MTFCA Forum

I was just quoted 210 sterling, to ship 5 tubes to me in the US. I'm happy to pay a premium for the tubes, but cannot believe any of the many happy users of these things has paid nearly $300 postage for their tubes???

UPDATE 5/12/22 following an email exchange with Blockley directly (not through their website)

shipping had been misquoted for an entirely different product of vastly increased size. A requote from them was less than 1/2 previously quoted and I will be purchasing product

Tell them to let all the air out first and pack them in a much smaller box.

In June of 2021 I paid $290 for five Blockley 30x3.5 tubes shipped to me in Michigan. Total cost, tubes and shipping. I'm not sure what gives with your quote. As I recall, mine were shipped DHL and arrived in about two weeks. No special customs handling was required.

Oh, just to add - the air was let out and they came in a pretty small box

I just paid 80.00 bucks to ship 10 hardcover books to the uk that weigh more than the tubes would. I used usps.

We must struggle and sacrifice, even as does the Seal Community, that the polar bears may be happy!

Need more information! What kind of valve stems to these have? Can they be ordered without valve stems to save me the work of cutting them off?

Scott_Conger wrote: ↑

Wed May 11, 2022 12:27 pm

I was just quoted 210 sterling, to ship 5 tubes to me in the US. I'm happy to pay a premium for the tubes, but cannot believe any of the many happy users of these things has paid nearly $300 postage for their tubes???

Just to be sure - was the 210 quote just for the shipping or for the tubes and shipping?

About a month and a half ago, I bought eight model T tubes, and two 7.00-20 inner tubes for my 1927 Paige. They came by UPS International, and the postage charge was 115 British pounds (a little over 150 USD). Which I thought was very fair.
Sounds like something shot up? I know a lot of things (especially fuel related?) have gone up a bunch in the past month.

By the way. I opted for their standard metal stems. They are larger than era model T size metal stems, and very close to the larger metal stems bigger cars mostly used in the era. I had no trouble fitting them into my wooden felley wheels. Although I did run a drill bit through two of them just to clean burrs from the original metal sleeves. The drill bit was barely big enough for the stem to clear, and that was plenty. (I can go check the drill bit size if someone wishes?)
I really like the look of the quality of their inner tubes!

Works both ways. try and get a fair postage out of the USA to Australia air or sea, just an example, pre covid a shipping container was $3000 AU and then to 10K covid and just reported on a news update, are now $15K. One can't even give an estimate to re-build an T engine any more, the owners just need lots of $$. just babbitt alone from my supplier went from $40 per Kg to $100.

Scott_Conger wrote: ↑

Wed May 11, 2022 12:27 pm

I was just quoted 210 sterling, to ship 5 tubes to me in the US. I'm happy to pay a premium for the tubes, but cannot believe any of the many happy users of these things has paid nearly $300 postage for their tubes???

Scott,

Last October I ordered two 30x3 and two 30x3.5 tires from them for the 11T that I am restoring. Total shipping to Kansas was 90 pounds, or $110 at today's conversion rate. They came by DHL.

Something seems out of whack on your shipping quote. I know the cost of everything has gone up, but 210 pounds seems a bit extreme as you indicated.

Neal

thanks to all for replies

I have asked for a review of the quote to see if it is real or not...either way, I will post results to either warn or reassure future purchasers

Larry, why would anyone sell tubes without valve stems? If you must have the absolute correct items for your T, the answer is in your hands. You can't buy a new washing machine without the plug, just so you can fit your old one! Redirect your energies to the US suppliers of the junk tyres and tubes they foist upon us, rather than at the one provider trying to do the right thing.

Allan from down under.

35 pounds per tire. 5 tires = 175 pounds

The price is higher if VAT is included, but I do not think we pay that.

I cannot believe shipping is more than the tubes, but I await your results.

You could always fly over and pick some up. Flight is only $1500 now, but looks like it will go down to about $1000 come summer. Best part is they speak a dialect of English that you would understand.

Last August I paid $54.25 for a 2½ gallon jug of Eraser. A month ago the same thing cost me $135.63. A month ago I bought a two pound package of GV fig bars for $2.15. This week I paid $4.32. Sky-high shipping would not surprise me.

What kind of valve stems to these have? Can they be ordered without valve stems to save me the work of cutting them off?

I believe they are Schrader 724/725 sized, just like all the other current metal stems. Can you order a pair of new Nikes without soles, or a box of Crunch n Munch without peanuts? If you insist on 777 or 888 stems, you have two choices. Pay big bucks for Blockleys and change the stems, or buy some other tubes and change the stems. By all reports the Blockleys are superior. But so far Hartfords have been adequate for me, and being tight with a dollar I expect I will continue buying rubber stemmed Hartfords and installing my own metal stems.

I am not the least surprised about the shipping rates for overseas shipments going up. The "supply chain" issue root cause is a backlogged of containers awaiting unloading, truck drivers and diesel fuel cost. The "News" indicates that there are more containers waiting to be unloaded on the East Coast than on the West Coast. Supply & Demand rules.

Same here in Canada; when I order model T parts and reference books etc., the cost for shipping is often more than what I ordered, plus the Canada to US exchange rate as well.

Regards,

Steve Boothroyd
Sidney, B.C.
Canada

Some people do not pay attention to current events and their surroundings. The end user always picks up the tab.

Hank

That's the plain truth. "Taxing corporations" whether large or small, is taxing YOU. The end customer pays ALL costs of providing a product or service, including government-imposed taxes, fees, and regulatory costs, Plus the costs of BAD POLICY, PLUS profit, if any. Profit is usually the smallest slice of the pie, when speaking of businesses that actually provide tangible goods or real-world services, or combinations of the previous, such as plumbers, roofers, auto mechanics, home improvement businesses, etc. On top of that profit, is TAXED. Taxes imposed on businesses put downward pressure on wages paid to employees, which are also HEAVILY TAXED.

Henry K. Lee wrote: ↑

Thu May 12, 2022 7:32 am

Some people do not pay attention to current events and their surroundings. The end user always picks up the tab.

Hank

Agree with Hank, also the fuel is going up and up plus the inflation either... I remember my old days I could buy 4 chocolat bars for $1, now, I'm not able to buy one with the same $1. I thought it is a normal inflation price with years. But Sometimes we face up increasing in very short periode as well unfortunately like actually

If you read the ingredients list on a contemporary "chocolate bar", you may not want to eat it.

Well, I heard back from Blockley:

It really depends where they are being shipped to?

In the UK it will cost you £5.00 to have tubes shipped. But in Peru it may cost £500.00

In my case, 5 tubes with shipping would cost me $475 total

After a couple years of anticipation and orgasmic ecstasy that some folks have professed over their products, I decided to inquire to Blockely for my latest project. In the end, I really don't care how thick or wonderful they are, the economics of it all dictate that I will continue to use my patch kit and repair existing tubes about once every 10 years, which has been my average.

UPDATE:

after posting this by miracle or coincedence I just received a SECOND reply based on my email expressing dissappointment in all things related to finances, I got another courteous reply stating that they thought my quote would have been or should have been for tires. My quote for shipping is now very reasonable and I think I will be buying some.

It pays to be persistent when things just don't "add up".

Oh…, and don’t forget with taxes the magic word..,”must have insurance and benefits”!

I was recently quoted 85 pounds sterling for shipping five tubes to Canada.

Harry

that is precisely what I was finally quoted at this AM after a multiple email exchange with them.

my first quote was wildly in error at nearly 3X that amount, which was the source of my original question...it pays to question things when they just don't seem right. Had I not gotten responses just like yours from the forum, I'd never have pursued it and would never have been a customer

thank you for replying with that

Scott,
Depending on which tubes you were ordering, the 210 pound sterling could cover the cost of four tubes including shippping to North America.
Harry

Harry

in actuality, I am paying 85 pounds shipping for 5 tubes. Not cheap, but a decent price for what it is. Far, far better than my first quote which they admitted was in error.

My quote from them was also in error as they assumed I wanted tires.

Glad you pursued it and got it resolved! That sounds commensurate to the 115 pounds I paid for more model T and a couple non-Ford tubes. I was basically getting twice as much.

My question still hasn't been answered! Do the tubes come with rubber valve stems or those horrible incorrect valve stems that belong on a Pierce Arrow? I don't mind cutting off the rubber stems, but certainly don't want vulcanized brass valve stems!