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Am I the only one that finds that shipping costs from some companies drives me away from ordering at all? I understand that costs have risen and that they must be offset by passing along costs to the consumer, but $8.99 for two cling-foam-mounted stamp sets (one image and one sentiment apiece) just seems excessive to me. Not the first encounter with a situation like this, and I'm always a little baffled. Why would shipping be nearly a third of the total cost for the order? I guess I'll stay away until I can hit the minimum order for free shipping (if ever)...
It definitely stops me from ordering and I appreciate that. I save the items I want to a Pinterest board and then review it when I get free shipping codes or when I pin enough stuff to earn the free shipping. It's been helping me save money because I pin stuff I WANT at that moment but when its time to actually order, I find I don't want most of it anymore. For stuff I NEED (lol) or is limited edition I will order without a code but that is few and far between. I also will shop Marco's when they have pre-orders/sales with free shipping with the knowledge I won't be getting my items for a few months.
I remember reading about QVC and how they factor their shipping to include a profit for themselves. That certainly helped me cut down on shopping there.
Yes, the cost of shipping does slow me down sometimes, which is a good thing. But I guess if you think about it, aside from the literal shipping expense, the price is also the box, the packing material, the wage for the person picking and packing the order. I went to buy a box recently and was surprised at how much they cost.
Yes, the cost of shipping does slow me down sometimes, which is a good thing. But I guess if you think about it, aside from the literal shipping expense, the price is also the box, the packing material, the wage for the person picking and packing the order. I went to buy a box recently and was surprised at how much they cost.
I understand what you're saying about the other factors (box, packing, etc.), but what I was ordering would have fit in a padded envelope and cost under $3.00 in postage, so the remainder would be the "picker", mostly, for TWO items. Boxes and envelopes have a lot of markup for retail, but are relatively cheap for businesses that buy in bulk. I would have been okay if the 20% off had been equal to the shipping (or at least close), but it made the cost per item way too much. I kept adding things to my cart to get to the free shipping, realized how ridiculous THAT was and emptied the whole thing. I'm trying to ONLY buy things that I have definite plans for, not just things that I like. I'm sure that I would have used all of the other things, too (I did really like them), but I'd rather use my creativity to re-create them than my dollars to buy them...
I agree. Shipping is a huge decider for me. Especially annoying is a situation like you’ve described- items that are lightweight and would be inexpensive to ship.
Yes, shipping costs at some places does stop me from ordering from them. I have wish lists everywhere and sign up for email notices at several places and when free shipping is offered I buy and if they are offering a discount as well, I tend to buy more. For me, $7.99 or $8.99 shipping is the cost of another item I could buy. I also check out Amazon since I have Prime and I can find a lot of items there for less and free shipping. I've been training DH to wait to place an order for his model rr items until he can reach the $50 free shipping amount instead of paying $11.95 shipping for 2 items.
I agree - often the cost of shipping keeps me from ordering stamp sets and dies. Without the shipping costs, I'd be placing more orders for sure. So I don't know if the shipping costs are a good thing or a bad thing I usually end up keeping a mental note of sets that I want and then waiting for a free shipping sale. I sell my used or duplicate purchases items on eBay and I cringe when entering in the shipping cost in my listing. Sellers - just like these Companies - have to make a decision to ship an order that fits under the First Class threshold - to actually send it first class or priority. The moment you select priority, I believe $6.85 is the starting price and goes up with each ounce. First class is much less expensive for the buyer, but for the seller or the company, it offers no insurance if the package never arrives. I live in Chicago - and we notoriously have one of the worst postal services around. So it's interesting, as a seller on eBay I know how ridiculous the costs of shipping are and having to decide if the risk of shipping first class vs. priority is worth it when a package is light enough to ship the first class. I know I'm just a single person vs. a corporation that likely gets volume discounts. So there are a select few smaller companies I will suck it up and pay shipping if it's something that I want. But I just cannot ever bring myself to order from SSS unless I have a large order. I suspect some of the larger companies can probably afford to replace items if they ship first class and they never make it to destination. But then some of these smaller companies I love - I suspect don't have quite as large a customer base, do not qualify for the large volume discounts, or to continually risk the replacement costs to replace the item & pay for shipping again. AND - on top of that, when you ship priority - it ships faster with a guaranteed date. And although some of us consumers don't mind waiting for our orders, there are many people who want it as quickly as possible. So it's an interesting dilemma that I'm on both sides of - as a consumer and a seller!
__________________ "I hate when people accuse me of Lollygagging when I'm quite clearly Dilly-Dallying"
Last edited by Catherine773; 12-31-2018 at 10:06 PM..
I agree, shipping charges and let's not forget tax can be ridiculous. I'm good at loading up my online cart, but before I'll commit I search couponcabin.com or retailmenot.com for free shipping and discount coupons. If none are to be found I pass on the purchase.
Am I the only one that finds that shipping costs from some companies drives me away from ordering at all? I understand that costs have risen and that they must be offset by passing along costs to the consumer, but $8.99 for two cling-foam-mounted stamp sets (one image and one sentiment apiece) just seems excessive to me. Not the first encounter with a situation like this, and I'm always a little baffled. Why would shipping be nearly a third of the total cost for the order? I guess I'll stay away until I can hit the minimum order for free shipping (if ever)...
Sure, shipping always factors in - for anything, not just stamping. Including when it’s free but the item costs much more than on sites that charge shipping.
I posted this in December about small grid sheets that cost +/- $4.00 a pack:
“Re Sizzix shipping charges, yes, yikes! I put two packs of small grid sheets in my cart. They’d fit in a small regular envelope. $10.00 shipping. I wrote to Sizzix and their response was they’d switched to FedX for shipping, which reduced most charges, but not all.
Their packers could be trained to set aside items that could be put in regular or padded envelopes to go USPS, but nope. Maybe with enough emails, they’ll revisit and tweak how they ship.”
If I can ship it back to them for considerably less than they charge me I will not buy from that business. Period. It's one of the reasons I shop Ali Express - because so many vendors there offer free shipping. Also, as a Prime Amazon member I know I pay a bit more for items but the prices aren't over-inflated to cover shipping - if they are I don't buy.
Sites such as Pirate Ship make shipping affordable for us ordinary folks by offering commercial rates - same as any of the "big boys" (Ebay, Etsy, etc.) use. First class package rate for 3 ounces or less is only $2.66 and includes tracking.
If I sell something, I include packaging, handling, etc. in the price and charge only my cost for shipping.
Just to mention my experience with shipping. I particularly like to shop with Ellen Hutson. They don't have any free shipping levels, and they use USPS.
If it weighs less than 13 ounces it can go USPS first class mail in a padded envelope for $3...IF you choose that option. I've done this when I order just a couple of stamp sets.
If order is less than $100 shipping is $7. If over $100 shipping is $8. These come in priority mail boxes with tracking and insurance.
I'm fine with paying shipping like this. I know exactly what to expect, and they are super-speedy! I just don't get how they can keep those costs DOWN as low as they do. #ellenhutson
Shipping costs
