Hobby Lobby motor deals (free shipping/no hazmat)

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SharkWhisperer

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Last night found HL was giving free shipping on orders over $50, assumedly for a limited time.

Their BP motors are limited in selection, but some are cheaper than AC; all are cheaper than Estes direct, free shipping bedamned. Those flying BP probably know that this year Estes motor prices got jacked up by about 25% or most sizes, but their C11s got turned up I think close to 38%, and now cost almost as much as D12s, argh!

At HL last night,
E12s were $15.99 for a three-pack, no hazmat.
Lil' A8-3s are $39.99 per bulk pack, about $14 less than AC's 2022 pricing and way way cheaper than Estes, of course.

Limited selection of models but some are cheaper than elsewhere, some similarly priced.
 
I picked up some A8-3 bulk backs at HL a few weeks ago for $40. Then around the same time Amazon had the E2X generic bulk packs for $40. Great timing for cub scouts!
For sure. At my close-in field in my summer state there's not a lot of open area so I toss a lot of As and Bs skyward. At $40 & no shipping costs, can sit on several bulk packs til needed.

That's some great deals for your Club o Cubs!!!

Shoot, even AC had to turn up their prices commensurate with Estes' 2022 hikes, so a Blast Off Pack that was $42 last year is now almost $54 (and $80 from Estes...).
 
For sure. At my close-in field in my summer state there's not a lot of open area so I toss a lot of As and Bs skyward. At $40 & no shipping costs, can sit on several bulk packs til needed.

That's some great deals for your Club o Cubs!!!

Shoot, even AC had to turn up their prices commensurate with Estes' 2022 hikes, so a Blast Off Pack that was $42 last year is now almost $54 (and $80 from Estes...).

Back in early Jan, I checked Estes's prices, and it looked like the engines went up about 10% (I didn't calculate this for all engines, just a couple). Whereas AC Supply went up a LOT more than that; I believe it was 24% or more. I would guess the increased cost of shipping was eating into their profits (that free shipping costs them money). Yes AC supply is still cheaper than retail, but they aren't as a good of a deal as they used to be. BUT I still cannot find any other source of engines online with prices as low as theirs, other than Hobby Lobby, which does not carry certain engines I need. Needless to say, I stocked up pretty hard on engines, figuring to beat the price increases at HL. Thankfully they still haven't raised prices yet.

As for ordering from AC Supply, its awkward, as a) I don't really need any more rocket kits, and b) don't need that many of the specialized engines (C11-3/5, B6-0, A8-5) that HL doesn't carry. I have no local store other than HL, and the nearest hobby store is 30 mins away with a very minimal selection. So its hard coming up with an $100 order to get the free shipping at this point.
 
Thanks for the heads up, just stocked up on a bunch of B6-4s. $6 per 3 pack with free shipping seems really good, even cheaper than buying the 24 engine bulk packs.
 
Back in early Jan, I checked Estes's prices, and it looked like the engines went up about 10% (I didn't calculate this for all engines, just a couple). Whereas AC Supply went up a LOT more than that; I believe it was 24% or more. I would guess the increased cost of shipping was eating into their profits (that free shipping costs them money). Yes AC supply is still cheaper than retail, but they aren't as a good of a deal as they used to be. BUT I still cannot find any other source of engines online with prices as low as theirs, other than Hobby Lobby, which does not carry certain engines I need. Needless to say, I stocked up pretty hard on engines, figuring to beat the price increases at HL. Thankfully they still haven't raised prices yet.

As for ordering from AC Supply, its awkward, as a) I don't really need any more rocket kits, and b) don't need that many of the specialized engines (C11-3/5, B6-0, A8-5) that HL doesn't carry. I have no local store other than HL, and the nearest hobby store is 30 mins away with a very minimal selection. So its hard coming up with an $100 order to get the free shipping at this point.
Dunno, for some reason I never seem to have difficulty topping $100, whether it's motors (collection out of control but is there such a thing as "too many"? Good shelf-life), kits (trying to ignore the boxes of unbuilt kits at hand!), or perhaps some new construction materials or wood (their Midwest Balsa supply is pretty decent, basswood/ply, too). So I have to be careful when I visit their site!

But AC does charge hazmat for E/F motors whereas HL doesn't, though HL selection is limited... And AC comes with a tax break unless you live in Missouri, whereas HF is pretty much all over...
 
Guess I spent $175.34 at Hobby Lobby tonight... Didn't really need anything.

Bought some more motors. Couldn't pass up "$16/3-pack for E-12s and no hazmat charge". Invoice says so.

Prolly have 4-500+ LPR/MPR motors at base, and traveling with over 100... (only launched about 10 so far this winter...work's busy).

Guess I bought some kits, too. Though have maybe 30 unopened kits stashed in boxes waiting (not counting bulk packs). I know others have more.

Do I need a 12-step for rocketry supplies?

Nope. I needed them.

Plus! I got free shipping!!
 
Guess I spent $175.34 at Hobby Lobby tonight... Didn't really need anything.

Bought some more motors. Couldn't pass up "$16/3-pack for E-12s and no hazmat charge". Invoice says so.

Prolly have 4-500+ LPR/MPR motors at base, and traveling with over 100... (only launched about 10 so far this winter...work's busy).

Guess I bought some kits, too. Though have maybe 30 unopened kits stashed in boxes waiting (not counting bulk packs). I know others have more.

Do I need a 12-step for rocketry supplies?

Nope. I needed them.

Plus! I got free shipping!!
<rant>I really wish places like this wouldn't skip hazmat when it's required by law/regulations - It's not that I care so much about the hazmat, it's just that it puts law abiding businesses (e.g Sirius, Wildman, ASP) at a disadvantage. Some simply don't carry the larger BP Motors, probably because of hazmat (eRockets, BRS). If I was really hurting for $, I might take advantage of it too, but I'm going to try to resist, and continue supporting my LHS.</rant>
 
<rant>I really wish places like this wouldn't skip hazmat when it's required by law/regulations - It's not that I care so much about the hazmat, it's just that it puts law abiding businesses (e.g Sirius, Wildman, ASP) at a disadvantage. Some simply don't carry the larger BP Motors, probably because of hazmat (eRockets, BRS). If I was really hurting for $, I might take advantage of it too, but I'm going to try to resist, and continue supporting my LHS.</rant>
Not really sure they're breaking the law. Either their sales scale allows them to absorb shipping/hazmat costs or they receive an exemption somehow--everything's shipping by ground with ORM-D labeling. Now I'm not a DOT expert or postal inspector, but if their shipping was overtly illegal, for sure they'd be out of the motor-shipping business with the quickness. And while I am all for supporting the smaller specialist businesses, my primary allegiance is to my wallet and my bank account.
 
. And while I am all for supporting the smaller specialist businesses, my primary allegiance is to my wallet and my bank account.

I support the vender who comes to launches, and the local hobby shops, even though I may get things cheaper online. They are there when you need them, and that has immense value...at least to me.
 
I support the vender who comes to launches, and the local hobby shops, even though I may get things cheaper online. They are there when you need them, and that has immense value...at least to me.
Agree. I should have specified "all for supporting smaller specialist businesses....except with regards to Estes' already-overpriced BP motors...".

Novel kits, building supplies and parts, specialty/custom items? Never a problem paying the asking price, and happy to support our rocketry vendors.

But I'm sorry, paying essentially double the cost for an already overpriced product (my opinion) and non-trivial shipping costs for BP motors is just fiscally irresponsible. My accountant approves of this message. 😂
 
<rant>I really wish places like this wouldn't skip hazmat when it's required by law/regulations - It's not that I care so much about the hazmat, it's just that it puts law abiding businesses (e.g Sirius, Wildman, ASP) at a disadvantage. Some simply don't carry the larger BP Motors, probably because of hazmat (eRockets, BRS). If I was really hurting for $, I might take advantage of it too, but I'm going to try to resist, and continue supporting my LHS.</rant>

This was actually quite an eye opener for me after getting my first hobby lobby order. I had some E-12s in my order so I assumed HL just ate the cost of Hazmat but FedEx dropped it off on my front porch without the stickers or paperwork attached. Kind of unbelievable such a large corporation would have that type of shipping policy.
 
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