Why does maglite's shipping price stink?

greenpondmike

Flashlight Enthusiast
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Dec 7, 2017
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I was going to pull the trigger on a brand new 3d xenon maglite and the price was decent--between $27 and $28 and the tax wasn't bad, but time they added the shipping onto it the price was over $40. I got one like new from ebay for under $28 shipped.

So today I figured I would get a xenon bipin bulb and the price was around $7.50, but the shipping was STILL $12+. So I backed down and got 6 radio shack krp103 bulbs for under $11 with free shipping and tax included from ebay.

Wanted a ml25it 3c--same shipping, so I got one new from ebay for $33.32 tax included with free shipping. Dang, it even came in a box instead of a display pac.

Mag instruments INC is losing money on me because of their high unvarible shipping cost and I wonder how many other folks have been turned off to them because of that.

They also try to sneak bundles on me and also double or triple my order, so I have to be on my toes. Their business practices seem sneeky and underhanded. The trip is everytime I have gotten a warranty switch from them the shipping was higher. Seems like the last time shipping was $18+, but I could be wrong because that was over a year ago. I do have the invoice somewhere though.

I want to throw some business towards maglite, but it seems like shipping is gonna be $12 plus if you don't order in bundles.
 
It could be worse, you could be Canadian. We dont get warranty on Maglite unless we pay a small fortune to ship it there and even then its at "their discretion" if they will warranty it or not.. Parts are not available here so if we need something we must pay the outrageous shipping. Then we get the added bonus of paying $11 ( I think) just for the privilege of having the parcel opened by customs then we pay the additional taxes. if its shipped by UPS we pay an arm and a leg for them to clear the package.

Thankfully Maglite is pretty much dead up here.
 
It could be worse, you could be Canadian. We dont get warranty on Maglite unless we pay a small fortune to ship it there and even then its at "their discretion" if they will warranty it or not.. Parts are not available here so if we need something we must pay the outrageous shipping. Then we get the added bonus of paying $11 ( I think) just for the privilege of having the parcel opened by customs then we pay the additional taxes. if its shipped by UPS we pay an arm and a leg for them to clear the package.
I remember when you would ship the light to an authorized Mag Warranty center and they picked up return shipping.
Of course this was back when Maglites carried a lifetime warranty and not just a ten year warranty.
 
I remember when you would ship the light to an authorized Mag Warranty center and they picked up return shipping.
Of course this was back when Maglites carried a lifetime warranty and not just a ten year warranty.
As far as I know it is still the same but there is no authorized warranty center in Canada only Ontario California. MAG paid the return shipping but not the customs fees. The one I did send back was sent to me via UPS which charged something like $50 for the customs paper work then I still had to pay the sales tax for the value of the light which was probably another $2.50 even though I paid the sales tax when I bought the light at Canukistani Tire. I remember it cost me far more than just buying a new light.

A rough breakdown from what I remember 20 years ago
Shipping to Mag about $20 via Canada Post
Customs clearance by UPS $50 to 55
repaying the taxes $2.50

So it cost me $72.50 to 77.50 to return and receive the light plus the time it was gone which was likely 4 to 6 weeks. The 2 D light was around $35 new at the time if I remember correctly so I would have been way better off buying a new one right off the bat. I ended up having to buy a second light anyways because the one I returned to MAG was gone for so long.

I would estimate that at today's prices it would cost at least $35 to 40 just to mail the light to MAG. If you assume MAG will return the light via USPS I would still have to pay an additional $20ish for Customs clearance and taxes. So $55 to 60 out of my pocket for the return.
 
There's been a lot of north american trade agreements made over the years, but there always seems to be a catch of some sort for ...reasons.
Most of it has related to raw manufacturing/building materials or larger (pricier) manufactured goods.

Flashlights haven't seemed to fall into any of those.
 
There's still gonna be 'import taxes / duty fees' or whatever Canada does.
Yeah there will always be import fees but there are also the surcharges based on who the shipper is and if the shipper is paying them or not.


For example if I get a package shipped via:
-USPS: I pay Customs $11 just to open the package and then they bill me for GST of the value of the items. Thats if they open the package at all.

-Fedex: Charges a clearance fee depending on the value of the shipment. They also charge me for the GST and pay that to the government. The strange part is I generally only order filament for my 3d printer and the even though it is the same items the charges are different. For example they charged me $17.07 to clear $33.58 worth of goods. The previous shipment was $21.28 for the exact same items. Tax on these items works out $1.70. They sometimes might refund the fee if you file a complaint that you were not given the option to "self clear" the package.

DHL: Same as Fedex but they charge a higher base fee. The exact same order of $33.58 worth of goods cost me $27 something to clear.

UPS: This company is by far the worst. They want your left nut and your first born's left nut. I once had to order some parts for my ice auger and UPS was the only option. $35 ish worth of parts cost me $120 something by the time they released them. They also refuse to let you self clear your package and hold it ransom until you pay. If you refuse to pay they will send you a bill for the cost of return shipping and they will choose the most expensive option. I refuse to do business with them now.

Any shipment sent from China has cleared customs without any fees. I am not sure why but I have had parcels that have clearly been opened and re-taped with the Customs tape but I dont even get the $11 inspection fee.

In Canada we are supposed to have the option to do the paper work to "self clear" a package. This requires the package be turned over to Customs until you fill out the proper paper work and pay the smaller fee of $11 plus the GST and appropriate taxes. This usually delays your shipment for several weeks but it is far cheaper. Unfortunately most carriers will not tell you about that option so you have to ask.
 
"Free shipping" isn't always actually free then is it? It seems like a lot of ppl want to get their hands on the bits and then charge for doing so.

It would be nice to have legitimate known companies to be given waivers on fees and handling charges to get thru' customs. Even if there were some limitations.
Personal/private sales have to be checked for good reasons. Third party retail/brokers should get checked for good reasons.

But when it comes to manufacturer's themselves, I say give them a waiver and let them thru'.
 
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