Shipping and Handling Charges?

Jul 20, 2005 31 Replies

I'm at a loss as to what I said that would be misleading... George and Leif, is it because I used the word "extra" instead of "additional"? Reread my post with the word "additional" in place of "extra" - at least I think that should clear up the misunderstanding.

I merely said to describe what Ruth is including in the price so people are aware there are no extra/additional fees. By stating it, people may gain confidence and attain a higher comfort level with ordering.

When they compare Ruth to other merchants who don't state similar details it may sway them toward Ruth. Consider a competitor, Minerva, selling a similar item for $25 - Ruth's costs $25 as well. Ruth has made a point of saying she takes extra care with the customer's selection through packing a certain way with no additional fees tacked on - other than actual postage. Minerva doesn't say anything about this aspect of delivering the item to the customer even though she does the same thing. I'd say it puts Ruth in a more positive, customer oriented light and raises questions about where the ultimate costs may end up if ordered through Minerva.

Consider how this would come across even if Ruth charges $26 to Minerva's $25. I think it still gives Ruth an advantage because she's clearly putting it all on the table for the customer to see, and possibly, be made aware of something they might not have thought of. Nothing is misleading, falsified or impugning.

You know, Ruth- I'm of the opinion that you're undercharging as it is. Look at what you've got there- Stainless steel, with the three O-rings assembled. I don't know if you're making them yourself or gettting them from a machine shop, but either way they're a custom(ish) product made from a high quality metal that is not particularly easy to work with, and has an additional assembly step involved.

It's really easy to short yourself when you're setting the prices, but if you're worried about the cost of packing materials, you should be charging more for the product. I don't need a bottle stopper insert at the moment, but I would expect to pay at least $10 for one of those. Compare it to some other products- you're offering a great deal on a good product, and you shouldn't be afraid to charge what it is actually worth- there is really no great need to offer wholesale prices to somone who is only buying one or two! Once you've got the price where it should be, shipping materials should be far less of a concern.

Just my $.02, as someone who has undervalued his work in the past...

I suppose you might be, having suggested it. But good service needs no hype.

"Extra" valuable services indeed.

Prometheus (nice name!) wrote: "You know, Ruth- I'm of the opinion that you're undercharging as it is. Look at what you've got there- Stainless steel, with the three O-rings assembled. I don't know if you're making them yourself or gettting them from a machine shop, but either way they're a custom(ish) product made from a high quality metal that is not particularly easy to work with, and has an additional assembly step involved."

*********************************** I like you're way of thinking, Prometheus! However, most woodturners wouldn't pay more than the $4.50 per that I'm charging. I'm having these done at a machine shop, but I put the rings on myself. We decided to go with the 300 series stainless and better rubber rings so both materials are FDA Approved, which the chrome stoppers definitely are not. The turners who have received these "SS Niles Bottle Stoppers" (BTW, the official reg. copyright title ahem!) have all emailed saying how impressed they were with the quality and hefty feel (each weighs 1.8 oz.). So, Prometheus, you are absolutely right in what you're saying, I guess a big part of it, for me, is the thrill knowing I came up with this idea and a lot of woodturners think it's terrific.

Thanks for the encouragement!

Ruth

formatting link

Ruth, that makes TWO terrific ideas - at least 1.5 anyway.

How is a new customer supposed to know that Ruth offers outstanding service if she doesn't point it out? Repeat customers may not need such a description but new ones have nothing to go on.

If you were selling a turning would you not talk up the quality, details or uniqueness of the turning? After all, the customer ought to be able to recognize all those things without a word, yes? I see nothing wrong or untoward in letting a customer know the effort and care that goes into the item they are purchasing whether it's in the making or the packaging.

Does anyone else see my point or am I hanging off my own cliff on this one?

Yes and no, you're not hanging off your own cliff.

No problem- it sure looks like you have a winner there! I don't drink much these days, so I haven't got into the bottle stopper thing, but I've got your page marked just in case.

Also, it occured to me after spotting this thread again that the USPS was advertsing a service a while back that allowed the sender to weigh a package at home, and then print a label with exact postage. IIRC, the benefit of this was that you could send an envelope with a sheet of paper in it for a little less than the cost of a standard stamp. Odds are the prices were set in cents per gram, which could be a way of saving a little money in the process, as well as saving you an extra trip or two to the post office!

Yep.. the reason that I brought up mentioning your care in packing to Ruth is that I buy several things a year from a couple on ebay, (they live in Ohio and find a lot of used shopsmith stuff), and I was impressed when I saw their shipping section for the first time.. They said upfront that their handling charges were a bit high, but they wanted to get the item to you well packed and intact... and guaranteed that it would be...

This, to me, is an example of WHY you say (and do) something like that... so that someone is impressed by it, orders from you and then tells others that they were impressed..

OTOH, if you say it and don't DO it, you get negative referrals, which are about

10 times more effective than positive ones...

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

Ah... but they work so well in sparkling cider bottles... especially around New Years...

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

Hello Ruth

Thanks for the reply, those stoppers look real sharp, and the cost is a little better than half of the good quality ones I'm familiar with.

So the check is in the mail.

Have fun and take care Leo Van Der Loo

snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com wrote:

Prometheus, I read something about that, too. I think you just have to get an online account with USPS. I'm going to check it out.

Thanks, Ruth

formatting link

Join the Discussion

Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.

Didn't find your answer?

Ask the community — no account required