Tom;
Boy do you have that right! Whenever I ship an Addiction, it comes in an oversized
(63"X11"X6") double walled 150psi cardboard box. I've proven this is a prudent step
as my number of damage claims has been gratifyingly small. However, just the box
costs $6 when buying at wholesale in lots of 100. Then there's at least 30 minutes,
none of which is on the clock to get the glider properly boxed, invoiced and labeled.
I only ship once per week because my total trip time to ship is at least one hour,
approximately 20-30 minutes of which is standing in line at the post office. None of
the 10 mile round trip commute is compensated. By using a box of this size, the
USPS charges a surcharge and with insurance, the shipping cost is typically from
$20-$35 depending on the destination. Of course, the customer thinks I'm getting
rich by overcharging on shipping, but the real truth is that I spend more than an
hour of my time and some commuting expense for no compensation whatsoever. I'm
forced to do this because the UPS damage rates are atrocious and I don't have the
account volume for a Fedex account. Of course, I am smart enough to realize that if
all a customer wants is a wing rod, the USPS ships two pounds of Priority Mail for
$3.95 and what's the point of insuring a $10 wing rod?
No solutions offered or available; just looking for a little understanding from a
small vendors standpoint.
Fred
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