Thorne

[Bee’s Knees]

Does anybody else find Thorne’s to be pretty slow with delivery?

Given most companies typically do next day delivery or certainly within a few days, they same to take at least a couple of weeks for anything, which I feel is a long time given what they charge..

It’s not like bee keeping equipment is changing all the time so they don’t have to worry about carrying too much stock!

Their busy season shouldn’t come as a surprise to them either, and they probably don’t have to deal with many returns.
How hard it is to put stuff in cardboard boxes and send it out the next day?

I do like their stuff though and it is always well packaged. Perhaps I just have to plan ahead better…

 

[pargyle]

I have to say I don't think I've really had the same experience from Thornes - orders usually arrives within a few days at the most - although as Stockbridge is not that far from me anything in the way of sales items or bigger orders I tend to go and collect.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I think people are just being spoilt by Amazoon prime

 

[Wilco]

Items bought in sales are usually sent out a few weeks later due to the volume of orders they get, thats fairly standard.

For routine stuff I've always found them pretty quick and very helpful customer service so may be worth dropping them a line if you haven't already.

 

[PeaBee]

Always found them good and open about it if there is a delay on none standard equipment.

 

[JamezF]

They've had a notice on their website for a while that they're behind with shipping some orders as far as I recall. Just checked and it says seven days, but a few days back it was ten.

James

 

[Murox]

I have found here that Thorne is as fast or is it slow as Amazon prime, which takes longer than ordinary Amazon. The quickest supplier is actually C Wynne Jones for me and always has been.

 

[blackcloud]

Normality in our neck of the woods

 

[WoodenBeam]

Does anybody else find Thorne’s to be pretty slow with delivery?

Given most companies typically do next day delivery or certainly within a few days, they same to take at least a couple of weeks for anything, which I feel is a long time given what they charge..

It’s not like bee keeping equipment is changing all the time so they don’t have to worry about carrying too much stock!

Their busy season shouldn’t come as a surprise to them either, and they probably don’t have to deal with many returns.
How hard it is to put stuff in cardboard boxes and send it out the next day?

I do like their stuff though and it is always well packaged. Perhaps I just have to plan ahead better…

You could always drive & collect - stop for lunch at the staff/customer restaurant, it’s very good

 

[Ian123]

I think the lesson to learn is to plan ahead. Its fair to say the majority of UK suppliers are relatively small concerns and the surge in demand at sales times and the active season puts strains on supplies/staff and actually getting the stuff out!
I’ve found most of the suppliers are very good but have certainly had stuff delayed at times of high demand, a polite phone call normally sorts things out.
Just remember these guys deal with the general public… that’s us! And probably deserve our sympathy

 

[robinharman]

If you want to experience real delays and bad quality order from Bee Equipment or their other entity 'Value in Beekeeping'. The other week the delays were so bad I rang up, eventually got through and asked to speak to Patrick. The answers was that he was on holiday

 

[drex]

I have only but praise for them. Any queries or returns sorted efficiently and politely. Yes delays at sale times and in winter when too cold to ship foundation. I plan ahead

 

[luap321]

I dont have much experience of buying bee stuff,
Bee Equipment is down the road from me but dont do any thing poly that i could see and 1/2 of what i want they are waiting for delivery but i find them a very good price on most things and collection is better than waiting in for delivery's, also you can see what you are getting .
C Wynne Jones good quick delivery
Abelo lovely products & next day delivery , but £26 ,free standard delivery over £200 instead of £7.20 it would be nice if they did spend over £200 and get a reduced price next day delivery or half price next day ,i think £7.20 is to dear for postage if you were just buying 1 pack of un-assembled frames

im new to bee keeping and im learning as i go so i make a few O my god i need X and i needed it 3 days ago so slow delivery for me is out of the question atm ,if i stock up on stuff in the sales out of season i will not worry how long it takes to come as long as i know its coming

 

[Wilco]

I dont have much experience of buying bee stuff,
Bee Equipment is down the road from me but dont do any thing poly that i could see and 1/2 of what i want they are waiting for delivery but i find them a very good price on most things and collection is better than waiting in for delivery's, also you can see what you are getting .
C Wynne Jones good quick delivery
Abelo lovely products & next day delivery , but £26 ,free standard delivery over £200 instead of £7.20 it would be nice if they did spend over £200 and get a reduced price next day delivery or half price next day ,i think £7.20 is to dear for postage if you were just buying 1 pack of un-assembled frames

im new to bee keeping and im learning as i go so i make a few O my god i need X and i needed it 3 days ago so slow delivery for me is out of the question atm ,if i stock up on stuff in the sales out of season i will not worry how long it takes to come as long as i know its coming

Regarding postage I feel your pain. However, I recently had to look into it for my own business and when you break it down the prices are for more than the delivery/courier.

Not all couriers are equal so I picked Parcelforce 48. From being on the receiving end I like them and DPD! There's no point using a courier who is likely to lose or damage your product as this will cost your time and possibly money depending on claiming on insurance. It also jeopardises future sales.

Cheapest option for a flat national box packaged came to £6.70 for 48h delivery if I dropped off at the depot, a couple of quid more if I had it collected from my premises (balance that with the cost of your/staff time of going to the depot though). I also had to pay for the boxes, tape, printing the label and packaging materials. Cardboard boxes for beekeeping sized items are anywhere between about £1.50 and several quid each. Slightly cheaper if bought in very large volumes but I'm not at that point. Packaging includes tape and anything to cushion the items and stop stuff moving around in the boxes. This can add anywhere from pence to pounds.

Realistically, whilst those prices seem a pain, they're actually really good value. For large/heavy items, £26 odd quid is good value and a fair price even though it seems a lot. If I'm selling a complete hive, postage would come to around that for 48h IIRC although I don't have the prices with me. If the company is selling just first quality stuff then maybe there is room in the markup to absorb some postage costs but it's a business not a charity and the wiggle room isn't really there for seconds- why shouldn't the business pass on the costs to the customer?

I say this as someone who habitually prefers to buy from companies who offer free delivery over a certain order value and hope to get to the point where I can justify offering that myself in future!

 

[Vanterrier]

Beekeeping UK were going to charge me £17.00 for DPD 3day service on a pack of 30 shallow foundation ... I dont think so... Simon the Beekeeper was similar price on the foundation and £4.50 postage.
K

 

[Murox]

Ordinarily I order all I need at sales times and benefit a little from reduced prices but I always end up being stung, penalised really, for living in an area that is rural through shipping costs. Its not uncommon to find around £20 added to the price for postage/shipping and then have vat added onto that charge as well.
I ordered some poly shallows from C Wynne Jones on Sunday, yesterday, today at 1300 I received notification that they have been shipped. Great service.

 

[Bee’s Knees]

I think the lesson to learn is to plan ahead. Its fair to say the majority of UK suppliers are relatively small concerns and the surge in demand at sales times and the active season puts strains on supplies/staff and actually getting the stuff out!
I’ve found most of the suppliers are very good but have certainly had stuff delayed at times of high demand, a polite phone call normally sorts things out.
Just remember these guys deal with the general public… that’s us! And probably deserve our sympathy

As someone who is only in their 2nd year the thing is you don’t realise just how many extra boxes, lifts and frames you need, until you need them.
Like I said, I am very pleased with their quality and once they actually package the order it’s there the next day from Fedex. It’s just that dead time of a week or two where nothing happens with your order.
But I am sure I will have enough kit soon and so it shouldn’t be as much of an issue in the future.

 

[Ian123]

As someone who is only in their 2nd year the thing is you don’t realise just how many extra boxes, lifts and frames you need, until you need them.
Like I said, I am very pleased with their quality and once they actually package the order it’s there the next day from Fedex. It’s just that dead time of a week or two where nothing happens with your order.
But I am sure I will have enough kit soon and so it shouldn’t be as much of an issue in the future.

Sorry to burst the bubble

“you don’t realise just how many extra boxes, lifts and frames you need, until you need them.”

Decades on many of us still don’t realise.

But I am sure I will have enough kit soon and so it shouldn’t be as much of an issue in the future.

No never going to happen

 

[Erichalfbee]

But I am sure I will have enough kit soon and so it shouldn’t be as much of an issue in the future.

I thought I was there this season after 15 years

 

[JamezF]

“you don’t realise just how many extra boxes, lifts and frames you need, until you need them.”

Decades on many of us still don’t realise.

Ain't that the truth?

James