Why is shipping cost so high when ordering something that can fit into an envelope?
I was looking at mouth calls, just browsing, no sponsers on this site, and they asked for an address to figure shipping. $6.00, their mouth calls was only $2-3.00 average. I don't get it. Could someone please help me figure this out. I could see it, if i was buy several or even a pot type call.
I look at it two ways the cost to package (if any) and it is part of the profit to make the product appear cheaper.
I am not sure how shipping cost is factored. However, as a consumer I look at it like this.
1. A lot of times what I order online is what I can not find locally. To get the product I want I would have to travel some 70 miles, which would cause me to have to fill up my vehicle with 40-50 dollars worth of gas, and, I will stop and eat somewhere decent, which will cost me 30 dollars at least for two. 6 bucks or 80 dollars?
2. That package has to pass through a lot of hands before it gets to you, and is helping to pay some employees for FedEx or whoever.....
Quote from: TeocTom on January 10, 2012, 12:11:55 PM
I am not sure how shipping cost is factored. However, as a consumer I look at it like this.
1. A lot of times what I order online is what I can not find locally. To get the product I want I would have to travel some 70 miles, which would cause me to have to fill up my vehicle with 40-50 dollars worth of gas, and, I will stop and eat somewhere decent, which will cost me 30 dollars at least for two. 6 bucks or 80 dollars?
2. That package has to pass through a lot of hands before it gets to you, and is helping to pay some employees for FedEx or whoever.....
Absolutely!!
We went to Cabela's on Sunday. 1 full tank of gas, $70, 2 meals for 4 $60, 5 hrs of time. But the kids love it, and wife hates it. I love Cabela's but am becoming more frustrated with them not having what I want to try on or see in person. So, I am ordering more online. It is part of the profit. Also, packaging is part of that price.
What I dont understand is why the shipping is so much higher from retailer to retailer. Natchez SS is the highest I have ever seen.
If you are ordering direct from a callmaker ask them to put them in an envelope without the packaging and you will save yourself and the callmaker money. ;)
There are several valid points here but Why would you lower the price on your product just to make it up on shipping. The shipping fees are what UPS, FedEX, etc... charge to bring it to you. Just tell me how much you want for it and let that be it. Don't charge me $6.00 for shipping and then ship it to me for $2.00.
If it is for a box call, pot call or something that has some monetary value then I don't have a problem with paying shipping charges or even extra for that matter.
I can't guarantee that other stores do this, but if you order anything online from Bass Pro Shops, they will drop ship it (no shipping costs) to the nearest BPS store for you to pick up. We have one of the outlets here in Jackson, MS so this works out good.
Quote from: mossy835 on January 10, 2012, 12:07:09 PM
I look at it two ways the cost to package (if any) and it is part of the profit to make the product appear cheaper.
What I mean above is there is cost beyond postage and UPS charges if bubble wrap is used or special insurance and handling is needed plus the time to package the item. Cabelas does also allow drop shipping to the store (minimum "8 working days") with no charge. But call makers on the site have to pay for the shipping container and packaging and they do spend time in addressing the container.
I do mind this it is the $1.50 item and $6.00 dollar shipping that gets me. Vendors here will and do work with you on multiple items in one package and that is more than fair.
Thats my pet peave. I just paid 7 dollars for 10 little magnets, about 1 ounce heavy. I wish it was controlled, these places make alot of money.
That's how a free market works and if the price is too high for either the item or the shipping then we have the freedom to purchase it from someone else.
There are plenty of times I have added items to my shopping cart at good prices and then failed to continue with the purchase once the shipping cost was calculated.
To br faif as you can be to the customer, its not a hard proocess, a little more time consuming and bigger places wouldnt bother. Priority mail has 3 flat rate shipping charges for small, medium and large. Those are set fees, so what I do is, I know I have to use somewhere around a medium size flat rate box which is 10.50, so I take another non flat rate box and weigh it and take which ever is cheaper, simple. last week I had to ship in a large flat rate size which is 15.50, I decided to put it in a non flat rate about the same size and weighed it, 7 dollars difference, so the customer saved 7 dollars by us doing that, to me thats alot.
I had a similar incident with Sears. Was going to order a plastic safety key for my scroll saw, weighed maybe a half ounce. When I got to checkout the shipping was $8! I canceled the order. I'll find one somewhere.
:smiley-patriotic-flagwaver-an
Quote from: wmahunter on January 10, 2012, 11:10:10 PM
There are plenty of times I have added items to my shopping cart at good prices and then failed to continue with the purchase once the shipping cost was calculated.
Been there done that many times.
yeah I really noticed it when i sold some used camo and it cost me $18 to ship a pair of bibs?!!
I buy a lot of gear from camofire.com and their shipping is great, shipped a pair of boots and some other clothing for $7 and it gets her in 5 days everytime
Quote from: wmahunter on January 10, 2012, 11:10:10 PM
That's how a free market works and if the price is too high for either the item or the shipping then we have the freedom to purchase it from someone else.
There are plenty of times I have added items to my shopping cart at good prices and then failed to continue with the purchase once the shipping cost was calculated.
Me too. Shipping costs are going to be passed to the consumer, one way or the other, but I strongly suspect some charge considerably more than the actual costs incurred, thinking they can keep the listed price of the item lower, and make a little profit on the shipping.
The ones that really gripe me are the companies that base shipping on the dollar amount of the sale. That makes no sense to me, it should be based on the weight or size of the item(s) purchased. I mean, think about it, you might buy something for $100 that weighs 1 lb, and you might buy something for $50 that weighs 30 lbs.
Quote from: Neill_Prater on January 11, 2012, 11:23:39 AM
The ones that really gripe me are the companies that base shipping on the dollar amount of the sale. That makes no sense to me, it should be based on the weight or size of the item(s) purchased. I mean, think about it, you might buy something for $100 that weighs 1 lb, and you might buy something for $50 that weighs 30 lbs.
They're taking the easy way out. I'm in the middle of the re-writing a shipping options page on a large website to handle both domestic and foreign orders for a variety of carriers with everything from simple lightweight products to heavy/oversized items...including hazardous materials, ORMD, FFL and/or Export License requirements, and so on. It's a complete nightmare.
To keep it simple, I charge a flat shipping price for each of my items (duck boat blinds) and while I may make 2-5 dollars in shipping on a blind shipped to the Southeast US, I lose sometimes as much as 10-15 bucks on one heading west of the Mississippi but in the long run I break even and make no profit on shipping.
What chaps my butt is the folks that charge full additional shipping on each item you purchase even when they end up sending all of it in the same box.
It's the "handling".
I own LongBeardLife apparel and have a set rate for shipping and handling. I live in Florida and when I send stuff to the west coast I loose big time. It cost me more than my rate but when I ship locally I break even. There is no way to do it fairly but we try and send everything in one box so there is only one shipping fee. But the with the price of fuel you are still better off alot of times to just order online and pay the shipping cost.
Its a double edged sword, I have mailed calls but I dont stick anything in the box at home. I drive to the PO to make sure its at the PO. I have had things get drenched in a blowing rain in a box and if its warm outside I dont wont my call that someone has bought to sit in a hot mailbox thats just me. I just like knowing that its at the PO so I have to drive across town and drive back! Shipping costs suck no doubt I saw some mouth calls for sale for $10.95 not counting the shipping lol I have seen $12.00 shipping for a mouthcall on one website! I like minimums on orders to get free shipping usually when i order off the internet its not for just a $8.00 call it will be $20 to $50 dollars JMO. But if theres free shipping at a fair set rate well the fella shipping is loosing. Dont think anyone is gonna ever beat the shipping costs for online ordering in this day and time everyones time is worth something.