my local parts house and ask for the "short rolls" of the wrap they use to wrap return pallets. I usually end up with 3 or 4 snub rolls and a few wraps of that stuff is tough....not for everything mind you but its good for a LOT of things.....smaller package, and lighter weight.

Thanks for listening.

This rant sounds like something that will get a lot more attention & responses from the dummies over on the Stovebolt site.


Anyone that thinks that the USPS & bubble envelopes are the way to ship may change their mind after visiting this site for only a few minutes.

http://postalemployeenetwork.com/news/category/usps-news/theftandfraud/






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Getting back to the original thread about discounts, it might be helpful to contact either Franklin Gage or one of the other VCCA Board members to see if they could negotiate a member discount deal with Filling Station, COTF, or other advertisers. I know back in the past, we did have discount deals with some companies (hotels, rental cars, etc). Might be a "win/win" situation for all concerned.

Regarding shipping, of course some common sense is called for also.
One would /should not request US Mail envelope shipping on fragile parts. I found that works great on gaskets, bolts, and other non-breakable items. Never had an issue, yet. All shippers have broken stuff occasionally.