last modified
January 19, 2008
Our minimum shipping/handling charge is $5.
About freight estimates shown in our on-line form
The freight amount shown on your online order is estimated from the weight of
the order, the shipping method chosen and your shipping address but any model we have tried has limitations.
Presently, we have numerous items for which we do not have accurate measured
weights. The weight currently assigned to them is 1.01 pounds. Be aware that
our final freight estimate may be significantly different than the online estimate
for such items. We are working hard to add the correct weights but it is a time-consuming
activity.
If the value displayed on-line appears accurate to us, we will proceed with the transaction. If our manual estimate is more than $3.00 higher than the value shown on-line, we will send you an invoice for your approval before we proceed. Our final estimate of actual S/H cost will appear in the invoice.
We do not try to make money on shipping/handling charges but we do
try to recover our investment in the process.
We buy boxes, Styrofoam, bubblewrap, tape, labels, toner cartridges for the
printer ($90 !), gas for the truck, etc.
Depending on the items, packing takes from a few minutes to an hour or more
of our time per parcel.
A shipping trip takes 30 minutes to 1 hour, whether we're sending 1
package or 20.
If these costs were not accounted for, we could ship for actual cost, but we
can't afford to absorb extra costs when profit is low on many items. Consequently,
we add approximately $2 to each order to cover our costs. Large, heavy or delicate
items may require a larger adjustment to cover the extra material and labor
costs. Our extremely low damage rate (less than 1 in 1000) is attributable to
the care we use in packing. Please do not constrain us in that effort by insisting
on unrealistically low freight charges.
If our actual costs are significantly lower than we charged for an order, we will issue a credit to the customer. Conversely, if our actual costs are significantly higher, we may request reimbursement (we never charge without authorization). While such requests are rare, they are occasionally required. We never quibble about $1 or $2 difference and expect our customers to use the same judgment.
1. When we used their service, local (Tucson, Arizona) counter personnel were too often incompetent and rude. A typical wait was 30 min. to 1 hour. A local agent for them, Mailboxes, Etc. provides a higher level of service but, from our experience, more than doubles an already marginal cost.
2. Damage in transit was common.
3. Delivery times are unacceptable to us- 7 days from Arizona to Florida is deplorable. 3 Day Select Service is exorbitantly priced
4. To UPS, 'COD, Cash' does not mean 'COD, Cash'! *
Their policies subject the Shipper (us) to risks at the discretion of
UPS, who bear no liability for financial damage. Here is the
UPS
statement regarding this issue. See the section titled Consignee's
Checks in Payment of C.O.D.s
We consider this an example of the lack of responsibility shown by
corporations today.
5. UPS continues to use "Part-Time" help for a large portion (about 60% according to the Teamsters Union) of their production work, thus avoiding the benefits afforded full-time employees. They have refused to add the 2000 full-time employees per year agreed to during the last work stoppage, citing a technicality that 'volume' has not returned to pre-stoppage levels. This, in spite of huge profit levels.
*NOTE: Our complaints, and others we are sure, may have had an impact, judging by the changes UPS are making in their COD service. They no longer offer 'COD, Cash' as an option- it is now called 'Cashier's Ck/Money Order Only'. The legal disclaimers are no longer as apparent on their site but we suspect they are still in force.
Two bad experiences illustrate the hazards posed to the Shipper:
1. We shipped merchandise to a buyer who failed to accept the delivery. He refused to go to his local post office to pick it up since he was not home when they attempted delivery. We received the merchandise back, but lost $35 in shipping fees and the merchandise was not available for sale for three weeks.
2. We shipped COD, cash to a business. UPS chose to accept a "Certified" check which was returned, marked NSF, 9 days later. UPS disclaimed any liability and three weeks passed before we received payment for the merchandise.
We sometimes experience delays in international shipments. Without exception, the delays have been caused by the receiving country's Customs officials who hold items and forget, or take forever, to notify the recipient that they have the parcel. There is nothing we can do about this problem except to warn our customers that delays may occur.
One of our good customers volunteered this information about his experiences wading through the UK system:
"You might wish to pass the following information on to anyone else from the UK who experiences delays in delivery of goods ...
1. UK customs are not very helpful. If you ring the local office who will eventually direct you to the main London office. You will be then told that parcels cannot be traced until customs have issued a 'traceback' number. The receiver of the parcel will be notified in writing by UK customs within 3 to 5 working days of the parcel being held, giving this traceback number and the reason why the parcel is being held.
2. Parcelforce (the parcel branch of Royal Mail) are also unable to trace the package until this number is issued.
3. UK customs are quite slow. Parcelforce quote a delivery time of 5 to 8 days for outgoing parcels to the USA and up to 4 WEEKS for incoming parcels to allow for customs ...
4. Customs will not hold parcels if tax or additional charges are due on an item. These funds are paid by Parcelforce on behalf of the recipient of the goods, who must then reimburse Parcelforce upon delivery."
last modified
January 19, 2008