I recently made a wrench set purchase through a company called Cripe Distributing, which is an online tool vendor and Ebay
store that sells overstocked tools and equipment for great prices. I thought I'd writeup a review of my experience for others
I read about Cripe on GarageJournal, which is a great online forum for garage junkies, gearheads, and craftsman of all types. I had been looking to get a set of Gearwrench X-Beam Ratcheting Wrenches or similar set for awhile. I saw that Cripe had a great deal on an 8-piece set for $35, which was a mighty good deal. I used a coupon code (RDKBS) for an additional 5% off with PayPayl orders. That brought down the price to $33.25, which was an even better deal. Including UPS ground shipping, which was $11.54, the order total came out to $44.79. I felt shipping was a little pricey, but still worth the cost.
I emailed Cripe to ask if there was anything that could be done about the shipping costs, such as mailing them in a USPS Flat-Rate box. I got a response in 1 day, which was very surprising since this was on the weekend. However, I didn't use the customer service email I used the email the PayPal payment was sent to. I think that probably had something to do with it. Here was the email response.
we try to make our shipping costs as actual as we can…… we don't use the shipping as a profit center like most people dowhen someone overpays shipping by more then a few dollars…. we do our best to refund them…..orwe could build the shipping into each item…. but we feel that that is unfair to the person who buys multiple itemswe really do try to be as fair as possible…you can always try our website where it figures your shipping based on your zip code…. and gives you different shipping options to choose from
I thought this was a reasonable response and is understandable. It is annoying when ordering items through Amazon Prime I realize the shipping price is built into the price of the item.
I ordered the wrench set on February 9th and received it February 22th. The package was delivered when expected by UPS and was packaged decently. Check the pictures below.
My complaints with Cripe Distributing would be they're ordering system and website. I setup an account on they're website, and several days after my order was placed… there was no record of any orders. I found this strange. Also they're website is somewhat difficult to navigate and doesn't have the best layout and navigation, which can be annoying. On some items I've noticed there are key pieces of information missing. For example, I noticed on sockets sets sometimes they do not list the drive size the sockets are for. I guess it's understandable that they don't have the best website and software since they most likely keep costs down in order to maintain good pricing. They should provide the correct and accurate information on they're website for products though. On a lot of items you also won't find much of savings when you calculate shipping costs.
There are 2 ways to order through Cripe Distributing, you can order directly on they're website or on the Ebay store. I might consider ordering from the Ebay
storefront. Actually if you check Ebay, they offer different items on there and sometimes different items through they're website. I find this equally strange and confusing. However, Cripe does have great prices on a lot of tools so I will most likely be using them again.
PROS
- Good customer service
- Great pricing on tools
- Good pacakging
CONS
- Difficult to navigate website
- Different products offered on website vs. Ebay
- Shipping Costs
Overall I'm happy with Cripe and will order from them again most likely. if the price is right and shipping isn't ridiculous.
we use UPS and the rate that is quoted is dependent on many things, if not shipped to a commercial address, the residential rate is alot higher. You have to not only weigh the box but also measure L X W x H …. all shipping cost seems high, as many companies offer “free shipping”…but in reality nothing is free, the price is built into the product cost … our shipping cost is usually at least 10% of the product cost, and if it is heavy item that percentage is 15 to 20%
Thank you for commenting Patrick. I appreciate you explaining how Cripe calculates shipping costs.
They messed up some of my orders I complained and they cut me off.
When I ordered there were not any issues. I’ve been looking for some specific tools and have been considering ordering from Cripe Distributing again though. On forums I’ve mainly read good things.
Appreciate you sharing your experiences though.
That’s what they do.
I am surprised as the response to customers on ebay says they should get their head checked, calls people manipulators, tells people they are not not the sharpest tack…very unprofessional. Cripe Distributing probably runs the business out of his garage.
Can you explain the issue you had with them in greater detail?
Hi Joe Doe…… this is Debbie from Cripe Distributing. Ron gets a little frustrated sometimes with the people who give negative feedback and isn’t always so professional with his comments….But then again….some of the comments left are so silly. We don’t make the product…we only sell what we are provided by the manufacturers.
We don’t work out of our garage thou. We have multiple warehouses here in Boise Idaho where the product is all stored. About 90 thousand square feet of tools. A tool mans candy store. They are in heaven when they are here.
We process hundreds and hundreds of retail orders each day and try to do our best to offer the best deals available at the best shipping prices.
We have a new website now…. I hope everyone finds it much easier to navigate. And there is a new discount code Welcome Back which at check out gives you a 10% discount. We hope you all check it out and give us any feedback if there are more issues…..But it sure seems to be working much….much…better.
We get in new truckloads almost weekly….so keep watching for new items.
Thank you all for your continued support
Thanks for leaving a comment Debbie. I’ll check out the new site and see if there are any tools I should order.
Amateurs make excuses, professionals make things right. I am disappointed that Debbie and Cripe would rather make excuses for their behavior rather apologize and make things right.
Hello Adam,
I just had a transaction with Cripedistributing on Ebay. They charged me $5.50 shipping and it cost them $2.01
When I sent them this email
I received my package today. I’m dissapointed to find out you overcharged me by more than double. When I saw it was shipped first class at 4oz I was able to figure the cost at $2.01 you charged me $5.50. This is the third time I’ve ordered from your company. Thought I’d give you a chance to correct it before leaving feedback.
Patrick
This is the response I received
I apologize but as stated in our listing and in the shipping and payments tab that shipping for the first item is the higher of the items shipping price and for each additional you add the each additional cost for each one. Therefor the shipping for your order is 5.50. So yours is 2.50+.50+1.25+1.25=5.50.
Thanks,
BreAnn
I then called them and was told some people pay less shipping but it all evens out in the end. I curious who my $3.49 overcharge went to? Debbie also told me about employee costs and that it takes money to pay people to pull orders I was then told by Debbie that she discussed it with the owner(I thought that was her) and that they would not be refunding any of the overcharge in shipping.
Here is my response
Well You lost a repeat customer because of your BS shipping Charges. You charged me $5.50 shipping when it acually cost $2.01. If you had shipped it priority mail (which is what I expected) that would be one thing but you didn’t. That makes you nothing better than a thief in my book. Your feedback is going to reflect my view of you (Bree,BreAn,Deb, and the “owner” ) and your company.
Sincerly Patrick Ross
Then this from deb
i’m sorry you feel that way,
i wish when we sent you over the combined invoice you would have expressed your concerns then
deb
Mine back
I thought you were going to ship priority mail like most reputable companies would. I googled your companies name and look what came up. Looks like you have a habit of overcharging people and are aware of it. With Bree 1 or 2 telling me some people pay less for shipping and it all evens out proves you and the company are unethical. Your smart ass responses to any negative feedback only proves how unprofessional your company is. Karma is a scary thing as Bree says. I’ll expect a smart ass response to the feedback I feel is appropriate for the two transactions I’m able to leave. I don’t take getting screwed out of my hard earned money easily.
Sincerly, Patrick Ross
Cripe Distributing
http://www.cripedistributing.com/
Her response
If your shipping seems high, please leave your items in your shopping cart and give us a call. We will have your items packed and weighed in order to get you an …
You searched to find the best possible price for the items you were looking for and found us.
You ordered the items, we sent you a combined invoice and you paid it.
If you felt the price was unfair you would have contacted us before you paid for your order to cancel it.
We are very fair on our items and very fair on our shipping prices as you can see by our feedback.
Sure, we made a profit on your order. But it was still the best deal you found for your 4 items.
Have a great rest of your day.
Debbie Cripe
My response
You go ahead and sit back and tell yourself that you did nothing wrong by charging $5.50 to ship something that cost $2.01, but deep down you know you are in the wrong.I truly hope you have the same experience as I’ve had dealing with you and your company.
This is Debbie’s final response although if I had responded I’m sure she would have something else to say.
does it ever bother you how much sellers or stores profit on the actual items? wasn’t it great when you found that we offer the same product for so much less and are still able to make a profit. imagine the markup on those products being offered by other people.
you should ask next time you pick up your next order of fast food what their actual cost is on that order…..i’m sure you would flip.
but when you find someone out there offering the best deals available, you liked their prices so well that you bought multiple items from them. they shipped your order out promptly, and it was just as it was advertised. i really wonder why you are so upset.
we refund customers shipping every day when we see that they have overpaid.
your first email / approach was no way to request that we consider sending you a refund.
when you send an email threatening bad feedback instead of just asking us to review your order (which by the way is against ebay’s policy to ever threaten about feedback to get your outcome).
sorry for your frustration.
Deb
That is who you are really dealing with when you deal with CripeDistributing.
Make sure you kiss their ass when they overcharge you for shipping or they will just keep it.
It isn’t hard to set up an account with USPS to figure actual costs for shipping based on weight and size. Companies do it everyday.
Make sure you google CripeDistributing and see how google lists them. It’s really a riot.
Ebay is even making me wait 7 Days to leave appropriate feedback.
Joe Doe is right CripeDistributing is a very unprofessional company.
The most unprofessional company I’ve dealt with on eBay and I’ve been on eBay since March on 1997
Best of luck out there Adam
Sincerly Patrick Ross
Hi Patrick,
I’ve been buying on eBay for almost a decade now, and what you posted in that conversation doesn’t seem very out of line at all. It’s something that many sellers do from time to time, and some sellers go way farther than overcharging by 3 bucks for shipping.
At the end of the day, while your situation may not have been 100% ideal because of the extra few bucks you paid for shipping, is it really something to get so worked up about? They shipped the tools you wanted, and even though they might have overcharged you by a few bucks for shipping, would you have been able to get the tools for any cheaper from another place?
I tried to place a combined order via ebay and it didn’t work. I contacted ebay and they gave me a valid reason why it wouldn’t work (due to the way ebay and paypal are linked) so I contacted Cripe via email, tried to explain what ebay had told me, but was then insulted by the person who I spoke to. When I tried to work with them to correct the situation, I discovered that they blocked me as a buyer. Sorry, but I don’t think that’s a good way to do business.
Thanks for sharing your experience with Cripe Craig.
I’ve only ordered through Cripe once but didn’t have much trouble. I know some companies have policies that if you use swear language in emails or communication with them, they ban you from their platform. It doesn’t sound like that was the case here though.
Did you attempt to clearly explain what the issue was with eBay, PayPal, and the combined ordering? What did they say about it?
Adam,
I did not swear, I tried to be reasonable, matter of fact, and make positive suggestions. When I had informed them of what ebay told me, the response was that I was telling them how to do business. I was not, I was just informing them of what ebay told me. Here are some responses:
“Everyone is able to place orders just fine and it is not realistic to change our settings for one person.
Ebay should trying to help you more and if you want to settle for the answer they’ve given you then there’s no point in discussing it further.”
Also they badmouthed ebay for no good reason:
“That tells me they don’t really care about truly helping their customers.”
If you read their negative feedback, you will find some rather demeaning comments. I wish I had read these before attempting to do business with them. Here’s an example:
“Sent me the WRONG blades.. Poor Customer service never recieved the correct ones Buyer: f***c ( 4372Red star icon for feedback score in between 1,000 to 4,999) During past year Feedback conversation
Reply by cripedistributing (Jan-05-15 13:05):
You are a crook if you want something for free go on welfare but Keep trying”
Really? Is that how a business should treat their customers?
Sounds like they thought you were trying to get something for free I guess. Sort of ridiculous if you were just relaying information from ebay for their benefit.
Actually, all I was trying to do was to make combined ordering work in my ebay account and they freaked. The example review I posted above was found in their feedback (and seems to be a common theme with them).