Question about ordering ingredients online

[jfrancesconi]

Hello,

Just a quick question.  I have read many many threads on this board about the best ingredients, and mostly where to find them because it's nearly impossible to find. 

http://www.pennmac.com/page/27

This page seems to offer just about every product that is coveted here.  Perhaps this is newer and I am reading older threads... or maybe I'm missing something.  This seems to be a perfectly good source.  Can someone please explain this to me?  Besides the mozzerella, I can't find any reason not to order flour, pepperoni, or tomatoes online.

Thanks,

Justin

[Bill/SFNM]

Justin,

The shipping charges are higher than most other sources.

Bill/SFNM

[abatardi]

Yeah as in really high.  You usually pay more for shipping than the product itself. 

[Pete-zza]

Unfortunately, things like flour and canned tomatoes are heavy to begin with and are going to eat up shipping charges whether you like it or not. Where the shipping charges becomes really burdensome is for perishable items, like fresh cheeses, that have to be shipped one- or two-day air. But if you plan to buy a lot of different items at one time, I would still look at places like PennMac because you may find that your total shipping charges are less than if you cherry pick places for individual items and pay several shipping charges. So, I would make out a list of what you want and do some comparison shopping, including shipping charges.

Peter

[jfrancesconi]

I see. 

Thanks guys!

[les_garten]

Hi,
   I placed a good size order with them.  After calculating in shipping costs, they are still much cheaper per pound than the crap the supermarket carries.

Les

[abatardi]

I guess I'm blessed with 2 or 3 chains and a couple independent "upscale" supermarkets where I live and can get a lot of that stuff (or similar) locally..

I'm not against ordering flour and stuff online... I've ordered from king arthur many times and they always have reasonable shipping prices.  Pennmac is just a rip off in that department. 

- aba

[jfrancesconi]

Aba,

I think (based on your other posts) we live in the same area, but maybe I'm wrong.  I'm in San Jose.  I am able to get most of the good stuff at lunardi's or whole foods... but haven't had much luck with flour anywhere.  Or pepperoni.

[abatardi]

Yeah I am in San Jose also.  Depends what flour you want I guess... most places carry KA... Some of the whole foods carry Giusto's in the bulk bins (not sure if the one on Hamilton does or not).  I have seen baker's pride and ultimate performer in the bins before.  If you want Caputo and ask really nice, Ed from Neto's Sausage in Santa Clara (near the police station) might order you a 25kg bag on his next food delivery.  He also has very good pepperoni that he makes there.

- aba

[chrishay99]

Yeah as in really high.  You usually pay more for shipping than the product itself. 

I'm a retailer (not food-stuffs), that ships and receives products daily.  With the current gas prices, expecting shipping to be cheap is unrealistic.  It's becoming more and more like the Old West...shipping something (especially perishable foods) is going to be expensive.  How bad do you want it?

Really high shipping prices are a result of and equal to really high fuel prices.  Saying that a company is charging "really high" shipping prices is not fair, unless you work for them...  

[abatardi]

Or unless you compare them to other services that charge half or a quarter as much for shipping the same types of products, including a company I do part time development work for..

[Bryan S]

Yeah as in really high.  You usually pay more for shipping than the product itself. 

Yeah, Penn Mac shipping is pricey. What they charge me for shipping is insane and I only live 4 hrs from them. I have not ordered from them in quite sometime due to their extremly high shipping charges. I can get stuff from many states away, with  cheaper shipping charges than from Penn Mac which is in the same state.