[jin]

I ordered the front suspension refresh kit from ECS tuning awhile ago and now putting it on my E90. Turns out the headlight leveling rod they included was the wrong part. So I got in touch them them and they are happy to send the correct part out to me for free of charge and no shipping charge.

Tricky part is I got them sent to me drop ship from a US freight forwarder to NZ. So when I asked if they can send direct to NZ they told its $51 for shipping. Apparently thats the lowest price they can do it for Bear in mind this is a part that weighs next to nothing and is about 10cm long.

For comparison i bought the RB PCV for $5 shipping. The headlight rod would fit inside the same package RB sent it in.

And Fcpeuro can send oil pan gasket plus bolts, vacuum can, fuel sensors and a waterpump for $55 shipping. I hate to think what ECS would charge for that! Just seems like they view shipping as a revenue stream rather than a cost to be covered.

[Rollo`]

They probably are not set up to ship via US Mail. They probably only ship via UPS or FedEx internationally, which are services that are trackable and time guaranteed so they are much more expensive.

[dbworld4k]

$51 to ship direct across the Pacific is more than reasonable... International shipping, much less overseas costs a LOT of money when not going through US Postal Service (most would avoid USPS for overseas, it's best to use a proper freight carrier like UPS or Fedex because its faster and more reliable).

I don't know how RB shipped it to you for $5, that's insane.

[335NJ]

Depending how long "Awhile ago" was, most places would say you're SOL for not inspecting the package sooner.

Don't get me wrong, a reputable company like ECS would be screwing up by doing that, but I can see how incorrect part/exchanges overseas can be a bit tough to deal with, from a business perspective. Remember, they don't have the time to search for the best shipping prices, and they're setup with specific shipping companies already, and that's why you're dealing with $51 for S&H.

I'm sure ECS receives a Net 30 Days from their shipping partners, and it streamlines doing business in general if you ship a lot (In their case, everything they sell), but to make a special shipping purchase, from a shipping company who they don't have an account with, they're likely paying C.O.D. Which they pass on to you.

[bimmette]

I also think that's not a terrible price. I assume it would get there quick for that price though.

PS. I think a lot of people on this forum won't understand "taking the piss". That's not really used in North America.

[jin]

FCPeuro offers UPS and Fedex. ECS uses USPS. Maybe thats the problem.

RB sent it in an envelope which is all thats needed.

[335NJ]

Originally Posted by jin

FCPeuro offers UPS and Fedex. ECS uses USPS. Maybe thats the problem.

RB sent it in an envelope which is all thats needed.

RB shipped it in an envelope? There's your $5 explanation.

USPS can be expensive as hell for international shipping, it's not their bread & butter. UPS/FedEx have planes all over the world to move packages, so it's more efficient, and less expensive for you.

[335NJ]

Originally Posted by bimmette

I also think that's not a terrible price. I assume it would get there quick for that price though.

PS. I think a lot of people on this forum won't understand "taking the piss". That's not really used in North America.

Urban Dictionary is giving me definitions, but they're not really relative to OP's statement.

Still confused.

[bimmette]

Originally Posted by 335NJ

Urban Dictionary is giving me definitions, but they're not really relative to OP's statement.

Still confused.

Hahaha! It's making someone look like an idiot.

[335NJ]

Originally Posted by bimmette

Hahaha! It's making someone look like an idiot.

http://instantostrich.com/

[jin]

Originally Posted by 335NJ

RB shipped it in an envelope? There's your $5 explanation.

USPS can be expensive as hell for international shipping, it's not their bread & butter. UPS/FedEx have planes all over the world to move packages, so it's more efficient, and less expensive for you.

Yep an envelope is fine. The headlight levelling rod is an $8 part. So an envelope would be fine. You would have to be out of your mind to pay $51 shipping for this!

Originally Posted by 335NJ

Urban Dictionary is giving me definitions, but they're not really relative to OP's statement.

Still confused.

Not sure why its confusing. They are trolling us with their shipping prices. International buyers anyhow.

[335NJ]

Originally Posted by jin

Yep an envelope is fine. The headlight levelling rod is an $8 part. So an envelope would be fine. You would have to be out of your mind to pay $51 shipping for this!


Not sure why its confusing. They are trolling us with their shipping prices. International buyers anyhow.

I hear ya, that's why a lot of US based companies don't do International shipping, or they make it really expensive.

Best of luck, maybe try finding it at a local dealer or somewhere based in NZ?

[jin]

Wish I purchased from FCPeuro in the first place. I just found their website a pain to navigate and they dont do the kits like ECS. But their shipping is cheap.

I wonder if ECS would ship the headlight rod to RB and I can pay him the $5 to post to me

[=C=]

Originally Posted by jin

I ordered the front suspension refresh kit from ECS tuning awhile ago and now putting it on my E90. Turns out the headlight leveling rod they included was the wrong part. So I got in touch them them and they are happy to send the correct part out to me for free of charge and no shipping charge.

Tricky part is I got them sent to me drop ship from a US freight forwarder to NZ. So when I asked if they can send direct to NZ they told its $51 for shipping. Apparently thats the lowest price they can do it for Bear in mind this is a part that weighs next to nothing and is about 10cm long.

For comparison i bought the RB PCV for $5 shipping. The headlight rod would fit inside the same package RB sent it in.

And Fcpeuro can send oil pan gasket plus bolts, vacuum can, fuel sensors and a waterpump for $55 shipping. I hate to think what ECS would charge for that! Just seems like they view shipping as a revenue stream rather than a cost to be covered.

Just use YouShop and shipping will be cheaper however depends on the size of parcel or weight (which ever is greater).

[feuer]

ECS does this even on domestic shipments.
They send me couple of little screws instead of O-ring for a brake cylinder.
Originally, I had paid for the part to be shipped to me overnight and righteously so requested to ship the O-ring overnight again.
The car was up on the lift...
Customer service was insisting on me to pay again for shipping or get 3 to 5 day shipping free.
Of course I argued since they failed to complete my order correctly and the customer should not pay for their employees mistakes.
So to reiterate, not only Illinois and New Zealand, but even if I live on different planet they MUST take of the extra shipping expense.
Is factor in the doing business.
No ifs and buts, that't the bottom line.

[TemjinX2]

International shipping it tough...there shipping was probably cheaper since they used the freight forwarder...shipping direct means they need to take on all the customs liabilities so it raises costs. It also depends on your location...is a popular shipping lane with the US or less popular...that affects prices.

Maybe ask one of your friends in the States if there coming to NZ anytime soon and have ECS mail it to him.

[ECSTuning]

jin sorry about the shipping costs, typically replacement parts are sent to the same location as the original order, this is what caused my guys to quote you a price going to NZ instead of the forwarder here in the states. As for why we don't stuff it in an envelope and call it a day, we have agreements with all of our couriers to use X, Y, or Z packaging, sometimes this does causes issues on smaller parts, especially when going overseas, as we've chosen to cater to larger parts/order sizes. We're looking at new options in the future but for now the options on the site are all that are available.

feuer very sorry about the past issues with our customer service team. In the future please feel free to reach out to me and I'll assist in the process.

-James

[eurojulien]

Why not buy the part locally and call it done? Can't be that much from BMW

[derryck]

That's what carrier pigeons are for...

[ECSTuning]

Originally Posted by derryck

That's what carrier pigeons are for...

I wish we could use carrier pigeons. But I'm afraid my guys would try to overload them ever so slightly.

[jin]

Originally Posted by ECSTuning

jin sorry about the shipping costs, typically replacement parts are sent to the same location as the original order, this is what caused my guys to quote you a price going to NZ instead of the forwarder here in the states. As for why we don't stuff it in an envelope and call it a day, we have agreements with all of our couriers to use X, Y, or Z packaging, sometimes this does causes issues on smaller parts, especially when going overseas, as we've chosen to cater to larger parts/order sizes. We're looking at new options in the future but for now the options on the site are all that are available.

feuer very sorry about the past issues with our customer service team. In the future please feel free to reach out to me and I'll assist in the process.

-James

Thanks for the reply. You have to admit $51 shipping for the rod is ridiculous. If USPS has you guys in a bind with their envelopes then maybe you should be using fedex or ups instead. Turners also use fedex/ups.

[martinblair]

It's no different to Canada. I've priced out the exact same parts from FCP with $26 shipping that costs $61 to ship from ECS. Obviously haven't ordered from ECS because of it - when I asked by email about it they said "International shipping is expensive" which is a garbage answer. FCP manages somehow. I would like to buy from ECS, their selection of parts is better, but they need to fix their shipping options.