WOW on the shipping charge

[newcarver]

Spent $19.99 on a new 90 degree v-bit
$5.00 on a new roller switch cable assembly
$12 shipping and handling
Got the package today and what does the postage say????
$1.56
Priceless...
Thats just not right

[dbfletcher]

you dont think $10.44 seems reasonable for "handling"... lol.. ya that definately sucks. Y not squeeze every penny out of us in this down economy??

[twiceretired]

It was $15.00 flat rate, so it has come down.

[Jeff_Birt]

Speaking as someone who happens to be in a business that ships a fair amount of stuff out. It costs you a fixed amount for the time involved in pulling stock, putting it in a box and labeling it. In other words just processing the order cost me money. It does not matter if I am shipping 1 item or 100 there is a fixed cost involved for each order. Therefore every business will charge some sort of minimum shipping charge OR they will have a minimum order. If you don't have a minimum you will loose money on small orders.

It is just like it cost you the same amount in gas to drive to Wal-Mart whether you buy a pack of gum or a new TV.


If you want a better deal on shipping just plan ahead and order more thigns at once. Then that $12 seems like a better deal when it is spread out over more items.

[PCW]

Jeff

Do you charge $10.44 handling fee on a $25.00 order?:mrgreen:

Edit:

Jeff

I just tried to place a $30.00 order for a carving bit on your site and the shipping was only $4.78 total. I remember ordering from you in the past and always thought you where reasonable on the shipping.

I have purchase these bits from you in the past and I know where I'm going to buy all my bits in the future. Good Job

25931

[SteveEJ]

How many orders can a person fill in an hour? That is looking at the sheet, putting it in a box, adding a pre-printed label on it and stacking.. I would think that 5 would be a very low number..

5 X 10.44 = $52.20

Now, the person can probably pack more than 5, the box weight and size varies having a direct impact on shipping and someone does staff the phones. So 2 people involved averging 5 orders per hour based on the above assumptions probably (at most) makes $30.00 per hour combined and 25 cents for a box and label.

============
Not a bad profit for handling..

I always thought that planning was a must when ordering from LHR, but that cannot always be done. I just ordered 2 sets of belts for that reason.

[rnichols]

Don’t forget about the person that receives the order then process it to the one picking the order, Then back to the office to be invoiced to the buyer, then paying the person loading the order in the “truck” to be taken to the shipper, cost of actual shipping. Then add in fuel chargers, electric to light the warehouse, heat, building cost, etc, etc. It all adds up very quickly. So I don’t mind paying for some of the cost.
Can you tell I work in a Warehouse :-D

[dbfletcher]

Don’t forget about the person that receives the order then process it to the one picking the order, Then back to the office to be invoiced to the buyer, then paying the person loading the order in the “truck” to be taken to the shipper, cost of actual shipping. Then add in fuel chargers, electric to light the warehouse, heat, building cost, etc, etc. It all adds up very quickly. So I don’t mind paying for some of the cost.
Can you tell I work in a Warehouse :-D

True.. but most of those costs are typically included in the formula for coming up with the item cost. The excess handling is essentially pure profit in addition to the margin already realized on the individual items. They are either terribly ineffiencent in the shipping dept or they saw 'handling" as a golden opportunity to increase the bottom line. Not a bad business strategy especially when you know you customers will most likely need replacement parts on a regular frequency.

In a booming economy, I probably wouldnt really care about the seemingly excessive handling charges.... but as many of us know all too well, the economy sucks... and we feel the pain very deeply.

Dou Fletcher

[SteveEJ]

Yup.. I can. I accounted for the person taking the order and processing it, also the person packing the order. I left up the shipment pickup to UPS. For a lot of businesses they come there and pick it up. I would be surprised if they didn't in this case as well. That takes out loading, fuel and other associated charges. Bottom line, they charge way too much for shipping.

[PCW]

Hi Bob,

I know I can process 15 orders a hour from processing the label to packing the box by myself (due it just about everyday). Post office comes to me everyday and they even send me the priority boxes to ship the orders in.

If I charged that kind of handling fee I would not have any orders. The only way LHR gets away with it is where else are you going to order parts for the machine from.

[jab73180]

in our warehouse dept we add 50 cents to the cost of shipping, and thats cheap. we make our money in the parts.

[leesheridan]

If when figuring the price of an item that's when you figure in the cost of shipping and handling to you. You don't try and tack it all on the end. Doing it that way sounds like e-bay. Just to make sure a seller gets a little more they tack on a higher shipping cost. USPS even has flat rate shipping so why not use their figures? You can use them for labels and for pickup. Any business that really knows their business knows just what it costs per hour per person and all of that works into the up front cost.

[Steven Alford]

You guys are looking at this from the wrong angle.
They charge an excessive amount for shipping for one reason only, so that you will develop the idea that gee if I order three times the stuff that I need, it will be worth the exorbitant shipping charge. Guess what, you just fell into their trap of buying more than you need, making them windfalls of profit!!!! Same thing as impulse buying at the supermarket!!!

True, we have to buy most of their parts, but not all of them. Shop elsewhere for chucks, bits, belts, screws, nuts bolts, whatever you can. Give it another year or two and most of the parts we will be able to get someplace else.

It's amazing to me how many, and there are a lot, of online businesses that have very cheap shipping.

[TerryT]

In our "Real" business (Blue Iris Water Gardens), our shopping cart actually contacts FedEx, UPS and USPS servers, gets the actual shipping amount and that is what our customers pay. We do not add anything to the cost of shipping to our customers. In fact we PAY the shipping if the customer spends over $100. Of course we probably don't have as much shipping going on as LHR does.

[hess]

What we should do is all place an order send it to one place that person send the stuff out to each person.

I need O rings my HF one seem to last only one project then have to replace . my hands are to big or weak to prush an ring on so I have to take a belt off to get in there

But think if 4 or 5 went in together you would save ship

[Steven Alford]

I do that!!!
You can all email your orders to me. I will pay the $12 shipping to LHR and then I will pack and ship each one of your orders to you for a mere $11. Sound like a scam you already know??

I just ordered some clip art from Dover Publications and if you order a mere $50 or more, there is NO shipping. Now to me, that is the way to do business. But you see, LHR is not looking for customers (they have so many!!!!) their way of doing business is to shaft the ones they have!

[hess]

I do that!!!
You can all email your orders to me. I will pay the $12 shipping to LHR and then I will pack and ship each one of your orders to you for a mere $11. Sound like a scam you already know??

I just ordered some clip art from Dover Publications and if you order a mere $50 or more, there is NO shipping. Now to me, that is the way to do business. But you see, LHR is not looking for customers (they have so many!!!!) their way of doing business is to shaft the ones they have!

I get my dover stuff off Amazon I dont pay shipping

I dont know about the scam mentioned. I was being real. there are some of us on the other site that have helped each other out by sending parts they need until CW takes care of them. With honest folks it works out

I think you are right the CW does not really care

[liquidguitars]

I just ordered some clip art from Dover Publications and if you order a mere $50 or more, there is NO shipping. Now to me, that is the way to do business. But you see, LHR is not looking for customers (they have so many!!!!) their way of doing business is to shaft the ones they have!

This is harsh even coming from you Mr. Steve.

Regarding parts, I have not needed a part from LHR for over 6 months or so, thats the best cost saving.. :mrgreen:


LG

[Steven Alford]

Sorry if it seems harsh, but as they say, the truth hurts!!

[liquidguitars]

Sorry if it seems harsh, but as they say, the truth hurts!!

LOL ..

LG

[lawrence]

All this is one of the reasons I love Rockler and Amazon.com.... often there is no shipping charge. Heck, when I bought my carvewright from AAFES I did not pay a shipping charge :) (or tax...as AAFES is tax free for me) I also very rarely buy anything from Woodcraft these days, but you can bet your bottom dollar that when I do it is only during their "free shipping" specials.

Not bragging, I'm just commenting that lack of a shipping charge definately influences my decision on where I make my purchases. A flat rate fee is both common and warranted, but with the several options at fate rate now through USPS (envelope, small, medium, large, long) only having one flat rate is unreasonable and gives the impression that the company is either being naive or just plain greedy.

Just my honest opinion
Lawrence

[Semper Fi]

Why are we doing the defending (some of us anyhow) for LHR? Why doesn't someone from LHR get in on this and justify or explain their shipping policy? Although it is their bat and ball.

JMHO

[leesheridan]

In my last entery I wasn't supporting CW. But just saying how the retail market takes into account all money spent to get and item on the shelf in order to figure out the retail price. Even in the case of Rockler, they are not the cheapest retailer out there in their market so some where along the line they are making up the difference by offering free shipping. What I think is fair is what we see in the USPS tv commericals, flat rate shipping on each size box regardles of weight as long as it's less than 75 lbs. But yes it is up to CW to justify their charges. But it's like the community I live in here in Oregon. It's 31/2 hours to a freeway and 100 miles to a Walmart. Many of the merchants in our small town think they have a captive audience and charge what ever they what right up to the time they close the doors and wonder why people won't support the local merchants. The internet is what has brought us all together and it has been the internet that has brought about the rock chuck and a few other items that we no longer buy from CW. It's not CW that has made their business grow but rather it's the people like us that has allowed them to grow and see a profit. It's been off of our dollars. And we continue to add to those dollars by us buying patterns and anything else. When I bought my first unit there were more beta unit owners on the forum that when certain items would come up for sale they were under the influence that some items were not to be purchased separately but to be included with an upgrade that they had been waiting on or else they had it installed in their machines but removed it from ours and made it and add on item for sale. But, anything else said on this thread is just talk unless it something CW has to say.

[cnsranch]

You guys get your newsletter yet? Free shipping on orders over $100.

Belly up now, can't have it all ways :mrgreen:

[Steven Alford]

Yeah, check it out here....

http://store.carvewright.com/offers.php

[SteveEJ]

No newsletter for me. Of course, I have asked several times and applied on line to be added and no joy..:rolleyes:

Oh well.. That's life I guess.

[PCW]

You guys get your newsletter yet? Free shipping on orders over $100.

Belly up now, can't have it all ways :mrgreen:

Well at least for the weekend. See you Tuesday.:mrgreen: