Jam421

I'm not sure if this should be a " Buyer Beware" thread as Ecklers is a huge vendor....but I'm SHOCKED at what I just experienced !!
Last Thursday I ordered 3 turn signal parts from Ecklers. Parts before tax cost $133.41. Overnight shipping was guaranteed by Friday. I placed the order drop shipped to a local shop but received no invoice & no tracking #. Parts arrived Tuesday. Okay. Meanwhile I paid $51.94+ tax shipping for 2lb parcel. Time to call FedEx except ....No Email Invoice / no tracking from Ecklers.

Yesterday I call Ecklers requesting invoice + FedEx tracking. I got an almost empty email .... Tracking #--------059.
On bottom : Ecklers Sales Representative That's it! NO INVOICE. C'mon folks!
FedEx advised Ecklers shipped for 2day delivery...not overnight. Okay.
FedEx shipping cost on this Ecklers order $32.70. Wait...I was charged $51.94+tax.
Clerical error ? Here's what's fishy.
On phone 45 minutes today with Ecklers. Order was, in fact, placed as 2 day delivery not overnight. The Ecklers supervisor tells me she has NO IDEA how I was overcharged $20+ shipping stating the " system" adds shipping to each order.
So the " system" charged me 66+% over for shipping ? She replies..." Yes".
I request a refund for the excess shipping charges $23.52 to my visa. Finally...today... 8 days later I get the actual Ecklers invoice from the supervisor with an attached note I'll receive refund of $26.95.

Now my refund actually exceeds the overcharge quoted by FedEx.
Had this 2lb parcel arrived on time ...or within 2 days I may never have known.
What I learned.
FedEx quotes shipping cost for this purchase at $32.70.
Ecklers charges me $51.94+ tax. Wow.

William Buckley

I've been amazed by the shipping costs on just regular shipped products from Eckler. The post office must be trying to make up money lost by their contract with Amazon.

emccomas

IBTL...

Many years ago a friend of mine went to work at Ecklers Corvettes as their NCRS type expert.

He quit after his year contract was up.

He said that one of the many issues he had with Ecklers was that they made a lot of their money on excessive shipping charges.

I ordered a label for an Air Conditioning Compressor. The label arrived in an regular business envelope with a 39 cent stamp on it. Label cost = $2.99, shipping charges = $5.00.

I pitched a fit and they refunding $3 of the shipping costs.

vettebuyer6369

Moving to Transaction Feedback.

Jam421

This was FedEx not USPS. And FedEx quoted me the true shipping cost FedEx charged Ecklers. The only party making the extra money was Ecklers.
Now I'm starting to believe the 66% shipping surcharge was no accident.

CorvetteMikeB

YES, Eckler's shipping cost is outrageous! No savings that I can see.

Jam421

Pricing a part for us to purchase then inflating shipping cost 66% is criminal. From now on I will wait for my parts from ANY other supplier. If they are the only supplier for my part I will ask all the package particulars THEN check with FedEx on cost and confront Ecklers. I'm a bit surprised they don't receive more negative publicity.
They mugged me but got caught. Next time I need a few parts I will use multiple vendors instead of Ecklers as one.
http://licorvette.com/
https://www.paragoncorvette.com/
http://www.corvetteamerica.com/
http://www.corvettelegends.com/parts.htm

Roger Walling

Many seller advertise "shipping AND handling.

While most sellers throughout the world consider handling part of the cost of the part before they set the price.
It is now common for some to understate the price of the item and then add the additional cost after the sale.

Soon, should we expect for them to add their cost of the item to the delivered item as as an procurement cost?

Jam421

Ecklers must have a fine set of hands. They pick up a tail light & a turn signal assembly place it in a box.....charge fair price for those items...assess their being charged $32 for overnight shipping but then charge customer $52.00 for 2 day shipping.

bc6152

I always thought that Eckler's shipping charges were excessive even going back 20 years... I believe that they do post extra profit from shipping. Charging $5.00 to mail a label is exorbitant IMO. However, many other Corvette vendors do this as well.

Jam421

Like many of the folks on this forum I've been a car guy for 30+ years. I owned 3 Cobra kit cars....pretty much building one from roller up. It would be an understatement for me to say I dealt with a 18+ different vendors during those times. I had a VW bug which had me shopping vendors like JCWhitney & more. In 2014 I sold my BBC Pro Street 68 Camaro & still get Camaro parts catalogs. With my 2 Shelby GT500's I've purchased hi-po parts from another dozen+ vendors . In addition to classic parts I've also found myself buying old school sized tires /rims from specialty classic car vendors. Pro Street stuff is really rare. With my flared C2 there was quite an exhaustive search for 265x50x15 front tires which I finally found in short supply at Cokers. Aside from the tires I've pretty much focused on only 3-4 vendors on parts for my Stingray.
Whether it was classic or modern muscle car parts or at times custom sole source proprietary components ..not one of those vendors charged purposefully inflated shipping costs at 66% for pure profit.......except ECKLERS.
I told Ecklers supervisor I felt compelled to search this nationwide forum for similar customer experiences & she didn't even flinch.
The only way for me....as an individual....to send a message to Eckers is not to use them as a vendor ever again.

bc6152

I don't use Eckler's for parts or accessories. There are numerous others to choose from that don't overcharge for shipping to make a few extra bucks off the hobbyist...

vettebuyer6369

It appears the vendor will not be responding to this thread and the OP's point has been made.

If either the OP or the vendor have some new resolution to the transaction, let me know and I will add it.