Is it just me..shipping costs

[noload]

I ordered 5 items from a well known vendor, The Vendor took the money for these items april 9th.(3 months ago) I just received the last item today July 9. All items where shipped in there own package on separate days. That means 5 shipping costs for 5 items that did not weigh 9 ounces all together. Every package stated weight was 1 lb. The package I got today after a 3 month wait cost $11.26 it weighted 4 ounces. am I the only person that gets bothered by this? I though some of the items would be shipped in 1 box. By the way the neck dimension etched on my 6 dasher reamer says .370". I know its a typo but still. Some would say I should feel privileged getting such great service from one of the finest vendors we have for this sport of ours.

 

[ShootDots]

I never back order ANY small items. Bullets, brass or powder I will back order. But I will HUNT for any small items. AND I will ask them to send it USPS. Then I know my shipping costs will be lower. What irks me is the "Haz-Mat" charge. There is NOTHING special in how they package the items OR how it is shipped. I do not know what law forces that issue but it is just a scam. I am NOT blaming the vendor for the Haz-Mat charge, just the fact it exists only to collect some "form" of taxation..

 

[noload]

These items where things you just can't buy off the shelf. They were to be made 4 to 7 weeks. That Haz mat piggy bank must be getting quite full by now. May be they are waiting for one of those powder jugs to explode, then they will have enough money in the kitty to put out the fire.

 

[JRS]

I never back order ANY small items. Bullets, brass or powder I will back order. But I will HUNT for any small items. AND I will ask them to send it USPS. Then I know my shipping costs will be lower. What irks me is the "Haz-Mat" charge. There is NOTHING special in how they package the items OR how it is shipped. I do not know what law forces that issue but it is just a scam. I am NOT blaming the vendor for the Haz-Mat charge, just the fact it exists only to collect some "form" of taxation..

If you'll go to the FMCSA website and read the specifics, you'll understand what Hazmat packaging and shipping is all about. There is in fact a difference in packaging and shipping.

 

[jdh47]

The government you voted for working for you.

 

[rkittine]

Most shippers have a 1 pound minimum charge so the US Post Office is usually better for that. I have found when I order from places like OpticsPlanet with free shipping or MidwayUSA subsidized shipping and now free on orders of $150.00 or more, they will ship (OpticsPlanet) each item free if necessary and Midway will give you the option to hold for the whole order. Of course, you can check availability of everything on line on both of these sites.

Bob

 

[DennisH]

All items shipped got to the next lb. If the item weight 4.9 lbs, then it's automatically 5.0 lbs. This is the shipping company's policy.

HazMat, YES, there are strict procedures and packing procedures. Usually you have to go to a class and get your certification before your allowed to ship Hazardous Materials. And if you don't follow the procedures, your facing a hefty fine.

The big box stores can absorb the shipping cost, but as an individual small operation, it's tough to do.

I just shipped a rifle 250 miles last week and it cost me $37.00 in shipping charges. And to be safe, I always use the cardboard flat rate boxes to ship small items. I have never had a damaged part using these boxes. Just pack it with newspaper and it's a pretty tough box.

A lot of people don't like the USPS, but they have really changed in the last two years. Their the quickest and so far the safest way to ship now. If you use a service like Stamps.com, you get a nice discount. AND you can ship shotguns and rifles through the USPS. I will be glad to forward the rules to anyone interested. Make sure you have a nice scale because they check every package for weight.

I understand the OP's concerns, and I wish I had a solution to help him. The only thing he could have done is wait for all items to be made and ship them all at one time

 

[Geronimo Jim]

How about telling us who the seller is so we can avoid the same problem?

 

[hogpatrol]

Here's how I figure it. If I have to drive my 15mpg vehicle from Delaware to the west coast to pick up a four ounce item, what's it going to cost me? Or I can traipse all over PA visiting a bunch of mom & pop gun shops looking for a pound of Varget and save hazmat charges while I spend fifty bucks worth of gas and waste a day of my limited time on this planet. When I buy something online, unless it's totally outrageous, I don't even think about shipping costs. Consider yourself fortunate to be able to buy the things you can in this country from your living room, guns, ammo, powder, primer, barrels, triggers, stocks, yada yada. YMMV.

 

[RGraham]

Shipping costs for me and my customers have gone up drastically. At the first of the year Fedex, who I have had an account with for many years, went to a system where by they assign a weight by the dimensions of the box. Well, a typical order of flags is bulky size wise but does not weigh much. I was shocked by the increase. A typical order that was in the $12 to $15 range is now in the $20 to $25 range and bigger orders of course are more. Fedex for me is still usually a little cheaper than the other carriers but I always check. Shipping materials also are costly. As someone said the little guys are the ones it effects most. The midways etc get big shipping discounts due to their volume and often include some of the shipping costs in the price of the item. I hate it but nothing to do about it. That’s just the reality of the situation these days.

 

[JRS]

It could be a lot worse. Take a look at the destination (shipping) charge you pay for a new vehicle Doesn't matter whether it was transported 2000 miles to a dealer, or 2 miles to a dealer.

 

[R.Morehouse]

I am not a big shipper and I had a little shock the other day when I went to the P.O. to send a 15lb. Bench Source down south and it ran me over $36.00.

 

[noload]

I understand the Haz mat thing, I understand 4.5 lb gets rounded up to 5lbs. What I do not understand is a 3-4 oz. item cost $11.26. I can even excuse the 4 to7 week delivery time being pushed out to 12 weeks. Some things get out of control due to manufacturing ( broke down machine whatever) But gouging day in day out on shipping cost is a bad reflection of business practice even if you do make good products. Online buyers consider shipping cost as part of product costs. Don't advertise competitive prices just to make more profits on the shipping......Thats what it looks like to me. If I had a idea of what the shipping would have been at the time of sale I would have looked else where. I was in the dark as far as shipping cost when I put my order in. If the sales person would have told me that the shipping on a 3-4 oz part would be $11.28, they would not have made a sale.

 

[Sniper338]

Sound slike the messed up crap BRUNOs does... or used to... i never bought from them again..

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Shipping is a way to make up revenue on low priced items. I got a padded envelope the other day, $36 item, $15 shipping, and $4.32 worth of postage. Those envelopes are expensive (free from usps)

 

[DennisH]

I understand the Haz mat thing, I understand 4.5 lb gets rounded up to 5lbs. What I do not understand is a 3-4 oz. item cost $11.26. I can even excuse the 4 to7 week delivery time being pushed out to 12 weeks. Some things get out of control due to manufacturing ( broke down machine whatever) But gouging day in day out on shipping cost is a bad reflection of business practice even if you do make good products. Online buyers consider shipping cost as part of product costs. Don't advertise competitive prices just to make more profits on the shipping......Thats what it looks like to me. If I had a idea of what the shipping would have been at the time of sale I would have looked else where. I was in the dark as far as shipping cost when I put my order in. If the sales person would have told me that the shipping on a 3-4 oz part would be $11.28, they would not have made a sale.

I have an automatic shipping system. An envelope with a letter should weigh 1oz and cost .49 cents to mail. As soon as the envelope or package goes over the 1oz, the postage is charged by weight.

My system (which is made for dummies) will tell me if I am using the wrong postage and or packaging. I have always verified the postage with the Post Office. The only time I was off is when I hit the wrong button, I made the mistake.

The company is not pocketing the money, I assure you this. The machine calculates the amount, then ask you if you want to print the label. You can't add money to the postage amount. At least not on my system.

I will admit, the package noted above weight 3-4 oz's should not have cost $11.26. I don't know the size of the package it was sent in. Sometimes I use an oversize package to prevent damage to the contents. But if it's a small item, the most should have been no more than $6.00, UNLESS some special type packaging was required, or if it was hazardous materials. So it's really not fair for me to comment.

Also some companies add in a "handling fee" to cover the cost of shipping materials and manpower to get the job done. It cost to run a shipping department, especially a big one. Just google shipping items and look at some of the prices they are getting just on shipping materials and tools. If you didn't charge for them, you could easily loose money on some items.

You receive something from UPS, but you don't see the surcharges the shipper is charged. We don't see them until we get the bill. Sometimes it's will blow your mind to see what they can charge, and it's in the fine print. If they don't like the packaging, they repackage it and "CHARGE" the shipper the money for the service.

JMO from a person who has shipped thousands of packages.

 

[rkittine]

I love those ads for things that you can "Try for free, just pay shipping and HANDLING cost." I have a pretty good electronic scale and a discounted UPS and FedEx account. I have negotiated shipping costs on purchases in the past and in some case, sent pre-paid shipping labels to people sending me things. Saves them the effort and me the added expense.

Bob

 

[gotcha]

Amazing how fast back orders are filled when you stipulate not to ship or bill until ALL items are available. If they can't live with that I don't need them.

 

[rkittine]

I have found OpticsPlanet so good about that, that I have received partial orders, still with free shipping and then backordered items directly from the manufacture, as was the case when I recently received 4 shotgun chokes that I had ordered, that were back ordered and they came directly from Carlson.

Bob

 

[DennisH]

Shipping & Handling involves more than just a stamp or postage cost.

You have packaging material and equipment that goes into that cost. Have you bought a cardboard box lately? Or reinforced shipping tape? A staple gun and staples? Some items just need to be packed in foam which is expensive. On riles and shotguns, I go to Academy and buy a plastic gun case, then get a cardboard box with filling to ship it in. Just something extra to think about. My dead cost was close to $40.00 to ship a rifle 250 miles, all interstate driving. I am still trying to figure this one out! By the way, I collected $25.00 for shipping & handling.

HOWEVER, I do realize some items are overpriced. I usually give a credit if I see my software in my opinion has charged too much. USP or the USPS can't explain the differences. I know if you ship in a mountainous area, your GOING to pay more for shipping. Areas in the NE and NW are bad about this. I have lost money shipping items to some of these areas. These UPS outlets are ridiculous on the prices they charge.

I am getting where I just charge "one" price, including shipping to avoid any issues. I have had some very good responses doing this.

Just sharing my experiences and seeing if maybe someone can explain it better.

Dennis