Haz Mat Fee

I have noticed that some one line vendors have different Haz Mat fees. Some $33 and others $35. How do they justify this.
What is the best place to buy 29mm motors online at reasonable prices.

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Hugh Cronin said:

I have noticed that some one line vendors have different Haz Mat fees. Some $33 and others $35. How do they justify this.
What is the best place to buy 29mm motors online at reasonable prices.

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Its not the vendors, its the carriers that require the hazmat fees. HazMat fees are fees charged by the carrier to cover the cost of additional documentation and regulatory compliance. Hazmat shipping requires certain types and specification containers and packaging. Shipping HazMat also has limitations of what may be shipped with it and due to that additional costs are incurred by the carrier as they may to send additional resources to a given area to cover other shipments.
There are a few threads on TRF about HazMat fees and whats involved.

Hugh Cronin said:

I have noticed that some one line vendors have different Haz Mat fees. Some $33 and others $35. How do they justify this.
What is the best place to buy 29mm motors online at reasonable prices.

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Buy many HP motors together (once or twice a year, plan ahead), and then the HazMat fee becomes a rounding error.
If you keep buying HP motors one or two at a time, chasing lower shipping costs will become a never ending annoyance and distraction from the hobby.
Oh, and HazMat shipping is slower than usual, so never expect to get those motors in time for launch - have the motors you think you will need the next time already on hand.

For favorite sources, there are many (dozens), and some carry greater inventory of one brand vs. the others (AT, CTI, Loki, Estes).
A few carry all, and surcharge through the roof.
Search the forum, google, or drop me a PM and I'll tell you mine.

Have fun!
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afadeev said:

Buy many HP motors together (once or twice a year, plan ahead), and then the HazMat fee becomes a rounding error.

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This is what I do. I recently planned out 6 flights for spring using 29-54mm motors. Then I ordered all 6 motors at once. Really takes the sting out of HazMat.

Join a club and get in on a club order.

I understand why there is a haz mat fee. Just don’t understand why some places charge different haz mat rates.

I'm pretty sure it's down to which shipping company each vendor ships with. According to their websites, FedEx charges $35, UPS charges $32.

Ok thanks

from what I have seen, all HAZMAT fees are $35 for 2019

Get an on-field vendor at you local club and buy from them. I hardly ever order motors from an online vendor anymore, but if I do, it will be once or twice a year.

Could be cheaper to lose the $2 on HAZMAT than to pay someone to adjust the web site. Don't know.

UPS increased their fee from $33 to $35 a few weeks ago. FedEx follows shortly thereafter and matches, or vice versa. Every bit of that goes to UPS or FedEx; the vendor retains none of it. Some haven't updated their websites yet to reflect this. That simple.

Thanks for all your input. Plan on buying all my 29mm motors for spring and summer launches in one chunk.

When this hazmat fee thing began, it was about $3,then $5...$12...$15...$25...ad infinitum. I was looking at the Tower Hobbies catalog once and noticed they could get around the fee by shipping model airplane fuel in quart containers rather than gallon size, unless I misunderstood something there.

They all increased their HAZMAT fees to $35.00 per package as of January 2019. The vendors charging $33.00 are either unaware, or have not got around to changing their website yet and are losing $2.00 each time. rharshberger is correct in that all of the HAZMAT goes to the carrier entirely, and that is ON TOP of the standard shipping expense. Plus there is the extra cost of the UN-Certified HAZMAT shipping boxes which must be used. I always recommend ordering more motors to help spread the cost a little bit as you can put up to 50 lbs per box with FedEx, and the HAZMAT fee is for each box, not each motor as is sometimes asked.

Sirius Rocketry said:

They all increased their HAZMAT fees to $35.00 per package as of January 2019. The vendors charging $33.00 are either unaware, or have not got around to changing their website yet and are losing $2.00 each time. rharshberger is correct in that all of the HAZMAT goes to the carrier entirely, and that is ON TOP of the standard shipping expense. Plus there is the extra cost of the UN-Certified HAZMAT shipping boxes which must be used. I always recommend ordering more motors to help spread the cost a little bit as you can put up to 50 lbs per box with FedEx, and the HAZMAT fee is for each box, not each motor as is sometimes asked.

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Actually a 70lb max box weight for ground service