HeatherLeather Report post Posted February 6, 2019 I really want to try their buffalo calf leather and their hardwares. I ordered $70 goods and the shipping is $30... It’s not that far from MA to VA. Is there any replacement to recommend? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rebecca Wiseman Report post Posted February 6, 2019 Look at Ohio Travel Bag for Hardware. www.ohiotravelbag.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LatigoAmigo Report post Posted February 6, 2019 43 minutes ago, HeatherLeather said: I ordered $70 goods and the shipping is $30... It’s not that far from MA to VA. I think the reason for the high cost, since you ordered a hide, is due to the shape of the package, which is non-standard. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ferg Report post Posted February 6, 2019 It seems I had a problem with the shipping cost from them . I questioned it and I believe they told me that is an estimate, won't be the final amount. That was disconcerting for me. I like to know what I am getting for what I need to pay. Since we ship thousands of items every year I know the shipping cost just keeps going up. Seems it needs to stop somewhere but never does. Ferg Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HeatherLeather Report post Posted February 6, 2019 1 hour ago, LatigoAmigo said: I think the reason for the high cost, since you ordered a hide, is due to the shape of the package, which is non-standard. You are probably right. I ordered from Springfield with a bunch of sides, it only costs around $15 shipping. They use USPS. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HeatherLeather Report post Posted February 6, 2019 7 minutes ago, nstarleather said: this^^^ Hides aren't cheap to ship and depending on what else you ordered they might not even be able to ship it together (I'm not sticking metal hardware in the same box with a hide that can get dinged up). Generally, to ship a side I have to use at least at 4"x4"x48" so since the box is actually 5"x5"x49" (in my experience) you're looking at 9lbs regardless of the actual weight...add in a couple surcharges and you're easily over $20 just for the hide. It'd be extremely hard to configure a website to be accurate if you have multiple items that aren't of very similar weights and dimensions...not sure what you're shipping but if most of your stuff is the same size/shape/weight, it's easy, but to me shipping metal hardware and hides of leather seems like a bit of a nightmare. "Low cost and dense" vs "big and bulky and expensive"... We had to give up and just go with a shipping chart for retail because if someone ordered a bunch of small items, they'd get overcharged (waaaaay more than cost) but if we tried to correct the cost of shipping just one of them didn't get covered. Add to that the complexity of having "light" items of high value (snakeskin wallets) and bulky/heavy items with a small value (assortments of simple drawstring pouches) and it's not as easy as you'd think. Do you use fedex too? I think usps is a little cheaper. Sometimes it’s tough to choose a website. Rocky Mountain is free shipping with US, but I think their leather price includes everything. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HeatherLeather Report post Posted February 6, 2019 I removed all the 4 rivets and only keep the side, the shipping drops to 18. I guess I will take it. Maybe it’s cheaper to buy the hardwares separately. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JLSleather Report post Posted February 6, 2019 $30 would be high enough for me to just pass on ordering that. Hermann Oak send me TEN full sides of 8 oz tooling leather, shipping be about $50. So ONE piece of tooling calf (smaller) .. uh.. no. A bit of hardware gets wrapped in bubble wrap and dropped into the center of the hide.. done all the time. North Star is correct about 'free shipping" being the norm these days, but that's more hype and ignorance. A few of us have actualy offered TRULY FREE shipping (usually for short periods) but most just jack the price of the item. If you're buying 1 or 2, might seem like an okay idea. BUT..... consider that "free" shipping on the hide you want. Say the hide is $100. And say they charging $15 for shipping. And that's pretty close to what I would expect ot be ACTUAL shipping cost. So for the first one, you pay $115, really no matter one way or another. On the second one, you pay $230, actual shipping is $19, so you actually paying another $11 for that "free" shipping. Third one, you pay $345, actual cost more like $325. It gets worse the more you buy, basically "free" shipping means you're NOT GETTING the shipping discount. Some about now are saying "that's with a larger item".. but fact is it's worse with a smaller item - from a percentage standpoint. Buy those blue "dummy guns" at $50, with free shipping, or pay $45 and pay actual shipping. AMT FREESHIP ACTUAL SHIP 1 $50 $52 2 $100 $100 3 $150 $145 4 $200 $192 The more you buy, the worse deal you're getting on the "Free" shipping. IN THE END though, only one can say if the price is worth it or not is YOU. What hardware you need? $12 shipping on some rivets sound EXTREME. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HeatherLeather Report post Posted February 6, 2019 I tried for several more times on Buckleguy: 1. When I buy 1 side only, shipping $18. 2. When I buy 1 side leather + 1 sqft of leather panel, shipping $ 30. 3. I added 5-6 hardwares, still $30. Not reasonable to me. I gave up. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ferg Report post Posted February 6, 2019 2 hours ago, nstarleather said: this^^^ Hides aren't cheap to ship and depending on what else you ordered they might not even be able to ship it together (I'm not sticking metal hardware in the same box with a hide that can get dinged up). Generally, to ship a side I have to use at least at 4"x4"x48" so since the box is actually 5"x5"x49" (in my experience) you're looking at 9lbs regardless of the actual weight...add in a couple surcharges and you're easily over $20 just for the hide. It'd be extremely hard to configure a website to be accurate if you have multiple items that aren't of very similar weights and dimensions...not sure what you're shipping but if most of your stuff is the same size/shape/weight, it's easy, but to me shipping metal hardware and hides of leather seems like a bit of a nightmare. "Low cost and dense" vs "big and bulky and expensive"... We had to give up and just go with a shipping chart for retail because if someone ordered a bunch of small items, they'd get overcharged (waaaaay more than cost) but if we tried to correct the cost of shipping just one of them didn't get covered. Add to that the complexity of having "light" items of high value (snakeskin wallets) and bulky/heavy items with a small value (assortments of simple drawstring pouches) and it's not as easy as you'd think. Our items weigh from 8 or 9 oz. through maybe 10 pounds. It is really tricky to figure our costs since we drop ship our products direct to buyer. We really have no input on what the eventual retailer charges for mailing/shipping. Ferg Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rhale Report post Posted February 6, 2019 I believe panhandle leather in Amarillo tx charges flat fee of $15 shipping for Herman oak Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CelticPrint Report post Posted February 6, 2019 Shipping is the hidden killer in many projects, my first order of leather was only 45 dollars but 16 in shipping. The only thing you can do is divide the square usage of materials and pass it on to the cost of your finished project. You as the worker should only have to supply the know how and the construction, not the cost of the material nor the shipping of said material. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tugadude Report post Posted February 7, 2019 7 hours ago, HeatherLeather said: You are probably right. I ordered from Springfield with a bunch of sides, it only costs around $15 shipping. They use USPS. Did you attempt to speak with someone at Buckleguy? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sceaden Report post Posted February 7, 2019 A big aspect of shipping cost is regions for home addresses. I've shipped items to random spots in the Dakota's and paid double or triple then to a different city with the same distance. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YinTx Report post Posted February 7, 2019 I was about to order some replacement blades from Osborne that would fit in a padded envelope, but the shipping was as much as the cost of the blades. I haven't bought them yet because of that. And ordering the same items off of Amazon or Ebay with free shipping resulted in a higher total than the above option. Equally frustrating. YinTx Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HeatherLeather Report post Posted February 7, 2019 15 hours ago, Tugadude said: Did you attempt to speak with someone at Buckleguy? I did. It turns out that they ship hides and other stuff separately. So no matter you order 1 side or 2 sides, shipping is always 18$, then the leather panels and hardwares are around 12$. Conclusion: order 3 sides is the best deal! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LatigoAmigo Report post Posted February 7, 2019 1 hour ago, HeatherLeather said: Conclusion: order 3 sides is the best deal! Nice to know how to shop smarter. Thanks for the tip. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YinTx Report post Posted February 7, 2019 1 hour ago, HeatherLeather said: Conclusion: order 3 sides is the best deal! Can't convince me they didn't do this to drive larger sales. irritating. YinTx Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ed in Tx Report post Posted February 7, 2019 There is no logical reason that the smaller items like the rivets can't be shipped in the same package as the hides. I have ordered numerous times from Springfield Leather and they have no problems combining leather and other small items. In my opinion it is all a matter of proper packaging. It would be an easy decision for me, I wouldn't order from that vendor. There are many choices available on line. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brmax Report post Posted February 7, 2019 (edited) I thought it was a bit informative to go over to the post office a look at the priority package sizes. Just to get an idea on shipping in bags and boxes they handle. We all probably understand any lengths of products near 60” length can be higher, freight cost especially with it protected on ends. This making it over the normal 60”. I have noticed on all my non leather incoming products, as always are on 60”+ rolls and freight cost hurt, and are quickly seen as a requirement period. Good day Floyd Edited February 7, 2019 by brmax Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LatigoAmigo Report post Posted February 7, 2019 2 hours ago, YinTx said: Can't convince me they didn't do this to drive larger sales. But don't you think that might help keep them in business? Don't we all want more and larger sales? Just askin'... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YinTx Report post Posted February 8, 2019 1 hour ago, LatigoAmigo said: But don't you think that might help keep them in business? Don't we all want more and larger sales? Just askin'... It's true, but do you cause your customers to buy 3 wallets when they can only use one? I can only imagine I would cause my sales to suffer. If it works for them, awesome, but I don't want to buy 3 sides from them, so I'm not a customer of theirs. Then again, if I needed 3 sides, for sure I'd be looking at what they have. Anyhow, shipping has become a bear these days, more and more expensive, to the point some stuff isn't worth shipping. Like the little blades I was trying to get from Osborne. Just not worth shipping. YinTx Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brmax Report post Posted February 8, 2019 It matters a bit if you make a profit on freight/shipping, thats probably an interest to certain tax people. I hope we can agree that it doesnt matter any to the freight carriers how You, I and other companies write the shipping charge just that they get their fees. I am positive anyone in business can say and invoice how they want, but freight and shipping has a big impact on product cost. This cost has to be booked somehow somewhere. Its pretty simple if it cost me and I dont assign it and get it back its a loss. That would be tough on a business for awhile! good evening Floyd ps: it gets weird when you try and ship and go to extra lengths to try and save the customer a buck. Its suprising how some live in the most remote roads of a state Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LatigoAmigo Report post Posted February 8, 2019 Somehow this conversation reminds me of a time at a crafts fair where a leather belt maker offered an assortment of belts with "free" buckles. So I asked him for my free buckle. "Oh," he said, "you have to buy a belt first." So much for free. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fredk Report post Posted February 8, 2019 (edited) I have to 'import' everything, with its associated s&h costs. My nearest Tandy is about 150 miles away, but there is a big bit of water between me and them, its called the Irish Sea. Minimum ferry cost is about £260. So Tandy's s&h of £8 per order is very reasonable. Even Le Prevo's fee of £15.50 per large parcel is reasonable. I factor both into my costs breakdown; ie if I get an order of buckles and hardware from Le Prevo s&h is about £6.50, rolls of leather are £15.50, this is broken down at a pro-rata rate and added to each buckle or square foot of useable leather As a lot of hardware, especially the likes of rapid rivets, are made in China I order from there directly. Some times an order from China has arrived before an order out of England. S&h for a China order is usually £0 or at most £0.99 37 minutes ago, LatigoAmigo said: Somehow this conversation reminds me of a time at a crafts fair where a leather belt maker offered an assortment of belts with "free" buckles. So I asked him for my free buckle. "Oh," he said, "you have to buy a belt first." So much for free. Most UK sellers changed their wording of 'Free' on their goods after a TV comedian did a skit where he went into a shop and consumed the 'free' portion of packs of biscuits, comfectionery and drinks. This skit prompted other ordinary people to do the same. Most companies now put 'extra ~ % for the same price' I suppose the belt seller should have been saying; 'the buckle of your choice at no extra cost when you buy a belt' ~ but thats kinda long winded, aint it? Edited February 8, 2019 by fredk Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
