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The very same way other companies charge actual shipping. Every item is pre-weighed and is listed in the catalog with weight. You pay so much per ounce. It takes seconds to figure.
Which means you would wind up paying a heck of a lot more than 10% for shipping if you were ordering a bunch of cardstock and stamps for a project you might be doing with your friends.
I know for a fact that shipping costs are way more than the 10% that SU charges for shipping. I have so many customers that live away from me and some of them can accept UPS packages at their trailer parks and I have them sent to me then I mail them off to my customers by first class mail so they can get it without any hassles. It costs me more than the 10% to mail these off, but it is a convienence I offer to a few of my customers that need it.
We shipped a care package to our DD who lives in VA and it costs half an arm and leg to send it UPS, we ended up sending it first class mail to save $15. It's really a shocker to actually know how much shipping costs are when you have to send a package here and there. Try sending to Iraq!!!! What a job that was.
__________________ LeAne SCS#2819 & Grandma to Lindsey! [email protected]
One more thing that I haven't seen mentioned-- On a $780 hostess order (you are submitting it as a catalog party, right?) you will be receiving not only the $780 of merchandise, but also a level 3 Hostess exclusive set, a quarterly hostess apprecialtion set from the mini, and $104.50 of free merchandise from the catalog! ($100 for the $750 plus 15% of the $30 over $750) That's over $150 worth of free stuff that Stampin' Up! is giving you and paying the shipping for! Since you'll be recieving $150 of free merchandise, I think that more than makes up for the $78 for shipping. You're actually coming out ahead!
Will your local stamping store give you that much for shopping there and bringing your friends to shop there? Will Michael's? Or any other store, craft or otherwise?
Kimberly, then at least people would not bemoan how SU is losing so much money on us. Additionally it would be fair because we paid postage for the actual think rather than paying $4 on shipping on a couple of reels of ribbon.
Valerie, I have contacted the company. Posting places like this gets people to think and to act.
I agree with the posters that most direct selling companies usually take a loss on shipping charges. CTMH only raised their shipping rates last year after not raising them for several years and it only went up 1/2% to 7.95% on party orders.
This may be an extreme example, but consider this: for the 2,382 miles that it would take me to drive to Stampin Up at $2.00 a gallon (my car gets about 20 miles to the gallon), this trip would cost me over $200 in gas. I am sure UPS not only figures in gas to their charges, but also vehicle maintenance which is not cheap either. Most UPS orders are driven by truck to their destination unless you pay for Air. That is why UPS takes 5 business days to get to the East Coast. That is a lot of gas and I doubt the trucks get very many miles to the gallon.
I recently paid $8 or 9$ shipping for a Stash Tea order (approx $70 order) and I did it without blinking an eye. Why? Because I love the tea and can't find the flavors that I like in my supermarket and also, even with the shipping price, it is still cheaper than buying in the supermarket. But, I only do this once or twice a year and order enough tea to last me for a while.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dot2dot
The remark about my demo has made me wonder if demos here do not want people to know that some demos go beyond the call of duty because then they will be expected to do the same thing.
As far as I know for SU demos, they are allowed to run their businesses they way they want to. Most demos that go "beyond the call of duty" have several levels of downline that they earn commission from and are able to run specials that would cause the every day hobby demo to lose money. It is not that they don't want people to know, it is that they cannot afford to offer the same type of specials. Most people value customer service over what they can get for free. I know I do. I switched SU demos earlier this year because my previous demo kept lying to me about placing my order. I love my new demo because of her customer service, her stamping style/knowledge and her outgoing personality. She has not offered me any specials other than the SU specials and I will still continue to buy from her.
Sorry this has gotten long winded, but this all just my personal opinion. Stepping out of this thread now to put my flame retardant suit on.
Belinda, I am getting none of those things as I am not a hostess. You can be sure that SU is doing those things because it MAKES them money, and not to make the customers feel shipping is fair.
Belinda, I am getting none of those things as I am not a hostess. You can be sure that SU is doing those things because it MAKES them money, and not to make the customers feel shipping is fair.
Your demo isn't passing these benefits on to you, or you are ordering through a hostess? Were I you, I'd ask my fab demo for the hostess bennies on such a huge order.
And how exactly is SU! making money by giving away freebies? I'm confused by that statement. They ARE a business -- making money is what they DO.
Hi!
Have to wade in here....I think SU's shipping costs are very reasonable...if you order $780 worth of stamps or ribbons you are charged the same amount....soemtimes you might win sometimes youmight loose...the majority of orders are a win situation.
I am a Canadian demo and I can guarantee that having something shipped UPS from the States and arriving here in Canada costs an arm and a leg. One friend of mine ordered an item (non SU) that cost about $30us..by the time she paid import duty and postage (NOT UPS) the cost doubled. Try this...measure and weigh your box when it arrives...then call UPS and ask them what the cost would be for the same service.
Also...SU does not make anything on shipping...I have done the tour at the plant and it was all explained...no profit here....when Canada first started up UPS did not give a very good price and we paid 50% more than we do now...SU changed the shipping costs as soon as they got it passed on to them.
Cost of stamps??? OMG..let me cut and mount my own stamps for this price anythime..I go to the big "M" store and one large stamp costs over $20...I get a whole set with greeting etc for perhaps $10 more....I can cut. Plus the quality of the stamps and the fact that I can position them anywhere that suits me on the block makes it all wonderful!
I used to work in a stamp store..I know prices...ours are unbeatable!
If people placed a mail order and one item was missing...either they paid for the second item extra or we held up the order for as longas it took for the backordered item to arrive (sometimes a month)
SU is a big company making HUGE profits. I promise you they are not losing money. They make things up on the backs of the consumers.
Here are some examples of companies who worry about customer satisfaction:
Amazon-free shipping orders over $25
Tupperware- flat rate $4 no matter order size
Efe-Free ship on over $20
Jafra- flat rate $3.25
Wham-Free ship on anything
Ebooks-Free ship on orders over $10
Creator Arts- actual price
By Arrangment stamps-actual price
Make an Impression-actual price
I am new to SU.. I am new to Stamping in general.. I now have about 300 sets in the past 6 months and love the prpduct for stamping, gifts and scrapbooking! I HATE that you actually have to finish the job of a company and mount them your self but understand the marketing of SU is to tell people its for thier own good.. I know people have preferences but in reality it also saves $$$$. I think the prices are reasonable and I love the variation as well as the GREAT specials that happend ALL the time. Shipping is shipping - you have to close your eyes and just pay it. I usually am a web shopper and stick to most companies that offer free shipping.. I think with direct sales shipping is a cost you have to deal with.. When I sold TS shipping was 10% as well and people had the same argument. Of course the Co could eat the shipping but they also are trying to get ahead and not give away everything. They are all businesses and are trying to get ahead $$$ wise.. I know we all like to beleive they ONLY look out for us but just like anyone- $$$ is a bottom line. Its nice to have a great team behind the money making but I have found the better the team the more $$$ they make. I like SU- I am not exclusive and I do LOVE ebay to get some of them cheaper- but shipping is the cost of doing business. If they didnt make $$ they wouldnt need people selling the product. I love the creativity and will keep hosting parties so my guests pay and I do not sad but true! The benefits of hosting.
This thread is ridiculous! (and I should hit myself with the newspaper to keep this thread going) Heck, if you don't like how SU! handles their stuff, then don't buy from them. It's that easy. For my part, the only thing that bothers me is that California adds taxes on top of the whole thing. Does that make me move or keep me from buying SU! products!? NO! Because IMO SU has the best products, the best service, the best quality and the best designs.
This forum is made for happy stampers to exchange ideas and techniques. If you have a problem with anything, address the company directly and let me stamp in peace.
My 2 cents.
PS: FYI: Amazon is having record sales, but they have HUGE losses..and why? Because of their shipping policy...
You simply can't compare Tupperware and Amazon to SU! My goodness -- SU! is big, but those 2 are MONSTERS with millions and millions of customers.
The bottom line is this -- Stampin' Up! is a business. Businesses are in business for one reason -- to make money. That is their #1 objective. If it wasn't, they'd be out of business quickly. I don't expect anything less from any company. Personally, I think SU! demo support and customer support has been AWESOME everytime I have needed them. The quality of our stuff is second to none and I am very pleased with everything I have ever purchased through them. I have gotten rid of just about all of my non-SU! stuff because it is all inferior in quality.
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Just to add some factual information in here.
I'm living overseas and my friend just hostessed a catalog party. The total party was $600 and the total shipping charged to the guests was only $60. Guess how much it cost SU! to ship her three packages to the APO address.....over $100!!
We don't see the actual shipping charges on UPS boxes because it's not shown, but these were shipped USPS so I asked her to check on the shipping costs. Not only that, but one of the boxes was open and repackaged into a non-SU! box by some postal facility. Some of the items were missing, so my friend phoned her demo, she called SU! and the items have already been shipped to replace the missing ones.
I was just curious about the UPS charges, so I entered the weight of the last shipment to my Mom in Washington State (close to Utah) and calculated the cost to send the same box to my friend in Connecticut (far from Utah). The shipping to Washington was under the SU!'s shipping charges by about $10. The cost to send it to CT was actually over the collected shipping costs. Plus, when you order a big order, they sometimes have to package it in two boxes, shipped separately which costs a lot more. Plus, my Mom ordered almost no paper which weighs a stinkin' ton!
I think all in all, we wouldn't be happy with actual shipping costs. If we insist on it, we could end up with having to wait for the whole order because of a backordered item. Amazon.com does this. If you want the free shipping, but an item is not in stock, you can wait months for one item to be sent just because you're waiting for another.
I love SU! They have the greatest stamps, great quality, and I think very fair shipping costs. The stamps are easy to store b/c of the plastic cases. Sure, they may have some problems, but all companies do. I've been dealing with SU! for years and I think they do a great job....and you can't get better customer service anywhere!
Like it or not, shopping via mail order means there will be shipping charges. In some states, there will be taxes to pay on those S & H fees.
In the end, when all is averaged out, SU! takes a loss on S & H fees. 10%, IMHO is a very reasonable rate, especially when I compare the costs of sending things myself, the time spent packaging just ONE package, the materials used and the cost of those.
You're not just talking about the SU!'s costs for materials and labor. UPS has to charge enough to SU! in order to make a profit; they have trucks, fuel, and drivers who have salaries for their work.
And, we're talking hundreds of packages daily, which requires a considerable # of employees to pull off, especially at the speed with which they do so.
Make an Impression does not have, if at best, as a retail store, have more than a handful of employees whose job it is to package and ship product.
Consider the costs of full-time employment, medical/insurance benefits, and employee taxes a corporation must pay just to have the personnel required to ship as much as fast as SU! must.
There are also wareshouse costs--THE BUILDING! A shipping warehouse facility doesn't come free or cheap! But, without one, how in the world could you possibly get your product shipped out in that fashion without a facility that CAN warehouse such a tremendous amount of stock?????
No, 10% to me is actually very reasonable. And, I'm just hoping they can maintain it; with the rising cost of fuel, I can just see UPS upping the rates yet AGAIN.
And, well, as far as taking things "personal" . . . well, everything's personal, if you're a person. I think that's unfortunately a part of being human? And, when humans are involved, it's just kinda hard to avoid . . . no matter how we may try . . .
__________________ Julie Ebersole (JulieHRR once upon a time . . . )julieebersole.com"So shines a good deed in a weary world." -Willy Wonka
I have sold Tupperware and I know that they have raised their prices considerably in the years it's been since I was a demo. In the less than 4 years I worked for them, a certain large container went from $16 to $32 and it's probably even higher now. There shipping me be lower than SU but you're still paying for 'free shipping' or lower shipping, it's in the cost of the product. I worked at Michaels also and for a $65 wooden child's table and chairs, Michaels pays $13, but they still sold the darn things, even with the coupon money is being made. So if you want to pick apart what items cost, look around, every single thing you own has hidden costs. With SU, it's more noticable because we have to add it on to the order total, if it were hidden, people would never question S&H, they would just complain about how expensive the actual product is.
Kelli
I just lifted up my dog Maggie (12lbs.) to get a grip of how much 10lbs. are (sorry, grew up with the Metrik system.. :lol: ).....pinkhedgehog is right...wouldn't you think that even if you just order ribbon for $780, that 180 rolls of ribbon can get kinda heavy..!?
I cannot remember all the things we ordered but I ordered eyelets, ribbon, markers, quite a few stencils, several of those dimensional pop dot things. My share came to $120. My friend ordered lots of dry embossing stencils, Coluzzle, mini glue dots, sponges, and some Sticky Strip stuff and a whole bunch of metal tags. Another friend ordered a set of stamps, and about 10 of those Stampin Store container thingys. I also remember one person ordering reinkers and a cutting mat. I know I am missing a bunch of other items. We are all long time stampers so order lots more supplies than stamps. We have all also been SU stampers for years.
yes, I have tried other companie's stamping products and there's definitely no comparison to SU! I still keep a couple of the inferior stamps to remind myself NOT TO BUY CHEAPLY MADE STAMPS!!! :oops:
Well I'm new to stamping and this group and I just felt I'd put my two cents in ... hope you don't mind.
I am a Pampered Chef consultant and I think they have the best shipping rates around. If I wanted to place an individual order and have it shipped to my house and the cost of everything including tax is over $65.00 the shipping is ONLY $13.70. That is no matter how much your total is ... so if your order was $780.00 the shipping would only be $13.70. Plus when I do shows the shipping for each individual is $3.25 flat rate, unless they are having it mailed straight to them and not the hostess. The pounds don't matter ... you could buy every stone they make and then more and still only pay the flat rate of $3.25 if you put it on a show. They raised their rates this past fall/winter from $2.75 to $3.25 so I don't believe that's bad either.
They too ship fast. I haven't had a turn around time longer than 7 days from the date I sent it in to the day the hostess got it.
Hope I didn't step on any toes with my two cents! This is just another thing to put into perspective.
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Plus, I forgot that you get $95 in free merchandise for a $750 workshop plus the level 3 hostess set (usually about a $30 value in the next catalog), and they don't even charge shipping for that stuff!
Part of the reason Tupperware (and other direct sales companies) charge a flat rate is that they have warehouses all over the country and your order is shipped from one of them. SU!'s warehouse is in one location. Having multiple distribution points improves shipping efficiency, but it also adds up to more backorders, since multiple locations means smaller inventory which translates to the ability to run out of something faster than a large warehouse would.
As far as being a mail order company, SU! is not a mail order company, it is a direct sales company. Thank goodness. Most mail order companies charge MORE than 10%. Those that charge less than 10% or offer free shipping are losing money, like Amazon. It's a publicly owned company, so it can afford to compromise it's bottom line to go after market share. SU! is a privately owned company, BTW.
Most web-based companies charge MUCH more than 10%. For instance, I was cruising the internet some time back looking for the perfect hardware for my bathroom cabinets. I found a company that made drawer pulls and cabinet handles, but they also made beautiful brass ornaments for your Christmas tree. They were so gorgeous and had so many beautiful designs that I decided I just HAD to have at least one. They were pricey at $24.95 each, but I decided I could at least order one for my SIL since they had lighthouse ornaments, one of the things she collects. I put one in my cart and went through the order process only to back out once I reached the shipping screen. They wanted to charge me $12.95 to ship this ornament! That's over 50%. :shock:
This year I decided rather than shopping for something for my BIL and SIL, then shipping it myself (which does cost up the wazoo..one Christmas I shipped presents from a Mail Boxes Etc. to my inlaws in Texas and one small box cost me $35 after all the packing materials were added to the bill), I would buy a gift card to a chain restaurant website like Applebee's or Damon's and have it sent to them. I looked at a couple different sites. One site wanted to charge me $9 to ship two gift cards totalling $35! :shock: That's a little under 25%. I ended up buying the gift cards from a local Applebee's and mailing it myself for 80 cents.
When you place a $780 workshop with SU!, it's usually not one big $780 order, it's usually about 10 to 20 separate orders averaging $50 each. A $50 order shipped mail order from most places will cost your anywhere from $6 to $10. From SU! it costs $5, max.
I'm sure you'd enjoy paying by the ounce if you were just buying a marker, but once you got socked for the bill for shipping all the stamp sets you ordered you'd probably change your mind. Personally, I've never had a customer who ordered just a marker.
ANd have you noticed something about Amazon's free shipping over $25? You have to wait a much longer time to get your books if you opt for the free shipping, which is at least 2 to 4 days longer than the standard shipping (my experience has been the longer amount of time, usually 2 weeks). Plus they do not allow you to combine items from different stores, they don't allow you to opt for free shipping at all if they are ordering the items from a location that is not their warehouse. There are a TON of restrictions on the free shipping.
I recently paid $8 or 9$ shipping for a Stash Tea order (approx $70 order) and I did it without blinking an eye. Why? Because I love the tea and can't find the flavors that I like in my supermarket and also, even with the shipping price, it is still cheaper than buying in the supermarket. But, I only do this once or twice a year and order enough tea to last me for a while.
Glad to see that I am not the only one who loves Stash teas!
As for the S&H costs from SU - I think it still works out to a good deal. Even though when you go and purchase some stamps from a store, they may not add a S&H charge onto your bill, you can bet that it has allready been added into the sticker price.
Pampered Chef is awesome isn't it. I always get my orders within 3-4 days and the shipping is very reasonable. They offer some great specials too. Their stuff is amazingly heavy. I wonder how they offer such great shipping prices and you don't hear them saying they are losing on it.
Jan, my Amazon orders average 2 days longer with free shipping. I would gladly wait another 2 days for free SU shipping. Also, I would buy a lot more product.
I cannot remember all the things we ordered but I ordered eyelets, ribbon, markers, quite a few stencils, several of those dimensional pop dot things. My share came to $120.
So you REALLY only paid $12 in shipping.
I just bought something for $84 from an online craft store and paid $17.95 shipping. :shock:
Yes, but Amazon is publicly owned. It has it's stock holders footing the cost of all that free shipping in order for them to go after market share. I've noticed that while the shipping was free with no restrictions when they first offered it, there are more new "rules" being added all the time. I don't think they'll be able to keep it up forever. Right now they are in a turf war with Barnes & Nobles along with just about every other web-based store out there since they offer all these other products now. So they have to undercut everyone else.
SU! is a privately owned company. Whatever expenses they incur come out of their profits. I'm sure they are making money, which makes me very happy. As long as they are making money, I will be in business, getting my discount, my free stamps and merchandise for placing my own personal orders, free stamps for my sales and recruiting, free merchandise for my sales and recruiting, and maybe even a cruise someday if I work hard enough! And I don't see Amazon.com donating money to Save the Children for every sale of an alphabet set (or anything else), I don't see them donating money to Ronald McDonald House, or breast cancer research either. And yes, I've never gotten free stamps from them either! Even though I've dropped a lot of money there! (love to read)
Pampered Chef is awesome isn't it. I always get my orders within 3-4 days and the shipping is very reasonable. They offer some great specials too. Their stuff is amazingly heavy. I wonder how they offer such great shipping prices and you don't hear them saying they are losing on it.
I'm certain that they make it up within the cost of their product. For instance a basic rubber scraper (Item 1650) is selling for $10. Pretty sure I've seen them in the Target $ spot as a twofer...of course, not the same Pampered Chef quality...but alas, that is the price to pay for the high quality...
I normally am a lurker, but had to respond to this thread.
In my eyes it is as simple as this........
If you do not like the fee that Stampin' Up! charges for shipping and handling, then simply don't purchase from that company! I just can not understand how something like this can go on and on as a thread (and yes, I realize I am guilty of adding to this thread!)
But again...its simple, if you don't like it, don't buy from them!
One more thing I thought of. I started demoing in 1995. Right around the time I started they raised the shipping to 10%. THAT HAS BEEN 10 YEARS now that it has been 10%. I know other companies that charge shipping by percentage & have upped it in less than that amount of time.
Now some of the stamps sets cost a little more. I remember $13.95 seemed like a very popular amount for many of the quantity of 4 sets. Now similar sets are around $16.95. That is a .30 cent increase in shipping - in 10 YEARS!! Does anyone know what gas prices where 10 years ago? I know that SU is paying more than 30 cents extra on shipping the same size set from what they were 10 years ago
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But I'm sure sometimes you order paper....which is cheap...so low shipping....and stinkin' heavy. 40 sheets of US white is only $.70 to ship...I know it costs more than that to ship it. They've got to be losing money on shipping paper....so they make up for it on lighter items. It all evens out.
And like JulieHRR said, they lose money over all on shipping...she didn't say they lose money as a company over all....just that they collect less money from us for shipping our stuff than it costs them to ship it to us.
Heavy duty corregated boxes to ship packages in. Which leads to better protection for your goods.
Packaging materials...Also protects your goods
Labor for the person on the pick line...You don't have to go to Utah and get it off the shelf yourself.
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Shipping costs
There are 7-8 UPS shipping territories in the US. When my company sends a 2# box to CA it costs $8 as compared to sending it across the state for $4. And that is at a 20% corporate discount.
Yes, shipping costs are done by weight, but that is the weight of the total package, not the weight of the individual items.
The 10% I pay in S&H is a lot less than it would cost me to drive cross country to pick up my order and even though I don't like it either "a workman is worthy of his hire" and I am paying them for their service.
