$19.95 Hasmat Charge?

[.38SuperMan]

I live in a very small town near a medium size city but stores that carry reloading supplies are scarce. The best source is at best a 1.5 hour round trip if traffic isn't bad. So when I see powder and primers on line I order them and live with the hazmat fees. It becomes part of the price of the sport.

Hasmat fees vary from dealer to dealer. One of the two I buy from charges $11 and the other $19.95. Last week I ordered 2 cans of powder ( their limit ) and the next day small magnum primers became available so I ordered 2 boxes of 1000, the limit. Both order had Hasmat fees of $19.95.

For those that have never ordered DANGEROUS!!! Components I thought you might find it interesting how carefully your items are packed and just how much care and thought is put into special packaging. My other supplier doesn't even do that well.

I purchase a very dangerous chemical from time to time. It's not explosive but seriously toxic. There's a special charge for handling but there's a charge of nearly $100 for a special certified box inside of another box with a special structure to prevent damaging the bottle inside the box inside the box. I understand that but a few to pack and handle powder and primers packed this way?

A funny story about the last chemical order I made. The FedEx driver saw the chemical was part of his delivery which was to be delivered in the afternoon. He wanted the shipment off his truck as soon as possible and moved my delivery to his first. He had to drive 60 miles out of his way to make the delivery.

 

[Sevens]

Primers cam certainly be hazardous and require special handling.

I think it's ludicrous that smokeless powder is a hazmat. It's combustible like almost everything that burns. YES, you don't want this in a fire, much like a gujillion other things that get shipped all the time, many tens of thousands of packages of them daily.

Most stuff that gets shipped simple ORM-D or whatever they have recently re-named the former ORM-D is every bit as "dangerous" in a fire as smokeless powder. Many tons of hair spray and wasp killer is shipped daily, ya don't want to light that up in a fire, either.

Smokeless needs to be re-classified.

 

[SmithNut]

Interesting....

About the only thing in that box that was safe was the...... packing material... !

 

[.38SuperMan]

My wife buys butane cans to fill a burner she uses for a coffee maker. Pressurized butane is much more dangerous than powder. No hasmat fee on butane. I've bought highly flammable solvents on line with no hasmat fee also.

My point was more about how poorly packed the powder was. There was no protection between the wall of the container and the powder bottle. There was plenty of packing between the two bottles though.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I would be happy with a hazmat fee of only $20. For years the lowest I've seen is $25 and up to $35.

I can understand shippers worrying about the safety box Black Powder buy Smokeless Powder is much more stable.

 

[Goblin]

Don't get me started……..

 

[mikld]

I took some mandatory Haz Mat classes, mostly handling used oil, batteries, and other automotive products, but some shipping was include, and IIRC, a "hazardous" product in it's original packing doesn't require special handling. As mentioned above some products, more volatile than primers and powder are not included. Powder and primers are hazardous when shipped separately, but OK if you put them together in a brass tube.

Around $20.00 fees seem to be normal, and I might fall for an $11.00 fee, but I believe Haz Mat is a huge rip off and refuse to partake (there are no components available in my small town, but a 2 hour drive north to a shop will supply me with most of my needs, but I stocked up when obumma was around)...

 

[ken158]

The hazmat fee is just another jab at the end user. I agree there is a fee but why does everyone have a different Price fee on top of shipping from different suppliers? Every hazmat box I have ever received was packed very similar to the OP pictures. Nothing special...

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I agree, they really don't do anything special for the fee charged. Anything to get us IMO. Primers and powder require a hazmat fee but loaded ammo doesn't. They have good lobbyists, we don't lol.

 

[Sevens]

It isn't just loaded ammo.

If you have a 100 count sleeve of primers, that's a HAZMAT. If you prime 100 otherwise empty pieces of brass, now that's ORM-D. (or again, whatever they now call ORM-D, since it has changed.)

But primed with no powder or no bullets and it's no longer HAZMAT.

 

[ARBY2017]

I am pretty sure it is the shipping company that charges a hazmat fee. The places selling powder just have to pass it on. Isn't UPS the only one that will do it? I bought some brass once for an oddball caliber and the guy shipped them USPS. When I opened it up they were primed, I was glad no one inspected that one.

 

[Tim Stapp]

About 18 months ago, I bought 2K rounds of virgin PRIMED brass from an individual on this very forum. Shipped USPS. No hazmat fees. Maybe because of a private individual?

What's the difference between 1K primed cases and 1K brick of primers???

 

[ARBY2017]

USPS won't ship primers or primed cases if they know about it. Brass and bullets are ok. I am not saying people don't do it, intentionally or not. I don't know what happens if they find something, I would assume it would have to be picked up wherever it was when they found it.

 

[Sevens]

What's the difference between 1K primed cases and 1K brick of primers???

It should be obvious that there is a massive difference between these two. HUGE difference.

The primed brass has the explosive little bit forcibly placed in to a sturdy container where it's nearly impossible for the primer to come out. That's one thousand explosive bits that are each individually protected and protected quite well from discharging in almost any way.

The other is a cardboard box with a plastic tray where every explosive button is packed with very little protection in close proximity to each other.

It's silly to even suggest these two are similar.

 

[ggibson511960]

I don't really know, but I believe HAZMAT fees are a surcharge that buys nothing. There is no way that FedEx, Amazon Prime, UPS, USPS or any other shipper has separate or special facilities and methods for hazardous materials, at least those that can be reasonably packaged for the demolition derby ride that packages get these days. If hazardous materials are excluded from air freight they ship on less expensive and slower surface transport. Where does the money go?

 

[LoboGunLeather]

I think it is spelled CYA.

 

[SMSgt]

Hazmat fee covers the expense of flipping the little hazard sign on the side of the truck.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

To speak of the lack of a hazmat fee for primed brass, there is none required. That is just another sign of the foolishness of the fee. Like I said above, loaded ammo requires no fee and neither does printed brass but primers and powder in their own safe containers do.

 

[505Gibbs]

Do you remember the 'good 'ole days' when places waived the Hazmat on the sale??

 

[Scriv]

I live in a very small town near a medium size city but stores that carry reloading supplies are scarce. The best source is at best a 1.5 hour round trip if traffic isn't bad. So when I see powder and primers on line I order them and live with the hazmat fees. It becomes part of the price of the sport.

I'd be very grateful to know where one could find this best source in East Tennessee. I haven't been able to locate a primer in nearly two years on line or otherwise. Thanks