I need a part for my Cub Cadet lawn mower. A simple cable that costs $16-17. All the vendors online want to add an additional $15-17 for shipping. That must involve the handling fees. Shipping a 4 ounce part could not cost $15. So, I called the local dealer 15 miles away and ordered it through them. Hopefully, no goofy charges there either. You gotta' make money, but that seems a bit much for shipping.
That'd be about 2 gallons of gas, maybe a bit less for me to go get. Plus my time. Shipping doesn't sound so bad when all things are factored in. Seriously considering Amazon Prime for $70/year with free 2 day shipping, but I'd need to order more than I do now to make that worthwhile.
I have a friend who works in that town, so he can courier it over to me. I agree. They know people's break - even point at which they'll say no.
Speaking to the choir... Oh... Alaska? You guys get mail up there? Or... AK... That's not Arkansas? Sears parts once tried to charge me $38 to ship a couple oz $15 plastic pulley for my snowblower.
Try shipping something from the states to Canada. USPS is the cheapest way to go. Beware of UPS, They LOVE to ram it to Canadians with their "Broker Charges" that usually double the price of the item no matter what the size or weight.
Ditto the US to Canada shipping! I have family in Newfoundland. $60.00 to ship under $100.00 christmas gifts.
Most of us can understand the high shipping rates today especially when fuel prices are considered. Still, it is a bit ridiculous when shipping a very small part, especially those that could be shipped in an envelope; the charge is usually a bit inflated.
USPS flat rate boxes are reasonable in pricing. A curled up cable should fit in a medium box or smaller I would think. I have to charge more for Canadian customers that would buy my woodworking/forging items. I really hate to do that too. Probably why I have no Canadian customers yet. Businesses need to keep it honest.
I sympathize with you there. I know AK is an expensive place to live if you want anything not readily produced there.
Shipping through USPS for smaller stuff isn't bad, but for some stupid reason many companies/vendors have it stuck in their little heads that shipping is not possible or it should be expensive. Like that pulley, it easily could have fit in a $5 flat rate box... can't get much easier than that! I've had a few that wanted to ship UPS.. and I call them, asking to ship USPS... "oh... you guys get mail service out there" I mean really?! No I don't drive a team of huskys and live in an igloo. And yeah we have cars, houses, roads, running water... and hold on... we even have that thar... innntarnet.
I choke quite a bit when I buy stuff online and see shipping costs. My wife has an online business and she sells stuff to folks all over the world. I do most of the shipping, so I have a pretty good idea what it costs to ship small items. 1-3 ounces first class anywhere in the US is $1.93. 5 ounces is 2.09. I think the max of 13 ounces first class is 3.59 5 ounces first class international to Canada is $7.70. 5 ounces to most of the rest of the world is either 11.48 or 12.93, depending on whether it's going to Europe, Asia or Australia. Priority mail flat rate padded envelopes are $5.35 anywhere in the US. 5 pounds to Canada is 34.50 Priority Mail as that's the only way to get it there, short of UPS. I needed a replacement chain tensioner screw for my Poulan 3700 a year or so ago. The part was $1.98. Minimum shipping was $6. I ordered three of them. Some companies want to ship everything FedEx, which explains the outrageous pricing you'll see at times. I suppose if you do a huge volume you don't want to mess around shipping certain orders with this carrier, certain orders with that carrier, etc. That's changing a bit with Fed Ex 'Smart Post', which can sometimes take twice as long as the USPS would take if it were shipped directly through them.
