Shipping

[fishfreek]

I buy online with out hesitation. I do have a list of online vendors that I deal with most often. Shipping is always somethign to be aware of as this is often the difference between a deal and a steal.

I think for folks who live in smaller more rural areas doing things online is more of a way of getting things that just cant be found locally. For those of you lucky enough to be in the big metro areas where you have just about any store under the sun easily within driving distance then your in a less needy position about shopping online.

[SN3]

Originally Posted by JohnScott

Trust is a big issue on the Internet. I often visit sites and wonder, "Is this a real company, or just some kid in Russia running a scam?"

hahahha

[holarick]

I'm a big fan of the "Free shipping with X dollar purchase" idea. I'll usually buy something else (if I need to) just to get me over the limit.

[John Scott]

Originally Posted by holarick

I'm a big fan of the "Free shipping with X dollar purchase" idea. I'll usually buy something else (if I need to) just to get me over the limit.

I think that is a great way to get consumers to up the total sale price. I like it.

[raciviusdawn]

Is shipping mandatory though? I mean if you have an e-commerce site can't you simply just ship yourself instead of utilizing the UPS or Fed Ex shipping avenue that is provided...but i guess in the end it's about the customer and their level of comfort...most would prefer a tracking # and such so oh well..shipping it is. lol

[Bubo]

Originally Posted by raciviusdawn

Is shipping mandatory though? I mean if you have an e-commerce site can't you simply just ship yourself instead of utilizing the UPS or Fed Ex shipping avenue that is provided...

I don't quite get what you are saying here? Are you suggesting alternate shipping other than UPS/FedEx?

A lot of it depends on the volume of sales that a store ships. I've seen many aquarium supply websites that allow local pick-up if you come to their store. However, I wouldn't expect someone like Amazon to offer that because of the sheer volume of sales that they handle. Imagine the line that you'd have to wait in to pick up an internet order from the Amazon.com B&M store!

[fishfreek]

In the US you have the following options for shipping

UPS
FedEX
Airborn Express
DHL
USPS
Local delivery agents
Personal delivery

All of the above aside from maybe you personally delivering the product to them is going to cost you money. Even delivering the item to the person directly via your car/truck is going to cost you gas and wear and tear on your vehicle.

About the only ecomerce site that would be able to get away with no shipping would be a software site that offers downloads for their products.

[raciviusdawn]

shipping it is then. i was just wondering how plausible it would be to ship things yourself instead of paying the shipping costs that UPS or Fed EX has ya know..because I've shipped some things from PayPal and the UPS shipping costs were ridiculous...but i had to do it that way in order to give some security to the person i was delivering to ya know..oh well..shipping it is.

[fishfreek]

Well im really curious how else you planned on shipping something.

I dont know what the paypal markup is on UPS shipping but there really is not much flexability when it comes to getting a product to someone.

[raciviusdawn]

well i mean simply packaging whatever it is yourself and sending it...it would all still cost but a lot of people complain about shipping costs so doing it yourself may alleviate some costs..maybe...but in the end i think that offering the security of a known delivery service is the best way to go.

[Bubo]

I'm still not quite following you. All of the businesses that ship things package them theirselves. All FedEx, UPS, etc do is transport and deliver the package.

[holarick]

Originally Posted by raciviusdawn

well i mean simply packaging whatever it is yourself and sending it...it would all still cost but a lot of people complain about shipping costs so doing it yourself may alleviate some costs..maybe...but in the end i think that offering the security of a known delivery service is the best way to go.

The only way to ship a product is through a delivery service, unless you pack up your car and drive it there yourself.

[fishfreek]

Ok. Well even if you box it yourself and walk it down to your post office its still gonna get shipped via USPS or if you walk down to Mail Box Ect its still gonna go out UPS or FedEx.

You could even call for a residental pickup from UPS or FedEx the costs could be somewhat lower dpending on what your shipping and where your shipping it to and how quick it has to get there.

[raciviusdawn]

guys calm down i was simply wondering how reasonable it would be to package the stuff yourself and how much of the shipping costs would be minimized by doing it....I guess though that the packaging isn't figured into their shipping costs? i always thought that it was...so i suggested that why not package it yourself thus eliminating some shipping costs...

but i'm not talking about bulk delivery so it's not really a concern..if i were shipping furniture or something then it'd be different..but for small things like games or software i'd imagine you could cut the shipping costs IF and only IF the packaging is including in the shipping costs....it is though isn't it? shipping costs do include packaging costs don't they?

[Bubo]

Originally Posted by raciviusdawn

shipping costs do include packaging costs don't they?

It really depends on the order, and the company that is being ordered from. Most orders can be fulfilled with a cardboard box and some wrapping paper. Ordered in quantity, this amounts to something like 9 cents to a dollar or two. If it is included, then the amount is usually negligable. The bulk of the shipping charge is for the transport company.

Usually, if packaging is excessive or unusual then there is an additional "box fee" assessed for the material. Going back to aquarium shops, they usually have a base fee or box fee to account for the special containers, chemicals, oxygen, or cool/hot packs that must be used to keep livestock alive during shipping. These costs are usually passed on to the customer.

[raciviusdawn]

cool thanks bubo.....i always thought that packaging no matter how minimal was included...i wonder what it would take to get a company like UPS or Fed Ex to ship free for you...you'd probably have to be pushing huge orders or something.

[Bubo]

I doubt that UPS or FedEX are responsible for free shipping. Shipping is the major income source for their company, and they would have to makeup that income from another source. Discount shipping, on the other hand, is probably extended to companies that ship a large volume of product through the shipping company. From what I understand, free shipping deals are eaten by the company that is selling the merchandise. That is the reason for "Free Shipping with X amount of purchase" that is seen. The markup on "X amount of purchase" is enough to pay for the shipping of the product, and anything over the specific amount of the purchase is profit.

[raciviusdawn]

oh thee of mass knowledge bubo

if only we had those Star Trek beam things ya know...imagine just beaming the stuff straight to the customer...sweet and cheap...of course after you pay the huge installation costs for getting a beam portal in your crib lol

[Bubo]

Originally Posted by raciviusdawn

of course after you pay the huge installation costs for getting a beam portal in your crib lol

It's not the installation costs, it's the electric bill for the huge amounts of energy you are using to move things around.

[raciviusdawn]

lmao...true, true.