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How do you rationalize shipping costs?

I just placed an order for a boar brush, and 2 bottles of Floid aftershave. The cost of goods was $68. The cost to ship to USA, Florida was $41. That's a tough shipping cost pill to swallow. I took the plunge to get some Floid Blue. Do you struggle with these shipping costs like I do?
 
Ow, that's gotta hurt. I am too cheap to rationalize $41. I avoid overseas shipping, with the one exception of getting a birthyear razor from Canada. It was still reasonable, though, and worth the expense. I guess it simply depends how much you value what is being shipped. Enjoy!
 
I can't. I had to pass on a couple of kilos of my favorite Italian shaving soap due to shipping. They were being sold at a really good price too but shipping from overseas on a kilo was just WAYYYYYYY to much. For that reason alone I buy from U.S or Canadian stores only.
 
I would have bought even more to offset the shipping.

That's quite a bit of shipping though

That would work if it was a fixed rate for shipping. Many rates depend on the weight though and size of the package etc. You should see Canada Post when I drop off a package to ship, if only they tried to deliver it with as much enthusiasm as they use weighing and measuring.
 
Most times shipping charger are way out of line. I've seen them to be almost half as much as the item I'd like. If I think the charges are way to high I'll look elsewhere or not have it shipped. If its what I'd consider reasonable I'll go ahead and order. I'll agree though that most times the charges are way to high.
 
I'm from Singapore and I have paid US$71 to ship aftershaves to my doorstep......at the end of that day it's a question of how bad you want the item......if shipping costs are too hard to swallow then try look elsewhere or abandon the idea completely.... else dont think too much of it and enjoy your purchase.
 
Most American seller won't send to Canada or ask ridiculous shipping fees. I happen to know someone who live on the US border bot work here near Montréal, it really really make a difference on the final prices. I'm lucky that it don't bother the man at all, of course I give him a couple bucks from time to time for the service :)
 
There's plenty of items I can buy here. I'm not going to pay shipping costs that high. I look at the overall cost (item plus shipping) and then generally chose the lowest supplier.
 

Commander Quan

Commander Yellow Pantyhose
Shipping needs to be considered as part of the purchase price. You didn't pay $68 for product and $41 to ship it, you payed $109 for a brush and 2 bottles of aftershave. If it's worth it to you it's justified.
 
Wow, that sure is an expensive cost for shipping! Fortunately, living next to the US where i acquire most of my products has its benefits. Don't really order any thing from across the pond because of the shipping.
 
Thanks for the input. The funny thing is that it all seems to balance out. The Floid Blue is around $48 from a US or Canada dealer, but $28 from EU dealer.
 
It all depends, if I put on pants and go to a store that sells the item in question I will usually just put on pants if it is anything but free. If it isn't on hand in a shop and their backorder will take a while and then it depends on the cost... usually anything over $20 I'll wait for the shop. If the item is super cheap somewhere else like headlights in the US the cost is so different that shipping costs don't even bother me at all.
 
I apply two options: Look elsewhere for reasonable cost + shipping total costs or wait until I have a large enough order to justify the shipping costs. Sometimes you just have to go for it.
 
The only thing I order from "across the pond" is my snus. The shipping on my last order was $35, but I got it in three days and got snus I can't buy around here. Don't think I'd do that for any other product.
 
It depends on the seller, i can get stuff shipped for under $10 to the uk (basic shipping, never had any problems with it) and sometimes like the bay especially, get charged over the odds. Its a shame aswell as you americans get alot of good products either locally, or with great deals :p
 

musicman1951

three-tu-tu, three-tu-tu
When I read the title of this thread my first thought was that I don't get too worked up about $4-$5 for shipping - then I read $41!!!!!!

When I see shipping that I consider excessive - double digits for shaving supplies - I keep shopping.
 
It is hard to rationalize sometimes. If you have a rather large order sometimes it evens out. Even better sometimes if you can reach the threshold for free shipping it might be worth it.

But for me sometimes it's a bit too much. For example last night I was on the verge of hitting submit for an order of two pucks of soap. I'll not mention the vendor. The shipping charges came out to $10.40 and we're not even talking coast to coast. I had to hit cancel and wait for a need of more stuff before I place that order.
 
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