CA-ON McMaster-Carr

[Felis]

Any business that is unwilling to sell / honour the non-business hobbiest, willing to spend hundreds of dollars or more, can stick their ideology where the sun doesn't shine......

I would never, honour such a business with a single dollar, based upon principal alone, period.
Nor do care less if i am missing out on any savings, etc, with doing so.
My principals are not "for sale".

And those are my thoughts on businesses such as Master-Carr.

 

[David]

For what it's worth MMC will sell to individuals in the US no problem. So they are not totally horrible

 

[kstrauss]

Any business that is unwilling to sell / honour the non-business hobbiest, willing to spend hundreds of dollars or more, can stick their ideology where the sun doesn't shine......

I would never, honour such a business with a single dollar, based upon principal alone, period.
Nor do care less if i am missing out on any savings, etc, with doing so.
My principals are not "for sale".

And those are my thoughts on businesses such as Master-Carr.

Is it the fault of McMaster that Canada's government makes it so difficult to import goods? What about our "free trade" agreement?

I'd be happy to do the same if there were an alternative supplier. Suggestions?

 

[Doggggboy]

Any business that is unwilling to sell / honour the non-business hobbiest, willing to spend hundreds of dollars or more, can stick their ideology where the sun doesn't shine......

I would never, honour such a business with a single dollar, based upon principal alone, period.
Nor do care less if i am missing out on any savings, etc, with doing so.
My principals are not "for sale".

And those are my thoughts on businesses such as Master-Carr.

I don't see where ideology or principles come into play here. Lots of businesses have decided to not sell to individuals. Some of them legally can't sell to individuals. Sometimes it's regulatory requirements imposed by govt or by professional governing bodies.
Simply having the money to spend and the willingness to spend it doesn't get you what you want from a business all the time.
Luckily, more often than not, you can take your wallet someplace else and be happy, principles intact.
No harm, no foul, on either side.

 

[Arbutus]

As a MMC customer for over 30 years, I absolutely rely on them for correct high quality parts. Amazon has its place, but when you must be certain about the product it should be traceable and replaceable. McMaster is IMHO the premier supplier of engineering parts.

In Western Canada, an order on Friday before 3pm EST will arrive Monday at 10:00 am PST by Purolator.

An order placed on Monday morning will arrive Tuesday am or at the latest, Wednesday am.

Small packages are about $22. There are no additional fees involved.

 

[Former Member]

Here it is from Money Inc. about MMC business model.

20 Things You Didn't Know About McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is an industrial supply company that maintains a large inventory of hardware and accessories. It's a one-stop shop for do it yourself,

moneyinc.com

There are a few Canadian suppliers that are just like that too, that only do B2B.

 

[Chicken lights]

Is it the fault of McMaster that Canada's government makes it so difficult to import goods? What about our "free trade" agreement?

I'd be happy to do the same if there were an alternative supplier. Suggestions?

Spaenaur is pretty good, when you can’t find it elsewhere

It depends on what you’re looking for, I’ve had good luck with Bolts Plus and Fort Gary stores, Traction and Napa too

 

[kstrauss]

My needs tend to be slightly exotic. For example, a current requirement is 4mm (M3 threads) socket head shoulder screws. Suggestions for a Canadian supplier willing to sell a few dozen with delivery tomorrow?

 

[Arbutus]

My needs tend to be slightly exotic. For example, a current requirement is 4mm (M3 threads) socket head shoulder screws. Suggestions for a Canadian supplier willing to sell a few dozen with delivery tomorrow?

Purchased from Amazon - for example: https://www.amazon.ca/uxcell10pcs-S...prefix=m3+shoulder+screw,aps,135&sr=8-16&th=1

Ping me if you need a few - I have black oxide M3-4 approx 10mm long.

Don

 

[kstrauss]

Purchased from Amazon - for example: https://www.amazon.ca/uxcell10pcs-Stainless-Shoulder-Length-Thread/dp/B077GVY7N1/ref=sr_1_16?crid=ID2GUZ32VAT3&keywords=M3+shoulder+screw&qid=1674151957&sprefix=m3+shoulder+screw,aps,135&sr=8-16&th=1

Ping me if you need a few - I have black oxide M3-4 approx 10mm long.

Don

Thanks! I buy lots of medium quality small hardware from Amazon but didn't think to look for should screws.

 

[gerritv]

From the TSME supplier pdf:

Fasteners Online | 400,000 Articles Available

Fabory is your partner for top quality fasteners, industrial articles, inventory solutions and expert fastening information in the Knowledge Center.

www.fabory.com

or
Mini Bolt Company 540 Fife's Bay Road
Peterborough, ON
705-876-8645

Round, flat and socket head screws
and nuts in small sizes (0-80 and up).
No Hex sizes. In steel, alloy steel,
brass and stainless steel

and

Home - Pacific Fasteners

www.pacfast.com

 

[PeterT]

My needs tend to be slightly exotic. For example, a current requirement is 4mm (M3 threads) socket head shoulder screws. Suggestions for a Canadian supplier willing to sell a few dozen with delivery tomorrow?

Takes a few weeks to ship, but lots of hardware like this on AliExpress

 

[Susquatch]

My needs tend to be slightly exotic. For example, a current requirement is 4mm (M3 threads) socket head shoulder screws. Suggestions for a Canadian supplier willing to sell a few dozen with delivery tomorrow?

Fastenal has been very good to me.

Bolts depot is also good.

So is Amazon.

If you live close enough to a member with a business account they might be willing to order from MCarr for you. I certainly would.

For your needs, I'd get longer than you need with a full threaded shank and buy a box knowing they can be easily shortened to whatever length you need that day.

 

[kstrauss]

Fastenal has been very good to me.

Bolts depot is also good.

So is Amazon.

If you live close enough to a member with a business account they might be willing to order from MCarr for you. I certainly would.

For your needs, I'd get longer than you need with a full threaded shank and buy a box knowing they can be easily shortened to whatever length you need that day.

Shorten shoulder screws?

There is a Fastenal a few miles from me but sadly they stock almost nothing in the way of small screws (#4 or M3 and smaller).

 

[Dan Dubeau]

For being a country that is supposedly metric, I've always found it funny how a lot of the supply places stock very little of it lol.

 

[kstrauss]

Hopefully suppliers know the needs of their customers and that is not metric stuff. Of course there is considerable demand for 1219x2438mm pieces of plywood and drywall.

 

[Chicken lights]

For being a country that is supposedly metric, I've always found it funny how a lot of the supply places stock very little of it lol.

That’s funny, but you make a good point. If I’m building something there’s zero chance I’m using metric fasteners. I don’t understand metric threads or grades, so I avoid them when possible. Much easier to have grade 8 and stainless in imperial instead

 

[Susquatch]

Shorten shoulder screws?

Nope, I said get full thread (ie no unthreaded shank) and shorten those as required.

Maybe I misunderstood what you are after.

There has been the odd time they had to bring something in for me but it's usually two business days. Buying longer thread seems to improve the odds that it is in stock. I have purchased m4 in stock, but never m3 or smaller.

In case it matters, I find it a lot easier to find #6 or smaller imperial instead of metric in stock.

Last but not least, some members on here have had bad experiences with Fastenal. Especially them not wanting to help non-commercial customers. My experiences have all been great.

 

[kstrauss]

I'm not a real "commercial" customer but my Fastenal experience has generally been excellent. Particularly their closeouts have included some amazing bargains over the years. My purchases have been mostly fasteners but have also included Lista cabinets, saw blades and other items.

 

[Tecnico]

Just a few words to add some more data on ordering from McMaster.

I placed my first order yesterday at about 5:20 PM, specifying ground shipment. They have several options but they don't price them in advance - odd. Anyhow I picked ground and much to my surprise the package arrived at my door via Purolator today at 12:15PM. Either they subbed delivery out to the Wood brothers or it came by air! That beats Digikey's 2 - 3 day "overnight" shipping! Oh, I'm in Nova Scotia so not exactly centrally located.

The other tidbit was I filled in my company name on the order which seems to have met their commercial customer requirement.

All of the tax & border bureaucracy was included in the transaction so no dinger fees etc.

That definitely opens up more options for parts ordering although they're not the lowest cost option. That said, they also don't sell cheap goods either.

D