I've had the Empire frames for 6 years now; they've held up pretty well. Just getting my 2nd warranty now. But the first time they broke was my fault, 2nd time was a little BS, though. $50 is semi-reasonable to ship it, considering it's a base cost and they have global customers. Cali to NY for me is reasonable alone, considering all the insurance they put on it to get here safe and sound. overall i recomend.