Shipping Cost

[bossel]

This post is somewhat inspired by Philips sales-post and Dusty's post of Total-Cost-of-Ownership.

Imagine I can pick up a lens in Nice (next big town from here, 20KM) or have it sent from Paris (800KM).

If I go to Nice, I'll pay about 3 Euro for fuel, 2.5 Euro Highway toll and 2 Euro for parking (if I don't stay to long). That's 7.5 Euro - not including the Café Latte my wife and I will certainly have (and maybe a crêpe) when we go to Nice.

So if I pay 10 Euro for having something sent over, nothing to complain about.

I recently ordered 200 Euros woth of books from blurb and I pay 20 Euro for tracked shipping (10 Euro more than normal shipping). Also a no brainer.

In general, having somthing sent over is often cheaper than fetching it yourself or not getting it at all!!

Does it make sense to you?

[Javelin]

It does except if I drive and get to whereever it is I can change my mind and leave it there. once it's shipped it would then have to be refunded and shipped back.

[Dusty]

Bossel, that's the penalty for living in Europe! I can drive my car - 30MPG Hyundai - anywhere in the metro area for $4 round trip. None of the places make you pay for parking, and there are no toll roads in Missouri. If coming from work, or combined with another errand, cost is almost non-existent.

I can also peruse and buy other items while there, and get a good look and or feel for the object. Often, I'll look at something and decide it costs too much for what I'm getting, but might later find a flea-bay or other online bargain and purchase anyway.

The point I was making in my OP is that some were surprised that DK sold something with a £100 delivery charge. I've seen identical item on e-bay ship for $8 flat rate to $32 Fed-Ex charge. One e-bay pro I know charges more on S&H because it's not part of e-bay fees, people don't watch it nor include it in TCO, and because his time to package things is worth $$.

In short, local purchases (for me) are just a trade off of brick-and-mortar costs vs. shipping cost. Online only wins if the cost is substantial, or, as in e-bay purchases, buying used or hard to find items.

I just bought a $10 lens w/ (I think) $5 S&H. $15 to get me an off-brand (Quantaray) FF zoom. I'll pay $15 for that. I wish I would have bid higher or watched closer the Tokina zoom that was mistakenly tagged as an MD mount, but from the photos clearly was alpha mount. Sometimes I'm just too cheap!

Dusty

[David Kilpatrick]

Without insurance, the 2kg plus weight (this lens was not some small package) cost around £60 for signed-for, reasonably fast (3-5 day) delivery to Switzerland, which does involve air transport even though the distance would be no more than a state to state sale in the USA. The extra for insurance to cover £1000 added £30, but also came with guaranteed 48 hour signed for datapost delivery. So the £90-something - call it $150 US - overall charge was not a minimum. If I cared to send the same thing by Small Packet Post, no signed for, no insurance, no specific time (could take 2 days, could take 10, could be stolen or lost and no comeback) it would have cost maybe £15 to ship.

But who wants that? Buyers will pay for insured, signed for, fast delivery - and for something of this value, I won't ship on any other basis. Ebay is full of scammers who will claim they never got the goods. I ship everything of value signed-for only.

David

[Dusty]

Here in the US our Postal Service allows you to get "Return Receipt Requested" for a nominal charge. That's not insurance, but it does prove that someone got the package they claim they never got. I don't know what would apply in international shipments.

As you say, your distances in Europe are not that great from border to border, but the differing jurisdictions can make everything a headache.

Dusty

[rogprov]

Without insurance, the 2kg plus weight ...

As a quite heavy user of Royal Mail international services (eBay sales mainly) the 2kg break point is the problem - costs escalate frightful over 2kg. Where possible I split packages to get below that weight and it's often very much cheaper to send two 1.99kg packages than one 4kg. Anyone wanting to check RM prices http://sg.royalmail.com/portal/rm/Price ... ricingcalc will open their calculator.

[Philip]

Like David, I refuse to send high value items unless they are insured and trackable, and it is the insurance that pushes up the price. The 300 f4 in question weighed over 3kg packed - so around £100 to ship to Europe- and like Dusty I take shipping charges into account when I bid, so I assumed most others also did - perhaps we are not normal (sorry Dusty, no offence intended ) The 70-300 when packed weighed just under 2kg on my scales, but when placed on the post office scales was 10g over the 2kg limit - that 10g was going to cost an extra £10.00 in shipping costs - needless to say I went back home and found a lighter box! Perhaps in the future I'll leave it up to the potential bidder to make the decision as to whether they want to pay the postage.

Philip

[bossel]

Bossel, that's the penalty for living in Europe!

Driving a car over here means you're ripped off by everybody But I guess London is worse (City Tax). Depends on your region. We do have some free streets and parkings (but never where you needem) Best would be to create a wormhole so you can grab your lens from everywhere in the universe without leaving your sofa!

[bossel]

I had to post some (photo)books today from France to Germany and went to the post office this morning.

Sent a 'Colissimo International', this includes confirmation of delivery, the receiver has to sign and tracking.
Paid 26 Euro for 3.5 Kilo and 300 Euro insurance.

[Dusty]

I had to post some (photo)books today from France to Germany and went to the post office this morning.

Sent a 'Colissimo International', this includes confirmation of delivery, the receiver has to sign and tracking.
Paid 26 Euro for 3.5 Kilo and 300 Euro insurance.

Ouch! That's what - $40? And for 8lbs? We have Flat Rate US Postal Service Shipping here. Any weight that fits in the box, anywhere in the US, for a set price. Various box sizes have varying costs. For $40 I can ship a big chainsaw across country, and for about $1.65 more, get the Return Receipt Requested as proof of delivery!

Dusty

[bossel]

Intenational trackable's always a bit more expensive! I can send things nationally much cheaper and can also get the delivery notification for 1.50, no worries.
And why should you ship your chainsaw around the US?

[Dusty]

Intenational trackable's always a bit more expensive! I can send things nationally much cheaper and can also get the delivery notification for 1.50, no worries.
And why should you ship your chainsaw around the US?

Well, International is of course always more, but in Europe that could be just a few miles away! I know, France is pretty big, I've been there. It's just that Europe has those pipsqueak nations that aren't even the size of a good-sized county over here, and each one has it's own everything to mess things up! You want a good project for the EU? A unified EU postal system! No more $45 to ship something 200 KM, just because it's 2 countries away!

I've never shipped my chainsaws, but I've bought a few that had to be shipped. My cousin, OTOH, did ship one out to his sister in California so he could trim her trees while visiting.

Dusty

[aster]

Hi,

In Turkey, International trackable shipping is very much like its European counter-parts. We are billed for every 0.5kg of parcel weight. Sometimes the shipping costs more than the cost of the content in the parcel.

The American way would be nice to have; definitely less complicating!

Yildiz

[bossel]

It's just that Europe has those pipsqueak nations that aren't even the size of a good-sized county over here

We call it history. Bigger is not always better!

and each one has it's own everything to mess things up!

Like laws which are different in each of your states? Drive 10 miles, cross a border and many things change!

You want a good project for the EU?

Want a good one for ths US - don't get me started - what about increasing postage to allow healthcare for everybody

[Dusty]

It's just that Europe has those pipsqueak nations that aren't even the size of a good-sized county over here

We call it history. Bigger is not always better!

Okay. Then give me back Alsace_Lorraine! My family still has claims to it somehow, and I would kind of like being a king.

and each one has it's own everything to mess things up!

Like laws which are different in each of your states? Drive 10 miles, cross a border and many things change!

So much over here has been federalized that not much more than minor traffic laws are different these days. There are a few good states still, but the days of it being worth leaving one for a 'better' one are over.

You want a good project for the EU?

Want a good one for ths US - don't get me started - what about increasing postage to allow healthcare for everybody

Obama's already screwing up our healthcare. Soon we'll all have to go to Mexico to get good care. One of his new proposals is electronic health records, a good idea on its' face, but he put in a government back door. The Fed will appoint someone to "monitor" your health records (s0 much for privacy) and tell your doctor that he's spending too much to treat you, or not using the treatment the Fed want them to! This includes monitoring and controlling those who pay for these costs out of their own pocket!

You can bet they won't monitor or control celebrities, politicians on their side of the issues, and big campaign contributors! Can you see any problems with this system? There's also his promise to totally socialize healthcare in the future, even though his new budget will break us so fast we would all be better squandering our money in a casino!

If we don't stop his runaway power grab soon, they'll be nothing left of the US I grew up in. Then the next time someone invades Europe, you'll be on your own.

Dusty

PS That last comment wasn't meant to be smug. I consider what we did for you guys in WWI&II payment for your help in our war for independence!