$hipping Cost's,Getting Rpped Off!

truckd · Oct 1, 2012

I'm Sooo!!! Sick of getting Ripped off over shipping, check these pic's out and tell me whats really going on??????????
Got a Chinee piston today in a $5.00 flat rate shipping box and postage paid was $10.00 for the shipping, the box was 40 times the size of the piston,over stuffed with paper to add weight. Notice the small box that the piston should have been shipped in, I could have have fit 10 pistons in it and especially with fixed rate postage and related container, now the Larger two box's were $5.00 (for both) and the weight was 6lbs a piece for 700x40 cream colored Electra tires.
I contacted an overseas vender about a pair of 700c front forks for $17.99 and the shipping was 4x'$ the amount of the product, then contacted another oversea's vender in the same country and the cost for the same item at the same price shipping was only was $11.00
If I didn't need the $hit I'd start a world Freak'n wide Boycot of the shipping Ind.I made an Inquiry about a $1.99 part. and again shipping was 10x'$ the cost of the item and then you got a place on the net where Bicycle's and parts are sold and auctioned and the seller TRIPPLES the shipping cost, for example I found a bicycle frame "BUY IT NOW" $9.99 WOW! a Dammnn Good price, too good to be true? and shipping was $87.99 do these people think were Stupid? or is it just plain extorsion "you got it, I want it, so bend over and pay out the A$$ for it.

truckd · Oct 1, 2012

They better start using Electric delivery trucks and installing recharge systems at desigated mail box drop off sites and save every body a DIME

fatdaddy · Oct 1, 2012

Yeah Truckd, Shipping sucks. I always check on the shipping and find another vender if it's too outrageous. On the frame though, thats just a tactic to get you to look at their product. The frame probably sells for $50 or $60 anyway. just turn the prices around, compare it to other vender's "to your door" prices and see if it works out to about the same for the same product.
2 stroke engines from China used to ship for $20 to $40, Check out the shipping on one today. Not all, but a lot of the increase in shipping costs you can blame on the raising cost of fuel. Double the fuel cost, double the shipping cost.
fatdaddy.

BigBlue · Oct 1, 2012

I usually try to avoid trying to play moderator, but lets keep the politics off the forum. I enjoy and look forward to the ideas and projects that are represented on this forum without all the side issues.

It is the fact of life that shipping costs have increased for various reasons that out of control for the consumer. If I need the part I usually suck-it-up and pay, but like everyone, I try and avoid paying for excess shipping and handling costs. If possible, I try and support a local business person even if their prices seem higher.

cobrafreak, congratulations on your best of show and I look forward to your posts in the future.

Chris
AKA: BigBlue

truckd · Oct 1, 2012

I inquired about a 100 year old frame for $49.99 shipping cost was $87.99 I contacted the seller with a $100.00 takes all, he opted to re-listed if it didn't sell Three month's went by NO! SALE! he contact me and said the hun was good for total (item&shipping) well after three months of tit for tat I wrote back declining the original deal,if your'e going to play jenky for that long, well I just didn't trust him at that point, might have been that just to recieve it, I bought a 1916 bicycle frame and waited 2-month's to get it , the guy gave me every excuse in the world, the war depreesed him,the dog ran away the wife left, the bar burnt down, and the sky was falling, "JUST SEND THE FRAME!!!!" I'm sure the $$ I spent didn't get him depressed.
Big Blue I understand about higher price's in this day and age but I've supported 7 children for 30 yrs, I ain't try'n to put braces on any body else's kid, local or not I'm try'n to run a business too! and ain't no body gonna take that $^!+ from me.
I mean could you imagine if I told someone I'd paint they're 4'x4'x7'tall closet for $700.00I'd pretty much be out of business or pretty bruised up on the way out of they're front door,
Not getting Politically involved and taking an atittude of OH WELL HA HA DAH!!!is what got the consumer in the position we're in now! if I'm putt'n money in your pocket then I want the respect and the item I paid for or am paying on.

Harold_B · Oct 1, 2012

Wow, lots of stuff here. First, yup,politics usually don't play well on forums. But here's an interesting chart of fuel prices over time. The things that impact pricing are complex (but the cynic in me always says it's motivated by greed). This seems like another cycle. Over $4.10 / gal under Bush too: http://gasbuddy.com/gb_retail_price_chart.aspx select the 8 year chart.

I ship a lot of stuff on eBay or at least I have lately. The shipping calculator is always wrong and always short. Sometimes grossly short. I have come close to losing money on a sale it's so bad. Thing is it won't let you enter a higher estimated shipping rate. If I select a prepaid express small USPS box that sells at the post office for a little over $5, the max eBay will let me set for shipping is $3. The easy way to fix that is to select select the next larger size shipper. I don't because I'm selling a few personal things but if I were in business selling on eBay I'd find a way to keep from losing money on everything I ship out. Not saying the solution the vendor you are dealing with is being fair, just saying I can appreciate dealing with eBays shipping calculator.

Goat Herder · Oct 2, 2012

I just ordered a set of disk brake pads. Little tiny shoes that could fit in an envelope. 10 dollars for shipping..

DareDevil · Oct 2, 2012

Hi .... Try shipping parts to Australia form the US..round about $40 every time even for a $10 part.. something in a 6lb box $100....DD

truckd · Oct 2, 2012

Ya know e-bay isn't so bad but still high, what really PI$$'$ me off is the guy who isn't selling off E-Bay Or Amazon thats out to screw ya, yes combine the ever fluxuating prices of gas/petrol but still as my wife commented "In this day,age and economy seems like people should be lowering prices to stay in business insted of putting themself out of business by charging higher prices and getting Jenky with the consumer" HB is Right! Greed is the motivator insted of lending a helping hand, alot of people would rather kick ya to the curb so when I paint yer closet I'm Charging for gas too! which is $70.oo to fill up HUM! now thats a thought

K-dregg · Oct 2, 2012

What bugs me is the span in cost on similar items depending on what type of shipping method the seller is using, with or without insurnce, tracking number etc..

On the other hand i think it's incredibel that i can buy junk/parts from a guy in lets say argentina by the push of a button and have it delivered to my doorstep in a week. It might cost some but thinking of all the people,trucks and planes involved to make that happen is actually pretty amazing..

harry76 · Oct 2, 2012

Daredevil beat me to it, but try living in Australia, or probably anywhere else overseas for that matter..... I only wish I could get most parts you can get for the cost of your shipping.

There is a small upside to living in places where parts are in short supply and shipping costs high. It caused the locals to be a lot more creative and think outside the box and creates rides that are truly unique. An example is the car and bike scene in Cuba.

cobrafreak · Oct 2, 2012

I wanted to apologize for bringing politics up. I like many of you people are very frustrated with the economy that we have. If I stepped on any toes I'm sorry. You people are my friends regardless of political party, creed, or sexual orientation. We all build bikes and love what we do. So having said that, lets hope that things brighten up in the future for us all.

Harold_B · Oct 2, 2012

Meh, no biggie by me CF! An intelligent exchange of ideas and viewpoints is always a good thing although sometimes I just don't want to think that hard! When it all gets under my skin a bit, I go out in the garage and putter around with my bike. Makes the world (at least the messy parts) go away for a while.

Congrats on the show results by the way. Best view of you and the bike I've had.

Harold_B · Oct 2, 2012

Found this set of charts. Interesting if you're into that sort of thing but they show the cyclical cost of fuel since the early 1900s as well as the adjusted for inflation cost.

http://www.consumerenergyreport.com/2012/02/27/how-high-have-gas-prices-risen-over-the-years/

Again, the cynic in me thinks the price of gas is quick to jump when there is something going on in the world but slow to come back down (if ever in the short term).

Related to the eBay shipping thing. Today a buyer of one of my items sent me extra cash. Unrequested, not required but just because he noticed that the actual shipping was a lot higher that the eBay quote. Pretty cool.

truckd · Oct 2, 2012

I paid $15.00 for handle bars on 9-6-12 $10.00 shipping and $1.63Tax didn't get the package until today No One! is going to convence me that the high cost of gas is the reason for blatent negligence,vender didn't ship until 9-27-12 from Brea Ca. to Palmdale Ca. 50 miles from there to here the package sat at the postal sort facility for 4 days then shipped to another sort facility 87 miles north of Palmdale then shipped from there to me today and got it at 4:33pm today there are 3 sort facilities between Brea Ca. and Palmdale .
I believe STUPIDITY plays a big part in the USPS's demise and negligance cost's every one!

fasteddy · Oct 2, 2012

When I want something, mainly from ebay, I ask the vendor for a delivery price quote because the shipping quote from ebay is almost always off from the real cost. If I can't due to being late into the auction I watch to see what the shipping is and send them the balance.
If you ever need to buy from this person again they certainly will remember you, either good or bad.

Steve.

fatdaddy · Oct 3, 2012

You can almost always get a shipping quote before hitting "pay now". If the shipping is too high, then cancel the order and shop elswhere. Whatever it is you're buying someone else also has it for sale. I can usually find it cheaper with a little shopping around. A lot of people have more dollars than sense(cent's?) They order from the first person they find that has their product regardless of shipping costs. I always include this in the total cost of the item. If I save $1, either on the product or shipping, I'll order with the one that saves me that $1.
fatdaddy.

atombikes · Oct 3, 2012

fatdaddy said:
You can almost always get a shipping quote before hitting "pay now". If the shipping is too high, then cancel the order and shop elswhere. Whatever it is you're buying someone else also has it for sale. I can usually find it cheaper with a little shopping around. A lot of people have more dollars than sense(cent's?) They order from the first person they find that has their product regardless of shipping costs. I always include this in the total cost of the item. If I save $1, either on the product or shipping, I'll order with the one that saves me that $1.
fatdaddy.

If the difference in total cost is small, I will also weigh the risk of the purchase (am I ever going to recieve the item, or have to wait a month)? I suppose I always look at the delivery risk, if it seems like a shady deal I will always back away. But if the risk seems similar (Amazon vs Buy.com, for instance) I will always go lower price.

Oh yeah, the other thing I consider is whether there is adequate data available to ensure I am getting what I actually want, which most times will require more than a small picture to make that decision. Dimensions, etc.

truckd · Oct 5, 2012

It just seems to me that 87.9 percent of the venders are out to screw ya one way or another, but I'll tell ya once a good vender comes along I'll spread the word!

kallsop · Oct 5, 2012

I do find it odd that you can buy things like USB bluetooth adapters from China for $1, INCLUDING shipping. Who is making any money off that deal? Then some joker wants to charge you $2 or more to ship a cell phone screen protector from the next state. Sure, time is money, but shipping rates / unit time should not be comparable to a neurosurgeons rates. Just say no.

$hipping Cost's,Getting Rpped Off!

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