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Shipping costs

B

Broden

Joined
Sep 21, 2020
Messages
13
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58

Hi, Just a bit of a rant.
I am building HMS Terror based on the OcOre kit. It is the first model I have attempted in the last 60 years. I am also enjoying the challenge of bashing the kit to get closer to the real life wreck found in the Canadian Arctic.
I have been upgrading some of the deck fittings and rigging components. So I have been sourcing bits and pieces on the market.
There are several well stocked American retail websites and a couple of Canadian suppliers in the market.

The issue is shipping costs. Three sites where I selected items added shipping charges which have no basis in reality. Examples are a $12.00 order for 2 ea. 20mm cannon kits which weighed next to nothing charged $38.00 shipping. I challenged and had it reduced to $13.99, which is certainly above cost. The same vendor included a catalogue stating “ add $10.99 to all orders to continental US, Canada and Mexcio”. The next time I tried to order there the $38.00 shipping came up again, I challenged by email and got back a message that the actual cost was $25.00. I deleted the order.

Another American vendor added $83.50 to a $41.00 order. By the way all these prices are in US dollars.

I have ordered all these items from China, probably the actual manufacturers. The prices were way lower than what I was quoted and the shipping was reasonably priced. The shipments take a lot longer. I am not in a rush.



Broden
 
i have noticed a drastic increase in postal rates and many times the cost of postage is more than the item.
many of these E-com hosts have automatic shipping included into their system. Many times Ev has to redo the shipping from the host because for example a few strips of wood maybe $15.00 the site is charging $36.00 shipping, that is crazy so Ev has to go in and correct the shipping charges.
The Lumberyard can not ship out of the US because of outrageous shipping charges and other fees that are added. It is not uncommon for weekly postal expenses to be $320.00 to $550.00 per week. But then again our grocery bill per month use to be around $300.00 now it is almost double that. it cost me $105.00 to fill up the gas tank on my truck. My truck need exhaust repair i was shocked at the cost of parts just an 18 inch pipe connector $90.00 i said to the part store guy you know 10 years ago i could have bought an entire car for what you are charging for these parts. Computer programs you use to pay the flat cost and you get a CD now you rent the use of the program and some are staggering in costs. New computers don't recognize old plotters, older programs won't read newer files, older external drives that will not work on a newer computer. Hardware and software is costing in the thousands to keep up dated. the house next door is a double and it was just sold and my neighbor has to move. They can not afford the rent $1,600.00 a month heck my house payment was $135.00 a month.
 
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I try to make myself feel better by realizing that a big part of the shipping cost is to pay someone to go into the warehouse. pick up the part, go back to the office and wrap it up, label if and then it goes to the post office. Even then a lot of venders are gouging, I'm sure of that.
 
Living in the UK, I'm aware of the wide variety of products commonly available in the US which would be welcome here.
Unfortunately shipping and customs costs put such things way out of bounds for mere mortals here.
 
I believe it is these ridiculous shipping costs that will help keep our local hobby shops in business. When I do a price comparison between ordering from my local hobby shop or a single order through the net usually the hobby shop wins out because they receive there orders in bulk. I just have to wait a little longer.
 
What I have learned is that if the base price is low or a "really good deal" then check the shipping... They lure you in with the price and then stick it to you with the shipping to make up the profit... It may not be totally dishonest but it is distasteful... Watch out for it on eBay. Buyer beware
 
I can't think of one local hobby shop.
Once upon a time every town had at least one thriving hobby outlet.
 
Jwallkc said:
What I have learned is that if the base price is low or a "really good deal" then check the shipping... They lure you in with the price and then stick it to you with the shipping to make up the profit... It may not be totally dishonest but it is distasteful... Watch out for it on eBay. Buyer beware
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This is very true i just ran across this looking for rare earth magnets. Exact same thing one is free shipping for $32.00 and one is $18.00 + shipping. The one with + shipping turned out to be the cheaper of the two.
 
That is true, there are not as many as there used to be. Because of our need for convenience of ordering from home from the on line hobby shops we are now paying dearly in shipping and other hidden costs.
 
I could have purchased my recent project in Canada but I thought I would try going direct to Occre. Their price seemed reasonable and their shipping cost (well like you say someone has to pick the item wrap it address it do up any additional Govt labels etc). There was the additional Fedex cost which included Customs and Taxes, But at the end of the day I paid $100 cdn less than if I had ordered it in Canada. I guess if you cut out the middleman you can save but I wish our local hobby stores (and there are so few in Canada), could cut us some slack by negotiating better prices with their suppliers. I want to be able to support our local people but price is still important these days.
 
There are a lot of moving parts as to why shipping cost are the way they are. Mostly are from world events going on. There is nothing anyone can do about it. I am asking that this thread not get to the point that it is accusing one sector of any particular country or event that is causing this. If anyone does not like the shipping cost, then please contact the organization and pitch your complaints. It has nothing to do with making one country great again or the rich getting richer. You all know that parts and supplies all over are in a crisis now - plus other things going on with world events.
 
i wonder why the same item shipped from China to Ohio is cheaper than from California to Ohio

using steamed pearwood lets follow it from tree to your model.

1 it is cut and processes in Germany
2 purchased by a lumber dealer in North America by the metric ton he paid for the lumber + shipping
3 i purchase 200 board feet and pay his shipping + his cost + his profit + my shipping costs the Steamed pearwood is 5X the original cost
4 customer orders a bundle of milled planking 5mm x 2mm he is paying the lumber dealers original costs + my costs
the original 200 board feet i purchased 40% ends up as saw dust from the milling process. There is no market for steamed pear saw dust so the cost of the wood + the shipping is lost, that 40% is added to the price of the milled wood. The customer is paying 10X the original cost of the wood.

i thought to cut out the middleman and buy direct, problem is you have to buy by the metric ton or by the container. 10,000 board feet at a time to make it worth the effort. I do not need 10,000 board feet of steamed pearwood. so i can not cut out the middleman.

the same model built from Swiss Pearwood may cost a builder living in Germany down the street from the saw mill way less because all he has to do is drive to the saw mill and buy a chunk of pearwood and toss it in his car, as apposed to a builder in North America.
This also applies to a model builder living in North America east of the Mississippi can build a ship model using Black Cherry and use local sources for say $50.00 the same model in Steamed pearwood might cost $350.00 because it costs a lot for it to get here.

A model builder may think ok! i am going to cut out all the middlemen and shipping costs by using local sources for the wood. Now you need large tools to cut down the lumber to manageable sizes that small hobby tools can handle. your going to spend a lot of money setting up for milling. How may ships models are you going to build from scratch or bashing a kit to warrant the cost of all the tools needed?

it's the nature of the beast
 
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pugwash said:
Living in the UK, I'm aware of the wide variety of products commonly available in the US which would be welcome here.
Unfortunately shipping and customs costs put such things way out of bounds for mere mortals here.
Click to expand...
If you have AMAZON PRIME in the UK ...it's free shipping.
I'm always amazed how many hobby supplies you can find on Amazon
 
This is just a thought about saving shipping costs. It may or may not work for you.
If you are purchasing something from a company in the United States and you know someone that lives there. Have the item sent to them. Shipping cost should be minimal or even free. Then have them ship it to you. If it’s a small item, it could even be sent to you in a first class letter envelop. Of course the key is knowing someone in the United States.
One time I wanted to buy a book from a British book publisher, the shipping were more than the price of the book. I asked my cousin that lived in the UK, to go to a book store, buy the book and had ship it to me. The shipping costs that way was one tenth that the publisher wanted to charge me. The following year when my cousin and his wife visited me here in Florida I returned the favor, and it still worked out cheaper.
 
Re #16. Yes we have Amazon Prime here in the UK.
What I don't like about Amazon Prime is the monthly fee they charge for the privilege !!!
Over the years I've had several run-ins with them taking money out of my bank without my consent.
My policy is to NEVER use Amazon.....there's plenty of other ways to buy stuff, often cheaper.
 
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