Buying AMSOIL in Alaska: shipping, pickup, and what it costs to get here

How do AMSOIL orders get to Alaska?

AMSOIL has partnered with Carlile Logistics for warehousing, distribution, and order fulfillment in Alaska. You order the normal way, on AMSOIL.com or at 800-777-7094, and pick how you want it delivered. One thing surprises people: AMSOIL says Alaska freight is not calculated or included in the order total when you order online or by phone, because of the number of shipping options and the complexity of freight rates within Alaska. The charges are figured and applied when the order ships.

Does free shipping apply in Alaska?

No. AMSOIL’s free-shipping offer is “valid only for online/catalog retail orders shipped to a valid address in the United States (excluding Alaska and Hawaii)”. That includes the “free shipping on orders over $100” line in the Preferred Customer benefits. Plan on paying freight on every Alaska order.

The 7.5 percent Alaska freight surcharge

AMSOIL’s wording, from its shipping page: “For all shipments to Alaska add 7.5 percent to the total product cost for extra freight expenses.” It applies whether you ship, pick up, or have the order held at a terminal. With Anchorage pickup, AMSOIL says the surcharge is the only freight charge.

Because the surcharge is figured on the total product cost, a Preferred Customer’s lower member product total also means a smaller surcharge. Wholesale and member pricing is available only by registering as an AMSOIL Preferred Customer, Dealer, or account.

Ground, Anchorage pickup, or deliver-and-hold

AMSOIL’s Anchorage pickup location is Carlile Anchorage Logistics Warehouse, 1930 Spar Ave., Anchorage, AK 99501. Check the current shipping information page and Alaska shipping terms before you drive over. AMSOIL also notes that products picked up in Kenai, Kodiak, and Seward are subject to local sales taxes.

Getting fuel additives and aerosols to the Bush

AMSOIL says aerosol spray cans, fuel additives, and Engine and Transmission Flush cannot be shipped by air freight or parcel post. For remote parts of Alaska, AMSOIL says special arrangements can be made through USPS or Carlile; Carlile can ship restricted or hazardous materials, but additional charges may apply. If your diesel needs AMSOIL Diesel Cold Flow or your gas engines run P.i.®, order before freeze-up, not the week it hits forty below. More on that in the diesel page.

Is Preferred Customer still worth it without free shipping?

Do it in percentages. The membership saves up to 25 percent off AMSOIL retail on product, and the Alaska surcharge is 7.5 percent of the product total either way. If you buy more than a couple of oil changes a year for trucks, sleds, and wheelers, the membership usually earns its fee back; if you buy one quart a year, it may not. The details are on AMSOIL Preferred Customer and AMSOIL dealer pricing.

Where is 907 Synthetics?

In Wasilla. 907 Synthetics is me, Fredric Riech, an Independent AMSOIL Dealer since 2013. There is no Anchorage, Fairbanks, or Kenai location. I help customers statewide by phone and email, and orders placed under dealer number 1245102 are filled through AMSOIL’s Alaska fulfillment with Carlile.

Around the state

• Mat-Su: Wasilla and Palmer are on AMSOIL’s ground-shipping list, and Anchorage pickup is a short drive. This is home.
• Anchorage, Eagle River, Chugiak, Girdwood: ground shipping, or pickup at the Carlile warehouse in Anchorage.
• Fairbanks and North Pole: ground shipping, or deliver-and-hold at the Carlile Fairbanks terminal. Interior cold is why the 0W grades and Diesel Cold Flow matter here.
• Kenai Peninsula: Kenai, Soldotna, Homer, Seward, and others are on the ground list; Kenai and Seward also have Carlile terminals, with local sales tax on pickups.
• Kodiak: AMSOIL’s Alaska terms list deliver-and-hold to the Carlile Kodiak terminal, with local sales tax.
• Prudhoe Bay: deliver-and-hold at the Carlile terminal at the Deadhorse Airport.
• Off the road system: USPS or special arrangements through Carlile, and plan ahead for additives and aerosols.

Why isn’t AMSOIL on Alaska parts-store shelves?

Because AMSOIL sells through independent Dealers and their retail partners instead of mass-market chains. Some Alaska shops carry it; the AMSOIL locator lists them. The longer answer is on what is AMSOIL.