[davethechemist]

Just ordered a headlight protection kit for my GS from Stickercity in California. Was quoted US$59.95 (!) for shipping to New Zealand (It's not my fault I live here!). It took 2 weeks to arrive and the USPS stamp has $18.50 on it. I think I've been screwed. Question..... Is it standard practise in the US for companies who ship products long distance, to screw customers in this way? Cheers

 

[Vincenzo]

Is it standard practise in the US for companies who ship products long distance, to screw customers in this way?

...I'd insist on getting kissed first.

 

[MaseratiBoy]

Id insist on a dinner.... maybe a movie ;]

Unless she was really good looking!

 

[TravisJ]

Is it standard practise in the US for companies who ship products long distance, to screw customers in this way?

Yes, it is a standard practice for companies to significantly mark up actual shipping costs for deliveries across town or across the globe.

If you lived in California, they probably would have charged you $8.00 to ship something that would have a $2.00 stamp on it.

Many businesses use "shipping and handling" as a revenue stream to offset the costs of a packaging/shipping department. If the inflated "shipping" prices were set back to actual cost levels, the product cost would have to be increased to maintain the same profitability. In the end, you pay either way.

 

[BigFoot]

Over 3x the cost is borderline fraudulent if you ask me. Bad news mate

 

[DeaneG]

Cheer up... at least you get to live in NZ instead of inland southern CA. The guys at Stickercity have nothing on you.

 

[davethechemist]

I have always subscribed to the don't compain and don't return ideology. Too many bad stories about chefs who wipe their a** on steaks that are returned to their kitchen. TV has a lot to answer for. I'll probably never need to return to Stickercity (until I buy a GT-S) so may I request that you all don't go there iether..........it's a long shot, I know, but hey......I feel better now

 

[davethechemist]

Cheer up... at least you get to live in NZ instead of inland southern CA. The guys at Stickercity have nothing on you.

I know, it's great, mate. Just too many cops with laser guns!!

 

[M!]

Just ordered a headlight protection kit for my GS from Stickercity in California. Was quoted US$59.95 (!) for shipping to New Zealand (It's not my fault I live here!). It took 2 weeks to arrive and the USPS stamp has $18.50 on it. I think I've been screwed. Question..... Is it standard practise in the US for companies who ship products long distance, to screw customers in this way? Cheers

as mentioned, it is the Shipping and HANDLING charge.
happens everywhere, but depends on how greedy they are, or how much the item was discounted and then offset by the S&H.

i m not advertising for them but from searching:

the item is only:
Weight 1.00 lbs
Price: $54.95

why would you pay $60 for shipping of 1.0lb package to NZ?
you should have complaint to them before ordering.

but i doubt you would have saved more than $20 even if you did complain.

 

[davethechemist]

as mentioned, it is the Shipping and HANDLING charge.
happens everywhere, but depends on how greedy they are, or how much the item was discounted and then offset by the S&H.

i m not advertising for them but from searching:

the item is only:
Weight 1.00 lbs
Price: $54.95

why would you pay $60 for shipping of 1.0lb package to NZ?
you should have complaint to them before ordering.

but i doubt you would have saved more than $20 even if you did complain.

Oh, I did try to contact them before the order was placed but they weren't too keen on returning emails. Surprise, surprise. Never mind. 100 bucks all up. Cheaper than a replacement headlight!!

 

[GCalo]

--- Question..... Is it standard practise in the US for companies who ship products long distance, to screw customers in this way? Cheers

Not if you bought anything from us! We quote actual freight charges prior to shipping, and we are usually w/in one US$.

Reliable firms don't need to make $ on shipping charges, but that presumes from whom you purchase is "reliable".

It appears that you were charged for Express Mail Service but your item was shipped by regular mail.

We shipped recently to Germany. We quoted a price for Express Mail based upon the Post Office web site. When taken to the counter the rate was $5.00 higher, and we ate that.

I would ask for the difference to be credited to your credit card!

 

[davethechemist]

Thanks GCalo. I'll give the charge back a try. Won't be holding my breath thoough

 

[lozcb]

no one just climbs into bed with terry tibbs you gotta seduce me first dave

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=6eDSZMxS9vA

regards loz

 

[jaev]

It appears that you were charged for Express Mail Service but your item was shipped by regular mail

When they gave you the shipping quote, did they tell you how it was to be shipped (express mail/FedEx/UPS/DHL/regular mail)? If they quoted you one method of shipping, and then used a cheaper and slower method & pocketed the difference... that's when I'd file a claim with your credit card company and say you did not get the service you paid for, and should be refunded the difference.

 

[Fred]

International shipping is a pain in the ass.
Fraud is the biggest issue, as it is impossible to verify the credit card owners address in NZ.
The shipper is at risk for the whole amount of the shipment if there is credit card fraud.

You agreed to the shipping cost when you placed the order, what is there to dispute now?

 

[jaev]

You agreed to the shipping cost when you placed the order, what is there to dispute now?

If I pay $X for FedEx overnight shipping, and then you send it first class mail, you better believe there is a dispute. The question is whether that quoted amount was just for generic "shipping", or if it was for shipping a specific way. You should get what you paid for.

 

[GCalo]

Thanks GCalo. I'll give the charge back a try. Won't be holding my breath thoough

We had a package going to Brunei today. It was to have gone Express Mail, and the USPS website gave us a rate of $58.50.

When the package was taken to the P.O., my person was told there is no Express mail service to that area of Brunei and that it would have to go air mail only for $39.99.

We had charged him $58.50 but are crediting his CC the $18.51 difference and we have advised him of that.

We charge only the actual freight amounts. Too bad others do not!

Push to get the difference credited to your card.

 

[Fred]

Gcalo,

Do you do address verification for the international orders, or do you have faith that you are not going to get screwed with fraudulent credit cards?

It takes a significant amount of time to call the card issuing bank to verify the recipients address, IF they will do so. To have the card processor do a CODE 10 costs money, and there is no guarantee that they will be able to verify the address.
For the OP, NZ will not verify address due to privacy laws. How do you make sure that the person you are selling the parts to is the actual owner of the credit card, not just some putz that happens to have possession of someones credit card that he found on the street?

If you are not charging for the time and costs to do this, aren't you overcharging your domestic customers?

Thanks for you input, as with the US dollar falling in the toilet, we are getting more and more international orders.

 

[GCalo]

Gcalo,

Do you do address verification for the international orders, or do you have faith that you are not going to get screwed with fraudulent credit cards?

It takes a significant amount of time to call the card issuing bank to verify the recipients address, IF they will do so. To have the card processor do a CODE 10 costs money, and there is no guarantee that they will be able to verify the address.
For the OP, NZ will not verify address due to privacy laws. How do you make sure that the person you are selling the parts to is the actual owner of the credit card, not just some putz that happens to have possession of someones credit card that he found on the street?

If you are not charging for the time and costs to do this, aren't you overcharging your domestic customers?

Thanks for you input, as with the US dollar falling in the toilet, we are getting more and more international orders.

Our CC system verifys the info for us. We don't need to spend extra time or $ on this.

The info we require is sufficient verification.

And, NO, we are not overcharging our domestic customers. That's an absurd question!

 

[Fred]

I have been doing international orders for quite some time, and I have found NOTHING that will verify the address for countries with Privacy Laws.
While some customer groups / product lines may have a low incidence of fraud, and you may have been lucky with just the credit card approval, it is not a foolproof method of address verification.

Without address verification, it is just a matter of time until you get a chargeback.