My rant about shipping cost

[ltlvt]

I got these 2 seals in the mail today, of course they were twice the cost that they should have been but if you own Clausing no explanation is necessary about the cost of their parts. The total cost was $33.46 and over $10 was shipping cost. When the person at Clausing took my order, they said it could be shipped in a common mailer. To me this meant an envelope with a stamp on it. Instead, it came in a cardboard box. I honestly thought the box was empty when I opened it. There have been many times that I have not completed the confirmation of an order just because the shipping exceeds the cost of the item. The first picture will be the seals from Clausing. The second one will be from Home Depot. No packing just the box with the cord strain protector inside the box. Imagine how much space that takes up inside a 53-foot dry van, And how many envelopes would fit inside the box. There was another connector from Home Depot that I wanted but it was not in stock in our local store. Just before I clicked the submit button, I realized they were Gona charge me $90 ninety dollars to ship the $3 dollar item. "It's a Damn Shame"

 

[RJSakowski]

Envelopes over 4 mil in thickness go as parcels according to USPS. I discovered that when I wanted to ship a small part weighing a few grams to a friend.

One of the reasons that we have Amazon Prime is the free shipping. A $2 part actually only costs $2 (plus tax). I no longer have to wait to accumulate enough pieces so the shipping costs don't overwhelm the parts costs or just do without. We probably have four or five items shipped each week. The costs are usually comparable to costs locally and I don't have the $10 cost of running into town and back. I haven't ordered anything from McMaster, MSC, or Travers Tool for over a few years now, largely because of shipping costs.

 

[markba633csi]

I don't like companies that won't use USPS and force you to pay for UPS or Fedex
Why can't they use the little envelopes instead of a huge box? Beats me
Amazon is convenient but I feel sorry for the workers. I try to go elsewhere if possible. Prices there aren't usually the best either.
I've had nothing but good experiences with Aliexpress (love to get little packages I've forgotten about- "Oh that's the mini screwdriver I needed
to fix my computer mouse")

 

[ltlvt]

Envelopes over 4 mil in thickness go as parcels according to USPS. I discovered that when I wanted to ship a small part weighing a few grams to a friend.

One of the reasons that we have Amazon Prime is the free shipping. A $2 part actually only costs $2 (plus tax). I no longer have to wait to accumulate enough pieces so the shipping costs don't overwhelm the parts costs or just do without. We probably have four or five items shipped each week. The costs are usually comparable to costs locally and I don't have the $10 cost of running into town and back. I haven't ordered anything from McMaster, MSC, or Travers Tool for over a few years now, largely because of shipping costs.

I love Prime. My first choice always.

 

[cathead]

I'm befuddled. How is it that one can order small packages coming all the way from China
at so little cost? I routinely order small parts or tools on E-Bay from China with either free
shipping or at what I would call a reasonable shipping cost. Usually the shipping cost in the states
is a deterrent to me since the cost to ship here is usually greater than the value of what is in the box.

Of course, nothing is really "free" and "free shipping" isn't really free because the shipper has to include
the shipping costs in the product. A lot of times on E-Bay I see the same item with "free shipping" selling
for several dollars more than the same item without "free shipping" which only proves that there is no
"free lunch".

 

[jwmay]

I’m the same as you guys. Shipping costs seem untethered to actual expense of goods many times.
But to stay in a better mood about it, sometimes I calculate MY cost of driving to wherever the thing is made to buy it myself. They usually still beat that cost.

 

[projectnut]

I’m the same as you guys. Shipping costs seem untethered to actual expense of goods many times.
But to stay in a better mood about it, sometimes I calculate MY cost of driving to wherever the thing is made to buy it myself. They usually still beat that cost.

Don't forget to add in the hourly wage and benefits paid to the driver and warehouse workers, the cost of the delivery vehicle, the cost to run and maintain the vehicle, the cost of the distribution center building, the cost to maintain the distribution center, the cost of advertising, the cost of insurance, and all the other costs associated with running a business.

As for packages coming from China the manufacturing and shipping costs to the US are subsidized by the Chinese government. Once they arrive in the US the cost of shipping is subsidized by our government. This is all part of a 194-nation Universal Postal Union agreement signed back in 1874 that brokers shipping costs. Over the years there have been attempts to modify or withdraw from this agreement, but fierce resistance by US based importing businesses and foreign allies has prevented it from happening. As it stands today a 100-gram package delivered from China to Virginia is subsidized by both countries to the point that the customer cost is about $1.10. The same package shipped from North Carolina to Virginia will cost the customer nearly $2.00.

According to UPS they ship 21,000,000 packages a day. They claim they lose less than 1% which is still nearly 200,000 packages. Envelopes are most likely to be lost. For that reason, they advise shippers to use containers measuring at least 6"x 3" x 1/4".

 

[34_40]

I don't know how they make any money shipping me all the wrong parts.. and they don't want them back! I gave up dealing with them years ago.

 

[cathead]

Don't forget to add in the hourly wage and benefits paid to the driver and warehouse workers, the cost of the delivery vehicle, the cost to run and maintain the vehicle, the cost of the distribution center building, the cost to maintain the distribution center, the cost of advertising, the cost of insurance, and all the other costs associated with running a business.

As for packages coming from China the manufacturing and shipping costs to the US are subsidized by the Chinese government. Once they arrive in the US the cost of shipping is subsidized by our government. This is all part of a 194-nation Universal Postal Union agreement signed back in 1874 that brokers shipping costs. Over the years there have been attempts to modify or withdraw from this agreement, but fierce resistance by US based importing businesses and foreign allies has prevented it from happening. As it stands today a 100-gram package delivered from China to Virginia is subsidized by both countries to the point that the customer cost is about $1.10. The same package shipped from North Carolina to Virginia will cost the customer nearly $2.00.

According to UPS they ship 21,000,000 packages a day. They claim they lose less than 1% which is still nearly 200,000 packages. Envelopes are most likely to be lost. For that reason, they advise shippers to use containers measuring at least 6"x 3" x 1/4".

I had no idea! Interesting!!!

 

[ltlvt]

Don't forget to add in the hourly wage and benefits paid to the driver and warehouse workers, the cost of the delivery vehicle, the cost to run and maintain the vehicle, the cost of the distribution center building, the cost to maintain the distribution center, the cost of advertising, the cost of insurance, and all the other costs associated with running a business.

As for packages coming from China the manufacturing and shipping costs to the US are subsidized by the Chinese government. Once they arrive in the US the cost of shipping is subsidized by our government. This is all part of a 194-nation Universal Postal Union agreement signed back in 1874 that brokers shipping costs. Over the years there have been attempts to modify or withdraw from this agreement, but fierce resistance by US based importing businesses and foreign allies has prevented it from happening. As it stands today a 100-gram package delivered from China to Virginia is subsidized by both countries to the point that the customer cost is about $1.10. The same package shipped from North Carolina to Virginia will cost the customer nearly $2.00.

According to UPS they ship 21,000,000 packages a day. They claim they lose less than 1% which is still nearly 200,000 packages. Envelopes are most likely to be lost. For that reason, they advise shippers to use containers measuring at least 6"x 3" x 1/4".

Everything you have said is factual however the same applies to the actual cost of the item manufactured, therefore the cost of shipping is not relative. It is in my opinion extortion. With the online purchase now, it eliminates much of the said cost you mentioned. It also increases the volume of sales. Therefore, spreading the cost of the infrastructure.