Why do some equipment companies feel the need to sell their stuff at a “discount,” then overcharge the fuck out of the customer for shipping?
The most obvious example recently…a well-known company up north, somwhere between canada and NYC, overcharged me for a rather crappy rack i bought.
Later, I was looking for a pair of 1 1/4lb plates, which I found at atomic athletic…the plates were soemthing like 1.40 each, and 3.20 to ship both of them across the country.
For the sake of sakeness, I checked what my friends up north were charging. Same price for the plates, but…$16 PER PLATE to ship…from a few hours away.
I’ve noticed it elsewhere, too, and it’s pissin me off now.
[quote]IL Cazzo wrote:
Why do some equipment companies feel the need to sell their stuff at a “discount,” then overcharge the fuck out of the customer for shipping?
The most obvious example recently…a well-known company up north, somwhere between canada and NYC, overcharged me for a rather crappy rack i bought.
Later, I was looking for a pair of 1 1/4lb plates, which I found at atomic athletic…the plates were soemthing like 1.40 each, and 3.20 to ship both of them across the country.
For the sake of sakeness, I checked what my friends up north were charging. Same price for the plates, but…$16 PER PLATE to ship…from a few hours away.
I’ve noticed it elsewhere, too, and it’s pissin me off now.
Anyone else?[/quote]
If you’re talking about getting items shipped from US to Canada (or the inverse) the costs are insane.
At least you live in the states and have cheaper US alternatives.
I live in Canada and face incredibly steep shipping costs + brokerage fees for anything ordered from the US. So basically anything that would be an amazing deal from the US is a complete rip off.
It wouldn’t bother me at all if I could buy these items in Canada, but the US has far more variety in goods than Canada does.
isn’t it just a volume issue ? i mean if it’s a small bottom feeding company to begin with you can be sure they’re not getting a rate for their shipping because they just don’t give the shippers enough biz.
Shipping and Handling fees are to mail order businesses what Soft Drinks and French Fries are to the fast food industry — the easiest place to make a profit.
I’m a long-time eBayer and have noticed that S&H rates keep getting more ridiculous every year. You have pinheads charging $5.00 to 7.00 for shipping a fucking book in the states. Media Mail is only $1.59 for 1 lb and something like $2.09 for 2 lbs.
FYI: If you want decent S&H prices for used books, go to Amazon. Their vendors are held to $3.49 per book in the U.S. I think it’s even cheaper for CDs.
BTW, the 3.20 for your plates (2.5 lbs plus the box) is actually damn reasonable.
Yeah, most people rarely if ever take S&H into account when they buy something online. I really stick it to people who buy from me on ebay. Yeah, that DVD cost you 15 cents to buy from me, but the 25 dollars S&H means I still make a nice profit.
[quote]Rah-Knee wrote:
I really stick it to people who buy from me on ebay. Yeah, that DVD cost you 15 cents to buy from me, but the 25 dollars S&H means I still make a nice profit.[/quote]
Which outfit are you with, “Douchbags ‘r’ Us”?
I guess that’s capitalism at either its finest or most crass — depending on which side of the fence you stand.
One assupmtion of laissez faire capitalism is that buyers are informed and motivated to take care of themselves. How poor an assumption that has turned out to be in this Lazy Boy Recliner society.
You could of course say that, “Well they failed to check on these things, so they get what they deserve.”
I, on the other hand, might of course say: “Yeah, but you’re still a fucking douchebag.” But that’s just me. My sense of fair play is often at odds with the ways of this world.
People who dont offer reasonable shipping rates compared to other items just dont get my business. Its that simple. They are just hurting themselves with their own stupidity.
Whats stupid are companys that decide to base their survival on the people who dont think about what they are doing.