Shipping

TEXAS_HOSS · Post by **TEXAS_HOSS** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 1:11 am

Is it just me or has Shipping gotten ridiculous now, at some instances, it cost more than what im buying, seriously, $7 used to be crazy high shipping, now you are lucky if you get this much....i geuss times have changed

Post by **aferguson** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 5:20 am

try living outside the US. An XD plane used to cost around $15 to get shipped to canada. Now some sellers are asking over $30. The actual cost is in the mid to high twenties, however. Unjustifiable. That's over an 80% increase in 8 years. Inflation has been running at about 2-3% over that time.

A brief spike in the price of gas is being used to justify enourmous shipping charge increases. That plus the recession is severely hurting many online sellers plus the shipping companies themselves, as far less items are being shipped these days.

I know myself, there have been several times i was considering a purchase, usally off ebay. But when i saw the shipping charge i instantly changed my mind.

So, the shipping companies can charge all they want, but if people stop paying it they're not making any more money, are they? They need to wake up a bit and stop emulating the greedy bankers.

Panther F · Post by **Panther F** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 5:48 am

I feel for those who live across an ocean, then have to pay all the luxury tax's and whatever the rest of those fees they charge. Ebay is the worst, but there are still some decent sellers out there, but I guess it all depends on what you are looking at.

You know the old saying ... "You're going to pay if you're gonna play" Just be glad you're not a weekend racer and have parts overnighted to you because you broke down. I don't know how my buddy stays in that 'hobby'.

hotrodrock · Post by **hotrodrock** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 6:01 am

Still into 1/18, but with the lack of offerings, I have also gotten heavy into the 1/16 scale. For some reason, nearly all dealers of 1/16 are in Canada and they charge $40 shipping for a 1/16 tank. Thing is, there are a couple of dealers in California, but they also charge $40 shipping for the same tank. I know it costs more to ship from Canada, but why are the U.S. dealers charging the same.

And what really p****s me off is that I have bought several 1/16 tanks from individuals off ebay who ship in the exact same factory box and they only charge around $15. So the dealers in the U.S. who are all charging the same full retail price for their tank are gouging their customers for an extra $25 for shipping. Thats just wrong. And please none of this "well, they got to make a living" crap. Its just wrong, pure and simple. Rant over!

coreystinson · Post by **coreystinson** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 6:45 am

How big are the boxes these tanks are shipping in? If they are larger than 5,184 cubic inches, then they must automatically be billed at volumetric weight, which starts at about 27 lbs and goes up very quickly! You must also factor in that sellers are in California, the costs are significantly higher to ship to/from California even to the midwest, let along the far reaches of the east coast.

Now, I'm not saying that $40 is fair, it does seem high, but be sure you are considering all of the factors.

Be careful in comparing to eBay sellers. eBay sellers are often not very professional in anticipating shipping costs, and may over or under-charge.

Lastly, the USPS has been raising rates one or even twice per year over the last couple of years. (In fact, all carriers have.) This May, USPS raised the Parcel Post rates to the point where they are nearly as high as Priority Mail.

hotrodrock wrote:Still into 1/18, but with the lack of offerings, I have also gotten heavy into the 1/16 scale. For some reason, nearly all dealers of 1/16 are in Canada and they charge $40 shipping for a 1/16 tank. Thing is, there are a couple of dealers in California, but they also charge $40 shipping for the same tank. I know it costs more to ship from Canada, but why are the U.S. dealers charging the same.

And what really p****s me off is that I have bought several 1/16 tanks from individuals off ebay who ship in the exact same factory box and they only charge around $15. So the dealers in the U.S. who are all charging the same full retail price for their tank are gouging their customers for an extra $25 for shipping. Thats just wrong. And please none of this "well, they got to make a living" crap. Its just wrong, pure and simple. Rant over!

lightning2000 · Post by **lightning2000** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 7:13 am

Hotrod,
Believe it or not, there are instances where it has been cheaper to ship an item up to Canada than it is for us to ship it across the US to California, Arizona, Nevada, etc. It all depends upon the point of origin/destination, size of the parcel, whether or not the Postal Service wants to add balloon charges, etc. Likewise, the Postal Service did away with surface mail to points outside the US. So, once the parcel hits four pounds in weight, it has to be shipped via Priority Mail, which ups the cost of shipping dramatically. Never mind insurance, faster means of delivery, etc.

While overall inflation may have gone up by 2%-3% per annum, we all know that doesnt hold true for transport costs, particularly gasoline, which has gone up and down the past few years. And, just because the cost of gasoline may now have dropped to $2.53 or so across the naton, that doesnt mean the USPS has reduced the price of shipping to reflect this drop. They're in the hole for billions and trying to make up their deficit anyway they can.

One more reason why the 1:18 scale market, in particular the aircraft, gets hammered the worst when shipping costs go up.

Lightning2000
www.themotorpool.net

AMERICAN_GRENADIER · Post by **AMERICAN_GRENADIER** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 7:42 am

since usps has started the package size stuff prices have gone up.
but i will say that many etailers are making money on thier shipping. not to point anyone one out but several on this forum are over priced. they are always above the base USPS or UPS charge. even though they get special discounts from UPS and the post office for thier packages sent

Volksdeutsch · Post by **Volksdeutsch** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 7:45 am

i find that they do try and make money on shipping. you can ship a priority 1 pound item in a free post office box for 4.95 cost to cost. yet many etailers charge 6.95 to 9.95. even if you figure they buy a box. you can buy boxes for 35 cents from most supply companies. doesnt add up

Jay · Post by **Jay** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 12:52 pm

Yup. I haven't bought a plane from an etailer for about a year. All my recent finds have been through privite trades.
Doesn't help that the main players in the 1/18 etail market have either raised both initial + shipping price, or heavily pumped up one price to cover a supposed "discount" in other areas.
I've found some asian etailers who have a decent range (considering the position 21st is in now), as well as decent shipping so I'm going with them for my next etail purchase.

Tinman · Post by **Tinman** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 3:27 pm

3000toys.com has $7.95 flat rate shipping in the US. Not much XD left there, though.

And last time I ordered from Aikens Airplanes, there was no shipping charge (free shipping over $40 if I recall. They charged it, then refunded at time of shipment).

MG-42 · Post by **MG-42** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 3:49 pm

* Well , for me , I don't think it's that bad. It could be alot worse. I just go w/ the flow and try to get the best rate possible or avoid places that charge unreasonably high to begin w/ .

............ "that's about all I can do".

- Mitch v MG

MCalamari · Post by **MCalamari** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 8:51 pm

coreystinson wrote:You must also factor in that sellers are in California, the costs are significantly higher to ship to/from California even to the midwest, let along the far reaches of the east coast.

The cost to operate any business in California expensive too (not sure if it more or less), but the general land value --> which translates into rent / overhead is pricey. The benefit of CA, OR, and WA will be electricity is cheap (yeah hydro).

You could perhaps argue that they should then have a higher item cost and not include it in the shipping, but CA gas prices typically would make Texans (I'm a former one) cry.

We love our spotted owls, and make out of state consumers pay the cost!

dandaman · Post by **dandaman** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 11:52 pm

It's not just the shipping. It's the insurance, delivery confirmation, and "handling" on top of that. It can run you close to double the price of the product you're buying.

And heaven help you if you tell the seller that you want to forgo the insurance. I've had packages arrive that look like they had been mauled by a rabid wolf. Or the package may never arrive at all.

And get this...you can't get reimbursed. Because you specifically declined the additional fees. Trust me, I've been there.

Jesse James · Post by **Jesse James** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 1:10 am

A little USPS tip... Priority Mail tends to get treated better. Just in terms of discussion on getting packages in "beat to hell and back" condition... Parcel Post is often cheaper, and sometimes by a good ammount, but it's also treated like a red-headed stepchild by the employees often. However if you mark fragile on the box, any box, you also generally get a little better treatment of it too.

Unfortunately USPS employees are trained to be one way also, but once they're at their job the pressures to perform go through the roof, and their training goes out the window. Ask any of them if they ever do the speed limit on their route, haha... It can be a nightmare job, and actually the new exams you take to even be given a chance at an interview (much less get hired) are so stringent and mostly time/accuracy-based to weed out people who can't handle intense pressure at their job. But the pressures to be fast and efficient are growing, as competition grows, and costs rise.

Basically, yeah, they go nuts for a reason I think.

VMF115 · Post by **VMF115** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 1:43 am

I took the postal exam and just about went postal myself..... odd numbers, even numbers, memorization this memorization zat I Did not know which way I was coming or going..

AMERICAN_GRENADIER · Post by **AMERICAN_GRENADIER** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 5:56 am

dandaman wrote:It's not just the shipping. It's the insurance, delivery confirmation, and "handling" on top of that. It can run you close to double the price of the product you're buying.

And heaven help you if you tell the seller that you want to forgo the insurance. I've had packages arrive that look like they had been mauled by a rabid wolf. Or the package may never arrive at all.

And get this...you can't get reimbursed. Because you specifically declined the additional fees. Trust me, I've been there.

not true! ship confirmation is free for buusiness accounts from usps and UPS 100 in insurance is included in initial groun service. no extra charge.

Jesse James · Post by **Jesse James** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 12:05 pm

VMF115 wrote:I took the postal exam and just about went postal myself..... odd numbers, even numbers, memorization this memorization zat I Did not know which way I was coming or going..

Don't feel bad at all... People think you simply take a civil servant's exam, but they couldn't be more wrong. And to boot, you aren't even HIRED after that. You're just past step one to actually getting a job.

Depending on what you've applied for, you may have a driving exam, or other exams. The driving exam, on a right-hand-drive-vehicle (harder than one imagines) can be very easy, or very hard, depending on your instructor in the LLV with you.

Clerks get a slightly easier test, which makes sense as they don't case mail... City Carriers get a slightly easier test than Rural Carriers, but it's still not easy.

The crummiest thing is they make the exams harder than the job. These days though, they're cutting back anyway, makign the job unbearable to many, but if you've not been to school it's a good paying job with relative security once you're in.

The uniforms are uber lame though.

dandaman · Post by **dandaman** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 12:43 pm

AMERICAN_GRENADIER wrote:not true! ship confirmation is free for buusiness accounts from usps and UPS 100 in insurance is included in initial groun service. no extra charge.

Well then I've been taken to the bank on more than one occasion.

They always make it sound so complex with the shipping details. "Ah yes, we need to add delivery confirmation...there will be a tracking fee...insurance fee...handling costs...packaging material cost..."

I hate that.

AMERICAN_GRENADIER · Post by **AMERICAN_GRENADIER** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 12:50 pm

thats what im talkin about they are FULL of it!

popeye357 · Post by **popeye357** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 2:07 pm

Quit your Bitchin guys!! The USPS is the only government agency that uses its own revenue to survive. If they dont raise their prices or the govt doesnt step in and start fully funding them, we may see them go bye bye. Some might say good riddance but they are still cheaper in some respects than the other companies.

kduck · Post by **kduck** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 5:23 pm

I voted "Well, its not that bad" but I would have preferred to cast a vote for "It depends on the seller". When it comes to shipping I shop around. From years of selling on eBay it's fairly easy for me to approximate what actual shipping costs should be when I buy something. I buy both 1:18 and 1:6 items. If I buy a single carded 1:18 figure or a few loose 1:6 items then I know the package isn't going to weigh over a pound so shipping to me shouldn't exceed $5-6 from anywhere in the country. If the seller wants $9.95 then I'm not purchasing from him. For small items sellers that offer a cheaper 1st class option are preferred. Shippers that are gouging aren't hard to spot. If you know what a package is going to weigh or can approximate it then use a shipping calculator. The USPS, UPS and FedEx all having shipping calculators:
USPS Domestic - http://postcalc.usps.gov/
USPS International - http://ircalc.usps.gov/
UPS - https://wwwapps.ups.com/ctc/request?loc ... vl=PNRO_L1
FedEx - http://www.fedex.com/ratefinder/home?cc=US&language=en

Shop around and vote with your wallet. If the items you want exceed what you think they are worth when you factor in shipping then don't buy them. Don't be afraid to let the seller know either. If you want to buy something but you think the shipping is too high then send the seller an email and ask if they offer a less expensive option. If they say no then email them back and tell them thanks but no thanks because the shipping is too high. When you find dealers that treat you fairly then sing their praises to others. I haven't purchased any 1:18 items online in awhile but here are two 1:6 dealers who have great prices and very reasonable shipping:
http://www.j-p-hobbies.com/
http://www.toysoldierbrigade.com/index.htm

When I sell on eBay I try to keep my shipping prices fair. I have a scale so it's easy to calculate shipping in advance. Sometimes it gets a little difficult for multiple items but that's not too hard to work out. Sometimes I break even or even take a small loss on shipping and sometimes I make $1-2. Anything more than that and I refund the excess to the buyer. I do a fair amount of buying on eBay too and if you look around there are a number of sellers that will treat you fairly.

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Shipping

Has Shipping gotten ridiculous

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* Shipping ?

Not just the shipping

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Re: Not just the shipping