Rock Auto Closeout Parts
- Thread starter Warstud
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AutoMechanic
Site Donor 2024
Generally from my experience is they are marked down way cheap. I got 5 sets of brake pads for my truck for under $25 back about 4 years ago. I’ve also ordered several other closeout things which were extremely cheap. I don’t think they mark them up then close them out. At least not most of the sources selling on there.
sometimes premium parts almost free
Not my experience when I've ordered, as AutoMechanic says, marked down way cheap. The only caveat is things like dried out rubber products, that has too much time on the shelf.
It has been discussed countless times here the "whack-a-mole" game of filling your cart from the same warehouse to avoid getting lit up over shipping charges.
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It almost always requires separate shipping so its usually no longer a deal if its something smaller.
Through they email/closeout parts from RA, I was able to do a whole brake job on the Altima in my signature for $128 including tax & shipping w/discount code.
I was also able to get all rotors & pads from the same warehouse even though everything was a different brand. I had to move parts around to get the same warehouse but it did ultimately work for me and was the cheapest OTD.
All 4 rotors were Raybestos(R-Line), front pads were Wagner Ceramic, rear pads were Centric Ceramic. They all work better than I expected they would have.
I was also able to get all rotors & pads from the same warehouse even though everything was a different brand. I had to move parts around to get the same warehouse but it did ultimately work for me and was the cheapest OTD.
All 4 rotors were Raybestos(R-Line), front pads were Wagner Ceramic, rear pads were Centric Ceramic. They all work better than I expected they would have.
No, Rock Auto just charges the actual shipping cost for the selected service from whatever warehouse it's coming from, if the wholesaler who's running the closeout deal is far away from you the shipping will cost more, shipping costs have increased substantially over the past few years, Since Rock Auto charges the real shipping price it'll be more noticeable just like buying things from small businesses or individuals on eBay, not every retailer is Amazon or Walmart where they just charge a flat fee for shipping that isn't representative of the real cost.
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I ship stuff on our corporate account probably once a week and with a discounted corporate rate it doesn't cost anywhere close to $10.99 to ship one oil filter ground. You can't compare to small retailers on e-bay because when you hit $millions annually in shipping UPS and Fedex compete for your business, and I am sure RockAuto is there. 70% off their list price for shipping is normal for UPS for very large customers, so simply run a UPS list price check and multiply by 0.3. Thats what they pay.
My guess is their profit model is on shipping, not auto parts.
At the end of the day its cost to my door that matters, so its irrelevant in the end. But closeout parts almost always ship separate, so unless its a high dollar item it likely isn't worth it.
Rock Auto is not one very large customer, they are just a catalog the interfaces to a bunch of different smaller distributors.
So? Properly stored they'll be fine for decades. Car parts aren't gallons of milk...
Given the pricing on closeout parts, I'm more than happy to pay a little more in shipping. I ordered 2 Monroe struts for my Reatta a couple weeks ago for $45/ea, marked down from $75/ea. Shipping was $17.99 for the pair. The 5% discount code usually covers 90% of the sales tax applied in my state.
On top of the closeout deal, one of the struts I received was not only a different PN (71845+ instead of 71845-ST), it had clearly been opened before and the strut rod was zip-tied down. I initiated an exchange with RA, and not only did they ship out a replacement immediately (which arrived brand new and correct), they're allowing me to keep the extra strut I now have. Given these struts are discontinued, I plan to keep watch over the RA catalog in case they go on closeout again so I can order a 4th unit.
On top of the closeout deal, one of the struts I received was not only a different PN (71845+ instead of 71845-ST), it had clearly been opened before and the strut rod was zip-tied down. I initiated an exchange with RA, and not only did they ship out a replacement immediately (which arrived brand new and correct), they're allowing me to keep the extra strut I now have. Given these struts are discontinued, I plan to keep watch over the RA catalog in case they go on closeout again so I can order a 4th unit.
This.
The parts are usually cheap, the shipping costs are realistic, if padded, and it's up to you to sort it all out.
The selection is fabulous.
If sorting out how to get the best shipping costs doesn't appeal to you, don't use them. But I find nothing "fake", and I've gotten quality parts for less money than Amazon, eBay or Walmart, many times. But, sometimes I don't find the total cost at RA cheaper, and then I buy elsewhere. When that happens, I don't complain about it, or cry "fake." It is what it is.
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When RA ships it hits their shipping account irrelevant of where or who ships it. They transfer the shipping info including the label to the warehouse electronically and the warehouse puts it in a box. So it’s the same shipper account every time.
Used to use RA a lot more than I do now, I put more effort into shopping around, fleabay/amazon/online oem. The border also kills me. My preference is NOS oem parts.
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