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It's nice for places to offer free shipping for orders over a certain dollar limit, like $30 or $35. I research a lot before I purchase and try to find the best deal.
I like that the flat rate is so predictable. I rarely buy more than would fit in an envelope or medium box anyway. I've received small amounts in larger flat rate boxes, which to me is a waste for the seller. I paid $5, they spent $10 to ship it to me. On the other hand, If I'm only buying a couple of patterns, I don't want to pay $5 for shipping when 1st class would do. I do not really like FedEx or UPS ground - takes too long. For the money, I could have it sooner with Priority mail. I have backed out based on shipping charges, however I also consider convenience to me. I recently found everything I needed for a quilt at one place. The shipping was very high - $12. Normally I wouldn't spend 1/2 that much, but it saved me from having to shop 3-4 different places or driving all around looking for what I wanted. Plus, the fabric was $2 less per yard than anywhere else I looked. If I had to buy from 3-4 places I would have spent that much in shipping anyway. Or I would have spent it on gas running around the not so local places in my area. I figure it all came out about the same price with shipping as it would have at the quilt shop, but my LQS didn't have what I needed. I often will email for an estimate if I'm unsure about the final shipping amount. I don't like surprises, and am more inclined to shop with someone who communicates well with me. |
Originally Posted by QKO
Originally Posted by Rebecca VLQ
Originally Posted by cinnya
I don't like it when they will only give me the shipping charges AFTER I give them my cc number :thumbdown:
I like free shipping deals, even though I know it's not really free. With Fabric.com, the $35 = free shipping is the perfect price point. $50 is kinda a deal breaker, even though I've been known to drop that much in one shopping trip. I laugh at shops that say $75 or $100 = free shipping. I also like the ones that do flat rate up to so many yards. I usually max out the flat-rate on that, but that could also max out how big of an order you get. Like $5 flat rate shipping for up to 10 yards, for example. I'd get the 10 yards, but if I normally will buy up to 13 yards, I'd probably not get the extra 3 yards because it would result in an extra $5-6 in shipping, kwim? I don't know how some places expect people to order without knowing the shipping charges first. That one is beyond comprehension, yet a lot of carts are set up that way. Unbelievable. Fabric.com, a subsidiary of Amazon.com, is sort of the 1000 pound gorilla here. They get shipping rates at about half what the rest of us can, because Amazon has their own UPS depots and can take advantage of huge volume discounts in both shipping rates and packaging materials. They're basically attempting to do in the online business what Wal-mart has done in the big box business, i.e. run all their competition out of the market. They've pretty much succeeded in the quilting book business (check how many online quilt shops carry books anymore) and now they're after fabric. And we all know what happens when there is only one supplier left. On flat-rate shipping; While we do use flat-rate priority shipping whenever it makes sense, I'm at a loss to figure out how some stores can claim to put 10 yards of fabric into a USPS flat-rate priority envelope. The most I can get in there is about 3 to 3.5 yards without running the risk of tearing the envelope (they're thin cardboard) or having it returned by the postoffice. Of course, we do add internal protective packaging to our orders, so that takes some room. If I tried to put 10 yds in a flat rate envelope I'd run a huge risk of having the product damaged enroute, and I'm not prepared to run that risk. Indeed, I'd never get it past my postmaster, because it would mean overstuffing the envelope really badly, which they don't allow. And a small priority mail box, forget it. I want to see how you fold and compress 8 to 10 yards of fabric into a space essentially the size of a video cassette before I'll believe that one. :lol: Anyway, thanks to you and everyone else for contributing to this thread, it really really really helps us to see how our customers are thinking, as we make plans for rolling out our new and improved webstore. The 10-yards was just an example. I'm saying that a supplier may advertise "UP to 10 yards, pay only $7 shipping" not that they're using a FRE, but that that is only what they will charge you. At regular postage rates, I bet they lose a couple bucks on their end when you get toward the 10 yard mark (if that's how they did it). I've received an actual FRE with 7 yards before, so it's doable. It was wrapped in plastic on the inside, and EXPERTLY packed. Not an extra wrinkle or crumple to be had. It was beautiful, but if you wanted to try to do that, it must take a ton of practice. I ship as a part of my business, and I LOVE flat-rate envelopes. The post office does not care how full you get it, so long as the seal closes without changing the package, like adding a strip of cardboard to make it bigger. They also allow a single strip of tape across the seal to reinforce it, per their guidelines. I always do that, just to make sure. |
Originally Posted by QKO
a. Do lower free shipping limits entice you to buy more, or less?
Buy more b. Is predictability of shipping costs in your ordering important to you, or would you rather be surprised when your shipping cost is lower than quoted? No thanks on shipping cost surprises c. Do you walk away from an order if shipping costs are quoted too high, or do you take the time to check the store's shipping policy? Walk away (or click) It is nice to be charged actual shipping on smaller orders instead of a flat rate. d. Does having a lower free shipping limit compensate you for paying too much for shipping on smaller orders? I won't place the smaller orders unless desperate. |
As an occasional seller - emphasis on "occasional" - so I don't have a "reduced" rate account - and take items to the post office for mailing.
I've learned that packing, etc. is time consuming - so is looking up the "actual/exact" postage rates. I usually use "found/recycled" packing materials or the Priority Mail packaging - Even so, sometimes the amount of postage that comes up for the shipping amount is jaw-dropping. It's fair/reasonable/prudent for business to take into account how much it costs to ship item(s). It isn't JUST the actual postage costs that need to be accounted for. There is packaging materials, time to pack, etc etc etc. I have gotten seven yards of fabric in a FRE, but it's a SQUEEZE - and takes a bit of careful folding and taping to make it work. |
I've actually seen stores advertise that they can ship 10 yards in an FRE. :shock:
We pack our stuff in heat-sealed heavy poly sleeves, so that takes up a bit of room, and our postmaster is pretty strict about what he lets go through the PO in FRE's. It really does depend on your PM. Thus, I'm not really comfortable putting more than about 3.5 yds in a FRE, or about 4.5 yds of thinner material, like batiks. I'd have to sit for an hour trying to fold it to fit, not cost-effective when you've got a lot of orders to pack. :mrgreen: When we go to a flat rate shipping table, that might change. |
Originally Posted by Rebecca VLQ
The 10-yards was just an example. I'm saying that a supplier may advertise "UP to 10 yards, pay only $7 shipping" not that they're using a FRE, but that that is only what they will charge you. At regular postage rates, I bet they lose a couple bucks on their end when you get toward the 10 yard mark (if that's how they did it).
Every once in awhile we get an order that is like 5 cents over our free shipping limit, currently $75. We let a sigh of relief when it's going to our same western zone, and a groan when it's going to the east coast. :mrgreen: This entire shipping business is a fine line. You can attract a lot more business with free shipping, but if, by the time you pay for shipping you're not making anything on the orders that come in, it really doesn't pay to do it. For instance, clearance items, where you're selling at or below cost, then paying free shipping on top of that. The only thing you're doing at that point is paying to recapture some of your money that's tied up in inventory. The problem with free shipping is that everyone thinks it's free for the seller too. :mrgreen: I notice that some of the biggest online stores don't even offer free shipping, except as an occasional incentive, and they also have pretty high prices. These do have B&M stores associated with them though. Hmmmmm.... |
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