My rant about shipping cost

[RaisedByWolves]

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.

Same here.

I like to support local businesses as much as possible, but driving around to different stores to find what I need at a high price is really not fun.

And while not perfect, it’s sure cheaper to order on line in the long run even if I do pay shipping on an item.

Now if I could only find a place that won’t make me but 10-20 pieces of an item when I only need one.

I needed a 1/4”x1/2” wave washer for a project I was working on and it was actually cheaper to buy 25 of them with free shipping than it was to buy one and pay for shipping.

I got 25 for half the cost on eBay vs going with Mc Master and their flat 9.99 shipping.

 

[RJSakowski]

I will almost always comparison shop, including looking at local vendors. I am 25 miles away so a trip into town is $10 in gas so that's a consideration. Being retired, I go into the "big town" maybe once or twice a month. If I have another reason to make a trip, that's fine but if it is a special trip, that becomes my shipping cost. I receive most items that I buy on line within one to three days as opposed to a special trip or wait for the next scheduled trip. If the on line cost is within a dollar or two more than the local price, I'll usually buy on line to save the hassle. If I have an immediate need, e.g, I have a plumbing leak and need to fix it NOW, I'll run in for the part but if it is a slight inconvenience, chances are I'll wait for the on line part.

However, back to the original post. I have been looking at adding three Shars 250-101 tool holders to my collection. Shars eBay store has them listed for $13 ea. for a total of $39. Shipping via USPS flat rate envelope is $20.50 adding 50% to the total cost. If I bought only one, the item cost is $13 and shipping in the same flat rate envelope is $9.50. Now the additional handling effort for three vs. one in negligible. The shipping cost to Shars is exactly the same, yet the shipping cost to me more than doubled.

 

[projectnut]

I will almost always comparison shop, including looking at local vendors. I am 25 miles away so a trip into town is $10 in gas so that's a consideration. Being retired, I go into the "big town" maybe once or twice a month. If I have another reason to make a trip, that's fine but if it is a special trip, that becomes my shipping cost. I receive most items that I buy on line within one to three days as opposed to a special trip or wait for the next scheduled trip. If the on line cost is within a dollar or two more than the local price, I'll usually buy on line to save the hassle. If I have an immediate need, e.g, I have a plumbing leak and need to fix it NOW, I'll run in for the part but if it is a slight inconvenience, chances are I'll wait for the on line part.

However, back to the original post. I have been looking at adding three Shars 250-101 tool holders to my collection. Shars eBay store has them listed for $13 ea. for a total of $39. Shipping via USPS flat rate envelope is $20.50 adding 50% to the total cost. If I bought only one, the item cost is $13 and shipping in the same flat rate envelope is $9.50. Now the additional handling effort for three vs. one in negligible. The shipping cost to Shars is exactly the same, yet the shipping cost to me more than doubled.

If you put the items in your cart and request a total from the seller, they will usually combine shipping. I bought half a dozen tool holders from them a while ago and the shipping price was reduced significantly when I requested a total cost.

 

[ltlvt]

If you put the items in your cart and request a total from the seller, they will usually combine shipping. I bought half a dozen tool holders from them a while ago and the shipping price was reduced significantly when I requested a total cost.

It would be nice if they would let the buyer know this on all purchases. Or if they would automatically discount cost of shipping on multiple items. My point in making the original post was about corporate greed. I am from an era where the opinion of the buyer meant more than it does now days. "It's a Damn Shame"

 

[projectnut]

Not all sellers will combine shipping. You have to go to the” contact seller” option for each listing and ask if they combine shipping. Shars has several frequently asked questions already listed on that page. One of them is the question about combined shipping and how to go about requesting it

 

[Jim F]

Here's one.
H-F drill press, broken spindle tension spring.
Found a similar model at Grizzly, $5,50 +6,99 shipping and tax.
Shipped to my old address, PO wanted $8.16 to forward.
Declined delivery.
Called H-F, $2.07 with tax, free shipping.

 

[ltlvt]

Here's one.
H-F drill press, broken spindle tension spring.
Found a similar model at Grizzly, $5,50 +6,99 shipping and tax.
Shipped to my old address, PO wanted $8.16 to forward.
Declined delivery.
Called H-F, $2.07 with tax, free shipping.

OMG !

 

[ltlvt]

More like it. These 4 came today from Home Depo. They were ordered at the same time as the one in the stupid box.

 

[RaisedByWolves]

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".

All China>>>>USA shipping (China post) is government subsidized.

Look for cheap options wharehoused in Canada to get your goods faster.

 

[RaisedByWolves]

However, back to the original post. I have been looking at adding three Shars 250-101 tool holders to my collection. Shars eBay store has them listed for $13 ea. for a total of $39. Shipping via USPS flat rate envelope is $20.50 adding 50% to the total cost. If I bought only one, the item cost is $13 and shipping in the same flat rate envelope is $9.50. Now the additional handling effort for three vs. one in negligible. The shipping cost to Shars is exactly the same, yet the shipping cost to me more than doubled.

I simply refuse to buy from a dealer like that.

You can get the same thing from banggood or aliexpress for cost plus shipping is usually free to cheap.

May not say Shars on it, but for the most part they come from the same factory.