I went back and totaled my last 3 orders with the new pricing and higher shipping. All three orders were a 12% to 14% increase, which is between $14 and $20 more. Some of the individual kits (i.e. Dead Ringer) went up 20%! Some only went up by $0.75. The thing that ruffles my feathers the most is that the highest price increases are the most popular kits; Dead ringer, Innkeeper, St. Paul Porter, and Irish Red for example.
I did notice that AG kits are somewhat cheaper because they’re no longer charging for crushing grains. I’ve not shopped any where else really. My LHBS has poor hours and isn’t in a convenient location. I’m still going to shop with NB but like others, I will be shopping around a bit more.
Luckily we have the kit guarantee to offset all price increases.
[quote=“mvsawyer”]Some of the individual kits (i.e. Dead Ringer) went up 20%![/quote]A previous poster said it went down $5. Are y’all buying different versions or something?
I don’t do AG but from what I can tell, the AG kits did go down. Extract kits went up.
I can break it down with facts
[All extract kits from an order on 7/10]
The Innkeeper Extract Kit $25.99
Witbier $26.50
Tonguesplitter $27.99
Schwarbier $26.99
The full order price was $134.21 with yeast and other equipment.
With new price and new shipping rate, the order comes to $151.07 [increase of 12.5%, $16.86]
I don’t do AG but from what I can tell, the AG kits did go down. Extract kits went up.
I can break it down with facts
[All extract kits from an order on 7/10]
The Innkeeper Extract Kit $25.99
Witbier $26.50
Tonguesplitter $27.99
Schwarbier $26.99
The full order price was $134.21 with yeast and other equipment.
With new price and new shipping rate, the order comes to $151.07 [increase of 12.5%, $16.86][/quote]
+1 Extract brewers are much better off looking elsewhere. Just place one last order for MO extract.
It is a bummer. I hate playing the shipping game. Such a waste of time to shop around and fill an online shopping cart only to find out that the shipping kills the deal. After I found NB I bought there exclusively expect for a rare stop to the local shop, which is pricey.
However, I am SURE they were losing money on shipping. So I understand why they did it.
But it is just my nature to shop around for the best deal and the lack of fixed price shipping takes NB out of the automatic #1 spot
I don’t get it. Almost every other place I shop online offers FREE shipping, especially over a certain $$ amount. Maybe I’m living in the past, but I’m talking about things much heavier than some extract or grains. Appliances, Music Gear (drum set, heavy guitar amps, guitars, speakers), even heavy exercise equipment. What gives?
I don’t get it. Almost every other place I shop online offers FREE shipping, especially over a certain $$ amount. Maybe I’m living in the past, but I’m talking about things much heavier than some extract or grains. Appliances, Music Gear (drum set, heavy guitar amps, guitars, speakers), even heavy exercise equipment. What gives?[/quote]
Built into the price. You cannot stay in business by losing money on every transaction. They said they were lowering prices as the result of charging actual shipping costs, but that does not appear to be the case across the board
NB, who already provides lots of free things such as BrewingTV and this message forum (not to mention events at their stores, etc), is offering a no questions asked guarantee on their kits and then there are pages of whining about prices?
I like that NB is trying to be more than just a Wal-mart of brewing. For a store that offers so much, they still usually have the best prices and great service. I think this is a cool offer and a way to ease the anxiety while waiting to see how your brew turns out.
all the staff I have ever talked to has been nothing less than helpful. if I have to pay a little more for hops or my favorite kits, so be it. their customer service, both in store & interwebs, have been right where it should be: top notch. either stop complaining or buck up. complaining incognito on a message board might do you no good. write them a letter to vent your opinions.
The kit guarantee is especially nice for beginners. It also might sway some of us who formulate our own recipes to try some kits. As for shipping costs…gas prices being where they are it’s still cheaper for me to buy online. Perhaps NB should consider an NB prime membership that gives free shipping.
After shopping around a bunch and trying to get things figured out with other suppliers, I still placed my order with NB. I am the one that originally complained about the flat rate being gone and while it’s still a little more expensive to ship to where I’m at, it’s worth it. NB is still very competitive with others prices. I will happily pay a few extra dollars knowing I will get my order in a timely manner, get great quality ingredients, and receive excellent service. So, to any NB employee reading this forum, sorry I complained about the shipping difference. Thank you for very fair prices and great service. I wouldn’t be into brewing if it wasn’t for NB!
I brewed the ESB kit a little over a month ago. Followed the instructions as written.
I kegged it, and when I sampled it yesterday, I found it was very harsh and had an astrigent mouth feel…to the point, where I didn’t finish the sample I pulled from the keg.
At what point do I request a refund or replacement?
[quote=“tommyhock”]So, how does this guarantee work?
Anyone done this yet??
I brewed the ESB kit a little over a month ago. Followed the instructions as written.
I kegged it, and when I sampled it yesterday, I found it was very harsh and had an astrigent mouth feel…to the point, where I didn’t finish the sample I pulled from the keg.
At what point do I request a refund or replacement?
Do I give this more time and see if it improves??[/quote]
If you just give us a call at 1-800-681-2739, or shoot an email to info@northernbrewer.com, we can give you a hand troubleshooting, or replace the kit if it comes to it.
I agree with Bad-brew. The shipping has sky-rocketed due fuel, labor costs, higher taxes, etc. You have not tried to ship anything lately if you bitch about NB’s shipping rates.
A premium members club would be nice at NB, but the cost per year would be a bit pricey if it included free shipping. I would still probably join since my last order was almost $200.00 in materials and $48.60 more in shipping. Don’t mis-understand, that’s really fair for what was ordered since I know how much shipping costs.
Brewing is something most of us love to do, NB is not making a profit off their shipping costs so get real, bite the Shipping bullet and BREW ON!
I got a refund on a kit this summer - the AK 47, which I had brewed twice before successfully. I explained that I followed everything to a T this third time and ended up with very low OG and the kegged beer tasted lighter (and worse) than the worst of the “light” beers on the market.
They didn’t bat an eye, thanked me for letting them know, replaced the kit and the Wyeast smack pack that went with the kit.
I also had a problem recently with a keg part - took it back and they also replaced it (wasn;t even asking them to, was just asking what the problem was - they said it looked defective, “here’s a new one at no charge.”)
I live in Mpls and am in the store pretty often (with some pretty mundane questions), but am always treated well and I think they live up to what they say.
I agree with above. With gas prices and how much my time is worth, I will continue to ship from NB.
That being said I like the prime idea. Perhaps a yearly rate gets you certain perks plus flat rate shipping of the 7.99. Non-members pay full price for shipping. You could even have fun with it and have “exclusive” kits for members every now and then that they can buy too.
As for this topic, I’ve never had to redeem a kit but I really appreciate NB standing behind their product. Which is why I’ve been pouring money into NB since I started brewing in September lol
