Site Features FAQs

Yes, everyone can browse our sales flyers on our website. We also feature seasonal catalogs from time to time throughout the year. From any page on the MSC website, click on the Catalogs link at the top of the page to view all catalogs or choose the catalog drop-down to view our Big Book® or seasonal catalogs. 

No, it is not necessary to register to view or browse the catalogs; anyone can browse any of our catalogs and brochures without having to register.

The mscdirect.com website uses HTML5 for its catalogs. Modern browsers should not require any additional software. Older unsupported versions of Internet Explorer that do not support HTML5 may require Adobe Flash v20 or later to display the virtual catalogs.

Adobe Flash Player can be downloaded for free from Adobe's website. Once it is downloaded and installed catalog pages will open in the browser when the link is clicked. 

• Submitting a form that causes duplicate or inaccurate results to be displayed

• The inability to proceed while trying to register as a user

• mscdirect.com system error screen

• File unavailable error

• The inability to move past a specific point in a process

• Missing or incorrect information

• Helper applications

• Use of bookmarks or favorites (to secure or dynamic pages)

A Shared List is a list created by another contact within your organization that the creator has elected to share with everyone on the account. A Shared List can be created by anyone in your organization. Once a list has been designated as shared, all contacts within the same account can see this list. To see Shared Lists, click on the Shared List button located at the top of your My Lists page. Only the contact that created the Shared List can modify it.

Personal lists can be created from a number of places on our website after login:

• From the account page – under Manage My Business select My Lists.

• Left navigation – Select My Lists from under My Shopping Options heading.

• Header – Select Your Account from the header, then click on Lists.

• Shopping Cart – Click on the Add to List button directly from the shopping cart.

• Product Detail page – Click on the Add to Cart drop down to Add to My List or create a new list.

• Compare page – Click the Add to Cart drop down button to add it My List or create a new list.

• Upload a List – Use the upload feature to upload a list of part numbers and their respective quantities.

• Order History – Select the desired items and click the Add to List button.

To edit a personal list that you have created, you must select and open the List first by selecting the list name. Once your list is open, click on the link Edit List Details and then you can perform one of the following functions:

• Change the name and description of your list.

• To share or not share your list.

• From the My Lists page you can add and remove items from your list. To add an item, scroll to the bottom of the page for a quick order pad.

• Choose an MSC Item # or the Customer Part # when adding an item to the Shopping Cart

• Add notes to each item (notes are for customer use only).

• Remove selected items from a List or delete an entire list. Please Note: You may not edit a Shared List unless you are the creator.

To add an item to an existing list, select My Lists from the My Shopping Options, then click on the List name you wish to add to. Add item number and quantity to the quick order pad at the bottom and then select Add items to list.

To upload items to a List from the Lists page, select the Upload List button and from the Upload List page you can browse for the file you would like to upload. The file must either be tab (.txt) or comma (.csv) delimited and must be accessible from the computer you are using to connect to mscdirect.com. After the file is selected, you will be brought to the Upload Items to a List or Shopping Cart page. As the title implies, you can either create or add the items to an existing List or your Shopping Cart. Note: the maximum upload at one time is 300 items.

To review Lists, after login select the My Lists link from under the Manage My Business header. Or once you’ve moved off the My Account screen, you can select My Lists from under the Shopping Options section from the left navigation. In addition, you can select Lists from within the header by clicking on Your Account link and then selecting Lists.

To add items from a List to a Shopping Cart, go to the List page. You can either add an entire list or select items from one list or multiple lists. Select the box next to the items or select the All box and then the Add List to Cart button. Note: When items are added to a Shopping Cart from a List, they are not removed from the List. All lists stay intact unless they are deleted by the creator.

To access your Lists without going through the Account screen, select Your Account link in the header and select Lists. Or if you are not currently on the Account screen, you can locate lists under My Shopping Options from the left navigation.

To view a saved cart, log in and from the Account page, select Saved Carts from under Manage My Business. Or select Saved Carts from the left navigation from under the My Shopping options heading. From here you can:

• Search for a Saved Cart.

• Select one or more Saved Carts and move them into the Shopping Cart.

• Delete a Saved Cart.

• Edit the Cart name.

• Add the Cart to a list.

You can also see the items within a Saved Cart. From this screen you can choose All to add the entire Saved Cart or just select specific items from the Saved Cart to add into your Shopping Cart. Once items are moved from a Saved Cart into the Shopping Cart and sent through the order process, the Saved Cart is deleted Note: the Saved Cart must go through the order process entirely prior to it being deleted automatically.

A Saved Order is a way to save items from your Shopping Cart until you are ready to check out. Creating a Saved Order gives you the flexibility to come back later and add the saved items back to your cart when you are ready. Items in a Shopping Cart can be saved two ways:

• If you are logged in, click on the Save button from the Shopping Cart; you will be required to name your cart.

• If you have items in your Shopping Cart from a previous session and now are adding items to your cart without being logged in. Once you log in, the items from the previous session are automatically saved to the active cart that was already started.

To retrieve a saved cart, log in, go to the My Account screen, click on the Saved Carts link and select the order you would like to review or add to the Shopping Cart. From the left navigation under My Shopping Options, you can also access and retrieve Saved Carts.

Saved carts are for use by a specific contact on the account and cannot be shared. Once a saved cart goes through the checkout process, it is no longer available. If you would like other users to see items, we recommend you utilize a List or Quote to share.

To delete a saved cart, go to the My Account screen, click on Saved Carts, search for your cart, select the cart by clicking in the box and then select the Remove Selected button.

Our Customer Care team is always available to assist you with any issues you are having with our site. They can be reached at 1-800-645-7270, live chat or email us at searchfeedback@mscdirect.com to report a problem with the Search.

The search box was designed to help you search quickly and easily using keywords, MSC part numbers, customer part numbers, competitor part numbers, manufacturer part numbers, brand, SDS, Big Book page numbers, UPC and NSN numbers.

The Auto Search suggestions feature was designed to provide suggestions as you type. If you do not see your search term in our drop-down box, you can select one from the suggested matches. In addition, if a customer part number has been created, it will be visible within the type ahead functionality in our search header after login.

If your search criteria no longer match one of our predetermined search suggestions, the type ahead drop-down will disappear. You can continue entering your search term and click Go when you are done.

To find the location and inventory of a specific product, log in to mscdirect.com, ensure you have a defaulted ship-to location, then search for an item and view our search results. Real-time inventory and its location will be viewable. We also note if pickup is available, this information is also available on the Product Detail. Inventory is subject to prior sale. Products in Shopping Carts are not reserved. To ensure availability, complete the ordering process at your earliest convenience or call MSC Customer Care at 1-800-645-7270.

There are many ways to create a Shopping Cart:

• Cart - Add an item via search, catalog or product categories directly to the cart.

• Manage Carts – After login you have the option to manage Downloaded, Saved or VMI carts from under the Manage My Business header. Once the link is selected, choose by selecting the box to the right and then click on the Add Selected to Cart button. 

• Order History – From the left navigation, locate the Order History link. If the order is not within the last 6 months, select the drop down option to show orders from the last 18 months or choose the year. Once found, select the active order number link, then select Reorder Item or Reorder All options.

• Quick/Large Order Pad – Select Quick Order Pad from the top navigation and enter a part number and quantity. Select Add to Cart. 

• Lists – Following login, create a shopping cart by selecting Lists from Your Account drop-down in the header or by selecting My Lists from under the Manage My Business header. 

• Search – Within Search Results enter the quantity in the field and click the Add to Cart button. Once added, select View Your Cart option or continue shopping. 

• Product Detail page – From the Product Detail page, enter the quantity in the field and click the Add to Cart button.

• Search Header – Search for an item number within the search field in the header and select add to cart. 

• Quotes – Once a quote is ready to order, it can be added to a shopping cart.

• CMI Upload – Customer Managed Inventory utilizes a scanner from which scanned items can be uploaded to a shopping cart by using a USB cable. 

• ControlPoint App – You can download the ControlPoint App from an iPhone or Android and build a shopping cart by scanning barcoding or manually entering an item number. 

To edit the quantity of an item after it is in the cart, click in the quantity box and enter the new quantity by typing over the existing quantity and click on Update Cart. If you are in the checkout process, select the Shopping Cart link (upper left) to modify the cart. If you selected Submit Order during checkout, the order has already been processed. Please contact Customer Care at 800-645-7270 or chat with Customer Care immediately to discuss the modifications.

From the shopping cart select the Clear Cart link. At the prompt “Are you sure you want to clear this cart?” click Yes or click No to exit without clearing.

To save a cart, click on the Save link in options at the top of the shopping cart. A pop-up will appear to create a cart name prior to selecting Save cart.

To change the shipping address on your order, use the Edit link located to the right of the shipping address in the top right side of the shopping cart. To add a new address, select the button Add a New Address. If the address already exists, simply select the Set as Default link located to the right of the shipping address. 

The shipping order number field is optional but can be used to provide additional information on the address label.

To update consolidation preferences, select Manage Preferences after login from the My Account Settings heading. Typically, MSC will ship from our closest location first. If all items are available from one shipping location, you will be asked “Consolidate Shipping” Yes or No. If Yes is selected, this may delay delivery time, and consolidation to one location does not guarantee the merchandise will ship in one box as sometimes additional boxes are needed due to the weight of a shipment, hazardous requirements, or the girth of an individual type of item.

The option to ship using multiple shipping methods may be shown during checkout. You will be given the option to edit the shipping method by selecting the Edit link.

In order to meet our same day shipping guarantees, every order is processed immediately, leaving a very short window of time to make changes. Please contact us immediately at Customer Care at 1-800-645-7270 or chat online. General Customer Care hours of operation: Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. – 11 p.m. ET, and Saturday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. ET.