Don't place a small order - shipping rip off

[Mego Magyar]

If I had ordered a carded figure and some other stuff that totaled $30. then because of the carded figure the weight would be too much to ship first class and they would ship in a Priority box ( a free box ) as I have gotten in the past but I only ordered some accessories that totaled the same $30 but weighed less and they shipped it first class for less - they are charging one price for two different shipping methods. That is the only point I was trying to make with my little grip, it isn't worth ordering a small amount in total and weight. I'm still going to order stuff from FTC/CTVT but in the future I will try and order enough so that what they charge in shipping is actually used for shipping. I'm not complaining about they stated shipping prices and whatever that price cover, I just don't think that one price should be charged for two shipping methods where one is much cheaper.

That's my last comment on this, I just need to grip when I started this thread and it seems to have gotten some people upset that I had an opinion that I voiced - sorry.
Mods can do whatever they want to this thread, I'm done.

[ThePlayerOnTheOtherSide]

Anyone that charges $10 for shipping but only uses $4 of it for actual shipping costs is just dishonest and sloppy. Anyone that takes a certain amount for specific shipping but then uses something cheaper is just dishonest and sloppy. What you charge for shipping should only go to shipping.

Come on dude, try to put your biases about FTC aside. The $10 in your scenario is shipping AND handling.

If you want to argue that $6 is too much for handling that's fine, but don't act like it's not a real expense, because it is. Boxes cost money. Packaging materials cost money. The company has to pay someone to package the product. You can debate what those costs are but you cannot debate that they do exist.

[Bronxboykev]

The cost to run a business is incorporated in the price point of your product not in the price gouging in shipping overcharges... That's business 101... c'mon people stop defending theses guys... I support them as much if not more than the next person but let's not sugarcoat what they are doing... They have a standard flat shipping price so if your order is $5.00 $7.00 $12.00 it's almost as much to ship. Offer small box rates for your smaller items.

[ThePlayerOnTheOtherSide]

The cost to run a business is incorporated in the price point of your product not in the price gouging in shipping overcharges... That's business 101... c'mon people stop defending theses guys... I support them as much if not more than the next person but let's not sugarcoat what they are doing... They have a standard flat shipping price so if your order is $5.00 $7.00 $12.00 it's almost as much to ship. Offer small box rates for your smaller items.

Why is it that if anyone disagrees with any criticism of FTC that they are 'defending' FTC? Maybe sometimes the criticism of FTC is simply wrong?

Charging for shipping doesn't make them dishonest, it makes them a business. Do they charge more for shipping than some companies to ship the same item? They sure do, typically they sell the same product for the same prices that EE ships for free. The difference is, EE's 'free' shipping often takes about twice as long as FTC's shipping does.

To some people, that's a great deal. To others, it's worth the money to pay shipping with FTC and get the item sooner.

Slower shipping doesn't make EE a 'dishonest' company anymore than more expensive shipping does with FTC.

[jayraytee]

Come on dude, try to put your biases about FTC aside. The $10 in your scenario is shipping ANY handling.

If you want to argue that $6 is too much for handling that's fine, but don't act like it's not a real expense, because it is. Boxes cost money. Packaging materials cost money. The company has to pay someone to package the product. You can debate what those costs are but you cannot debate that they do exist.

No bias against them, I would say the same thing about any company that does this. I have ran three mail order businesses and as Bronxboykev said, "the cost to run a business is incorporated into the price point of your product," it is business 101. The boxes, wages and packing materials have already been paid for by the consumer when they pay for the product. The shipping and handling charge is supposed to be the money used to pay UPS, Fedex or the USPS for the actual shipping and handling. If you pay $10, then you should get $10 worth of Fedex or UPS service, etc.

It has nothing to do with thinking one shipping price is too high, sometimes a customer is willing to wait longer and would rather have cheaper shipping, sometimes a customer wants their product the next day and is willing to pay $30 for that service. But either way you should get the shipping service you pay for. No business should be taking the business overhead costs out of the shipping charges, again that is sloppy and dishonest business no matter who they are.

And as Bronxboykev said, they could offer a smaller shipping rate for smaller products, website shopping cart systems are capable of that. If they are just charging the same shipping price no matter what you order, then they are just too lazy to set it up properly.

In our sites we weighed each product and knew what each product would cost us to ship, we set each item's shipping charge individually. That way if someone ordered a bumper sticker they would not be charged the same shipping price as someone that ordered 10 CDs and a T-Shirt. It's easy and people get exactly what they pay for in shipping.

[ThePlayerOnTheOtherSide]

A few weeks ago I placed a small order with CTVT, the order total was $19 and they charged me $8 to ship it. I could have probably shipped the same stuff for $5 at the post office. Some here have claimed this makes FTC 'dishonest' and 'lazy'.

Here's what I ordered:

Batman cape - $3
Molded blue boots - $4
Molded red boots - $4
Molded blue winged gloves - $4
Molded green gloves - $4

Total - $19
Shipping - $8

Order total - $27

Now just for fun, here's the same order placed via Doctor Mego's site:

Batman cape - $5
Blue boots (not molded) - $5
Red boots (not molded) - $5
Green ovenmitts (not molded) - $3
Blue ovenmitts (not molded) - $3

Total - $21
Shipping - $7

Order total - $28

So I got better products from CTVT toys, for less, and the order total was a dollar less, but Doc Mego's site saved me a dollar on shipping. Guess it depends on what you want to focus on.

[thunderbolt]

well, if I drove to Tampa the same prices would apply, so I don't buy the whole overhead for shipping is worked into the prices. As a ebay seller I get this same grief from people over shipping and between USPS cost, packaging, printing, Paypal and ebay fees I don't make a dime off of shipping and get accused of the same thing from time to time. Its always people that have no clue about selling thru mail order.

[jayraytee]

When it comes to ebay the actual cost of shipping the item is calculated when the customer purchases the item. So for example; Check how the rates are calculated here;

UPS Rate Calculator

So for example a package that is 10" x 10" by 10" and weighs 10 lbs shipped from foristell to wentzville Missouri would give UPS shipping options of;

UPS Next Day Air early AM....78.43 USD
UPS Next Day Air Saver ......39.55 USD
UPS 2nd Day Air Am .....28.66 USD
UPS Ground.....15.22 USD

So if a customer chooses say UPS Ground they are charged exactly what UPS will charge to ship the item that way ($15.22). And they should expect that method to be used. All other expenses for the seller, like wages, boxes, bubblewrap, printing, paypal and ebay fees should come out of the price of the item. That is how a business is run. If a buyer chooses UPS Next Day Air Saver and pays $39.55, the seller should not ship the item using UPS Ground for $15.22 and then claim they took all their boxes, bubblewrap and paypal fees out of the shipping charges. If you are doing that you should get complaints.

[ThePlayerOnTheOtherSide]

If a buyer chooses UPS Next Day Air Saver and pays $39.55, the seller should not ship the item using UPS Ground for $15.22 and then claim they took all their boxes, bubblewrap and paypal fees out of the shipping charges. If you are doing that you should get complaints.

Agreed. But that's not what FTC and CTVT do.

[jayraytee]

Agreed. But that's not what FTC and CTVT do.

Never said they did. When I talked about what they do, you mised the point and said someone was complaining about high shipping prices and that overhead needs to be taken out of shipping charges. Both are false.

[PNGwynne]

Since when are DM red & blue hero boots custom-cast?

I like some of CTVT's molded gloves & boots, but for the sake of some measure of objectivity, let's keep comparisons consistent.

[ThePlayerOnTheOtherSide]

Never said they did. When I talked about what they do, you mised the point and said someone was complaining about high shipping prices and that overhead needs to be taken out of shipping charges. Both are false.

No, I never said that. You and kev said that overhead has to be incorporated into the product's price. It does not. It can be, but it can also be factored into the shipping and handling fee. Or both.

Again, FTC and CTVT don't charge you for Priority and then send it First Class. They charge you a Flat Shipping Fee. You know what that fee is before you place the order, there are no surprises. No idea why you mentioned the UPS ship rates otherwise, as it has no relevance that I can see, since FTC/CTVT isn't asking you to pay for a higher -priced UPS shipping service, then shipping it via a cheaper rate.

Do they charge more for shipping than some competitors do? As my Doc Mego vs CTVT example proved, they do indeed. What they also do is tend to charge LESS for their products versus competitors.

I get why some people are irked at the high shipping charge that FTC and CTVT sometimes charge, but when you factor in the cost of the products, I think it more than evens out in many cases.

[TRDouble]

When it comes to ebay the actual cost of shipping the item is calculated when the customer purchases the item. So for example; Check how the rates are calculated here;

UPS Rate Calculator

So for example a package that is 10" x 10" by 10" and weighs 10 lbs shipped from foristell to wentzville Missouri would give UPS shipping options of;

UPS Next Day Air early AM....78.43 USD
UPS Next Day Air Saver ......39.55 USD
UPS 2nd Day Air Am .....28.66 USD
UPS Ground.....15.22 USD

So if a customer chooses say UPS Ground they are charged exactly what UPS will charge to ship the item that way ($15.22). And they should expect that method to be used. All other expenses for the seller, like wages, boxes, bubblewrap, printing, paypal and ebay fees should come out of the price of the item. That is how a business is run. If a buyer chooses UPS Next Day Air Saver and pays $39.55, the seller should not ship the item using UPS Ground for $15.22 and then claim they took all their boxes, bubblewrap and paypal fees out of the shipping charges. If you are doing that you should get complaints.

You are fooling yourself if you believe you are paying actual shipping charges on eBay.

When you are listing an item for sale, there is an option for you to charge an additional fee. This item gets rolled into the shipping price, so when a customer puts in their zipcode for shipping cost, they are getting a price that includes shipping fee AND any additional fee the seller has added on.

eBay does not separate this fee out, so the buyer never knows if it is $0, $1.50 or $5. The customer just sees a shipping fee. And most sellers do tack on an extra fee, whether it is for shipping materials, handling, or to try and make up for the PayPal fees.

[Blue Meanie]

From what I've seen at the post office recently Insurance and Confirmation are included in the shipping price these days. Up to the first $50 insured. Don't know if that is for priority or not. Been a while since I've shipped a package.

[TRDouble]

From what I've seen at the post office recently Insurance and Confirmation are included in the shipping price these days. Up to the first $50 insured. Don't know if that is for priority or not. Been a while since I've shipped a package.

Yep, that is correct for Priority mail. And if you pay for shipping online, you get an additional discount. I doubt that most eBay sellers account for that additional discount when they do their shipping cost, since eBay does not calculate for it when you list an item. You only see it when you go to "Ship An Item."