IMHO that is Redding warranty issue and they should pay for it.
Most of us probably agree with this assessment, Redding should pay for shipping and the replacement or offer to fix the die free of charge at the very least. That's the way stand up manufacturers should be handling their screw ups. But after the last buyout, Redding simply raised all their prices significantly and forestalled most of the customer complaints.
With the massive influx of new reloaders, Redding is most likely overwhelmed with complaints from the inexperienced buyers wanting to get their dies fixed or polished. Some of the buyers aren't experienced enough to understand what is acceptable from the manufacturer (Redding) so Redding is asking that we the customer pay for the shipping until it's determined that they are at fault. If they get away with this process, they save a ton of money and increase their profits substantially.
My purchase was high to begin with now with the shipping costs much more than I expected.
Maybe in your ideal of costs this purchase was high. But that's a function of Redding's over the top high prices for fundamentally basic reloading dies. They're just high priced, not better.
If you want the best quality in reloading dies, order custom dies from custom makers. Yes, you'll pay a lot more but they will be what you expect and will work great! If you can't accept the higher prices for far better quality then hang onto your Redding dies and learn to work with imperfection.
Or start the process of making your own dies. That's what I did a couple of decades ago. I got tired of the crap manufacturing and wait times and started making my own custom dies. Since I work mostly with wildcats, I save substantially by making my own dies.
Do NOT polish your die before having Redding examine it. It invalidates your warranty.
Enjoy!
