Whats wrong with this picture

[cscotthendry]

I live outside the US, but need to order things from American companies from time to time. Often the things I need are small parts. However almost without exception, these companies (and most are included in this complaint) ship their items in ludicrously large cartons and charge accordingly for the shipping. I have had situations where the shipping cost nearly 4 times what the items cost, all because of the crazy packaging size.

Here's a case in point. I bought some small electronic parts and this was the carton they sent it in. It is 12" x 15" x 3" for three little plastic bags that could have gone in a padded envelope. It cost $28.00US to ship something that could have been shipped for about $3.00. And it's not just this one company. Just about every company that is prepared to ship internationally does this.

BTW, I've fired off a very hot "please explain" to the company concerned.

[vpilot]

Looks like they took the notion of "think big" a bit too literally over at the shipping department.
The box also says "Extremely urgent"?
I can just see it now.. they hand the box over to a clerk "Here, take the company jet and get this delivered. It's Extremely Urgent. Don't worry, the guy's gonna pay for it."

On a more serious note though, you're right it IS rediculous.

Cheerio,

Sander

[cscotthendry]

Lately the $ here in Oz has been nearly on parity with the US$. So it's been attractive to get those things that are not available here or are prohibitively expensive here. Our Aussie merchants charge like wounded bulls. But the shipping antics of the American companies makes it tough.

Yeah it would nearly be cheaper to send the stuff by the corporate jet...

[Michael Carter]

It's no different shipping within the US. I ordered a PS/2 extention cable from NewEgg and it came in the size box you have there in your photo. They charged $12 bucks to get it here from California.

[cscotthendry]

I wondered about that. I think it must be some kind of cost shifting measure. Where the company has a "one size fits all" box so that the people in the shipping department don't have to do any thinking (Are there still people in the shipping department?) It doesn't matter that the box is ridiculously oversize as "the customer is paying".

Whenever I get this I always send a rocket back to the company. It never does any good as the people who make the policy, insulate themselves from the repercussions, but it makes me feel better. Too bad for the people who have to answer my letters, but they have the option (and the obligation) to pass that negative feedback up the chain of command.

I hope that if any of you get this kind of treatment by a mail order company, that you write the company and express your displeasure.

[Paul G]

... it must be some kind of cost shifting measure. Where the company has a "one size fits all" box so that the people in the shipping department don't have to do any thinking

I think you got it right. Irrespective of the size of the order, they probably assumed that it's cheaper to have one product regardless of order size, and it still takes the packaging dept similar time (not much saving because of small items).

I think the rate is a bit over the top but I would have found that out in advance as I have done so. Frequently ordering from the Good Ol' I've had to wait until having sufficient items before placing an order, or teaming up with other people locally to split the cost. At least Oz is a good long distance from the US. In Canada we get fleeced alive and it's right on our doorstep, well some of it is.

Why not find others in Australia to split the cost with and then you can distribute using local services. Should save you a bit and allow you to place orders more frequently, assuming you're using the US for cost savings in the first place.

[cscotthendry]

Why not find others in Australia to split the cost with and then you can distribute using local services. Should save you a bit and allow you to place orders more frequently, assuming you're using the US for cost savings in the first place.

This is an excellent suggestion except for the fact of how unorganized I am. It's not unusual for me to press the "confirm order" button and then remember something else I wanted to buy. Still what you suggest is a workaround for what I consider a mean practice anyway. Problem solver that I am, I'd rather fix it at the source.

Also, there's not many people I'm in contact with that are interested in the sort of things I buy from the people I buy from. Things like 00-90 screws 1mm ball bearing units etc. Not many people have uses for those things.

Well, life goes on, I'll just keep kicking the system...

[Michael Carter]

A problem with many companies is that your shipping cost is not calculated until after the order is placed and paid for. By then, they've already charged your card and you're screwed.

I do nearly every bit of my purchasing from the internet, but that's the worst screwing I ever got on shipping. I mean the damn cable was $3!!!

[cscotthendry]

The company in question did exactly that. I didn't know the total until the package arrived. There was only a few shipping options to choose from. I chose USPS as now that is generally the cheapest option. Little did I know they were going to ship the stuff in a 40' shipping container. Well not quite, but I'll bet a container wouldn't have cost much more.

The transport companies used to be a LOT cheaper than the Post Office, but not any more. Now I don't even dare ship stuff by Fed Ex, UPS or TNT as they show up at the house with mortgage papers filled and ready to sign. Maybe this will change as the transport companies have been prosecuted for price fixing and they were all involved, apparently.

[Paul G]

I find USPS if offered is normally a deal-maker for me. I haven't yet been charged anything for packages from US with USPS in terms of duty or tax, which really surprises me. Others have claimed USPS just charges a fixed amount on entry to Canada but for some reason this has never applied in my experience.

I am going to suggest giving these guys a try http://www.goldmine-elec.com/
I have bought from them in the past and they quote shipping presumably based on weight (at least to Canada). I keep a wishlist updated and when I have sudden urgency or add enough to it, boom, an order goes in and I get it within a week or so. Prices are great as well.

Who are you using out of interest?