GM Parts Direct - Are those guys insane?

[HarryH3]

Wow! I thought I would check the price at GM Parts Direct for a lifter valley splash shield and a TBI gasket. The shipping from them would cost more than the parts! The shipping also made the part price higher than the full retail cost at any GM dealer!

The splash shield retails at 15.66, their "price" is $9.40. Shipping is $9.95, for a total of $19.35!

The TBI gasket retails at $5.80, their "price" is $2.90. Shipping is $4.97, for a total of $7.87!

shocked]

Holy crap!!!! Guess I'll just stop by the local Chevy dealer and grab up what I need.

Has anybody found a real deal on any parts from these guys?

<font color=black>HarryH3 - '75 K5</font color=black>
<a target="_blank" href=http://www.angelfire.com/super/ThunderTruck>www.angelfire.com/super/ThunderTruck</a>
It's a great day to be alive...

 

[dyeager535]

I think a lot of it depends on your dealer and how much the parts cost. If you are talking a $130 gasket (retail) GMPD is agood deal. Only like $83 with S&amp;H. I flat out asked the local dealer if they could match that price, and they told me I better buy it from GMPD if its so cheap, they couldn't touch that.

In your case, the cheaper stuff just makes sense to buy at the local dealer, even if you get hit with retail. Try to sweet talk them though, might get a bit cheaper. : )

It is true, GMPD makes all their money off of the S&amp;H, so you really can't get mad at them for charging what they do, except in these cases with really small cheap parts...then again, check what shipping actually cost for 1 or 2 lbs UPS from there to your house, I bet its close to $4....

Dorian
My tech/links page: <a target="_blank" href=http://www.dorianyeager.com/index2.html>www.dorianyeager.com/index2.html</a>
Why insist on counting when the ring gear has the tooth counts stamped in?

 

[K5DRAGER]

The best thing I ever did was to get in good with one of the parts guys at my local dealer. I just made sure that he new I could by it else where but kept coming back to him. Lets just say I can usually get some killer deals, plus it makes them look good due to the volume of parts they sell. ( this might be only because its a small town dealer though)Just an idea that worked for me

 

[riz]

<font color=purple> I saved over 150.00 bucks when I bought my rear floor and tailpan assembly from them ........I suppose if you were buying a small part, it's not worth it .......... I know I saved big time every time I ordered from them. Oh yeah, I saved over 125.00 when I bought my rear wheel wells from them too ! Not bad considering my dealer wasn't even able to get the parts themselves. I too was told to get my parts from them as it was way cheaper than what they get for them. It's kinda like JCWhitney ........ Some stuff cheaper, some stuff the same and some stuff more expensive ........ Good luck next time .... that is , if you're willing to give them another chance.

L8r,
. Riz . <a target="_blank" href=http://www.geocities.com/rizmonkey>www.geocities.com/rizmonkey</a>

<font color=purple> BOW CHICKA BOW WOW !

 

[MudNurI]

I have to agree- I believe I paid less for my doors &amp; fender's that most people paid for the aftermark junk- and mine were from my dealer- It pays to get to know them, not only for parts, but also when your ready to buy a rig, we have bought I think now with the new truck- 28-30 trucks/cars (we use Chevy's as our company trucks too!) from the same dealer- each one has been a deal that nobody else could touch, even if they had wanted to. I call the parts guy and he recognizes my voice, I only deal with ONE of them, even though there are 3 different guys there.... I dunno, it works for me..

--Brandy


IF ONLY THE 4 YEAR OLD COULD TURN A WRENCH
1986 K5 4" skyjacker suspension 3 " body, 14 bolt rear 12 bolt dana 44 front, TIRED ol 305-

 

[JIM88K5]

Buddy up with a dealer counter man. Tell him your going to
drop some cash on your rig. If he or she is younger, tip...
A ten spot or a six or twelve pack once in a while can save
you hundreds over time. I've had guys come up to my desk
and say point blank say "Hey I'm gonna go through my pick-
up. I'll buy every thing from you if you take care of me."
I treat them right and they come back. Being good helps.
It may not be the counterman wanting to bone you but the
parts mgr need to hold a certain gross profit margin. While
my dealer is not a huge one,(just under a mill in inventory),
I wheel &amp; deal every day. I have sold probably over a dozen
zz 350's-five or six 330's-I think two ramjet 350's-I don't know
how many 502's, even way back in the day LS6 &amp; LS7's.
As a matter of fact one of my guys today sold a 330 horse
for an 87k5 today. Around 2300.00 I think. If your good to
your dealer he'll be good to you.-Jim

88 5.7 5in lift 35"procomp at's
700-208-456-3in exh w/flowlowder 10 bolts & some ORD stuff

 

[502Burban]

Bought from them ONCE! Bad experience. By the time the ended up adding their "Shipping and Handling" fees, I paid more than if I'd gone to the local Chevy parts counter.

Worse yet, they billed my credit card WEEKS before shipping the product. That is illegal. Tried to communicate with them and was unable to even find a phone number on their web site. I was finally able to track down a number through directory assistance, but when I called, I was told that they weren't allowed to talk on the phone with web site customers. The "great" prices they charged were too low to include phone service.

I then e-mailed them for a second time asking about the charges to my card without shipping product and let them know that I was aware of the illegality of this move. Amazingly, they called me back that time and were suddenly very apologetic.

I will NEVER buy from those guys again. The prices look good on the surface, but just know that it comes with no suppport at all and huge shipping costs.

Just my .02,

Robb
'73 GMC Suburban - 502DFI
<a target="_blank" href=http://community.webshots.com/user/robbrj>community.webshots.com/user/robbrj</a>

 

[txbartman]

Bought a new dash from them. Dealer retail was about $300. Got it from them for $150. Just recently bought a headlight motor from them for my firebird. Dealer cost - $250, from them only $130.

Bigger priced items are worth it from them. I mean, how much can you expect to save on a part that costs less than $20 from a dealer anyway? A couple of bucks maybe? Not worth any mail order or internet service for that little savings. I would rather buy small ticket items locally. Mainly so I can have it now.

Just one important thing... make SURE you have the right part number!

Brian
Check out <a target="_blank" href=http://tx85gmcguy.alloffroad.com>My Jimmy</a> with all her projects!

 

[HarryH3]

Glad to hear that some folks have had better luck with them. As for the shipping charges, I figure that a TBI gasket might weigh about 4 ounces. According to the US Post Office web site, that would cost $1.03 to send by First Class mail. A far cry from $4.97! As for the $9.95 they wanted to ship the valley pan, The PO would ship that via Priority mail for $3.95 (and let 'em throw the TBI gasket into the same package for a free ride...)

I guess I'll just keep them in mind when I need big stuff. As for getting deals at the local dealer, I've yet to find one in Colorado Springs that wants my business bad enough to cut me deals, even though I have 4 GM trucks to maintain. I've been able to get some great deals in other places I've lived.

<font color=black>HarryH3 - '75 K5</font color=black>
<a target="_blank" href=http://www.angelfire.com/super/ThunderTruck>www.angelfire.com/super/ThunderTruck</a>
It's a great day to be alive...