# Midwest Steel Supply



## devils4ever (Nov 1, 2020)

Has anyone ordered from Midwest Steel Supply recently? I placed an order over a week ago and it still hasn't shipped. I'm not impressed.

I usually use Online Metals, but decided to try Midwest since they will custom cut to size. Online Metals is fast. I usually receive my delivery in a day, sometimes two.


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## Nyala (Nov 1, 2020)

I used Online Metals for a long time until I found Midwest.  Now I almost exclusively use Midwest.

Online was always quick to ship and was handy for getting material quickly when you needed to do so.  Midwest is not so quick and a week's wait, and likely 2 weeks, is not unusual.  What I do is I have a list of projects to accomplish and order material ahead so that I have it on hand when I want it.  I usually have material on hand a month or more before needing it.

The advantage of Midwest is that they are way cheaper than Online Metals.  Even when Online puts material on sale they are usually still more expensive than Midwest.

I have looked at Speedy Metals and Metals Depot but both are also more expensive than Midwest, and usually more expensive than Online.  The only time I might vary from Midwest is if I need something they don't carry, which is rare.

I tolerate the slow shipping.


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## Ik4771 (Nov 1, 2020)

devils4ever said:


> Has anyone ordered from Midwest Steel Supply recently? I placed an order over a week ago and it still hasn't shipped. I'm not impressed.
> 
> I usually use Online Metals, but decided to try Midwest since they will custom cut to size. Online Metals is fast. I usually receive my delivery in a day, sometimes two.


I order from them pretty regularly, it usually takes about a week to just ship the items but their prices are about the lowest on the web 

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk


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## devils4ever (Nov 1, 2020)

I guess I have to be patient. I would have ordered earlier if I knew they take a while to ship. Now that I know, I'll adjust my ordering accordingly.

They are cheaper because of the custom sizes that they offer. For instance, I needed a 1" thick piece of 6061 that is 7" X 18". Midwest has it for $39.80. Online Metals has it for $239.06 because I have to order a piece 12" X 24". That's why I ordered from Midwest.


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## mickri (Nov 1, 2020)

How are their shipping prices?  Some places have low price on the material and high shipping prices.


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## addertooth (Nov 1, 2020)

The entire industry is odd on shipping times right now (possibly due to reduced Covid staffing).  I ordered a mill, and then 30 seconds later a chuck from a highly reputed vendor.  The Mill went out fairly quickly, but the chuck on an R8 spindle shipped out about 11 days later.  I have had stuff from China arrive faster than stuff from an adjacent state.   I would throw in that any metal vendor who "cuts to customer specifications" will have an extra Step in their shipping process, which a competing seller (who does not cut to desired length), does not have, and which may slow them down. 

I remember that us hobby-machinists are penny orders, against higher volume purchasers... we many not get the same level of love.


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## mickri (Nov 1, 2020)

Just ordered a bunch of stuff for future projects.  Shipping was reasonable.  Not cheap but also not expensive.  Wonder when I will get it.


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## Nyala (Nov 2, 2020)

mickri said:


> How are their shipping prices?  Some places have low price on the material and high shipping prices.




Even though I have a retail metal store within 10 miles of me, I buy through Midwest because it's delivered to my door rather than me having to go get it.  However, I experimented before making this decision.

I first went to the metal store and bought three pieces os metal, 2-6061 aluminum and one 1018 steel.  All three were 6 feet long.  After getting home I used the final prices on my receipt for comparison with an online simulated "order" of the exact same products.  I compared Midwest's final price to the metal store's final price and they were within 17cents of each other, with the metal store being the higher of the two.  And that does not figure in the gallon of gas I used in my truck to make the round trip to the metal store.

For me, it was easier and cheaper to just order what I wanted from Midwest and have it delivered.  The same might not be true for you.


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## mickri (Nov 2, 2020)

I buy everything I can online and have it delivered.  The nearest small town is 12 miles away.  The closest metal suppliers are 35 to 50 miles away.  That's a 70 to 100 mile round trip.  I never make a trip to town to buy just one item.  I make a shopping list and combine as many errands as I can on each trip.  Thursdays are shopping/errand day.  My elderly mother, 102 years young, gets her hair done on Thursdays.  Her doctors' appointments are also shopping/errand days.

Even with buying online I still check shipping costs.  The shipping on this recent order from Midwest was $21.  I was considering buying the same stuff from another supplier.  Their shipping cost was $35.  So I went with Midwest.


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## devils4ever (Nov 2, 2020)

Nyala said:


> Even though I have a retail metal store within 10 miles of me, I buy through Midwest because it's delivered to my door rather than me having to go get it.  However, I experimented before making this decision.
> 
> I first went to the metal store and bought three pieces os metal, 2-6061 aluminum and one 1018 steel.  All three were 6 feet long.  After getting home I used the final prices on my receipt for comparison with an online simulated "order" of the exact same products.  I compared Midwest's final price to the metal store's final price and they were within 17cents of each other, with the metal store being the higher of the two.  And that does not figure in the gallon of gas I used in my truck to make the round trip to the metal store.
> 
> For me, it was easier and cheaper to just order what I wanted from Midwest and have it delivered.  The same might not be true for you.



Does that price comparison include shipping costs from Midwest?


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## Nyala (Nov 2, 2020)

devils4ever said:


> Does that price comparison include shipping costs from Midwest?




Yes., Tax, shipping, etc., anything that I had to pay for.


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## devils4ever (Nov 5, 2020)

My Midwest order arrived today which is almost exactly 2 weeks. Packaged very nicely.

I will use them again in the future because of their pricing and customized sizes, but I will need to plan in advance.


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## mickri (Nov 16, 2020)

Been two weeks since I placed my order.  Got prompt confirmation of the order but no notice of shipping.  Devils4ever did you get an email when your order was shipped?


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## devils4ever (Nov 16, 2020)

I did get a tracking number after emailing them about the status of my order. However,  it still took days before it actually shipped.


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## mksj (Nov 16, 2020)

I put in an order with them on Oct.28th, received it Nov.14th, I did get a tracking number on Nov. 6th. So figure 1 week to process the order and probably 10 days once it is being prepared to ship to the time you get it. Shipping has been especially slow these days, but understandable given the increased volume of packages.


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## devils4ever (Nov 16, 2020)

Like I said earlier, I will use them again since they have good prices and custom cut to size. Patience is needed. I placed another order a week ago and have not received any info on shipping.


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## Tmate (Nov 16, 2020)

I have found that Midwest has a broader selection of many items.  For example, I recently put together two drill presses using magnetic drills.  I needed some 2 3/4" OD DOM steel tubing for the columns.  On-Line Metals had only one wall thickness (.25"), but Midwest had five wall thicknesses, and it was cheaper.  Midwest has 1/2" cold roll flat bar up to 12" wide.  On-Line only has it up to 6" wide.

The wait period for Midwest is irritating, though.  I guess I would compare it to a decision to go to a Seven-Eleven for a loaf of bread, but to a grocery store for a cart full of food.


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## devils4ever (Nov 17, 2020)

Shipping info just received. Not yet shipped but have a tracking number.


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## mickri (Nov 18, 2020)

My Midwest order arrived today. 15 days from order to deliver.  Excellent packaging.  Much better packaging than any of the other places I have bought from.


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## devils4ever (Nov 24, 2020)

According to the tracking number, my order still hasn't shipped. It is now over 2 weeks.


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## Nyala (Nov 24, 2020)

devils4ever said:


> According to the tracking number, my order still hasn't shipped. It is now over 2 weeks.



Although Midwest's shipping is slow, I think I would probably blame the current shipping delays on the virus situation.  A reloading site that I use has a banner on their home page advising that their normal shipping is being delayed 10-14 days due to the virus.  I don't know if they have had to layoff workers or if the procedures they must use to keep everyone safe is causing it, but delayed shipping seems quite the norm these days.  And with Midwest already being a slow shipper, it just makes things worse.


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## mickri (Nov 24, 2020)

Midwest makes everything to order.  It's not like they already have it sitting on the shelf.  You place an order.  Then it goes to what they call processing which is where the materials for your order are cut to length.  Then it goes to shipping.  And they are not sitting around waiting to process an order.  Your order gets inline with the orders that came in before yours.  First to be processed and then to be shipped.  I placed my order on Nov. 2nd in the evening.  They got it on Nov 3rd.  The packing slip has a Nov 11th shipping date. The earliest date I could find on the box was Nov 13th.  I received it on Nov 18th.  I do not consider 8 days to process and ship a made to order purchase to be unreasonable.  5 to 7 days for UPS ground shipping from Minnesota to California has been typical of what I have experienced for years.  In light of the benefit of getting exactly what you want cut to size two weeks or so from order to receipt is not unreasonable IMHO.


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## Tmate (Nov 24, 2020)

In order for any business to excel in marketing a product, they have to offer at least one of the following: a better product; the same product for less cost; or a product not available elsewhere.  Often, it's difficult to meet one of these requirements without sacrificing another, i.e., quality vs cost, etc.

Most of the steel suppliers we work with are supplying similar quality.  Our suppliers vary in terms of turnaround time, cost, and product availability.  Midwest offers cost and product availability incentives.  Onlinemetals offers turnaround time.

Online metals has six distribution centers located across the Country.  They have to maintain inventory in all six locations, with separate warehouse operations and shipping departments.  Their focus is on quick turnaround time, and that obviously involves costs passed on to their customers.

Midwest's focus is on a broad inventory and low prices.  They achieve both by only having to maintain inventory in one location, and not having multiple warehouses and shipping departments to handle the workload.  This cost, if you can call it that, is passed on to customers in the form of slow turnaround time.

Neither company is at fault.  As customers, we must determine our needs, and place our orders accordingly.


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## devils4ever (Nov 25, 2020)

I just received my order. That's a total of 16 days from when I placed the order.

The UPS tracking went from "Shipping label created" to "Delivered". I never seen this before. Plus, it was delivered by a guy in a black SUV, not a UPS truck.


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## Larry$ (Nov 25, 2020)

I think at this time of year the package delivery companies are very busy. To help they take on additional means of getting it there, Black SUV!


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## hman (Nov 25, 2020)

If Amazon goes ahead with their proposed drone delivery, it may someday be "black helicopters"


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## devils4ever (Nov 30, 2020)

FYI: OnlineMetals.com has 30% off until Wednesday.


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## devils4ever (Jan 18, 2021)

I'm getting delays much longer than usual from Midwest Steel. I ordered some steel plate and rectangular bar back on January 4th. Still nothing. No tracking number. Nothing.

I usually get a tracking number within 1 week. 

Has anyone else used them recently and seen this?


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## Tmate (Jan 18, 2021)

Today I received an order I placed on December 30.


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## devils4ever (Jan 19, 2021)

Wow! They are really running behind. Did you receive a tracking number? If so, when?


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## Tmate (Jan 19, 2021)

Received the tracking number on January 14.  This was included in the shipment notification e-mail.


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## devils4ever (Jan 22, 2021)

FYI: I emailed Midwest about my order since it's been almost 3 weeks and they said they are experiencing staffing issues due to COVID and are working overtime and weekends to remedy.


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## devils4ever (Jan 29, 2021)

I received my Midwest order last night. That makes a total of 24 days from ordering to arrival. So, plan on 3 - 4 weeks in the future for orders.


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## devils4ever (Dec 6, 2022)

Update: I ordered 3/16" and 1/4" 7075 aluminum plate from Midwest on 11/16/22 and I received it 12/5/22 for a total of 19 days. They are getting better!


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