McMaster-Carr catalogs,,,, AAAARHG! ##

Wayne02 · Feb 28, 2005

I realize their online catalog is really good, but balancing my 22" crt monitor on my knees while I'm sitting on the craper is really getting fatiguing...

Wayne

Milacron · Feb 28, 2005

Ironic as I get new ones like clockwork and couldn't half care. And these days I don't spend more than $500 a year with them. But I probably still have a Dunn's number from my old business and I used to order many thousands a year from them.

Jim Caudill · Feb 28, 2005

I'll bet the D&B # is the ticket. I have an account with McMaster-Carr, but don't really do all that much business with them. Like Don, I get their catalog about every year. I get messages from D&B saying that my information has been updated periodically, but since I don't subscribe to their service, I don't know what the updates contain. I assume it's all good, since I've never had a problem establishing an account with any of my suppliers.

[ 02-28-2005, 10:17 PM: Message edited by: Jim Caudill ]

TimH · Feb 28, 2005

I didn't get one this year. Not sure what I did to make them mad. I have gotten them for the past 10 years or so. I spend probably close tp $10K there a year. I know some of the stuff I buy I can get elsewhere but I love the fact McMaster Carr has everything right there in one place.

14tony · Feb 28, 2005

McMaster-Carr is a 24 Hr. operation with super fast processing. Must have a full time UPS operation on site. I am about 125 miles north of LA and get one day delivery with UPS ground. If I did a web order right now, I would have it tomorrow afternoon. Unreal, nobdy else I deal with has that kind of response. Oh yeah, I just got a new catalog a couple of months back.

jkilroy · Feb 28, 2005

The D&B must be it because I have one and I have thrown the catalogs out. IN THE PAST that is, shoot, I'll be selling them on Ebay.

Rick Rowlands · Feb 28, 2005

Well I just applied for a DUNS number for the Tod Engine Foundation. I've been wanting to do it but didn't know it would be that easy.

Now lets see if I get a catalog this year! I place orders with McMaster Carr for about $1,000 per year.

Rick

mark ct · Feb 28, 2005

yea a while back when i placed an order from them for some personal stuff i asked for a catalog and got the same letter. i figured yea well my order was only a few hundred and im not a bussiness, so it was understandable, then at my previous place of employment i asked to get a new catalog, cause the one i had was over 15 years old, it had been handed down to me when i started, and our company purchased over 20 grand from them a year so i figured they would surely send me one, nope they gave me the runaround and said to use there website. i wouldnt even mind paying 15 to 30 bucks for a catalog, its well worth it, but they dont even offer that option! i always make sure to save mcmasterr carr catalogs whenever i see them, like at work when someone is cleaning out there desk after they quit or are fired. they always look at me funny when i ask for the catalog but they dont realize they are like gold!! so anyone know what msc does so different that allows them to send out a catalog twice the size in hardcover and color for free to anyone who calls?

jfsmith · Feb 28, 2005

I have a Duns number and do some business with them, and don't get their catalog. Anyone who is willing to pay $96.00 for a catalog from a company via a third party needs to get a life.
I just call, get a price and decide to order from them or not.

I do lots of business with KBC, Traverse, some small time places and some local places, they send me so much stuff, it become clutter.

Jerry

mtngun · Mar 1, 2005

I got the same song and dance from McMaster about the catalog, but every time I ordered something I would submit yet another catalog request. After about a year, a catalog finally showed up in my mailbox. I'm not a big customer, either, just buy little stuff from them, maybe $500 a year tops.

RAS · Mar 1, 2005

Wow, I didn't realize that I could sell the old McMaster catalogs on eBay. I have thrown 2-3 in the garbage! Sheesh, $96.00? Time to have an auction, I have last year's on my desk, and we get one every year. I think I won't tell the boss about this!

RAS

E. Bobicki · Mar 1, 2005

I just emailed mcmaster-carr's cleveland branch suggesting they put the catalog itself into their product line. If they could sell them for profit why wouldn't they? People would pay for them, what do you think printing costs are? 25 dollars? 40 dollars?

pete913 · Mar 1, 2005

Good lord. I think we have at least 4 McMaster Carr catalogs at work, and I don't know how many old ones I've thrown away at home over the years. I can't believe people will spend money for old catalogs on Ebay. Man, I'm in the wrong business.

Milacron · Mar 1, 2005

Pete, note the catalog on eBay is not "old" but the current edition. I suspect this is a case where the bidders are wanting the latest info and wouldn't bid up an older edition nearly so high.

(unless of course it was *very* old and then you'd be into the collector market. I have a reproduction (hardback) printing of the first Thomas Register..which is pretty interesting

)

Mac · Mar 1, 2005

I've only had one experience with MMC. I placed an order, via the web page. Did not specify a company since I don't have one. Gave my credit card number and specified "will call" to pickup order. Received confirmation of order by email. An hour later got a call from MMC,said I didn't specify my company. Explained,no company. Was informed I could not excute a "will call" order, only option was to ship. I didn't want it shipped as it was only a 25 mile drive and I would be in the area. I canceled the order and bought elsewhere. I concluded they were not interested in small($65) orders. Maybe this was just unique to the MMC I was dealing with as everyone else seems happy with them. Sice they had my credit card number and I was picking up the order, it didn't make much sense to me, but it wasn't my store and I guess they can run it anyway they wish.

aks21 · Mar 1, 2005

Hi there,

I've not posted here before but had to post a reply to this one. I too requested a McMaster catalogue once upon a time and also got a reply letter that told me to use the online catalogue. So I wrote back to the person who had signed the letter and told them about how I preferred the real catalogue, how my startup business was taking off (a white lie) and how I anticipated that I would be doing lots of business with them. A couple of letters and a few weeks later I got the newest edition of the catalogue in the mail. Hope this helps.

-Andy

Chevy427z · Mar 1, 2005

I wonder if anyone from MMC reads this board (probably not)

I am stunned that that POS catalog would sell on ebay. I guess I shouldn't be, anything can be sold there) I got the same deal about getting one from them. I've had a DUNS number for a while, plenty of past orders, etc... no catalog. I've gotten more material screwed up by/from them recently. They are on my "do not call" list. Plenty of other people out there supplying the same stuff with *much* better customer care.

Mark

MBensema · Mar 1, 2005

My sister in law used to work for McMaster and told me some of the things that go on with the catalogs. Alot depends on what title you have in the company, they will not send to purchasing or management types not involved on the shop floor. They also will not ship multiple copies to a business unless they do a lot of business or have multiple locations. I had trouble getting a catalog and called saying I was a small business and traveled extensively and needed the paper copy so I could order from the road, no internet access at my customer site. Got a catalog a few days later and a new one each year.

About the UPS shipping, they presort at the warehouse for UPS so the trailer goes directly to the UPS distribution center that will deliver your order, takes an extra step out of the process and also reduces your bill.

The website is all pdf pages, you can easily print out the pages you use most often and keep it in the shop, when they get dirty, just print another one. Even though I have the catalog, I still do that.

Terry Talton · Mar 1, 2005

When I first ordered with McMaster I supplied them with a "business name".
I've never had a problem ordering from them. After several months I placed an order for will-call and while I was picking it up I asked for a catalog. The fella at the desk looked up my history and handed me one.

I recently received a new one in the mail, unannounced. I was, to say the least, delighted.

I go through spurts of ordering with them, and rarely have an order over $200.

Rich Carlstedt · Mar 2, 2005

I think they have the best online catalog of any company on the net..bar none!
you find what you want in no time!

McMaster-Carr catalogs,,,, AAAARHG! #*#*

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McMaster-Carr catalogs,,,, AAAARHG! ##