StillenMustang07

In reality, paying the small handling costs is still a good deal for the customer. Right now, we are offering free shipping (at least until the end of the year) - with a $9.95 Insurance and Handling fee. There IS a cost of moving paperwork around a large organization and actually processing the order. Its a small price to pay in comparison to some of the shipping costs (say $150 to ship a total brake system across the country).

Just something to think about.

metroplex

Some of the shipping/handling fees don't make any sense, but Summit and Jegs are the big boys in aftermarket speed shops and I'd trust them to order a kidney for the car (if the car needed kidneys).

dly

And sometimes it just doesn't make sense. I try to order a fitting for a Water Temp gauge from Summitt, cost about $7 but they still wanted to add the 9.95 handling fee. Why in the world would I pay more for somebody to pass paper than the product costs. Also UPS and most of the other shipping companies will give you insurance along with shipping up to $50 to $100 free.
I'm not upset with these compaines, I just take my $$$ else where to compaines who can see the differents like American Muscle. And no I actually have never ordered from them but if I do go with new rims I will probally order from them. My location (South Bend, In.) puts me about 3 miles from the Tire Rack HQ, their prices are a little to high but I do like their test track.

tom281

Passing paper around is covered in the price of the product- it's called overhead. Adding a handling/processing fee onto the price of an item is an easy way for a vendor to "price match" or even just to have a more competitive price upfront to it's competition yet however allow them to end up making more money on the item at the very end.

Boltzman

I ordered from you guys and honestly I was a little upset to see the Insurance and handling fee because it wasn't mentioned w/ the free shipping right up front. It showed up on the very last step of the order. I said to myself "I knew the FREE shipping was too good to be true" Shelby doesn't even tell you how much shipping is..Until after you order...Now THAT is bad

StillenMustang07

Something else - have ANY idea what it costs to advertise?

shaun_beauchamp

I feel bad for Stillen and others that do all the communication and hard work and are not the problem. It seems that the companies that listen and work with the clients are the ones that make less profit and get dumped on the most.

All the big names have HUGE advertising and engineering budgets. You TRUST that parts from "Uncle Jack" (Roush) won't fall apart on the first pass or first high speed turn because "Uncle Jack" does his homework.

How do you think "Uncle Steve" (Saleen) got where he is today. Not by shopping ebay for crap! He did some hard work with engineers and scrimped on things like food to buy race gas.

These guys all paid their dues. Did the leg work for everyone to follow. They sell far less volume because their price is based on quality engineered pieces. They don't mind. They would rather make more money on less effort, which is what Capitalism is all about. That's the American Dream.

So when you bag on someone like Steve Saleen for making good parts that you know won't wreck your car and not give them to you on eBay for $10, I can't sympothize.

I paid "way too much" for my intake, tuner, control arms, panhard, shifter...you name it, but I drive the hell out of my car, enjoy it, and never seem to have to "look on eBay for replacement parts".

Being the baddest, newest toy on the block costs big money. If you have to cry about it, buy a DONE Fox for $6K with a S/C and don't worry that a Whipple for an S197 cost more than a whole car.

It's all about what you want. Ever have a dinner date? Somehow I don't think you stop your woman right before intercourse to discuss the $25 Cesar salad she wolfed down at dinner.

It always cost more for less when you want to play with the big boys!

kevinb120

Heh, I was just going to say that, advertising! Parts for Mustangs are cheap, even the new ones. Most ebay stuff is drop-shipped and/or has exuberant shipping fees. With Ebay and paypal continuing to get more and more expensive, the advantages are really not that great versus a 'real' vendor that actually cares about the customers other then the box showing up at the door on time. You should see how many small brick-and-mortar hobby stores are gone now because someone in china drop ships the stuff cheaper online.

metroplex

What grade did they get for their homework on the Saleen HID lights that melt?

Roush also charges $10 to visit their Livonia facilities offered to SAE members... I'd go for free but to pay money?? Another person said he went to a Roush open house and Roush charged higher prices for their products and that he could buy them for less online at Summit/Jegs than at the open house right at Roush.

05GT-O.C.D.

It is not a necessity to modify your Mustang, therefore the prices being charged are the market price.
Nobody's getting gouged if they choose to buy a particual product at a particular price.
This is Econ101 stuff. Is it expensive? Yes. But it is what it is. I understand the frustration with the high prices, but it really isn't the vendor's who are to blame. "Don't hate the player, hate the game."

Poco

When I buy a mod part its long after I saved a few bucks.Its very hard to purchase parts without doing so.Complain if you will about expensive parts,its your opinion.It cost Roush,Saleen,Shelby and many other parts maunfacturers to tool up,pay employees, and buy raw materials to make a buck.
If you want cheap parts buy an old Chevy...you can still get an Edelbrock Performer for a buck twenty.

elcaminoguy

I agree with the above. Everyone can leave their car bone stock and not give a dime to the aftermarket. We all make up our own minds as to what's reasonable or not regardless of the market. I just bought the SHR rear panel and it costs 139 bucks. It was just what my care needed and I felt that was a reasonable pricem especially after seeing it sold for 150 at some stores that didn't even bother to give SHR the credit for it. I also went through a lot of threads and saw pretty positive experiences with it so I pulled the trigger.

Now if that was 500 bucks, I'd have just left it alone for the Barrett Jackson registered bidder types.

Oh yeah and as for Roush, Saleen and even Shelby...I'm not feeling a whole lot of sympathy for their "sacrifice". Any of them could have gone to work and probably have done very well in a service department somewhere. That's the price of going out on your own and most people fall on their face when they try. The few that succeed just kept trying but they choose to be there nobody is forcing them.

Oh yeah and most of the time these guys get to make a living racing and building cars. Yeah, rough life there. Not saying it's not hard work I'm just saying it doesn't seem like work when you're doing exactly what you want to do. Kind of like going to work at a boring job in the morning as opposed to waxing your GT500. Which one would you rather do...

Boltzman

The most markup is on billet dress up pieces.It doesn't cost them as much to develop these parts as it does to develop performance parts. My brother in law knows the guy who owns UPR and he is focused on this right now cuz we Mustang fanatics will pay an arm and a leg for it and he is making a killing.

shaun_beauchamp

Any of you whiners open a shop and make parts half as good as those advertised by one of the vendors on this site and I'll cut you a check.

Anybody with any real skills knows that it is far more cost effective to pay someone to supply a component you have limited resources of manufacturing.

A used mill and lathe is $12K. Raw materials, chrome plating, etc... You could build your own components for $15K.

So who's going to step up and start a new company? Any of you whiners got good credit and a pair?

I didn't think so!

MustangLynda

Myself, I will pay an incredible amount of money for 1) quality and 2)service. I'm just happy when I can find it anymore.

kevinb120

wow Lynda, I just thought of about 364 smart-**** things to say

But I agree!

MustangLynda

Well thanks for sparing me, guttermind!

05GT-O.C.D.

Hmm...

chrisc9867

You dont need to modify your car...it is not the equivalent to food, water, electricity, gas, etc. If you cant take the prices, then dont buy the stuff, simple as that. Everything costs money, even for the manufacturers, vendors, shippers, advertisers, etc.

8905GT

Yeah I agree with the flipping price gouging from some vendors, Come one an OR H-pipe close to 200 bones? I don't think so.
I am still a little ****ed I dropped close to $500 on just two billet grills. should have been $300 total!!!! Stinking Cervini!!!
Handling charges another joke or should I say scam. I would much rather have the vendor up the price then to charge for "handling charges"
Good for you Pendarus for saving few bucks!