Shipping $ for an Arc-AAA from Arc Flashlight.

Am I the only one who finds it outrageous to have to pay $8 shipping for an Arc-AAA from Arc Flashlight? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif

I was considering spending some of my hard earned money buying an Arc-AAA Premium. The shipping increases the price by 20%!

Fed-X Express Saver is SLOOOWWW, compared to just about anything else. I once waited *nine days* for a delivery. Yup, paying that extra money so I could track the package really made me happy that time....

And I can't have Fed-X deliver to my house, because they have to have a signature, (while I'm at work, duh).

Meanwhile, USPS Priority, with delivery confirmation, is less than $5, and delivers in 2-3 days, including Saturdays. I've never had a package go missing yet. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Oh well, I don't really *need* an Arc-AAA Premium. I still have 2 NIP Arc-LE's /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Don't buy from ARC direct. The dealers are cheaper and have a lower shipping rate.

someone else posted about this a while ago and Peter explained that he has examined all the options and found a flat rate charge, shipped by FedEx is the best solution out there. he went into detail about all the considerations he took into account so search if you want to see them. i can sum them up by saying he's doing the best he can and is not trying to make money off shipping.

Get one from:



/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/poke2.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/buttrock.gif

I agree, $8 is too much. I wanted a Luxeon but ordered elsewhere. I couldn't see $8 shipping for something the size of a quarter that weighs under an ounce.

I went the route of ordering through my dealer and well,
SIGH,,It still hasnt gotten here.
My dealer placed his order(more than just my light) over a month ago and still no word on my light. It's kind of depressing to be waiting this long on a light I was so excited about getting.
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[ QUOTE ]
Sean said:
Get one from:

<Tactical Warehouse>

[/ QUOTE ]

That would still be FedEx. Around here FedEx means no at home delivery. Unless you happen to be outdoors and see the driver, their only function is to place a notice on your door claiming "attempted delivery". It doesn't matter if you're home, since they don't knock or ring the bell. The last time I received a notice I threw the notice in the trash and let the product go back. After being notified by the dealer that the product had been returned as "undeliverable" they offered to resend it, FedEx. I told them that since the FedEx driver delivers nothing more than a bogus "attempt to deliver" notice, I wouldn't be picking it up at the FedEx office and it would only be returned "undeliverable" again. The dealer refunded my money and asked me to never order from them again. I've complied not only not only with his wishes, but with everyone that offers only FedEx as an option.

Seems to me it could be shipped in one of those bubble envelopes for about $2

You really need to caontact the driver supervisor for your area if it was via FedEx air services. FedEx takes that type of behaviour seriously and will straighten their driver out quickly.

As far as shipping costs, some dealers are VERY good about their charges, some are quite obviously not. Some will charge only the shipping cost and the cost of packaging materials (which usually aren't cheap), or just shipping cost.

Others seem to take it upon themselves to either make money, or will add a %age to their price that will cover shipping costs and "make up" for the amount they discounted off the product (a real scummy way to do business if you ask me). I can think of a dealer that has a name similar to Botox that does this.

When it comes to a manufacturer (SureFire, Arc, etc...), they are generally set up for shipping quantities and prefer FedEx or UPS because of the included insurance and tracking abilities. When you order from them, they in most cases have to pay a completely separate bunch of people to take, process, package, and ship orders. To make it profitable and/or worthwhile, they will also charge a little more for shipping. This will, in part, avoid underselling their dealer network and allow them to focus their resources on other aspects.

I would stand behind Peter in his decision. Shipping can be a daunting task. Standardizing it allows him to provide a service without detracting from his everyday operations. Some manufacturers won't deal with individuals at all unless it's a customer service issue and very rarely will you be able to have any contact with anyone outside of customer service, let alone R&D or owner/president.

Now does the high shipping cost and list price deter me from ordering direct from SureFire or Arc? In most cases, yes. But the reason is because we are (and Peter, correct me if I'm wrong) encouraged to order through the dealers rather than direct. Ordering a 2nd from Arc was a different story, there was a GREAT savings if you didn't mind a less than perfect unit.

So to sum it up, order from whoever you are comfortable with, but I won't fault manufacturers for their shipping policies. Some of the dealers should really re-examine their policies (and they wonder why they don't get repeat business).

I will, however, continue to order from people like Vicomptel, CountyComm, and Tactical Warehouse because they are all HONEST and RESPONSIBLE dealers.

If you want to waive the signature forever, look at the back of the "Attempted Delivery" notice. You can fill out your name there and turn it in and in three weeks, all packages will be left at your designated "secure location." I did this a few weeks ago, and I think that is conveinent.

Dan

Beretta1526 : You missed another possibility.
I know of one knife place that ship BELOW there
USPS Priroity price, By about a dollar in my case. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

WOW, now that's a nice dealer!