Cost of shipping explanation...

[KT-Old School Glass]

Hey everyone!

I just received an email asking about the shipping cost pertaining to an order.

I wanted to share my explanation and break down of the cost.


I'm glad you asked this.

The break down on this is:
$14.12 - 1/2 Lb color + box + packing material = 1.83 Lbs (2 Lb charge by UPS)
$3.67 - cost of box & packing material
$2.50 - Approx. labor cost paid to employees for packing this box.

$20.29 - Total Cost

Most don't understand the cost the labor & materials for shipping.


The amount charged for shipping & handling for this order was $16.19.

I ate $4.10 on this particular order.

I'm glad that I had the opportunity to break this down to show everyone what is involved in the cost of shipping. It's not just what UPS charges. I have to include other charges (HANDLING) to cover the cost of boxes, packing material, and employees.

[RedToroBoro]

Could always use USPS one rate Priority and they give you the boxes and the cost is about half of UPS.

[CripSkillz]

shippin is always a lil pricey,, Im going to ups today to see the dam age on a few boxes uhhhhhhhhh.. the time is the killer for me,, might be better off payin someone else to pack my shit ,, but than again I like to make sure its done right ,, hehe..

[daveabr]

problem with USPS is, when your shit breaks, your f'd


they provide little to no recourse for damaged goods. shipping glass as we all do presents that to be a horrible customer service challenge.

say you order 200 bucks worth of glass. shows up via USPS shattered. USPS gives you like 10 bucks for it. then the vendor eats the whole order, twice, plus shipping. i have grown to despise the USPS, but by customer request we still do it

[ALIEN!]

I've had 100% success with USPS shipping, they are all I use. I did have a marble take a USPS scenic tour of the country once, but it did manage to make it to the customer, albeit about 3 weeks later. Aside from that, never once had a lost or damaged package. And they're cheaper. I definitely recommend USPS for smaller packages.

PS

Crip, for the love of God don't bother with UPS for buying boxes. Look around online for a local packaging supplier, if you find one, you can get a good rate on the boxes and save on the shipping if you pick them up.

[CripSkillz]

I dont buy em at ups,, I have a local parcel place I can usually get out for 100 and I just drop of the rifel case n tell tell em i wand it a bubble wrapped and double boxxed.. its not bad after doing it my self a few times,, id rather make a few xtra pipes.. lol


I use usps priority for all my single item orders,, its great boxes are free I can double box em and they pick it up for 5$,, sweet..

[KT-Old School Glass]

USPS is GREAT for shipping anything less than 5 Lbs and would fit in a 12x12x12 box. Anything larger or heavier and it will get messed up.

The free boxes that USPS gives are almost impossible to use for shipping rods/tubes/tools. They are not the right size/shape for shipping these items. I'd love to be able to use them but just can't (unless you don't mind the glass being cut to 8" long and then I have to charge a cutting charge!).

[Ikensel]

Hmm? Kristian that was thoughtful, but why was some one beating you over shipping cost. Too sad when someone ask why they have to pay for stuff they buy. Hate to see you nickled and dimed. Its kinda China menatllity why cant i have it cheaper. WAA WAA WAA. You deserve more respect from American craftsmen/people.
Sorry, That was a rant :)

Peace

[KT-Old School Glass]

No, don't get me wrong on this. They were not beating me down about it.

They were just asking mainly why it cost so much to ship a 1/2 lb order. I just wanted to break it down for them (and felt I should share it here).

[metalbone]

when you order only a half pound of glass at a time, shipping related fees will be a lot on a per-rod basis. Gotta order enough to spread the cost so that it is negligible.

Who the heck orders 1/2 pound of glass at a time anyways?

BTW, the USPS claims process sucks, it is designed to drag on and on and not pay for their damage.

[daveabr]

yea, i was speaking mainly to tubing, full length or cut.


like Kristian said, they have that cubic foot thing now. they are taxing the hell out of big boxes. plus, they will break them. and yes, the claims process is designed to fail the customer.

we do still use Flat Rate Boxes for little stuff all the time


i guess a lot of my gripe with them comes from international shipping. talk about a nightmare. DHL is more expensive, but blow everyone else out of the water on transit time and dependability. USPS has lost some big orders over the years for us. always a huge bummer

[FredLight]

That'll teach 'em not to order a half pound.

How may 20" rods is that? About 6?

[Bglass]

ive never in 6 years of shipping headdies lost something from usps...
my boxes are packed to the gills and usually contain more than a grand to 2g in glass.
i just shipped two 50Lb chucks to Illinois through usps, in my own made boxes. couldn't be happier and it was 90 dollars cheaper and quicker. 85 for both.
sorry to thread jack, but usps is the shit.
but its true about getting your money back from them so i never even bother with insurance, but also never had too. but have heard some bad stories. just gotta pack your stuff better and cut less corners when it comes to that stuff.

i also tack on handling and packaging charges on my orders, if i didnt i would be in trouble because bubble wrap, boxes and peanuts are expensive.
so in actuality 2.95 in handling charges isnt bad at all plus his packaging!! pretty darn reasonable.

[metalbone]

I can't tell you how many nice vintage tube receivers USPS has damaged because of their crappy handling, and they were packed to the gills with padding and double boxes. When you say USPS is the shit, I believe you because in my book, they and their claims processing are exactly that, SHIT.

[sunray]

Kristian.. Thanks for sharing.. I know it costs a lot in labor to just get this stuff out the door. I use USPS and have had good luck. Maybe this will help the customers understand our costs...

[Boozeclues]

good thread, I think people kinda think they will save money on shipping by ordering small stuff. one of you distibutors charged me 10 bucks shipping for a pair of economy diamond shears and a scissor. it was shipped in this HUGE box (bigger then a case of bottle of beer) filled to the brim with peanuts, on my side i could say I could ship that for 4 bucks. And on your side I know shipping materials are expensive and you want stuff to make it here undamaged. So lets all just agree to be point our frustration at the people who set fuel/gas/O2/ prices

[Greymatter Glass]

I feel ya K, I always re-use boxes and peanuts when I can, but it's not always possible. My long case boxes are like $9.50 each, and hold about $5 worth of peanuts and at least $1 worth of tape, plus $.50 per shipping label. I usually charge a flat $20 handling fee + actual shipping costs per box for full cases. If I paid someone else to pack boxes it would go up to about $25/box for case sized boxes.

I ship smaller stuff flat rate, but even then I have a cost in labels, tape, and packing materials. Those half sheet laser printer labels are about $0.46 each. And $0.02 in toner (according to printer manual's listing pagers per toner cartridge)