Hey, PD ! How do I . . .
- send you a PayPal payment ?
In the interest of security, I choose not to place any links to the PayPal site from my shopping cart pages so there is no possible way for any 'fraud-terrorists' to imitate PartsDinosaur.com's business identity and steal your identity, or your money. So, if you have placed an order that you wish to pay with PayPal, you simply sign in to your account on the PayPal site and click on the "Send Money" tab. (Choose "GOODS" and not "Services" as this will designate the need for a confirmed shipping address to be included with your payment notice.) You will receive those instructions again with your e-mailed receipt for your order. You must have a "confirmed address" account to process a payment and I will only ship to that "confirmed address" sent to me on your PayPal payment notice.
(please see PD's PayPal "policies" - Yup! PayPal needs its own page. It's a fairly fickle monster! =o)
- get a parts quote for items that I am considering ?
Simply "Add to Cart" each item that you want. Enter your zip code in the appropriate box and you will also see the shipping options and costs for the package. Need the record so you can compare with other sources? Just print the page out for your memory. Published prices can change so be sure to hit the "refresh" button when you re-visit a page later.
- learn how to use the shopping cart, never seen one before ! ? !
Take a quick shopping cart tour here!
No reason anyone shouldn't learn something new on any given day, is there?
- get a quote on engine parts that I do not find published on this site ?
Please feel free to e-mail me with any of your engine parts needs as quoting prices thru e-mail is how I do business all day long! (can't sell 'em, if I can't quote 'em!) E-mail buttons are located on all store pages for easy communication. If you use a web-mail service, just copy and paste this address into your e-mail client: partsdinosaur@gmail.com
- purchase parts that you do not have published on this site if I like your quote ?
I can add anything that you want to my site and send you a product hyper-link that will allow you to "Add to Cart" so even special orders can be calculated for shipping before you place an order. Always feel free to ask questions via e-mail so you can get what you want on the first try. =o)
- find the gaskets for an engine you offer parts for ?
To keep the amount of items per page limited so they load faster on your screen, I have published separate pages for the gaskets and seals on many engines. Please look for the RED button "link" to the gaskets page in the left margin of the specific engine you are working on.
- know if you have the item I want in stock ?
My inventory is always real-time so you will not be able to order an item that is not in stock  (unless it is identified to be an item that will take an extra business day to acquire for you with the noted image at the right). If you "Add to Cart" each item you are interested in, you will see a visual notice at the top of the cart page if quantities are not available or the item is sold out. Just look for my waving hand ! (Want to know when it will be back on the shelf? Just e-mail and ask . . . . and look for a quick reply =o)
- order a higher quantity of an item than you show currently on-hand ?
Just e-mail me before placing your order. Very often, I keep additional inventory aside on items that I also offer for sale on eBay. In addition, more stock orders are arriving daily and I may be expecting to add that inventory on the same day you wish to place your order so if the timing works for your needs, I can simply add more quantity to allow your order to be placed. Just let me know what ya need!
- calculate how long it will take for a shipment to reach me ?
If you choose to ship on UPS Ground to save some of your hard-earned-cash, you can check out the actual shipping time by clicking on the UPS logo in the left margin to view the delivery time from Phoenix, Arizona. If you need to have a guaranteed delivery, choose one of the UPS services that will do that but please remember that UPS does not count Saturday or Sunday as a business day! It's not a tricky formula but you can easily stretch it out across a weekend. You can $ave $ome money on $hipping if you do just a little homework, click here for $ome quick tip$ !
- know these parts are as good as OEM from the car maker?
Wow! Can we get off on multiple tangents on this one but, to keep it simple, I first want to point out that ALL of the parts you purchase from the OEM (original equipment manufacturer) are made by one aftermarket manufacturer or another, somewhere in this big global manufacturing economy! You probably already know some of the "OEM-ONLY-police" (from your community forums and message boards) who insist the OEM product is the only way to go. I will let you listen to anyone you choose on that subject but please do your own research, too! Ask any parts person at the dealer who_actually_makes_the_parts you are considering ordering. If they answer with the specific car maker's name (i.e. Mitsubishi, Honda, etc.) you should recognize this stroking feeling coming from the area of your wallet. Car makers do not make any of their own parts. Mitsubishi (or any other car maker that I am aware of) does not own a rubber factory to make their timing belts or hoses or tires, etc. Ford does not own an engine bearing manufacturing plant . . . . . and on and on and on . . . . All of this world's parts are made by manufacturers who contract with the OEM's for their needs, and then take advantage of their volume production capabilities to ALSO offer the same replacement items to the world's aftermarket brands. Simple "supply and demand" logistics rule this global manufacturing market place and the parts you can purchase for most of the engines on my site probably only come from a very few manufacturing facilities around this world. In the last decade, GM and Ford went thru some pretty ugly "divorce" proceedings with their own subsidiaries who were making the parts because they absolutely lost money for far too long! It really comes down to 'what brand do you want the package to say on it?" and I'll just stop there =o)
- return something for exchange or credit ? click here, it won't hurt!
Hey, PD ! Why do you . . .
- only ship to addresses in the USA ?
After a couple of years of trying to ship internationally, I decided to eliminate the only source of frustration that turned a fun business day into "just plain not fun" . . . . and I have enjoyed every business day since! It is simply too difficult for a small family business to calculate possible shipping rates and methods, make certain that all of the customs forms are correct and then find a way to get an acceptable payment completed, while at the same time giving my normal fast daily service to all USA customers. If you have a friend or agent in the USA who can forward a shipment to you, please consider shipping to that address. That person will be able to tell you how much work is involved after they forward your package. Also, please note that there are some very professional on-line businesses who offer this service for this very reason. (see the "International Shipping Services" button on the left margin of the page for more information)
sell these same parts on eBay at a higher price ?
In 2001, I started this business by selling parts on eBay and, of course, I still do that. But, as that monster has grown over the last decade, so has its appetite for profits. (all public held corporations have this necessary feeding habit if the officers are going to survive) Current eBay fees on store items sold are as much as 10% and generally, the overall cost of doing business on eBay is at least 7.5% so, when you are selling at a wholesale price to begin with, it is necessary to add those fees to the cost of an eBay item. I use eBay to advertise my business but once we have made contact, why not save yourself some hard-earned-cash! Here on the web site, you will notice that I can sell for these true wholesale prices and still offer additional discounts automatically in the shopping cart starting at $200 worth of purchases.
only accept orders that are placed on-line ? Why not telephone orders ?
Low overhead allows low pricing. Just that simple. MrsDinosaur can take your telephone payments during business hours quite easily but I can keep my prices as low as possible if I don't have to pay a couple more people to accept phone orders every day. Those would be the same people who may make errors in entering your order if there was any misunderstanding in verbal communication so now, I don't have to fire them! What you order is what you get! Never be afraid to ask questions via e-mail before placing an order, if I am awake, I am usually on-line and my e-mail is always on.
not accept any walk-in business from local customers ?
It really is about inventory control more than anything else. On-line inventory controls allow you to order anything that is currently available with no surprises or frustration. (It is not fun to tell an on-line customer that I can not ship his order today because somebody just walked in and bought the last one and I could not get the inventory adjusted fast enough !!!) I do not do business "on the street" here in Phoenix, and when folks used to just "drop-in", it stopped all of my daily business routines (packing, shipping, inventory ordering and e-mail communication) to the point that I missed the last daily shipment on UPS because a persistent customer wanted to ask questions and look at parts for 45 minutes. Result was 4 customers almost did not get their parts on the way and the walk-in joker didn't buy anything! This policy is just a business decision that allows my small "internet-only" business to operate efficiently and do exactly what I say I am going to do . . . . for all customers who understand . . . . with low overhead and real wholesale prices. You buy it, and I ship it!
Business Policies - Payments - Shipping Options - QUESTIONS ?
PD's most common "puzzlements"
- Why do some folks "buy in the blind" and make the payment, and THEN ask a question? WHY NOT ask any question you may have before giving me your hard-earned-cash?
- Why do some folks not want to do their "homework" when it comes to the best shipping method for their needs? Look! An order shipped on Friday on USPS Priority Mail will probably deliver on Monday . . . . choose UPS 3-DAY SELECT and the same package arrives on Wednesday for alot more money !
- You can save some money on shipping if you do just a little homework, click here for some quick tips !
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