# Dadant free shipping???



## Rusty Hills Farm (Mar 24, 2010)

I was just this minute on their site and they wanted to charge me $14.95 to ship 5# of MegaBee!

I'll wait until I can pick it up in High Springs!

Rusty


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## rweaver7777 (Oct 17, 2012)

Rusty, try Kelley during their free-shipping event...


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## LeonardS (Mar 13, 2012)

Try Mann Lake.....free shipping all year long with a $100 order!


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## westernbeekeeper (May 2, 2012)

LeonardS said:


> Try Mann Lake.....free shipping all year long with a $100 order!


The best way to go.....


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## KevinR (Apr 30, 2010)

Mann Lake is definitely the way I go for 90% of my purchases. It's hard to beat the free shipping on a 100 bucks.

Unfortunately, Kelley is free shipping on a 200 dollar order and they restrict quite a few items. I haven't done a item by item comparison, but I'd rather support someone that does free shipping year round, than someone that does it once or twice a year.

So with that said.... Dadant.. Kelley... Chop chop, get on the train because it's leaving the station... *grins*


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## primeonly27 (Jun 23, 2011)

When it comes to feed that can be the difference Coke and Pepsi. If Coke is free and you drink Pepsi and not Coke then the price dose not matter. 

On Free shipping . . . . let's say I have a key chain and it is $5 for free shipping. Well the postage is not free someone has to pay for it. And you just can't get enough of that $5 key chain with free shipping so you buy 10 of the for $50. That's great for the seller and now who do you think paid to much? 

Dadant, Kelley and Western are cheaper if you buy a lot of stuff and sometimes even if you don't get alot of stuff it works out to about the same price.


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## KevinR (Apr 30, 2010)

I agree that the "free shipping" is rarely free and is built into the prices.... However, if I compare the total prices with shipping... i.e. 100 supers from Kelley and 100 supers from Mannlake. The total price has still been generally in Mann Lake's favor. 

I just checked that from http://sflbeesupplies.com it's 950.00 + 1100 shipping for 100 10 frame medium supers. From Mann lake it's 1,025.00 total for 100 10frame select medium supers...

If I was somewhere that could drive to pick up the equipment, I'm sure that it would be cheaper minus sales tax. 

With that said, I will buy from whoever is the most cost effective. 

I.e. I've had Dadant bring a decently large order to the local bee club for their once a year "free" delivery.... 

But, I wouldn't be surprised if Mann Lake didn't offer a slightly better price for local pickup vs shipping. I'm not close enough to confirm though.

I love Mann Lake, but I'm not a dedicated fanboi.. As soon as someone else offers a better deal, look out ML.

p.s. from Kelley the 100 mediums would be $998.00, if I took advantage of their Thanksgiving free shipping. If Mann Lake does a 10% off for Turkey day, their price would be 922.50......


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## Honey Hive Farms (Nov 1, 2012)

There is no such thing as FREE, we all should know that.


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## LeonardS (Mar 13, 2012)

Honey Hive Farms said:


> There is no such thing as FREE, we all should know that.


Mann Lakes prices are typically less than other companies and the free shipping is an additional bonus. Care to give me some price comparisons between you and Mann Lake?? Let's see you walk the walk, not just talk the talk.


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

Here is the HHF medium super (Commercial Grade) unassembled:
http://shop.honeyhivefarms.com/6-5-8-COMMERCIAL-GRADE-PINE-SUPER-FOR-10-FRAME-HIVE-SUP658C.htm

$14.00 each plus shipping unless you are close enough to pick up. 100 of those would be .... hmmm ... tough to beat that Mann Lake or Kelley price _reported _further up in this thread, regardless of the "_free_" or "_not free_" shipping issue.


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## HeritageHoney (Feb 28, 2013)

I go back and forth between Dadant and Mann Lake. Dadant is usually cheaper but I have to look at the value of my time to drive 1.5 hours each way. That ends up being a half a day's work. If I don't have time to kill, I'll order from Mann Lake. The "free" shipping is close to a "wash" either way. I priced a large order of hive bodies and Western Bee Supply was the cheapest by around $500, but when I factor in driving there (they are pick up only), the gas, wear and tear, and TIME eliminate the price difference. So you have to look at each item/order and then weigh all factors for your situation.


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## Daniel Y (Sep 12, 2011)

LeonardS said:


> Try Mann Lake.....free shipping all year long with a $100 order!


Kelley requires a $200 purchase to qualify for the free shipping.


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## wbee (Mar 4, 2005)

LeonardS said:


> Mann Lakes prices are typically less than other companies and the free shipping is an additional bonus. Care to give me some price comparisons between you and Mann Lake?? Let's see you walk the walk, not just talk the talk.


So M.L. gives "free shipping" when you hit the $100 mark. For the sake of simplicity, let's say you want 10 Hive Bodies - Commercial grade.

M.L. sells them in cases of 5 for $15.95 ea. per their website. So that would be $159.50, and you're over the $100 limit, so that's what you will pay M.L.

I took two scenarios from comments I saw in this thread. Let's compare total cost between M.L. and Western Bee to Cheyenne, WY and Santa Clara, CA.

Cheyenne-zip 82001. M.L. total cost for those ten boxes - $159.50. Western Bee - $10.20/box=$102 + $44.38 shipping by UPS for a total of $146.38. 

Which one was cheaper?

S.Clara-zip 95051. M.L. again is at $159.50. Western Bee is $102 for boxes + $52.46 UPS shipping. Total: $154.46.

Which one was cheaper?

Free shipping anyone?

Rick 
Western Bee
Polson, MT


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## KevinR (Apr 30, 2010)

Western Bee 6 5/8 Supers - Select: 13 3/4 IN. 8-FRAME (STANDARD 8-FRAME) x 50 is 412.50 + 277 s/h

MannLake 6 5/8" Unassembled 8 Frame Select Grade Super - Bulk x 50 is $550.00 + 0 s/h

to 38011 zip code..... $139 dollars cheaper, looks better to me... 

I'm sure the closer you are to your supplier, the better the price will become. As I said earlier.. I would be pretty surprised if MannLake didn't offer a better price on the material for local pickup. 

Unfortunately, I don't live close enough to either of you to benefit from that...


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## westernbeekeeper (May 2, 2012)

You are right, Rick. I have been very satisfied with you guys. And you are right, you are usually lower with shipping than ML without shipping. I make all my own woodenware now (as of the past year or so), but the tools that I deal come from ML.


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## wbee (Mar 4, 2005)

KevinR said:


> Western Bee 6 5/8 Supers - Select: 13 3/4 IN. 8-FRAME (STANDARD 8-FRAME) x 50 is 412.50 + 277 s/h
> 
> MannLake 6 5/8" Unassembled 8 Frame Select Grade Super - Bulk x 50 is $550.00 + 0 s/h
> 
> to 38011 zip code..... $139 dollars cheaper, looks better to me...


Respectfully, we would ship by LTL on such an order. I just looked up one of the five LTL shippers we deal with and shipping would be $142.28 by interlining with Holland on your end. So about a $5 difference? Other carriers could be less expensive.

Rick


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## LeonardS (Mar 13, 2012)

wbee said:


> So M.L. gives "free shipping" when you hit the $100 mark. For the sake of simplicity, let's say you want 10 Hive Bodies - Commercial grade.
> 
> M.L. sells them in cases of 5 for $15.95 ea. per their website. So that would be $159.50, and you're over the $100 limit, so that's what you will pay M.L.
> 
> ...


Rick, I wait until Mann Lake has the hive bodies on one of their weekly specials. Then the boxes are in the $9.00 range....plus free shipping and 2 day service to my door. They don't exclude their weekly specials from the free shipping. I would be happy to order from you when you can beat that deal.


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## KevinR (Apr 30, 2010)

I can only go by what is listed on your website... I have no idea at what level would be considered a truckload or less than truck load. As I said before, I'm not a ML fanboi and will buy from whoever I believe has the best product and price. You won't hurt by feelings by proving me wrong... Unfortunately for me on the 5 dollar front. Mannlake is a known quantity and I know it will be waiting on my porch in 1-3 days, at the cost of much sadness to the poor UPS man. 

I'm sure you have an awesome product and provide stellar support... It's just not a fiscally viable to test the waters.



wbee said:


> Respectfully, we would ship by LTL on such an order. I just looked up one of the five LTL shippers we deal with and shipping would be $142.28 by interlining with Holland on your end. So about a $5 difference? Other carriers could be less expensive.
> 
> Rick


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