Can't believe some of the rip off suppliers!

Many "companys" are just "middle man" companies. They take the order and pass the order on to someone else. I knew there would be some that understand my frustration while other would say, "I don't mine those people ripping off the public, because that's the kind of business I'm in", but they may and may not realize that the ones that only need one small item, will not only refuse to buy that item at a rip off shipping charge, but they (I) will never return to their site to buy the larger orders from them. So if you don't mind paying $18-$20 for shipping for a $3.oo item, then carry on, soldier.

They are making enough in markup to compensate for huge shipping fees. How else would they be able to offer free shipping for order over $75.00 or whatever their set limit is for large orders.

And Gdetrailer, I'm not talking about a 14lb package from Penn to LA. I'm talking about a 4oz item that could have been dropped into an envelope and mailed for $1.00.

SpoiledRotten wrote:
The knobs/locks were rusted into place on my awning. I started shopping for new ones. I found them! The knob replacements are about $8.00 a set. The shipping for the 5oz items costd about 14.00 to 18.00 to ship. What kind of rip off is this? I'm so tired of people ripping of others. I've noticed this on most suppliers of "hobbies". They think if you can afford a hobby like camping, golfing, Jeeping, then you have money to burn. I don't play that game. I even went to one site and put the knobs in the shopping cart, and up came a "small order charge of 7.00! So they feel that if you don't order a large dollar amount, then they will charge you as if you had. Well, needless to say, I won't be using them for a small order not a large order! I don't always need a big order, but if you want my big business, then you better take my little order without penalizing me. Anyway, I didn't order from anyone on line.

I went to Lowe's, got some knobs that look just like the ones you would order as Carefree replacements, bought some "elevator bolts", and fabbed my own set for under 7.00. Now, my awning is as good as new and I didn't even have to pay up to 25.00 for two little stinking knobs.

Ok, off my soap box!

Moved to Tech Issues forum from DIY.

:h

I' guessing that YOU have not PERSONALLY attempted to ship a package lately?

Just shipped a 10 lb package from PA to LA FedEx HOME (ground service) and that cost nearly $14..

Even sending something like a CD or DVD now days can easily exceed $4 in shipping and that is not including any packaging..

Companies HAVE to pay someone to pick/pull the parts, then package the parts (boxes and packing materials are not free either) then weigh the package, then type in all the shipping info to shipping company then pay and print the label for the package and then a fix the label to the package then take the package to the shipping center if they do not have pickup service..

I don't blame them for the cost of shipping (which IS out of their hands) nor if they tack on a "handling fee", after all they ARE in the business to make money, not lose money..

SpoiledRotten wrote:
The knobs/locks were rusted into place on my awning. I started shopping for new ones. I found them! The knob replacements are about $8.00 a set. The shipping for the 5oz items costd about 14.00 to 18.00 to ship. What kind of rip off is this? I'm so tired of people ripping of others. I've noticed this on most suppliers of "hobbies". They think if you can afford a hobby like camping, golfing, Jeeping, then you have money to burn. I don't play that game. I even went to one site and put the knobs in the shopping cart, and up came a "small order charge of 7.00! So they feel that if you don't order a large dollar amount, then they will charge you as if you had. Well, needless to say, I won't be using them for a small order not a large order! I don't always need a big order, but if you want my big business, then you better take my little order without penalizing me. Anyway, I didn't order from anyone on line.

I went to Lowe's, got some knobs that look just like the ones you would order as Carefree replacements, bought some "elevator bolts", and fabbed my own set for under 7.00. Now, my awning is as good as new and I didn't even have to pay up to 25.00 for two little stinking knobs.

Ok, off my soap box!

Moved to Tech Issues forum from DIY.

Try buying something on e-bay.
People charge 15 to 20 bucks shipping and handling, when priority mail is only $5.69 Priority Flat Rate Mail.

I once worked for a mail-order, phone-in computer parts and supplies company. If you said the name you'd probably recognize it. They've been in business now for quite a long time. Their distribution center is in Wilmington, Ohio, literally across and down the road from Airborne Express. They took advantage of Airborne's overnight delivery service, so could take orders as last as 3:00 am and have it delivered by 10:00 am same day.

Now they got a rate deal with Airborne for shipping, but back (then) it was still based upon the weight of the package.

Now the cost of packing and shipping involves more than just postage. The company I worked at had a warehouse with metal shelves running perpendicular to a rolling conveyer and several people worked their areas. They were called "pickers" from the farming industry, like "apple pickers", only they picked items off the shelves in their specified zones.

As the order when down the line, each "picker" would put the items into a tub with the order until it reached the end of the line.

At the end of the line, there was about 10 people that did the actual packaging. They had to assemble and tape the box of the right size, check the items off the packing list to double check the items "picked" were correct against the order, pack it, seal it, and then label it.

From there it went down a smaller line to be weighed, each one individually, and entered (scanned by bar code) for a report that went to Airborne for charges for the total day.

Boxes were then placed in an airline "C" container, and transported to the Airborne terminals where millions of other packages were resorted, placed in different C containers, and loaded on an airplane destined for parts all over the country.

So you know, there's more than just "postage" involved when you place an order over the internet, or do a call in order over the phone. There is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes that very few people really understand. All that technology, supplies, labor costs, and warehouse costs cost a lot of money, so YOU have the convenience of having it shipped directly to your door.

Some time later, I quit that job (I worked on the printers printing those invoices) and worked for a bank. One Christmas season I moonlighted at Airborne as temp help, and ended up learning how VERY complex a system they have to ship so many packages so fast all over the world, literately in less than 24 hours!

So, $7.00 for an order is pretty phenomenal considering all the complexity to get that order to your home so YOU don't have to drive a thousand miles to pick it up yourself.

I ran into the same thing one time when I was trying to order some tiny flat plastic parts that cost about $4. So I called them and asked if I really had to pay that much shipping and the lady says "Oh no, of curse not". She just dropped them in an envelope and shipped them to me. So if you find a good price you may want to just call them.

n7bsn wrote:
The knobs on mine have standard 1/4-20 nuts, so I bought replacements knobs at a good hardware store for about $2 a set

Me, too.

We're lucky enough to have a Truevalue that still maintains whole rows with banks of drawers that contain all kinds of hardware. Even still uses the "write down the price" honor system for paying.

We never buy specialized hardware of any kind without checking that section first, and nine times out of ten they have what we're looking for.

Tee hee. Just be glad you don't do any on-line shopping where they have to ship it to Canada from the USA and charge $50 to send it to you.

Meanwhile I can order a $30 solar controller on-line from Hong Kong and it is free shipping, no customs or postal charge right to my door! Why is that? Why can't you do the same thing from the USA? So much for the Can/US Free Trade Agreement!!! :(

To answer the question though, I suppose they have to pay somebody to wrap the parcel the same whether it is a big or small parcel.

The knobs on mine have standard 1/4-20 nuts, so I bought replacements knobs at a good hardware store for about $2 a set