Shipping cost

[Hall]

Originally Posted by AZjeff
Yeah no kidding. We make parts for major medical fixture companies and ship on their accounts. What would cost you and I $20 to ship UPS is $4 for them and they're smaller than tiny compared to Amazon.

How do you see their rates ? If you use the UPS website or UPS Worldship, when you select "Bill receiver", the charges go away (not displayed).

 

[SeaJay]

Amazon pays for the product to be packaged and given to the shipping company. It collects money from the purchaser which can include shipping, or not. It doesn't matter to Amazon as long as the total collected from the purchaser exceeds its costs by a large enough margin. Business 101. It could give away the product for free and charge an outrageous shipping charge, no matter as long as the total provides a large enough margin.

 

[Hall]

Originally Posted by Wolf359
Ever price out the cost to ship something? I think everyone is just used the the low cost of shipping, but it's not as cheap as you think. Plus they might be marking it up a little to account for packaging/handling.

Retail rates are substantial compared to rates you get just by creating an account. If you're a business with any amount of volume, your account rep can apply discounts to reduce it even more. We are NOT a high-volume shipper with UPS (they are our primary for small-package but more shipments go by truck/pallet nowadays). A recent shipment of ours (8"x8"x12", 12 lbs) has a retail rate of $16.12. Our rate was $11.72. If you take a package to a UPS Store, I'm pretty sure they charge higher than retail rates too. Even if they charge you retail rates, they've got discounted rates with UPS to provide them mark-up.

 

[WyrTwister]

If you order 3 items from RockAuto.com & they each come from a different warehouse / location , you are going to pay the minimun ( at least ) shipping 3 times .

Sometimes , you can modify your choice of item to try to get all 3 from the same place .

Or scratch your head & think of things you are going to need in the future , to add to the order to help spread out the shipping cost .

I periodically receive Advance Auto speed poins discount emails . I check cost of parts + discount + local sales tax and compare to RockAuto.com + shipping . Of course , I hear we will soon have to pay sales tax on just about all internet transactions ?

 

[grampi]

Amazon initiates shipments with UPS, but then hands the packages off to the USPS for final delivery (which I absolutely hate), but I'm sure that helps keep costs down too...

 

[Sierra048]

Just yesterday I had to ship a small package from N. Georgia to Delaware via the USPS. Almost $13.

I begrudgingly paid it since it was my fault. I ordered our grand kids some Christmas gifts via Amazon Prime and forgot to change the destination to my son's address. Totally on me. And, I get to do it again today as my Amazon order was divided into two deliveries a day apart. The second package is scheduled to be delivered here this morning.

 

[Hall]

Originally Posted by WyrTwister
I hear we will soon have to pay sales tax on just about all internet transactions ?

Rockauto already charges sales tax for me (in Ohio).

 

[Hall]

Originally Posted by grampi
Amazon initiates shipments with UPS, but then hands the packages off to the USPS for final delivery (which I absolutely hate), but I'm sure that helps keep costs down too...

That's an arrangement between UPS and USPS (service is called Mail Innovations, I think). The USPS does this with Fedex Ground as well (Smart Post).

 

[Mr Nice]

Originally Posted by SatinSilver
Price the auto parts out on Amazon. Rockauto is still probably cheaper and no worries about counterfeits.


You should buy some Amazon stock. Excellent growth over the next 10 years.

 

[Mr Nice]

Originally Posted by grampi
Amazon initiates shipments with UPS, but then hands the packages off to the USPS for final delivery (which I absolutely hate), but I'm sure that helps keep costs down too...


The last mile is always the most expensive.

 

[Nyogtha]

FedEx does this as well, FedEx SmartPost. I dislike the way it shows the package ETA for one day up until it is about to get transferred to USPS, then shifts one and sometimes 2 business days later with the handoff. Makes it difficult to plan for minimizing porch piracy and for when for example you'll get something for part of a larger project. Had this happen just this week with a rifle scope I ordered.

 

[AZjeff]

Originally Posted by Sierra048
Just yesterday I had to ship a small package from N. Georgia to Delaware via the USPS. Almost $13.

I begrudgingly paid it since it was my fault. I ordered our grand kids some Christmas gifts via Amazon Prime and forgot to change the destination to my son's address. Totally on me. And, I get to do it again today as my Amazon order was divided into two deliveries a day apart. The second package is scheduled to be delivered here this morning.

I would have been tempted to return the items and reorder them with the correct shipping address.

 

[AZjeff]

Originally Posted by hallstevenson
Originally Posted by AZjeff
Yeah no kidding. We make parts for major medical fixture companies and ship on their accounts. What would cost you and I $20 to ship UPS is $4 for them and they're smaller than tiny compared to Amazon.

How do you see their rates ? If you use the UPS website or UPS Worldship, when you select "Bill receiver", the charges go away (not displayed).


You can't just see a shipper's rates on the website. I see the rates when we charge shipping directly to their account.

 

[stroked93]

2 points to make

1st shipping rates that john Q public pays at Fedex or UPS are greatly inflated. If you do volume business with them you get huge discounts out of major markets because they have more inbound freight than outbound and do not like running empty trucks or Airplanes back to their hubs. One quick example of this I work for a international company that ships exclusively with UPS. I bought 4 aluminum wheels out of Houston to Omaha cost 5.85 each to ship. If I ship the same wheel to Houston it costs double.

2nd I have received so much counterfeit product from Amazon that I'll gladly pay Rock Auto Freight and have the confidence I am getting what i am paying for.