Response from Midway About Shipping

[Cherokee Slim]

On another thread we speculated about why Midway charges so much for shipping.  So I asked Larry Potterfield.  It took a while but here is the response I got - 

 

 

Dear Richard,

 

Thanks for your contact with Larry.  I’m sorry it’s taken a while to respond—As soon as the November election was complete Larry’s customer contact rate via email, voice mail and letter skyrocketed to well more than 2000 per week. He reads/listens to all his contacts but obviously can’t respond to them personally.  Between this and his other obligations as CEO, it takes him a while to respond to customer inquiries.    He asked me to follow up with you.

 

We used to roll the cost of shipping into the price of the products.  This meant customers in the Midwest were subsidizing the shipping cost of customers on the coasts.  The policy we started in May of 2001 charges our customers their actual cost of shipping (plus a small charge for packing/insurance/etc.).  We do not pad our product profits to offset "free" or artificially low shipping costs.  The charges you pay are not used to offset the orders of other customers nor are their orders used to subsidize yours.  You will notice that this philosophy means our shipping charges are based on the cost of shipping the order, not on the VALUE of the order.

 

As ammunition is an ORM-D class product it MUST ship via UPS Ground regardless of the number of rounds shipped or the weight of the ammunition in the package.  That’s the reason for the shipping charge.   I appreciate your understanding and apologize for any inconvenience.

 

If you have any additional questions or comments, please feel free to contact us at 1-800-243-3220. Our hours of operation are Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. CT; Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. CT. You may also email us at customerservice@midwayusa.com. 

 

Thanks for Your Business!

 

Brian

MidwayUSA Customer Service

 

 

[RobertNashville]

It's nice that they got back with you!

 

As long as they are charging their actual cost and not just jacking up the price, it seems fair to me.  :)

[Randall53]

It's nice that they got back with you!

 

As long as they are charging their actual cost and not just jacking up the price, it seems fair to me.  :)

I agree. That's the price of doing business over the internet. When you buy in person locally the shipping is spread out over the entire truck stock.  Internet is way more personal. Then if you have to pay taxes on the order, up goes the price some more.

[TrickyNicky]

Seems very reasonable to me. Also nice that they took the time to send a response that doesn't reek too badly of a form letter. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure 100 of those same responses went out at the same time but at least they took the time to make it a good one. Plus you got thanked for your business, how often does that happen anymore?

[Clod Stomper]

I don't ship stuff very much, but the few times I have lately, it has been pretty steep. I think shipping has gone up due to the economy and fuel prices.

I don't doubt Midway's fairness in their shipping prices. They did give me a break recently, though. I made an order online. A couple hours later (literally), I thought of something else (.300 BLK dies) and checked to see if it was on stock. They were, so I called to see if I could add them to my order. They had already pulled my order. But he offered to ship me the dies at half the shipping cost since they were pretty scarce at the time. I took him up on that.

The more business I do with Midway, the better I like them. I doubt that any company can exceed their level of customer service. Brownell's is close, but based on my experience, Midway has the best CS of any company (gun-related or not) I've encountered.

Will

[BigK]

I'm a big fan of Larry Potterfield and MidwayUSA. They sponsor a bunch of my favorite TV shows and no doubt they wouldn't survive without such a strong sponsorship. Plus, I think they do a great job all around.

They're usually my first stop when I'm shopping on the web for something, I can't get locally. I feel like buying from them instead of say, Amazon, is like supporting a locally-owned shop instead of walmart.

[frankmako]

 i shop with them also.  shipping prices have gone up no matter what you ship.  i have notice that fedex and ups is getting about the same as the post office in the way they treat your package. 

[Jamie Jackson]

Thanks for posting this Slim.

 

I have done business with Midway, Brownells, Graf's, and Dillon for a long time.

 

The cost of everything is going up...been to the grocery store lately folks?

 

But the pricing at the above mentioned places is very fair in today's climate...and the customer service, for each of them, has been and remains top notch.

[gregintenn]

I've bought from Midway since Larry or his wife answered the phone when you called. I did like the free shipping, but I understand why it wasn't working well. I feel they overcharge for shipping. I my be wrong. They've never faltered, however, in their top notch customer service. It's nice to call or email with a question and get a response from someone who knows what they're talking about. You don't get that at a big box store.

 

More and more, I buy from Graf&Sons. They offer a flat $5.95 shipping fee whether you order a decapping pin or a tractor trailer load of lead. Their prices are often better than Midway too.

 

I've also found Palmetto State Armory to be a great place to order from.

Edited August 17, 2013 by gregintenn