On Sat, 2007-01-06 at 00:46 -0500, Brian B. Riley wrote:
>    The problem is that a certain portion of the population is cheap,  
> arrogant and annoying. They look at prices and think that the stuff  
> is gonna magically appear on their doorstep.

Let me play devil's advocate here and say: Why is that belief wrong?

When I want to buy something from a bricks and mortar store down the
road I look up the price on the Internet, go to the store, and buy it.
Imagine my surprise if at the checkout they proclaimed I ALSO had to pay
shipping and handling from the factory the item was produced in China to
the store I'm standing in? At a bricks and mortar store the price for
shipping, handling, packaging, store clerks, store leasing, etc. is all
built in.

Why are online retailers CHARGING shipping and handling separately? Why
do MANY of them royally rip people off? I've been charged $30+ shipping
and handling for items barely worth $30 that arrive through regular post
with a post mark of $5. Yes, the box costs something, and the "bring it
to the post office" costs something, but $25 PER ITEM? Ouch...

I personally stay away from ANY online retailer that either a) hides
their shipping prices until I've given them my credit card (ALOT of
companies do that) or b) have unreasonable rates for shipping and
handling.

I search out the online retailers that INCLUDE shipping in the price.
It's not hard to do, some retailers do it, I find those are the
retailers I always go to first.

Online retailers are competing with brick and mortar stores at a
disadvantage: their customers have to WAIT for their items to arrive
(and hope they do arrive). Why are online retailers adding to their
disadvantage by either clouding shipping charges or overcharging for
them?

Every time I've sold something online I've included the shipping price
in the price. Yes, on some destinations I've lost a little, but I set my
margins to deal with that. On some items I've made money on the shipping
portion. On average, the shipping portion comes out to close to zero.

Online retailers: please smarten up. TTYL

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