Shipping surcharges

monsinour

Active Member
If the cost of doing business has gone up, why not raise the price? I dont understand why companies use surcharges as an escuse to not raise prices. If it costs more to ship stuff around, just raise the price. If it used to cost $35 to ship stuff to a customer and it now costs $40, then charge the darn $40. Passing these costs onto the customer is fine, just dont insult me when you do it. Best example that effects everyone is the $.05 extra per gallon the gas station charges when you pay for your gas with a credit card. I know that Visa and MC charge the business for processing the transaction a small percentage, but dont pass that cost on to the consumer as a surcharge. Just raise the darn price of gas.
SO, SWF.com, why do you lable it as a surcharge and not just raise the price of shipping? Is it because almost all the other online fish stores also charge $35 and the additional $3 surcharge and you want to appear to have the same prices?
 

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by meowzer http:///forum/thread/386401/shipping-surcharges#post_3393713
Just buy more then $199 and you get free shipping LOL
LOL...I always shake my head at the $5.99 price why not just say $6.00?
All over no matter where you do business.....It looks better to the customer and sales people think maybe we won't notice it's all just fluff.
meowzer....Most of us don't have the amount of tanks you do, so spending $199.00 becomes quite a challenge, and if you use a return credit or a coupon then you still have to make the difference up with purchasing another critter. it goes something like this.......
In my established tank I might need another cleaner shrimp, my last one died of old age..and maybe squeeze a coral in because I'm maxed out on space and I can't add another fish not even a tiny one. So if I spend $19.99 on the shrimp that's for sale and $49.99 on a coral...then have a $25.00 certificate and am owed a credit of $39.99...my amount just went down to $4.99....to get free shipping I still have to come up with $194.01 in merchandise.
Then to complicate it..the only coral for that spot open would be a gorgonian, and I already have three, two orange ones and a purple...the one I want is yellow...what.s that??? You have the shrimp I want but you are out of yellow gorgonians? If I wait, the shrimp sale is over and will now cost $29.99
So finally the gorgonian is in and your ready to order...but what??? now you are out of shrimp.
Go ahead and laugh, it took me over a year once to get my order in sync.
So I have decided that either I need a partner to go in with me to buy critters, or pay the shipping and get it over with.
From another site..because SWF didn't carry the hectors goby. I purchased the fish for $19.99 with shipping my tiny little fish cost me $59.97...such is life...
 

monsinour

Active Member
I agree with flower. I dont have 2 hunny bones to toss down on my tank at a time. I am struggling to come up with the 125 i need for the leds over the 10g so I can have the zoo garden.
I really wanted a business to explain the "passing on the extra charges to our customers" to me. I dont like being insulted from the people I spend $ with.
 

meowzer

Moderator
WELL GEE....you know I was just being sarcastic

I had not even noticed they were charging a surcharge until you posted this
 

ladyreefseeker

Administrator
Staff member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Monsinour http:///forum/thread/386401/shipping-surcharges#post_3393701
If the cost of doing business has gone up, why not raise the price? I dont understand why companies use surcharges as an escuse to not raise prices. If it costs more to ship stuff around, just raise the price. If it used to cost $35 to ship stuff to a customer and it now costs $40, then charge the darn $40. Passing these costs onto the customer is fine, just dont insult me when you do it. Best example that effects everyone is the $.05 extra per gallon the gas station charges when you pay for your gas with a credit card. I know that Visa and MC charge the business for processing the transaction a small percentage, but dont pass that cost on to the consumer as a surcharge. Just raise the darn price of gas.
SO, SWF.com, why do you lable it as a surcharge and not just raise the price of shipping? Is it because almost all the other online fish stores also charge $35 and the additional $3 surcharge and you want to appear to have the same prices?
We don't anticipate having it up for long, and it is easier to have a temporary surcharge than to adjust shipping premiums all around. And most people understand fuel is high right now.
 

ladyreefseeker

Administrator
Staff member
It went from $1.99 to $2.99 in less than a month. We use FedEx and when they raise, we have to raise....There is zero profit margin for shipping, we just use their services. The surcharge remains no matter the size of the order for now. It is temporary.
 
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