Shipping prices ridiculous

D

duke4ever

New member
I don't know if anyone has brought this up before but compared to anything else I buy online, detailing products seem to have one of the most retarded shipping prices....



Small packages for $10-$15 shipping for items worth less than $10 sometimes.



I paid about $20 when I ordered a new computer case online that weighed in excess of 35 pounds and came in a huge box, and that was fedex.



Is there a particular reason for this? I thought of a few theories



1) The detailing retailers are usually small companies that can't afford to make deals with the shipping companies because they don't have the volume.



2) The profit margins on the products sold are so slim, they don't have the volume to subsidize their own shipping costs.



3) They make up for slim profit margins through high shipping costs.



4) The nature of the materials shipped warrant high shipping prices (hazmat etc...)



I am literally looking at a box I got for some auto detailing supplies and the box says UPS 4lbs and the charge was about $12 and my other box was 35lb and cost $20 from fedex and the $20 box came from a farther address... something is just odd. In addition to that I've received things from say, NewEgg for free shipping when the boxes still weighed about 5-8 lbs.



ideas? comments? rants? :)
 
The last 4 boxes I have shipped have been in the 3-5 pound range and have cost 10-13 bucks via fedex ground. The prices went up with fuel last year and now that fuel has come down, they dont feel like they need to bring the prices back down.
 
Now you have second thoughts when you want to buy 1 or 2 items, cause the shipping is out of control and it would cost more to ship then the item(s) is worth.
 
Console yourself that you don't have to pay shipping AND tax like I do. Living in Florida has advantages sometimes, but getting detailing supplies cheaply isn't one of them. I tend to build my cost into my prices for detailing though and so far, I haven't had any issues.



I also try to combine orders where possible so that I get things for my customers and myself at the same time. Helps us both out.
 
ALAN81 said:
Now you have second thoughts when you want to buy 1 or 2 items, cause the shipping is out of control and it would cost more to ship then the item(s) is worth.
Click to expand...



Right, I tend to not even want to buy things at all and try to make up for it by seeing what I can do with an OTC product. Recently I was about to order from Adam's polishes, I never tried any of their products so I wanted to buy their sampler package and I totally avoided doing so, it looked like a great deal at $12 to try out a few products in small bottles but the shipping made me shy away from it, then I tried to rationalize it by buying a special they had going on with a gallon of quick detailer but I soon left that idea when the sale expired when I clicked checkout :eek: ...
 
i feel your pain - i won't mention a certain vendor here, but their shipping cost is just plain price gouging even after the "so-called" discount. :(
 
Lots of places make money on shipping....When I sold on ebay I charged extra for shipping...Paid for my time packing, materials, and gas to from post office...
 
If possible, use a business address when using Fed X. I ship to my work and save with some companies. My own company charges exact shipping and our customers save about $4-8 depending on weight.



I also am a customer at times and there are places that do surcharge for shipping. I even questioned a friend of mine how sent 4 oz. bottles and charged me $15 for a 3 hr. ship distance by truck- I used to ship Cyclos to the east coast for less than that.



I guess it depends on the company and its policy on shipping. Some give discounts, but build the $$ back into shipping. Sort of like the late night free or 2 for 1 deals.."All we ask is that you pay shipping." Well, they will charge $7.99 to ship a 1 lb. plastic tool, or small bottle of purple pills. This is where I suspect some make their actual money.



There are reputable places out there that even send back credits or $$ if the shipping was incorrect over the Internet.



Rob
 
Autogeek has several free shipping events during the year like their Memorial Day sale where it's 15% off plus free shipping if you buy over $95 worth. I try to time/place my orders to take advantage of those. It's not hard to go over $95. I just did that and got a gallon of ONR, a bottle of M105, a bottle of m205, some 4" Lake Country pads and a 3.5" backing plate for my PC.



Yeah, if you're just wanting to order one thing the shipping can be somewhat prohibitive.



Also, some things can be had on Amazon.com and I think they apply their normal shipping charges.



Another thought, depending on what you're buying. Some places that carry Meguiars stuff can order some items they don't normally stock, allowing you to get them locally without paying shipping.
 
I order most of my supplies from detailed image and find them to be very reasonable. You also have to keep in mind the cost of the boxes and packing materials, tape, getting the order together, etc.
 
SCoach if you buy from Autogeek you have to pay the Florida tax also, but you get your package in 1 or 2 days!
 
I know. Ground shipping from AG is overnight delivery for me. Really helps when you have some last minute supplies you really need. But I still pay tax AND shipping. I should be able to get stuff from Detail City in the same amount of time. We'll see this week! :)
 
duke4ever,

If you are interested in trying some Adam's products check their website for a local dealer or event (detail clinic, car show, etc) that may be close by. It should save in the shipping and often there are good discounts at events.



I agree that the detailing company shipping costs do seem out of line with what other industries charge. I live in Orlando, and it costs me just as much to get something from Autogeek in S. FLA (arrives the next day!) as it does to get something from Cali or NJ/NY area.
 
How do you think us folk up North feel? I want to buy Leather Masters alcantara foam cleaner and eco protector, which I can only find that will even ship to Canada at Detailers Domain - they want $80 USD to ship $50 worth of goods to Canada.



The cheapest shipping is USPS which costs 50% of the actual product price. No wonder I haven't ordered yet, I feel like I need to buy more stuff to justify the shipping costs. :doh
 
No what you do is have an address somewhere just over the border when you can ship stuff to...Thats what I do...I also have family and friends send stuff there and we just bring it all over...
 
Perferd said:
No what you do is have an address somewhere just over the border when you can ship stuff to...Thats what I do...I also have family and friends send stuff there and we just bring it all over...
Click to expand...



What if you live in like, yukon territory....
 
Perferd said:
No what you do is have an address somewhere just over the border when you can ship stuff to...Thats what I do...I also have family and friends send stuff there and we just bring it all over...
Click to expand...



That's a good idea, but let's say ... i'm at about 3-4h of border ...

That will make a 6-8h trip ...

probably 1 or 2 times to stop to get fuel (1 time = 35$ 2 time = 70$) ...



You don't barely save something at the end.



:ca
 
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