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Mcmaster.com is the best e-commerce site I've ever used

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Re: Mcmaster.com is the best e-commerce site I've ever used

#411

Post by Maarten88 »

bbarn wrote: post #295
jstanley wrote: post #253

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Set screw" means the same as "grub screw", i.e. a bolt where the entire thing is threaded, and the head is set within the bounds of the thread, not proud of it. Like this: https://ever-hardware.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Torx-se... Torx grub screws are super uncommon, I don't think I've ever seen one. Usually they have a hex socket (for an allen key), or occasionally they're slotted (for a flat-blade screwdriver…

I think they are uncommon because torx drivers are always bigger than the head of the tool. They always taper down to the size as part of the design, so that doesn't work well for most applications.

I can get a straight torx screwdriver with shaft diameter smaller than the screw at my local hardware store. No need for worldwide shipping, I can get that on bike. There exist also torx bits with long shaft.

Re: Mcmaster.com is the best e-commerce site I've ever used

#412

Post by lynndotpy »

toddmorey wrote: post #372

"People visit McMaster-Carr with high intent to buy a specific part, that's it." Mcmaster is great, but it's important to point out there's no brand or product selection decisions. You pick your criteria and get exactly one option. It lends itself to a very different experience. How would this work for cars or couches or headphones?

Many good examples in this thread, surprised not to see Monoprice mentioned.

You only compare among Monoprice, and they usually have a decent bar for quality.

Re: Mcmaster.com is the best e-commerce site I've ever used

#413

Post by iancmceachern »

kuon wrote: post #332
jwr wrote: post #272

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Alas, for some reason they only cater to the US market and have no presence in the EU, for example. So while it is possible to order from them, it's rather inconvenient as you need to deal with customs/taxes. Digi-Key got this right: you can order DDP, which makes things quick & simple. Incidentally, I am amazed that they don't have a meaningful competitor in the EU. It seems most companies here are stuck in the 80s…

There is misumi but it is not exactly the same market

Musumi is great too, they're cool because they have a lot of semi custom parts like plates with holes in them where you can spec the hole locations, rotary shafts with custom lengths and end finishing, etc.

Re: Mcmaster.com is the best e-commerce site I've ever used

#414

Post by apocalyptic0n3 »

I used to work for an auto supplier and saw the McMaster site and catalog nearly every day. The thing that was always fascinating about their site was they basically translated their Catalog 1:1 to the web and added some interactivity to it. It's similar to what IKEA did with the early versions of its website. As a result, McMaster's site is hyper-focused on presenting information in the densest and cleanest way possible because it's using techniques from print. It's not trying to upsell or advertise or offer support or this or that. It's pretty much the gold standard catalog-to-site port and one of the best ecommerce experiences out there.

That said, the way they've done things won't work for many ecommerce platforms. They're established, they have a massive catalog of highly-customizable parts, they sell in bulk, and they're (mostly) B2B. Those factors really lend themselves well to a simple, catalog-like experience. A new name selling to customers that only has 15 products isn't likely to benefit as much, although there are still things they could likely learn.

Re: Mcmaster.com is the best e-commerce site I've ever used

#415

Post by danpalmer »

toddmorey wrote: post #372

"People visit McMaster-Carr with high intent to buy a specific part, that's it." Mcmaster is great, but it's important to point out there's no brand or product selection decisions. You pick your criteria and get exactly one option. It lends itself to a very different experience. How would this work for cars or couches or headphones?

This is almost exactly the problem Thread is solving for clothing (I worked there for >7 years).

Big retailers will have 100 different white t-shirts to choose from. Thread will (roughly) tell you which white t-shirt to buy.

The tricky bit is that fashion is _so_ personal, so what you have to do is actually have all 100 (or in many cases _far_ more), with all the necessary data to be able to differentiate, and then understand "style" in such a way that you can confidently recommend specifics. I'm biased, but I think Thread has become really very good at this.

Re: Mcmaster.com is the best e-commerce site I've ever used

#416

Post by loansindi »

pGuitar wrote: post #14
fake-name wrote: post #5

McMaster is great. This article is also completely glossing over another reason to use them: Their shipping is somehow insanely fast. Almost everything is next-day delivery, even for standard shipping. They've somehow got their logistics COMPLETELY nailed. I believe they have their own agreements with USPS/FedEx/etc... McMaster is generally not the cheapest, but they're almost always the fastest and the easiest. Mach…

> Almost everything is next-day delivery, Could it be that you live next to one of their warehouses? On the other hand, Amazon delays orders on purposes if you aren't a Prime member.

Our office is near their head office/distribution facility. If we order before noon, most stuff shows up same day.

Re: Mcmaster.com is the best e-commerce site I've ever used

#418

Post by rattray »

TheOtherHobbes wrote: post #345
gruez wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>On the other hand, Amazon delays orders on purposes if you aren't a Prime member. I'm not so sure about this. I'm not a prime member and I frequently get orders delivered before the estimated delivery date. On the other hand I also see instances where amazon takes suspiciously long to ship something. A charitable explanation might be that their logistics capacity (eg. planes or vans) is limited, so if you're not a p…

Prime is a nasty scam. If you compare the final pricing on the same item in a Prime and non-Prime account you'll see what I mean.

I don't have access to a non-Prime Amazon account. What are some examples of what you see?

Re: Mcmaster.com is the best e-commerce site I've ever used

#419

Post by iancmceachern »

marcus0x62 wrote: post #367
Mistletoe wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe your customers or employer would like you to save 2, 3, 5, 10x the price… My memories of McMaster from doing my hobbies is that it is outrageously expensive.

For production quantities, sure, nobody in their right mind would source from McMaster Carr (or Grainger, or any similar company,) but for their niche, they have a solid value proposition: they’ll get you small quantities of anything they carry incredibly quickly. For maintenance and repair (their primary market) or prototyping, that can be incredibly valuable.

Exactly!
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