Look at the shipping cost as sales tax. You buy local you pay sales tax, buy catalog or web you pay shipping, granted a little more in most cases. I pay no sales tax here in De but we have no stores[]but rumor has it Cabelas is coming 3 miles from the house. BTW, I haveplaced little ordersfrom themin the pastwith no problems. As a matter of fact I'm looking at them right now for something.