A common question encountered in the world of online shopping is, what makes shipping charges so expensive? This query is often immediately followed by, how can I get free shipping? Unfortunately, free shipping can be a touchy subject for the small business. First things first, no carrier ever offers free shipping. Meaning, even if the consumer does not pay shipping costs they still must be paid. When there is marginal markup on a product the room for profit is slimmer, in that instance a business cannot afford to close the margin further by raising their own out of pocket expenses.
Would you expect your babysitter to pay you to watch your children? After all without you she wouldn’t have a job, that cozy couch to lounge on, your fabulous Direct TV to watch and so on. To most people, the very idea is preposterous. For the small business, free shipping is the same. Although, we thrive on your word of mouth, your patronage, and your feedback we cannot afford to pay you to consume our product. All we can do is give you our best shipping rates, quality product, and friendly customer service in hopes that that will bring you back time and time again.
Shipping charges are based on the weight of an order and the destination to which it is shipping. Your destination in relation to the original pickup will affect your shipping rates. The less energy expended to get your package to you, the lower the charges it will incur. The difference between Fed Ex and UPS rates and ship times can vary based on the location. If there happens to be a hub near you, you are more likely to receive your package earlier in the day and in some cases a day earlier. From anywhere in the United States to any other location in the United States transit time for ground shipping should be no more than five business days. Need items for an event, plan ahead. Always order your items at least ten to fourteen days before you need them. Not only will this give companies’ time to process your order, but also it will save you the air shipping costs it will take to get your items there in time.
We all know that lighter vehicles get better gas mileage. If you load the back of your pickup truck with heavy furniture and drive it across town, you are likely to exhaust more fuel than your typical daily driving. This leads to reason that a heavier order would expend more resources to ship than a lighter one. In the same sense, carriers charge more for items that must ship in larger boxes. The more room an order takes up, the less room it leaves for other orders and potentially more business for the carrier.
Another common question results from the popular United States Postal Service commercials recommending their efficient flat rate shipping. Consumers want to know why they are paying $8-9 for shipping when there is an advertized box starting at only $4.95. While we love to utilize this option whenever available, there are times when it is just not feasible. This particular box is roughly the size of an old-fashioned VHS tape box. Fitting five to ten pounds of candy in the box would be impossible. On the other hand if you are going to order something smaller, a Hot Cinnamon Toothpicks Twin Pack for example try selecting the USPS shipping option before submitting your order.
Before submitting any online order, you should always check the different shipping options. Our shopping cart allows you to update it with each shipping option to see the various costs. Sometimes shipping to a rural area is going to be more expensive via traditional ground shipping than it would be to simply ship the items to your PO BOX address via USPS. While USPS does not guarantee a ship date like UPS or Fed Ex would, they do typically arrive within two to three business days which is can be much quicker. Your best bet is to be aware of your options. Please note that no other carrier ships to a PO BOX but USPS, if you are shipping to a PO BOX the USPS shipping option must be selected.
