Will Harbor Freight Deliver? Yes, And Here's How Much It'll Cost You

If you've ever set foot inside one of Harbor Freight's many brick and mortar stores, you know the family-owned retail company likely has a tool in stock for any job you might encounter at home or on the worksite. You might also know that Harbor Freight owns many of the bigger brand names adorning the tools on display in store.

The problem is, of course, that not everybody can make their way to their local Harbor Freight outlet the moment the need arises. So, like many other retailers, Harbor Freight has sought to limit the loss of those sales by operating an online storefront. And yes, the existence of Harbor Freight's online retail outlet means that the company will, in fact, deliver items purchased there to your home. Interestingly enough, however, the company does not currently offer a buy-online and pick up in store option, and it would seem it also doesn't offer an option to buy an item in-store for home delivery.

In any case, any purchase made through Harbor Freight's web store will ship directly to your home, and many will do so via a fairly reasonable flat rate shipping fee of just $6.99. At that price, most items are expected to ship and arrive within 5 to 7 business days. If that is too long to wait, you can also opt for Express Shipping, though the cost of that will vary depending on the size and weight of the item ordered.

Now that you know that Harbor Freight Tools will deliver items purchased online to your home, and about how much it will cost for delivery, there are a few other factors to consider. Chief among them is that, despite offering a flat rate shipping fee, not everything available to consumers via Harbor Freight's online storefront qualifies for the $6.99 rate. Likewise, your location in the world might dramatically affect how much you pay to get an item shipped to your home by Harbor Freight Tools. 

As for the former issue, the company notes on its Customer Support page that the $6.99 flat rate shipping fee only applies to items that are not deemed overweight. Unfortunately, there's also no indication on the site regarding what the weight limits are. Given the sort of items you're likely to be purchasing from Harbor Freight, it stands to reason that those qualifications could apply to a lot of products. And it goes without saying that something like a Harbor Freight exclusive Haul-Master Utility Trailer will fall into the Truck Delivery category.

Regarding location, Harbor Freight notes that orders bound for Hawaii or Alaska are also disqualified from the $6.99 flat rate shipping fee. In fact, Harbor Freight will not even ship items that are 70 lbs. or heavier to those states. Nor will the company ship any item to a P.O. Box. 

Apart from those restrictions, it's worth noting that some customers who've purchased items through Harbor Freight's online storefront have not been satisfied with the shipping process. Some have even complained of items that arrived either poorly packaged or damaged during shipping. Harbor Freight notes on the Customer Support page that it is not responsible for items damaged during shipping. Rather, the company explains that sorting out such issues falls to the purchaser after turning the package over to the deliverer, specifically mentioning the likes of the United States Postal Service, UPS SurePost, UPS Ground, and UPS Air as shipping partners.

As for customer shipping complaints, Redditor u/photonashville noted their items — reportedly handled by FedEx — arrived in bad shape, claiming Harbor Freight used, "Cheap FedEx shipping that can destroy some items. I had a damaged compressor air dryer and Braun hood light ... Some of the worst packaging or lack of packaging." They'd further state, "Worst of any retailer ... Take your chances."

On top of potentially damaged items, other Redditors have also complained about Harbor Freight missing the 5 to 7 business days shipping window, with some noting that their orders have taken weeks, and even up to a month to arrive. There are, of course, plenty of users that have had no issues with Harbor Freight shipping. But it would seem that, if you have a project you want to tackle ASAP, it might be wise to make the trip to your local Harbor Freight store to procure the necessary tools.