This entry is prompted by a recent blog post of my friend Eric dealing with stupid business practices. I'd like to rant for a few minutes about the corollary to "we need minimum order size to Canada and we will inflict really retarded payment requirements on Canadians". That corollary is "Sure we ship to Canada, but you'll pay for it as if you ordered nitroglycerine to be hand delivered by supermodel and limousine."
Fair shipping
If you order geoSquid geocoins from my web site, you will see that I have calculated a shipping charge and it gets added to the bill. This charge is based on the size of your order, and I can do that because I'm only selling one item and I know how much it weighs. I add 50 cents for an envelope and a little wiggle room because no two of these things end up the same weight. Presto, a shipping amount. In fact, if I did it by hand, I could calculate the shipping exactly knowing only the item, envelope and packing material weights, and the current postal rate (or FedEx rate, etc.).
Radioworld, where I've been buying most of my ham radio equipment of late, has never charged me shipping, and they get things to me in under 48 hours usually.
Unfair shipping
Here is an example of slightly unfair shipping: Jeep Geocoin Notice that he charges 2.99 US for shipping in the US and 3.99 US anywhere else. I happen to have that geocoin, so I know what it weighs. The postage for that is $0.87 US anywhere in the USA. Even if you add $0.50 for an envelope and a nickel for tape and staples, total US postage is still less than $1.50. This person is flat-out ripping people off. The same package to Canada costs about $0.30 more, so $3.99? hardly. So there's a note here about using eBay too - watch shipping charges, because sellers will rip you off for shipping because shipping isn't subject to eBay charges.
Here are some others that I personally have experienced:
Starry Night charged me $12.95 shipping on a software order that I selected "download". So far they have not responded to my plea for relief from that unreasonable charge. It's a fair price if they're going to ship me a boxed set anyway, even though I didn't ask for a boxed set. It's nice software, but if they don't resolve this soon and satisfactorily, the won't get another dime of my money.
CPAP Plus charged $22.95 US shipping for a package that weighed about half a pound. Even adding in 100% weight in packing material,the shipping by USPS (how it arrived) should have been $14.00 US. Are they implying that it used $9 in time and materials to put a small box and a half-sized baggy into a box, throw in some styrofoam peanuts and mail it off? If that's the case, they should look at some personnel changes in their shipping department.
I used to order aquarium supplies from the US and would give that merchant my FedEx account number to avoid the store's usurious rates (and their steadfast adherance to a policy of shipping by UPS, which I loathe). I was kind of over a barrel with those guys as they were the only place I found where I could order bulk supplies, but at least I only paid exactly correct shipping on my account and they did meet me part way by allowing me to ship FedEx from their warehouse. I've had other merchants refuse and take the "our way or the highway" approach.
I've encountered businesses that won't take non-US credit cards. I can understand that, sort of, if the person tendering the card is in some third-world backwater with a known history of fraud (like, say, Nigeria), but FFS Canada doesn't qualify just yet. I've encountered Eric's "minimum order to ship to Canada" - like shipping to Canada is some trial that shipping to Ogdensburg, NY is not. The minimum order size pretty much guarantees the shipment gets nailed for duties and taxes at the border too, instead of slipping under the CBSA GAF radar.
So that's my rant. Be aware of shipping charges and don't take shit from companies that want to rip you off for it, especially if they want to hose you just because you're not a Yank. Those companies don't need your business.
Recent Comments