O/T: Shipping Sticker Shock - Price Just Doubled For Most Popular Item

[Siamese-Dream.Com]

The shipping price for one of our most popular items just doubled (from about $16 to $31)

Apparently, UPS is now using dimensional weight on ALL their ground packages (started on Dec 29th). So our 4-pound item (which is shipped in box that is 12 X 12 X 12 inches) is now charged at a rate of 11-pounds.

There's no way that a customer is going to pay $31 in shipping for an item that costs $45 :(

Are other people seeing this massive increase in shipping charges? Or am I just doing something wrong?

Thanks in advance.

[jsisk]

Re: O/T: Shipping Sticker Shock - Price Just Doubled For Most Popular Item

Yep. It just started. Everything is dimensional because of Amazon and other large companies that only use three different boxes and put a 1 pound item in a 16 by 14 by 5 inch box. They are filling up the trucks with all the wasted (un-billable) space.

17 years ago, we shipped 100% of our packages via UPS. Now it is less than 1%. Just about everything goes through USPS now. USPS just lowered their rates for the first 4 zones by up to 40% to capture the business.

We are now re-evaluating all of the products we carry because some are no longer marketable due to the high shipping cost in relation to the price of the item.

It's a shame because UPS is going to lose most of their small business accounts. They only charge 10 to 20 cents a pound to their large customers like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Kohl's, and several dozen others. To make up for it, they continue to jack up the rates to us. We sent some merchandise to Amazon using their account and it was $9.56 for a 30 pound package from coast to coast. $4.56 for the same weight from Baltimore to Kentucky. That's why Amazon can offer free shipping.

[Keitho]

Re: O/T: Shipping Sticker Shock - Price Just Doubled For Most Popular Item

Yup, we are also worried about the impact and will be crosschecking some of the "new" shipping costs next week. Regarding Amazon, I am finding that due to my Prime membership we can frequently buy smallish quantities from them at a lower net cost (product plus shipping) than going with our regular suppliers and paying shipping (not to mention minimum orders). Amazon's two day shipping is a real bonus when the regular supplier is on the other coast. I hate to think that I am supporting the "empire" but they do provide a lot of jobs and other benefits for our area.