Shipping Charges

**CharlesW** · 03-20-2004, 11:51 AM

While there most likely are some abuses of the shipping charges, it isn`t a cheap thing to do.
$4 to $20 is pretty easy to spend on the UPS or USPS charges alone.
A business has to account for the cost of a shipping carton, the time spent packaging the product, determining the charges and getting the product out the door.
Keep in mind that some of the things we do for each other for little or nothing would have a business owner broke in pretty short order.
A recent personal example:
Item cost $2.00 + tax = $2.10
Shipping carton, old box I already had = free
Shipping charges = $8.64
Time involved = priceless

At one time I had a sideline business and the shiiping costs were quite often greater than the profit on the item itself. If I had been giving free shipping, I would have lost money on those transactions.

Charles
Now being helped down off of soapbox

**andriver** · 03-20-2004, 11:53 AM

Good point Charles.

**AutopiaAdmin** · 03-20-2004, 12:18 PM

Originally posted by CharlesW
While there most likely are some abuses of the shipping charges, it isn`t a cheap thing to do.
$4 to $20 is pretty easy to spend on the UPS or USPS charges alone.
A business has to account for the cost of a shipping carton, the time spent packaging the product, determining the charges and getting the product out the door.
Keep in mind that some of the things we do for each other for little or nothing would have a business owner broke in pretty short order.
A recent personal example:
Item cost $2.00 + tax = $2.10
Shipping carton, old box I already had = free
Shipping charges = $8.64
Time involved = priceless

At one time I had a sideline business and the shiiping costs were quite often greater than the profit on the item itself. If I had been giving free shipping, I would have lost money on those transactions.

Charles
Now being helped down off of soapbox

Charles,

I couldn`t have said it any better! Even in our slow months we easily spend over a $1200-$3000 a week with UPS and packaging supplies. There is no such thing as "Free Shipping" to us. Either we pay it or the customer pays it.

A very small percentage of customers have commented on our shipping charges since the first of the year increase but for the most part consumers understand that shipping is an expensive part of business and appreciate the level of service that we can AFFORD to give them under our current price structure.

**Poorboy** · 03-20-2004, 01:37 PM

:yeah

discounts or shipping...very hard to afford both ....we who ship do try to do the best for our customers

**jgv** · 03-20-2004, 04:02 PM

I DON`T UNDERSTAND WHY YOU GUYS COMPLAIN about $5 or $8 for shipment :whine

You should be on this end to know what is REAL shipment costs :angry

**Poorboy** · 03-20-2004, 04:11 PM

:yeah

Cousin Jose you could move to our side of the Atlantic and then you can save too

but then we wouldn`t be able to say we know someone in Aviero Portugal

Boss_429 · 03-20-2004, 05:49 PM

Originally posted by jgv
I DON`T UNDERSTAND WHY YOU GUYS COMPLAIN about $5 or $8 for shipment :whine

You should be on this end to know what is REAL shipment costs :angry

jgv,

Just curious.............. how do shipping rates "within" your country compare to UPS back here in the states? Do you have a "UPS" over there?

**jgv** · 03-20-2004, 06:00 PM

We have UPS. We don`t use it. We also have FedEx, DHL, and a lot others you don`t know.

I pay about 15 euros to send a package of about 2 pounds to the US, and it takes about a week to get there. This by mail.

My suppliers (from the computer store) ship me stuff like computer monitors and don`t charge more than 7-10 euros. Not by UPS tho. And they are delivered the next day, for sure! (of course you can cross my country driving in half day

)

**jgv** · 03-20-2004, 06:03 PM

But, after reading your post again, let`s say, when I did my last order with our Meguiars *short* rep, I ordered APC+, some pads and bottles and i payed 5 euros for shipping. Next day, again

**CharlesW** · 03-20-2004, 06:15 PM

So, a Euro is how much in U.S. currency?
About 80 cents or about $1.22.

Your shipping costs seem pretty reasonable considering gas must be close to $5 a gallon.

Charles

**jgv** · 03-20-2004, 06:26 PM

You`re right Charles, but most trucks here have diesel engines, and our transport companies aren`t as rich as UPS (if UPS is rich, they must have earned it somewhere

).

Also, the most distant supplier I have is about 300Km from me, and most are about 60Km away.
Little country, little money, oh well :doh

At least, we`re receiving terrorist threats from al-qaeda now, after what happened in Spain...:angry

**dalmore** · 03-21-2004, 05:02 AM

Dwayne and Steve - Have either of you tried package recycling? I would gladly return my empty packing box and peanuts as I`m sure many others would. Heck, Boss could probably supply a couple of small distributers all by himself!

Your packaging materials cost would go down. Not sure if the manpower costs and hassle of recycling would be a deal killer or not. Something to think about.

Just a thought.

**The Chee** · 03-21-2004, 05:47 AM

Regarding shipping charges, is there anyway to lower down the shipping charges by not using the popular couriers UPS , DHL etc, just wondering. I`m thinking more in the line of using ship rather than plane ( do people still use this method?-- maybe I`m a bit out of time)

Btw Steve, I can`t find my country in your shipping column :wait . Dwayne, what would be my shipping charges when I order more than $100 before the end of march, I know the offer says free shipping for order of $100, I wouldn`t expect it to apply to me as I`m on the other side of the globe hehe :jump :jump

cheers