Postage charges !!!!

[Neil Farrer]

Kim,

I am not offended by the notion that some retailers are overcharging.

You have made statements that these people are profiteering and overcharging, and all I have done is to ask you to explain why you believe this is so. Please tell me why those who post out items should do so from the kindness of their hearts at no profit.

Why should people cost into their pricing structure an item of the cost of postage? Is this so people such as yourself are hidden from the true costs of postage? Any outlet of whatever form will not cost in such items if they have multiple methods of distribution such as Internet sales, shop sales and others. If you only sell by one method, such as the internet, you can cost in the postage as it is always going to be distributed in this fashion and offer "Free Postage and Packaging". Is it my A**e! Its paid for all right.

Just because you feel it is too much it doesnt make it excessive. I asked you why you feel that postage should be exempt from profit, any answer? I asked you for your logic in working out why the package should be £3.00, any news?

Oh and just for the record, my goods are despatched in a jiffy bag and the cost of the box is irrelevant as it comes with any pen wherever and however bought and as such is costed in.

And whilst it may appear flippant, I'm out for the rest of the afternoon, just off to the post office three miles away to post a few pens in expensive jiffy bags. Hmm, six miles at 34p, and 60p parking, , £2.40 post, 16p envelope, round trip half an hour at £15 per hour, think I'll put my postage costs up.

 

[KimG]

I'm done.

 

[Rhossydd]

Postage should not cost more than the post office charges (within reason)

That's simply daft. Packaging costs money, as does storing it, labelling it, plus any costs incurred getting the item to the distributor(post office,pillar box etc). They might be small costs, but they all need to be accounted for if you want to run a successful business. It's also worth remembering that the cost of £4.95 will probably include 82p just of VAT so you're only being charged £4.13 by the business.
The biggest cost for a proper business is that whoever does the packing has to be paid and that's quite probably the highest cost of all.

 

[YewTube]

When trying to determine whether a P&P charge is excessive you should look at the business model.

At one extreme there are the Amazons who take orders on-line and the only human involvement is a store-man picking from a shelf and sticking in the closest size ready made packaging. It then gets a label, which I have typed, goes in a despatch bin to await a courier. I have ordered items from Amazon for less than a £1, including postage. If the jiffy bag had been full of fresh air I would still have thought it impossible.

On the other hand there are others selling small quantities of higher priced items. Whether it be pens (see above) or capital machinery as a main business but have to maintain a spares department as part of the service. The ordering process, part picking, invoicing and despatch are more labour intensive.

It is not surprising that postage charges vary but not a given that you are being over charged.

As in all buying - shop around and sometimes you have to bite the bullet but let it make you a wiser man.

Bill

 

[J-G]

I’m with KimG in asking that there is a higher level of honesty from all suppliers.

Whilst I agree that the costs of packaging materials and the labour associated with doing the job need to be recovered, these cost ought to be included within the basic price of the item. The only reason they aren’t is the psychological advantage that might be gained by advertising a lower base price. It’s not as if these costs are ‘unknown’ - whereas the pure cost of postage is outside the control of the business and can be changed right up to the moment of dispatch depending upon the urgency needed or service provider chosen.

Another reason for a ‘flat rate’ delivery charge is that it is less demanding on the staff brain-power!

I recently had to buy a pair of bevel gears costing just over £20, they weighed only a few grams and came in a jiffy bag with 61p postage - the supplier charged me £10 because that was their ‘policy’ !! There is a strap-line on their catalogue and web-site - ‘Never knowingly outpriced’ and they make no reference to their delivery charge policy other than to say ‘consult tele-sales’ - I consider that dis-honest.

 

[Rhossydd]

Whilst I agree that the costs of packaging materials and the labour associated with doing the job need to be recovered, these cost ought to be included within the basic price of the item.

That can't work because costs vary with destination.

 

[RogerP]

I recently had to buy a pair of bevel gears costing just over £20, they weighed only a few grams and came in a jiffy bag with 61p postage - the supplier charged me £10 because that was their ‘policy’ !!

I'm surprised that at those prices it wasn't at least sent "signed for". They are risking "not received" claims to which they'd have no answer but resend or refund. 8)

 

[J-G]

Whilst I agree that the costs of packaging materials and the labour associated with doing the job need to be recovered, these cost ought to be included within the basic price of the item.

That can't work because costs vary with destination.

Why ??

The cost of POSTAGE varies but not the cost of packaging - that is the whole point of this thread!

 

[J-G]

I recently had to buy a pair of bevel gears costing just over £20, they weighed only a few grams and came in a jiffy bag with 61p postage - the supplier charged me £10 because that was their ‘policy’ !!

I'm surprised that at those prices it wasn't at least sent "signed for". They are risking "not received" claims to which they'd have no answer but resend or refund. 8)

I wouldn't have been so angry if it had been 'signed for' :evil: - the value didn't warrant that though.

 

[dickm]

Have to admit some sympathy with Kim over what looks like excessive charges for P&P. But, unless there are alternative suppliers, there's not much we as consumers can do except stop buying items.
Much more frustrating to me is the way that a lot of suppliers either refuse to send stuff north of Aberdeen as they claim we are "Highlands and Islands", or charge an exorbitant amount for the 30 miles extra from the Angus-Aberdeen border. And we are only 100m above sea level, so hardly "highlands".
On the other hand, it's a lot nicer living here than around Milton Keynes....................
You pays your money and you takes your choice.

 

[sammo]

At risk of adding fuel to a bizarrely emotive subject, as a customer I ALWAYS add cost of goods + p&p = cost of item to me is that what I want to pay, how does it compare with other suppliers etc. appreciate that sometimes there is little choice (my very old bandsaw as an example) but in the main there is.

Those who sell must make a profit, how that profit is derived is frankly neither here or there.

 

[RogerP]

..........
Much more frustrating to me is the way that a lot of suppliers either refuse to send stuff north of Aberdeen as they claim we are "Highlands and Islands", or charge an exorbitant amount for the 30 miles extra from the Angus-Aberdeen border. And we are only 100m above sea level, so hardly "highlands". ............

As a seller on eBay I must own up to making this mistake.

On eBay's "location exclusions list" tick boxes Scottish Highlands are amongst all the other tick boxes which are for offshore islands.
When using a carrier (not RM) its is all too easy to tick all the boxes forgetting that carriers I use deliver to the Scottish Highlands at the same price as any other mainland UK address - it's just offshore islands they charge extra for.

 

[dickm]

it's just offshore islands they charge extra for.

That's not unreasonable, though hard luck on the islanders.
Just wonder how long before the lovely new privatised Royal Mail manages to get round its universal service obligation, and starts charging extra if you aren't 20 yards from their sorting offices.

 

[woodfarmer]

it's just offshore islands they charge extra for.

That's not unreasonable, though hard luck on the islanders.
Just wonder how long before the lovely new privatised Royal Mail manages to get round its universal service obligation, and starts charging extra if you aren't 20 yards from their sorting offices.

Truth is the "competing" companies just cherry pick all teh lucrative stuff and dump teh rest onto Royal Mail. have you not noticed how the cost of posting stuff has rapidly increased since they lost their monopoly to deliver mail. eg all mail everywhere.

Now I have grump with a supplier. simply bearings. I need two little bandsaw bearings that weigh a few grams..627zz in UK they are post free....£3.75 for the pair delivered. but to France they want £10.90