Rock Auto vs. NAPA vs. AutoZone

[Petros]

I recently priced some parts from Rock Auto and two local chain stores.

Price for timing belt, cam seal and front crank seal from Rockauto is: belt $3.20, cam seal $3.15, crank front seal $3.60 for a total of $9.43. plus shipping. This includes the Tercel4wd discount. Looks pretty good, great prices.

the local Autozone: belt $13.99, cam seal $3.99, crank seal $4.99 for a total of $24.94 plus tax

Local NAPA: belt $12.62, cam seal 3.69, and crank seal 6.69 for a total of $22.97 plus tax. Plus I get a AutoClub discount.

So I went to order them from Rock auto, and the picture changes quite a bit. Shipping for $9.43 worth of parts is a whopping $23.30 for a total cost of $32.65!!!! Who would pay $23.30 shipping for $9.43 worth of car parts?

Buying locally, and paying our high sales tax, I save between $8 and $9, (27 percent less!) and pay no shipping and can pick it up today.

Too bad, I wanted to buy from Rock auto, but they are not cheaper by a long way.

[teranfirbt]

It can depend, the radiator I bought from RA was $91 with $24 shipping.... Or $92 for another option that cost only $9 to ship, so it can vary.

[ARCHINSTL]

It's not like those parts are going to weigh a ton, either. I thought RA had multiple warehouses, but all I could discover was the Home in WI. Heck, it could go USPS Priority for a lot less than that.
OE from Butler for those three items is about $34 plus postage - and believe me, it has never screwed around on inappropriate freight/handling charges; I have enough eBay (and bike shop) shipping experience to know when that happens!
Tom M.

[danzo]

Who would pay $23.30 shipping for $9.43 worth of car parts?

Only someone not savvy enough to order from one warehouse. Petros surely you have ordered from RA before and know the drill. Sometimes the specific parts you want are not available from one warehouse, but overall you get can get some really smoking deals from RA, as myself and others here have done many times in the past. Strange that you knock them, they work hard to give people like us good deals.

BTW the shipping for the above parts come to only $19.14.

[teranfirbt]

Shipping also varies by location... At school I'm really close to a UPS hub, so shipping there is about 15-20% less than shipping to my parent's house.

[Petros]

each of these items was to be shipped from a different warehouse, no doubt adding to the cost. I printed out the page, the cheapest way (Fed Ex) is $23.20. I do not need FedEx priority, but they offer nothing cheaper. Even so, The shipping on each of the items is more than the part cost. I do not see how mailing a cam seal can cost $7, it can go first class mail for less than $1.

I am not "knocking" them as you say, I just wrote what I found. I often do buy mail order when I can get the part in hand for less than I can get locally, but that does not happen very often.

[xirdneh]

I've had pretty good luck with Rock Auto through 2009.
I have ordered well over 1000.00 worth of parts.
I always check the local Napa, Shucks, and Autozone before making an order.
I weigh the cost of shipping VS the no sales tax.
If the parts are reasonably close I will buy locally.

Overall I have saved a bunch of money.

The one problem I have with ordering online at RockAuto
is trying to control the "shipped from" locations
I try get all of the parts to come from the same place ("A" "B" "C" "D" etc)
but as I'm adding parts it will change a previously selected "A" location to a "C" or a "B"...etc.
I wish there was some way to lock in the shipping location
i called and asked
there is not

also think there should be another shipping option for regular postal
if the object will fit in my mailbox thats the way it should go

[ARCHINSTL]

This is interesting - USPS Priority for several sizes of boxes that would certainly be big enough for what Petros mentioned would be slightly over $10 - and right at $11 with Delivery Confirmation -from anywhere in the USA to anywhere in the USA - and the P.O. will even pick up for free!

And xirdneh - am I reading this correctly:
Part "A" weighs 1 ounce and is available in Key West FL only.
Part "B" weighs 5 ounces and is available in Key West and Portland OR.
Part "C" weighs 20 pounds and is available from a RA warehouse in Key West, Portland, and Auburn WA, just a few miles from you.
RA will then ship all only from Key West, instead of the heavy item from WA and the wispy-light items from further-away warehouses, thereby tremendously increasing the cost of shipping.
Is that the way it works?
The only items I've ever bought from RA were the GSP axles, and they came, oddly enough, from Auburn - and these two heavy items cost only a little over $10 from Auburn WA all the way to St. Louis MO.
Tom M.

[shonuffisthemaster]

its really best to get the closeout parts, look at the listing:

http://www.rockauto.com/RSS/vehiclefeed ... &html=true

if you want to look it up, just look up your vehicle, then click on the "RSS" button next to the listing for your car, then click on the "closeout" section.

[xirdneh]

This is interesting - USPS Priority for several sizes of boxes that would certainly be big enough for what Petros mentioned would be slightly over $10 - and right at $11 with Delivery Confirmation -from anywhere in the USA to anywhere in the USA - and the P.O. will even pick up for free!

And xirdneh - am I reading this correctly:
Part "A" weighs 1 ounce and is available in Key West FL only.
Part "B" weighs 5 ounces and is available in Key West and Portland OR.
Part "C" weighs 20 pounds and is available from a RA warehouse in Key West, Portland, and Auburn WA, just a few miles from you.
RA will then ship all only from Key West, instead of the heavy item from WA and the wispy-light items from further-away warehouses, thereby tremendously increasing the cost of shipping.
Is that the way it works?
The only items I've ever bought from RA were the GSP axles, and they came, oddly enough, from Auburn - and these two heavy items cost only a little over $10 from Auburn WA all the way to St. Louis MO.
Tom M.

I'm not sure how you associate "A" with 1 oz , "B" with 5 oz etc
not sure what weight has to do with it?
and i do not know where the shipping locations are

I thought the letters designated shipping locations only.
"A", "B", and "C" might all carry the same part so their program can select any one of them for that part
and it does do so, seemingly randomly with no control available.
for my part i want all parts to ship from the same place as it keeps the shipping cost down.
they can stuff more stuff in the same box

[ARCHINSTL]

I just meant that if I needed three parts and the heavy one, "C," was available at three warehouses (one a few miles from me) and the next, much lighter one, "B," was only at locations 100 and 2000 miles away, and the lightest one, "A," was only at the one 2000 miles away, would RA, for its convenience, ship all from the warehouse that had all three in stock, ie, the one 2000 miles away?
This would ease handling on its part, although it would increase my shipping costs as the two much lighter ones could be sent in an envelope (so to speak), and the heaviest one would go for just a few bucks as it was so close to me.
Tom M.

[takza]

Increase the customer's shipping costs to an intolerable level....costing RA a sale? Sounds like a good business plan.

[garyfish]

I agree with shonuff... the best deals from Rock Auto are their closeout parts... and many of these closeout parts are shipped from the same warehouse as the rest of your order, thus keeping shipping costs down.

its really best to get the closeout parts, look at the listing:

http://www.rockauto.com/RSS/vehiclefeed ... &html=true

if you want to look it up, just look up your vehicle, then click on the "RSS" button next to the listing for your car, then click on the "closeout" section.

For example, I just made an order thru RA, consisting entirely of closeout parts (24 items: see list below), & the parts subtotal was $119.02 after applying the 5% discount. Shipping on this order was only $16.66 -- compared to Petros' example of $23.30 shipping for a measly $9.43 worth of parts.

Moral of the story: You can often get your RA order shipped from a single warehouse by purchasing closeout parts, and this will save you lots of $$ over parts bought locally, particularly if you have a large order. It might take a little trial-and-error on your computer (adding and removing items from your Shopping Cart to see how they affect shipping), but the end result is usually well worth it.

Part Number -- Part Type -- Price EA -- Core EA -- Quantity -- Total
1985 TOYOTA TERCEL SR5 1.5L 1452cc L4 2BBL (A) [3AC]
AUTOSPECIALTY / KELSEY-HAYES HB56307 Hydraulic Hose
Wholesaler Closeout -- 30 Day Warranty $ 4.76 $ 0.00 1 $ 4.76
BECK/ARNLEY 0881220M Brake Pad
Wholesaler Closeout -- 30 Day Warranty $ 9.13 $ 0.00 1 $ 9.13
BECK/ARNLEY 1040959 Motor Mount
Wholesaler Closeout -- 30 Day Warranty $ 10.54 $ 0.00 2 $ 21.08
BECK/ARNLEY 0513061 Wheel Bearing
Wholesaler Closeout -- 30 Day Warranty $ 8.78 $ 0.00 2 $ 17.56
BECK/ARNLEY 2011298 Oil Pressure Switch
Wholesaler Closeout -- 30 Day Warranty $ 1.82 $ 0.00 1 $ 1.82
BECK/ARNLEY 1014081 Tie Rod End
Wholesaler Closeout -- 30 Day Warranty $ 8.49 $ 0.00 2 $ 16.98
BECK/ARNLEY 0523281 Wheel Seal
Wholesaler Closeout -- 30 Day Warranty $ 2.74 $ 0.00 2 $ 5.48
BECK/ARNLEY 0522136 Wheel Seal
Wholesaler Closeout -- 30 Day Warranty $ 1.00 $ 0.00 2 $ 2.00
BECK/ARNLEY 0731175 Hydraulic Hose
Wholesaler Closeout -- 30 Day Warranty $ 3.71 $ 0.00 2 $ 7.42
BECK/ARNLEY 1746870 Distributor Cap
Wholesaler Closeout -- 30 Day Warranty $ 7.41 $ 0.00 1 $ 7.41
BECK/ARNLEY 0728069 Wheel Cylinder
Wholesaler Closeout -- 30 Day Warranty $ 5.57 $ 0.00 2 $ 11.14
BENDIX R530 Brake Shoe
Wholesaler Closeout -- 30 Day Warranty $ 7.70 $ 0.00 1 $ 7.70
BENDIX 88642 Hydraulic Hose
Wholesaler Closeout -- 30 Day Warranty $ 4.82 $ 0.00 1 $ 4.82
FRAM G4191 Fuel Filter
Wholesaler Closeout -- 30 Day Warranty $ 2.09 $ 0.00 2 $ 4.18
TIMKEN 223240 Output Shaft Seal
Wholesaler Closeout -- 30 Day Warranty $ 2.00 $ 0.00 1 $ 2.00
TIMKEN 221510 Steering Gear Pitman Shaft Seal
Wholesaler Closeout -- 30 Day Warranty $ 1.80 $ 0.00 1 $ 1.80
5% Discount $ -6.26
Shipping Ground (FedEx or UPS) $ 16.66
Order Total $ 135.68

[xirdneh]

I do have two minor complaint's with the Rock Auto ordering.

1. For some reason the "discount code" does not seem to work every time for me.

2. Also several times the "wholesale closeout" will state "5 remaining" or whatever number.
I order two but they send me an email saying there really was none left.