I have to ask this about Shipping ...

[Jan]

I posted this on a thread in the Enrichment & Foraging Park area ...

This post below is a bit lengthy, hopefully you can follow on what I am stating below!

Most of the orders I receive, the customer chooses USPS over UPS. I've only had one person who ordered choose UPS in about the last 6 months. I use live rates from both the USPS & UPS so it is usually pretty much what they charge. If the customers should pay more then I do refund the difference... however, if it turns out where it cost more to ship than what the customer paid then I eat the difference. The weights on my items are accurate and it is based on weight and destination. If a customer in Arizona and a customer in Virginia ordered the same thing naturally it would cost considerably less to ship to Arizona from my location in California then it would be to ship to Virginia.

So my concerns for vendors and those as a customer, so when a vendor refunds any shipping back to the customer then the customer is happy about that, they get money back! When the shipping supersedes what was charged, then the vendor has two choices ... 1) eat the cost which means pay out of their own pocket on the difference, 2) OR ask the customer for the difference ...

Now, as of lately, most all my customers are choosing USPS and I have 3 choices they can select from which is First Class Mail Parcel, this has to weigh 13 ounces or under, if the order weighs more than 13 ounces then the customer does not see that shipping option. Then there is Priority Mail and Parcel Select. Most of the time the customer chooses the Parcel select over the Priority Mail and yet it is not that much difference in price and when choosing Priority Mail they get their order in about 3 days time as opposed to the Parcel Select which can be up to 7 days. I'm wondering is it more important to save $2-3 but takes 7 days to arrive or pay a bit more and get it quicker? I know some are not in a big hurry so saving a few bucks and have it take longer is not an issue for some.

Like with the SWS orders I shipped out, I shipped them all Priority Mail with the exception of a few smaller ones that went First Class Mail Parcel. Most chose the Parcel Select option over Priority Mail. I shipped the Priority method due to them getting it sooner, some of the orders cost a bit more to ship the Priority method which I pay out of my pocket. Also, on orders $50 when I ship Priority Mail it automatically covers up to that amount so at least the customer's order is covered.

In the case of where the customer pays for example $10.00 shipping and chooses Priority Mail but for some reason it cost say $3.00 more for actual cost ... it can be due to various reasons, maybe items had to be better packed therefore making the total boxed weight more so it costs more. There have been times where there is no way I can get it down in weight. Bottom line is do you as a customer think it is appropriate for a vendor to ask for extra money to cover more shipping to ship their order than what they were charged at the time of their ordering??

For sometime now I have been shipping many orders out in the larger white padded bubble envelopes as these cut down a lot from the weight of a box and packing paper. Sometimes you can have as much as 2-3 pounds just on box and packing paper weight alone.

 

[gibsongrrrl]

Definitely! It's only fair that a customer pays actual shipping cost so I would feel really bad if the vendor was eating the cost on my order, which was probably discounted anyway. If the cost difference was too much, I'd just elect to get it slower. I felt awful afew times ordering from @Danita because I'd see the amount I payed was less than my invoice and couldn't figure out why because I wasn't used to ordering anywhere with exchange rates she probably thought I was such a dummy that one time I sent a message about it

 

[Dartman]

As long as you state you charge actual shipping costs and give them a choice of cheaper or faster I don't see a problem. If it's going to cost extra to pack a box properly on top just make sure to say you might have to charge extra for proper packing/ packaging.
After that it's up to the customer to decide and I think as long as it's honest chipping charges and not something made up to pad profit you should be fine. I usually buy things on eBay as buy it now with free shipping but if it's something oddball I want I'll pay shipping as long as it's obvious the charges are reasonable for what your getting as somebody has to pay it and all the buy it now/free guys probably have a deal with their shipper plus it's built into their price but it's usually still a good price anyways.

 

[Lady Jane]

You are running a business and we want you to continue with those lovely bird toys. Whatever you need to do in regards to shipping should be OK as long as the customer understands the reasons.

 

[CeciliaZ]

yes, I think it is appropriate to ask for the extra shipping charges - just explain to the customer.

 

[Karen]

Bottom line is do you as a customer think it is appropriate for a vendor to ask for extra money to cover more shipping to ship their order than what they were charged at the time of their ordering??

Like with the SWS orders I shipped out, I shipped them all Priority Mail with the exception of a few smaller ones that went First Class Mail Parcel. Most chose the Parcel Select option over Priority Mail. I shipped the Priority method due to them getting it sooner, some of the orders cost a bit more to ship the Priority method which I pay out of my pocket.

NO, if you decide to ship by a different method than the one I chose, I don't want to be charged extra because you decided to do something I chose not to pay for.

Other than that, state on your site that you charge actual shipping. You can invoice separately the actual shipping charges after the order has been packaged and weighed.

 

[Macawnutz]

My opinion... I would rather pay more upfront and not get a refund than to have a vendor email me and say I owe more.

If I pay more than it was... throw in a few foot toys... If I paid less than it was, IMO not would not be my fault.

Just my opinion.

 

[fluffypoptarts]

You could put an option for checkout where the customer can request their order in a box instead of the envelope, and checking the option automatically tags several dollars onto their order to compensate for increased shipping.

OR you could let the customer complete the order and then tell them they will be invoiced with the final total (which may vary from checkout estimate depending on final weight) and then send an invoice once you know for sure what that is.

I usually prefer one invoice myself, if possible.

 

[JosienBB]

I don't mind getting an additional invoice to cover full shipping costs It is only fair, after all.

I don't choose UPS because of the ridiculous brokerage fee they tag on to international orders.

 

[fluffypoptarts]

I definitely don't think that it's fair for the vendor to have to eat the shipping costs, though! That's a quick way for a vendor to lose a lot of money, and then they can't go on - which is a big loss for everyone, in the end. I think it is sad that you aren't going to be able to continue with your store, Jan.

 

[Jan]

Thanks guys! Yes, I certainly understand if it is my choice to ship at a higher rate then that is not the customers problem and should not be requested to pay more. Often the shipping just ends up being more cost even when the customer chooses they shipping method they chose and paid for at time of checkout.

It would not be wise to have an option where the customer can choose a box or the padded envelope simply for the fact that lots of things could not be properly packed in the padded envelopes. I already do know that the cheaper method for shipping is most always a given choice.

 

[Joseph012]

It depends on how much it was I suppose, but as rule it would be better to overcharge and refund than undercharge and request more. Shipping factors into my purchases, and if I got a request for more several times I might reconsider shopping there again. I know abirdtoy does a flat rate shipping for domestic orders, but I realize that may not be an option for everyone depending on your sales volume. Wouldnt hurt to reach out to others to see what they have learned from shipping issues over the years, and how they fixed them.

 

[Jan]

It depends on how much it was I suppose, but as rule it would be better to overcharge and refund than undercharge and request more. Shipping factors into my purchases, and if I got a request for more several times I might reconsider shopping there again. I know abirdtoy does a flat rate shipping for domestic orders, but I realize that may not be an option for everyone depending on your sales volume. Wouldnt hurt to reach out to others to see what they have learned from shipping issues over the years, and how they fixed them.

You know, sometimes I will get people emailing me telling me how my shipping is extremely high ... huh? The site does live rates with the USPS so based on items weights, that is pretty darn accurate ... many who are not use to ordering tend to think it is high which I agree too but it is not my control. Yes, I could increase the shipping methods to charge a little more than it does but if I over inflate it by some then people too will just shop elsewhere if they especially find a cheaper shipping rate, even if I state that I will refund any overage on the shipping. It's a hard call when it comes to shipping but I very well may increase the rate by $2-3 and state about the refund if any. Thank you!

 

[Danita]

Ugh, the age old shipping problem.

I started keeping a tally of the shipping I am losing every day, I hate to request $1-$5 here and there. Normally, I ignore it and think, no biggie. But now that I have a running list, it is just stupid of me.
I had to put the US shipping up by $5, two bags of bird bread to East Coast of US is $26, and I was charging $16.50.

 

[gibsongrrrl]

Ugh, the age old shipping problem.

I started keeping a tally of the shipping I am losing every day, I hate to request $1-$5 here and there. Normally, I ignore it and think, no biggie. But now that I have a running list, it is just stupid of me.
I had to put the US shipping up by $5, two bags of bird bread to East Coast of US is $26, and I was charging $16.50.

That sucks! Please feel free to let me know if there are ever extra shipping costs on my orders so I can cover the difference.

 

[Jan]

Ugh, the age old shipping problem.

I started keeping a tally of the shipping I am losing every day, I hate to request $1-$5 here and there. Normally, I ignore it and think, no biggie. But now that I have a running list, it is just stupid of me.
I had to put the US shipping up by $5, two bags of bird bread to East Coast of US is $26, and I was charging $16.50.

Yep, I am with you too on this. It certainly adds up. I just feel that even stating that we will refund any overage on shipping if any, some customers may then think that it will cost what the store charges so therefore it is more than what they'd want to pay for shipping. USPS certainly sticks it to ya if your package is on the larger size and if it weighs much over 3 pounds then the shipping just seems too expensive. I order things from other websites and I too struggle with having to pay higher shipping when I know full well it really does not cost that much to ship it especially when it is not big or heavy. My hubby often wants to order electronic components and it might weigh only 2 ounces but they want to charge $15-$20 so they ultimately have it highly over inflated ... and they do not refund any money back from the difference of the actual cost.

 

[Clueless]

You know, I've picked certain ways of shipping before - for example, UPS, from companies over the internet (not bird stores). I was highly annoyed to find that it shipped from the store via UPS - then WENT TO THE POST OFFICE for local deliveries. You talk about a looooooonnnnnnnng wait for a package to arrive! I was told that it was cheaper for UPS to deliver the package to the post office then THEY could deliver locally.

 

[itzmered]

face it shipping rates stink! I deal with this on a daily basis at work from little itty bitty packages to full truckload quantities to shipping containers overseas.

I would rather see vendors up their shipping charges and state they will refund any difference. I like to know up front what the max is going to be

 

[itzmered]

You know, I've picked certain ways of shipping before - for example, UPS, from companies over the internet (not bird stores). I was highly annoyed to find that it shipped from the store via UPS - then WENT TO THE POST OFFICE for local deliveries. You talk about a looooooonnnnnnnng wait for a package to arrive! I was told that it was cheaper for UPS to deliver the package to the post office then THEY could deliver locally.

I hate when they do that especially if it is a bigger package that they wont deliver to my house. The USPS is not open when I am home and I usually have to jump through hoops to get the dang package!

 

[Dartman]

They want to kill the post office if possible but all the big shippers hate going to certain places so they hand off to the post office who goes everywhere, including the unprofitable routes.
UPS does it and so does FedEx, I'm having a vacuum cleaner part delivered from eBay that is coming FedEx Smart Post. Just means it gets here slower and FedEx doesn't actually deliver it which will probably screw up my tracking too, plus it slows it down.
I actually prefer the Post Office for small stuff, they have flat rate packages, it gets there quickly, and it cheaper. They have tracking and all that too if you want it.
Woot.com, a deal a day site, has a picture of a snail with a Package strapped on it's back they use for their Smart Post shipping. It's their little joke and everyone knows it's slow but it's also dirt cheap as they charge 5 bucks to ship anything they sell you no matter what size.