Shipping Costs

[George Max]

No, no hyperbole. You've only been in business 5 years. Just wait.

The package with oil on it was a set of mesquite boards ordered through Texas Kiln products. My first TIVO was sent in TIVOs own colorful box. Dirty. Very very dirty. The last time (several years later) a couple months ago, TIVO sent one in their colorful box, but this time packed in the center of a larger brown box which took the brunt of the UPS abuse. 3 times within the same number of months, I ordered blank DVDs from supermedia.com. Crushed in each case. The

2nd box was hurt so bad it broke the cakebox inside that the DVDs actually sit in. the spindle the DVDs are on was broke about 1/2 way up. Fortunately all the DVDs were ok.

I could go on. Want to hear more?

Then there is no choice if I happen upon your company and the kind of stuff it sells. But I'm on a hair trigger now to go ape on UPS. In fact, I may decide I don't need the item at all.

Amazon for one, will send via USPS. Fedex is another option.

UPS is careless with the package entrusted to them. And apparently doesn't make the slightest effort to improve their service. When I hear that they're on strike, I love it. It means for me, for a while, I may get something sent via a method that doesn't put what I've ordered at risk.

UPS should go out of business.

[Tim Taylor]

And on top of that, I ordered a clip for my drum sander from the Delta repair place. It was shipped from Delta wherever to the repair place. I picked it up there in person and still had to pay shipping from Delta to the repair center! How fair is that???.

[Clint]

Thanks for the clarification.

Clint

[George Max]

It doesn't sound fair to me.

[Mike Marlow]

I have to say, you've had an experience. I've been receiving weekly (or greater) shipments from both UPS and Fed Exp for twenty years now and I've never even come close to what you describe. In fact in those twenty years, I cannot remember a damaged shipment. It's possible something way back when did arrive damaged, but it would have been so long ago that I really don't remember it. As far as dirty goes - never - absolutely never encountered that.

Don't know what makes your experience so different from mine, but it sure is.

[Frank Arthur]

But you aren't angry at yourself for not misjudging the height of the garage door?

[Frank Arthur]

Why don't you offer your services as director of Parts Supply for DeWalt/Delta/Porter Cable?

[Frank Arthur]

Depends. How much did Delta pay for shipping the part from Delta distribution to the Delta repair center?

[Frank Arthur]

How much per dollar do the salaries of the Stock People, Inventory People, Distribution People, Packing People & Shipping People? What is the cost of the Parts Department building and maintenance of that building?

In brief. How much would you charge for going to a store, buying a $3.00 item, make up a bill for it, pack it and get it to UPS? How long would it take?

[EXT]

Considering many parts have to be ordered across the border for me and will have shipping, brokerage charges, etc. and be delayed so that 3 day shipping can drag out to 3 weeks, I consider if the part broke or wore out, the replacement may also break or wear out. When the cost of the parts are cheaper than the shipping I always order several parts. If I need a $3.00 part and it is going to cost $30.00 to get it, I will order half a dozen, the shipping costs will not change or will only be a dollar or two more. This way I will NEVER have to order this part ever again. Frustration reduced immediately.

[bigegg]

You must have a VERY bad local depot.

In my experience (in the UK), UPS are about the best of a bad bunch.

I work for a company that ships 1,000 parcels a day by UPS.

I would guess that less than 1 a week arrives in a damaged state - call it 0.02%

Couple that to online tracking and insurance, it's my carrier of choice for heavier items.

[Rod & Betty Jo]

The defense in this thread of "high" shipping costs is a bit surprising and largely ignores that most of the costs listed as justification apply to any retail/walk in operation(auto parts stores etc.) other than the actual postage. Staging and inventory are not trivial in any operation and yet retail wise account for a very small portion of the purchase price...... nonetheless the thread ignores the value or benefit of company goodwill that is lost with $8 charges for 25cent parts. Recently I was missing a small non essential part on my KitchenAid mixer, my grown daughter while conducting other business with them asked about buying said part, they said it lists for $8 and then they said forget the charge and sent it FREE including the postage.....apparently not everyone thinks the parts department must be a huge profit center.......guess which brand of mixer/company I recommend to any and everyone? Rod

[Mark Wells]

I've never owned a retail or mail order business, but I know that as a consumer, I'm totally irrational when it comes to shipping charges. I hate to pay shipping. I totally empathize with the original poster. If they said the part was $11 and the shipping was free, then I would feel like I'm getting a good deal -- a fixed jointer for $11! Instead, the part is $3 and the shipping is $8, so I feel like I'm getting ripped off. Like I said, this is not rational and I have tried over and over again to remove this irrational thought pattern, but it is very difficult (at least for me). I think it is akin to human's inability to evaluate risk in certain situations.

It might be that Amazon has trained me this way.

I have often wondered what would happen to my Lee Valley habit if they lowered their shipping charges substantially. For example, a medium shoulder plane is $159. Shipping, if you just order the plane, is $12.50, bringing the total to $171.50. More than once, I have gotten to the checkout page, seen $12.50 and said, "$12.50 for shipping! Oh nevermind." So what if the plane cost $169 and the shipping was $3? That seems like a much better deal, even though the total ($172) is higher.

Like I said, I am totally irrational about this. Does anybody else have a similar reaction?

Mark

[Teamcasa]

"Locutus" snip

My company receives several shipments a day from UPS, FedEx and Airborne. FedEx is the most efficient, UPS is a close second followed by Airborne. When we ship, we use UPS, the tracking system is great and customers like it. We, nor any of the companies that ship to us would consider the USPS. They are slow, and not very user friendly. Personally, I'd rather have a package shipped to me via UPS as the driver actually puts the package on the porch or it he thinks its a tool, he'll put it around back by the shop, away from prying eyes. The mailman just drops it over the wall, rain or shine, sprinklers or not, he just drops it over the wall.

Dave

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[Scott Lurndal]

They must not like you, particularly. I've been getting packages from UPS for over a quarter of a century, often daily; and have had maybe two packages with damage. YMMV.

scott

[Puckdropper]

"Rod & Betty Jo" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

LGB did that for me, I even had told them I acquired the locomotive I was working on second-hand. I told them what I needed, and a few days later I got a package from them with the exact parts I needed. As a result, I'll heartily recommend LGB as well as take more time looking at their stuff in the hobby shop.

I'm no businessman, but I think if it's less than $10 the company can just forget the cost and deem it a goodwill thing. Who knows, the person you help out like that may just result in more than the part's worth in profits for the company. (This would be very difficult to count...)

Puckdropper

[Doug Miller]

.. which you could probably get from a junkyard for a buck and a half...

[Doug Miller]

I've received exactly one box delivered by the USPS that was so badly mangled I feared for its contents. Ditto FedEx.

And I've lost count of the number of crushed boxes I've received from UPS.

OTOH, I see that frequently with UPS, and *never* with any other carrier.

I'll vouch for that. On a couple of occasions, I've had to go to their local facility to pick up a package -- and I've had the experience of seeing how they treat the packages. To call their handling of packages "careless" would be a compliment.

My experience with UPS is much closer to his than to yours. In my opinion,

*you* are the exception. :-)

[John B]

I agree with the majority of the comments about companies having to recoup their handling costs and overheads when mailing products, however having a cheap item and whacking on ancillary costs as shipping costs seems absurd. It is akin to a retailer selling the same item for $3.00 and when you take it to the checkout they add on percentage of: property rent Operators wages unpacking bulk items Cash register costs Power etc. etc. I'd tell them to jack the product and walk. All of the above are included in the mark-up, and so it should be with a posted item with only the actual cost of postage added.

I recently purchased a Dewalt Scroll saw from the US and shipping to Aust. varied between companies from $500.00 - $288.00. My thoughts is that a lot a companies see shipping as a means of making a quick buck. Just my 2 bob's worth.

regards John

[DJ Delorie]

While our normal UPS driver knows where we like packages, we had one substitute driver leave one by the side of the road. In a snowbank.

0.3 miles from the house.

Our mailman brings packages to the door if they won't fit in the box (we have an oversized box, too).

So, I think it depends on the individual drivers, not the company they work for.