# Reasonable Shipping Costs?



## wolfpenfarm (Jan 13, 2009)

I don't know of any. I know when i ship, i charge ONLY what the shipper charges and whatever it costs me for a box. It's getting ridiculous on the cost of shipping. The post office is the cheapest i have found. Ship it ground and its usually 10 bucks cheaper.
You have to remember that if we ship via UPS or fed ex they charge us 10 dollars to come out and pick up the package


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## arthur (Apr 6, 2008)

hopefully some entrepreneur will start a business that will provide good service, good prices, quality product and reasonable shipping. They will clean house.


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## bmcmahon (Apr 23, 2010)

I wanted to get some frame spacers but held off when I discovered the cost of the spacers was 6.95 and the cost of getting them to me via UPS ground was 8.81. 

I can wait.


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## dtompsett (Feb 2, 2010)

Thats just the problem with shipping... I have friends who want to buy honey from me... but it costs as much to ship it as it does to buy it!


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## indypartridge (Nov 18, 2004)

Check with you local bee club and ask if there are any small suppliers or distributors nearby. Both Kelley and Mann Lake (possibly others) have a network of distributors, who are often small-volume, hole-in-the-wall operations.

Looks like you're about an hour and half drive or so from Drapers in Pennsylvania. They have their own stuff plus distribute for Mann Lake. Coordinate with other local beeks who may need equipment and take turns making a run to Drapers.


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## BeeCurious (Aug 7, 2007)

I had 13 8-frame medium boxes shipped from Miller's to Connecticut for $26 ... I think that's reasonable.

If someone is expecting USPS Parcel Post rates with FedEX or UPS speed I don't think that's possible.


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## Kingfisher Apiaries (Jan 16, 2010)

I had a friend give me a box from kelleys w/ some stuff in it. The shipping label was still on it and it said it cost 6.28 to ship it to zone 5, I think kelleys base price to ship to zone one was 10.00-12.00. We are paying for HANDLING NOT SHIPPING. 

Kingfisher


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## DroneDawg (Nov 3, 2009)

Brushy Mountain charged me $96 for 113 lbs of freight. Almost $1 a lb. I was not happy.


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## bmcmahon (Apr 23, 2010)

indypartridge said:


> Check with you local bee club and ask if there are any small suppliers or distributors nearby. Both Kelley and Mann Lake (possibly others) have a network of distributors, who are often small-volume, hole-in-the-wall operations.
> 
> Looks like you're about an hour and half drive or so from Drapers in Pennsylvania. They have their own stuff plus distribute for Mann Lake. Coordinate with other local beeks who may need equipment and take turns making a run to Drapers.


I'm about an hour and half to Drapers; 45 minutes to Dadant; 2 hours to Brushy Mountain and about 3 hours to Betterbee. The only one I haven't visited yet is Drapers.

I chose Brushy for the bulk of my start up equipment and they had an arrangement with our local club to give new beeks free shipping on their initial order. 

Overall, I've been happy with their products and service but they are high on their shipping. It's a nice drive to New Columbia and (unlike Betterbee) Brushy has public restrooms when you get there.:thumbsup: 

There's a club meeting this Saturday. Maybe I'll check with fellow club members and see if there's any interest in a group buy/pickup.


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## wolfpenfarm (Jan 13, 2009)

Kingfisher Apiaries said:


> I had a friend give me a box from kelleys w/ some stuff in it. The shipping label was still on it and it said it cost 6.28 to ship it to zone 5, I think kelleys base price to ship to zone one was 10.00-12.00. We are paying for HANDLING NOT SHIPPING.
> 
> Kingfisher


well you have to expect handling as its expensive to get boxes these days. 
I had to pay 8 dollars for a 24" x 18" x 18" box to ship a order. Price of shipping is filtering down into everything including the shipping boxes you get your order in.

What is a company supposed to do on that? Eat the handling?? When you operate at a low profit you can't do that.


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## wolfpenfarm (Jan 13, 2009)

DroneDawg said:


> Brushy Mountain charged me $96 for 113 lbs of freight. Almost $1 a lb. I was not happy.


do a lookup at ups or fed ex for the same weight, and see how much they charge. 113 is about 96 dollars to ship now, and varies depending on destination. I shipped a box of sbb to mass from kansas and it cost me 32.00 to ship it it weighed 26 pounds. I shipped another box of sbb's to oklahoma city and it cost me 19.00 to ship it and it was 36 pounds. 

double the shipping and 1/3 less weight to ship across the country. 
Your right the average shipping cost is a buck a pound.


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## margot (Jun 25, 2001)

Some of the suppliers have free shipping periods, often around Christmas. Dadant had free shipping all of last December, and shipped a large order to me at no charge. Check websites for special offers.


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## Mike Snodgrass (Mar 11, 2010)

Cant tell you how many times i have gone to order something and at the last minute and realized that shipping cost more than the object i was about to order. Some places charge a lot for so called "Handling", e-bay is notorious for that! The key to my budget success in this new endeavor is that i live so close to a mann lake distributor and a local county bee club! If you dont live near a distributor but have associates or a local club as well, do like someone else suggested and do a group order. Save big bucks that way! You find out whos hoseing people on "Handling charges" with time!!!


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## johng (Nov 24, 2009)

I've had very good luck with Millers also. It was very fast shipping, it was packed excellent and the shipping rate was reasonable.


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## wolfpenfarm (Jan 13, 2009)

Mike Snodgrass said:


> Cant tell you how many times i have gone to order something and at the last minute and realized that shipping cost more than the object i was about to order. Some places charge a lot for so called "Handling", e-bay is notorious for that! The key to my budget success in this new endeavor is that i live so close to a mann lake distributor and a local county bee club! If you dont live near a distributor but have associates or a local club as well, do like someone else suggested and do a group order. Save big bucks that way! You find out whos hoseing people on "Handling charges" with time!!!


your right on ebay. Most of them are charging a ton of money because their not making anything on the product. Plus you got ebay sucking up everything they can get out of sellers. Ebay has gotten too big and now has made it impossible to make a living on there unless your a big company.


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## devdog108 (May 7, 2009)

Funny, I ordered an extractor and was charged a 96 lb rate from BM. When it got here, the boxes were 45 and 35 lbs and we are in the same shipping zone. I assure you that they did not weigh that much!


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## honeydreams (Aug 10, 2009)

About 80 percent of stuff shipped can go USPS flat rate up to 70 lbs. its arip off to use fed ex ups its union wages that the teamsters are getting most ups divers get 80k a year to deliver frieght.


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## wolfpenfarm (Jan 13, 2009)

honeydreams said:


> About 80 percent of stuff shipped can go USPS flat rate up to 70 lbs. its arip off to use fed ex ups its union wages that the teamsters are getting most ups divers get 80k a year to deliver frieght.


USPS is getting out of hand on their shipping too. Especially with the balloon charge.

IF you ship something that is 15 lbs or less, the cost goes up according to dimension.
You can ship 16 pounds cheaper than 15 pounds


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## honeydreams (Aug 10, 2009)

so your telling me 20 lbs of medium foundation put in a flate rate box is not a good deal?


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## wolfpenfarm (Jan 13, 2009)

honeydreams said:


> so your telling me 20 lbs of medium foundation put in a flate rate box is not a good deal?


I never said that, i said that the USPS has a balloon rate for packages under 15 pounds. They charge a heck of a lot more for lighter packages than they do heavier packages. 

personally 20 pounds of foundation in a 12.95 flat rate is not a good deal. pack as much into that box as you possibly can.


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## Hambone (Mar 17, 2008)

Shipping is good money for companies. Not just bee supply companies. 

For giggles. Say a bee house ships 10 orders a day. 5 days a week. Say they mark up that shipping $10 on avg. Here is the math on that. 

$10 X 10 ='s $100

$100 x 5 days a week ='s $500

$500 x 52 weeks a year ='s $26,000.00 a year. 

If you want the freight at "cost" it's not hard. I mostly use Dadant. Have talked to others and they said they will do the same. 

The company I work for has a UPS acct #. They allow me to ship on that acct. I pay the company what it cost. You can also go to UPS/Fedex sites and prepay the freight and send the bee houses the lable to ship on via email or print and fax the lable. For larger freight use places like freightquote.com


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## clarkfarm (Apr 13, 2009)

Hambone -

When you send a prepaid label to Dadant, how much "handling" are you charged by Dadant for the box and so forth?


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## devdog108 (May 7, 2009)

I have my own UPS account as well. I would be curious of the "handling costs" as well. that is the one and only reason i do not buy from Kelley......they are the highest i have found!


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## Hambone (Mar 17, 2008)

clarkfarm said:


> Hambone -
> 
> When you send a prepaid label to Dadant, how much "handling" are you charged by Dadant for the box and so forth?


I went back and look through my old Dadant invoices. They have never charged me a handling fee when shipping on my acct.


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## Brooklyn (Nov 14, 2009)

I am a Rep. for a holistic pet food company and we ship all around the country.
Qualitypetfoodonline.com and we do not charge any were near what these bee company's charge.

This is an Example 79 # of pet products shipped from Palm City FL. to Lexington SC. UPS three day ship time. Cost, are you sitting down $ 7.95 S&H that is shipped in two boxes.

So don't blame UPS or FEDX.:no: It is the company that rips people off. They should all make a profit off there products but stop nickle and dimming use on everything else. Be a stand up company and start telling the facts. 

Brooklyn


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## palmerbee1629 (Jun 16, 2009)

I am looking to buying pet food online(getting tired of driving to PetSmart Once a Month), but your link doesn't work can I get your website address? Are you factoring in Fuel Surcharges, Rural Delivery Surcharges, Commercial vs. Residential Surcharges all charged by UPS and FedEx? Is it UPS Three Day Select or just three days via ground. I got curious about this posting thread and when you punch in those parameters you provided into UPS online I get $52.89 using there quick quote calculate time and cost. $7.95 can't be the shipping cost. Your company must be eating some of the charges and factoring them into the product prices. For example if anyone think you are getting "free super saver shipping" from Amazon.com and not paying for that somewhere in your purchase I have a bridge in Brooklyn that has an attractive real estate price I can sell you.


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## wolfpenfarm (Jan 13, 2009)

Brooklyn said:


> I am a Rep. for a holistic pet food company and we ship all around the country.
> Qualitypetfoodonline.com and we do not charge any were near what these bee company's charge.
> 
> This is an Example 79 # of pet products shipped from Palm City FL. to Lexington SC. UPS three day ship time. Cost, are you sitting down $ 7.95 S&H that is shipped in two boxes.
> ...


Being that you are probably in zone 2 and lexington is in zone 2 that would account for cheaper rates but 7.95??? 

how do yall get that rate? 

I just ran it through ups at a commercial rate and it showed this....
UPS Ground 6:30 P.M.
Monday
May 24, 2010 
By End of Day,
Wednesday
May 26, 2010 *58.50 USD**


Days In Transit: 2 Schedule by
5:30 P.M.
Monday
May 24, 2010 Billable Weight:
79.0 lbs. 

Want to share how you get 7.95???


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## Brooklyn (Nov 14, 2009)

I Am not part of the shipping . When I get it shipped to my house that is what the last ship amount was.

I am a REP. for there products and what a great product it is. I have two Boxers of my own and they have been on it for years.



http://qualitypetfoodonline.com

This will bring you to a section that has people, plant and pets
Click on pets and you are there.

give it a try you will not regret.
Give me a call if you would like. MY number is on the site.


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## wolfpenfarm (Jan 13, 2009)

I think what folks are trying to say is the shipping price your quoting is not possible via UPS. The company is most likely charging 7.95 and adding the rest of the cost to ship into the price of the food.


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## gpost (Feb 11, 2010)

Anyone can get an account from ups for free. My friend works for ups as a sale rep and I call him up before I place an order to make sure they are not going charge me to much. Also the on line s/h price is usually higher in the shoping cart than the actual. Mann Lake gave me a quote and when it shipped it was lower.


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## wolfpenfarm (Jan 13, 2009)

I have a ups account. its not any better. I also have a fed ex too. I am just as frustrated as any customer as it costs so much to ship anything. 6 hives cost 190.00 shipping if i ship them unassembled and split into two boxes.
Then handling runs about 5 dollars for each box and materials to pack it and thats a guess. 
The weight is 240 pounds so its about .90 cents a pound to ship.


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## Brooklyn (Nov 14, 2009)

Wolfpenfarm,

Check out the site the cost of the product is less then what you would pay for a comparable product at you local store with the shipping cost added in.

This is a high end product for the Pet industry.

I am looking at my invoice right now and it was $ 7.95 S&H.

You are probably correct about adding to the cost of the product.

But all in all it is still less then going to the local store. And why jack up the S&H costs.

Brooklyn


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## wolfpenfarm (Jan 13, 2009)

Brooklyn said:


> Wolfpenfarm,
> 
> Check out the site the cost of the product is less then what you would pay for a comparable product at you local store with the shipping cost added in.
> 
> ...


Well the fact is on this product you speak of is that they cannot stock the product in stores as it and i am assuming, that the food does not contain preservatives. I used to order flintriver food for my guys til the cost got way out of sight. I was buying 40 lbs a month, at a cost of 45.00 including shipping. Now i know the cost of the materials to produce it hasn't gone up that much but it is now over 60.00 per 40 pounds including shipping. Thats a 15 dollar increase in shipping costs that they pass along to customers. 

I suppose i could do the same, offer my product with shipping included in the price and advertise free shipping. Same principle.

As far as S&H, that is a valid expense. IT is also an abused charge. I do charge for my boxes, and packing supplies. I suppose i could include that in the cost of the merchandise but you know, i thought silly me that by my keeeping my prices low and only charging actual shipping and handling costs that folks would see i was being fair. 

There is no winning with the shipping companies, they control things at this point in time. Until a newcomer comes along and gives UPS, DHL, USPS, and Fed Ex some competition, these prices will continue to go up and up.

One of my biggest gripes with UPS, Fed Ex, DHL is they charge you for coming out to pickup when they are already in the area, they charge you extra if your in a rural area to pickup and deliver, they charge you Dimensional as well as weight. Then they hit you with a fuel surcharge and Unfortunately If i use my account, i have to charge sales tax on the shipping. 

I primarily use the usps as it is 2 blocks from my house, they don't hit me with taxes, they don't charge extra for delivery or pickup to rural areas and they don't charge me to pickup the packages....


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## timothyvanwing (Apr 28, 2010)

I buy my hives from honeybeehabitat.com and they charged me 31$ for 62lbs of freight. That seems pretty reasonable to me.


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## McSpin (May 25, 2010)

I own a company that ships quite a bit and have learned a lot about how shippers work. I also have to make the decision on how to price shipping. Every company has to decide whether to have the product at very low prices and higher shipping or low shipping with higher product prices. A company that is strictly internet/mailorder will tend to make shipping appear cheap and put the profit into the price of the product. Those who also have walk-in retail business will often have higher shipping prices so their walk-in business isn't artificially high. 

The other factor in shipping costs is the size of the company and the amount they ship. You would not believe the shipping discounts given to the largest companies. It can be 80% or more off normal shipping rates on some services. The carriers really want the business of the big guys and all of the smaller companies pay for it with higher rates (only the Post Office doesn't do this). When shipping a heavy product or using expedited services, it can be a huge difference. The big guys truly have and advantage. They not only get a substantially better deal on shipping, they have much greater buying power to keep product prices low. This is why the big get bigger and the small go out of business more often than not. 

Occasionally you'll get a bee supply company that is scalping you on shipping rates, but it's a competitive industry and most know that the customer is paying attention to the bottom line and they have to compete. Now whether they decide to compete with higher shipping or higher product prices is different with each company.


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## bmcmahon (Apr 23, 2010)

Good points McSpin. That's a good reason for co-op club buying with stores that have retail outlets and picking up the orders. It results in a good buy for the beekeeper and helps keep the small business in business.


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## Brooklyn (Nov 14, 2009)

McSpin,

Great comments. Thanks for clearing up the muddy waters.

Brooklyn


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## McSpin (May 25, 2010)

I thought I should also add, the price a company charges for shipping is completely irrelevant. They only thing that matters is the total cost of the product and shipping combined, compared to the quality of the product and service rendered. Companies that do a better job and have higher quality products, deserve more money and get it. Now if it happens to be a large company, then it's tough to compete against them.


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## palmerbee1629 (Jun 16, 2009)

McSpin said:


> I thought I should also add, the price a company charges for shipping is completely irrelevant. They only thing that matters is the total cost of the product and shipping combined, compared to the quality of the product and service rendered. Companies that do a better job and have higher quality products, deserve more money and get it. Now if it happens to be a large company, then it's tough to compete against them.


I agree with this conclusion completely. But I would like to add that we only have ourselves to blame. We like things cheap in this country. Cheap energy, cheap housing construction, cheap loans,cheap shipping. It is the American way to scalp every cent of the price of a good or service. Alot of the bee supply companies are small family owned outfits and they are doing this best they can. I can't see how anyone with any understanding could blame them for the shipping prices. Supporting them supports small business which employs most Americans. Small business pay most of a states sales tax and small business goes to bat for the local community all the time(re: local car dealer sponsored sports teams,etc.). I think all of them do a fair job of it given how tiny the beekeeping world is. Compare beekeeping to Dell, or Coca-Cola, those companies have a market size of a billion people. What do beekeeping companies have? 100K maybe 150K at best? With regard to UPS and the USPS they employee a hell of a lot of people who pay mortgages send there kids to college and on to bigger and better things. If you want your eyes open to how things really work, take a tour of an Amazon.com distribution facility or a UPS DC in KY. There's people crawling all over the place. Enough of my two cents. They should be cheaper!


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## mignolan (Nov 19, 2009)

It’s true that we are conditioned to expect low costs, but such a mindset is not irrevocable when dealing with an enthusiastic but dedicated audience as beekeepers. I think what we, as buyers, desire is a bit more clarity and education. The costs of inventory and shipping have to get passed on to customers in some way: How do achieve that successfully and (from the customers’ point-of-view) fairly? It’s a marketing problem for bee supply merchants that requires testing, and creative thinking.

As a _*buyer*_, my dismay comes from the fact of the gigantic dump of costs that get added to orders *in the last stage*. I mean, how can a merchant move stock on a 1 lb. tool or thingumybob that is priced at $9.95 or $16.95, when they charge $8.95 for shipping? That's not a successful business model -- I've frozen and didn't follow through on an order more than once or twice at the last step of a small order ... after I see the order total cost almost double. 

As a *marketer*, I wonder what I’d do to resolve that. I would (and do!) recommend testing some kind of multi-tiered cost structure: say, one flat price for simple tools and lightweight items that could readily fit into a jiffy bag. Such low-ish costs (or “reasonable,” which is how I titled my query that started this thread, a word chosen carefully) for s&h also encourages repeat business, which should *never* be overlooked. Then, they should consider another price for more weighty/oversized items that amounts to significantly higher shipping costs on orders by weight or that require boxes of a certain size, etc.

Additionally, I highly recommend bee suppliers *test* some kind of reminder for heavy or oversized items, with copy that reads something like, "Hive bodies are heavy, and they come in big boxes. We'll do our best to keep shipping costs down, but our shipping should cost you a lot less than your time is worth if you drove here to pick it up! If not, please do!" That's a message that may resonate: "Please understand -- you're buying 60 lbs. in wood, and it's gonna cost you a bit." Then, do the same for light items: “This doesn’t cost so much, so you’ll be happy to see low shipping costs! Please remember this when you’re looking for next season’s hive bodies!”

They should see if such a message makes a difference in the rate of orders that are started but not completed. My bet is that it will. 

What do you all think?


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## McSpin (May 25, 2010)

My own experience has shown that explanations don't do much. They either see it as a good deal or they don't, when comparing my price to a competitor's. The way a small business can combat the large one, is to keep overhead as low as possible and to give superior service that is worth the extra money. Ship today, not tomorrow. If an order doesn't look right, don't just ship it anyway. Call the customer and let them know you're looking out for them. Give away knowledge with every sale. Be available to answer questions and make it a point to be an expert in your field. These things (and many others) will command a higher price. An explanation will only have them buying from your cheaper competitor. At least that's what my company has experienced. They must be convinced that they are getting value for their money. We can talk about supporting small business all we want, but a person guards their money. Enough of it is already taken from them to support others. Most people do not believe in welfare for business owners. You have to earn their money.


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## devdog108 (May 7, 2009)

My former company has stopped shipping to the techs homes. EVERYTHING is now being billed as "Hold For Pickup" this definetly keeps the costs down. I have not bought from Kelley's, BM, and a few others because their shipping is crazy. I ship ATM parts all over the nation. These parts can weight as much as 100 lbs sometimes so I know what it costs to ship. When you are billed by BM for a 96 lb rate and the boxes come in billed at a grand total of 70 lbs....it puts a bad taste in your mouth. I can personally attest to you that this extractor weighs no where close to 70 lbs..


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## Kingfisher Apiaries (Jan 16, 2010)

mignolan said:


> It’s true that we are conditioned to expect low costs, but such a mindset is not irrevocable when dealing with an enthusiastic but dedicated audience as beekeepers. I think what we, as buyers, desire is a bit more clarity and education. The costs of inventory and shipping have to get passed on to customers in some way: How do achieve that successfully and (from the customers’ point-of-view) fairly? It’s a marketing problem for bee supply merchants that requires testing, and creative thinking.
> 
> As a _*buyer*_, my dismay comes from the fact of the gigantic dump of costs that get added to orders *in the last stage*. I mean, how can a merchant move stock on a 1 lb. tool or thingumybob that is priced at $9.95 or $16.95, when they charge $8.95 for shipping? That's not a successful business model -- I've frozen and didn't follow through on an order more than once or twice at the last step of a small order ... after I see the order total cost almost double.
> 
> ...


Very, very, very well said.

Kingfisher


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## mignolan (Nov 19, 2009)

Steve,

Very interesting discussion! 

Well, I agree with most of your points, but I think the commenters here have all come to the conclusion that if you're not within driving range of a bee supplier, you're going to be coughing up the $ for shipping and handling for essential supplies. That is, there is no cheapest competitor — if there was one, someone would have piped up, for sure! All beekeeping suppliers are facing the same pricing pressures in the same business environment, just as their customers are facing similar prices and shipping costs.

I also suspect that the expertise and excellent service you suggest — which I also agree is essential — but maybe too easy to come by among beekeeping suppliers? Is it not enough of a differentiator, but rather something that maintains parity among competitors?

Here’s a snapshot of a few key issues that I think such businesses are facing:


All/most are small businesses, to greater or lesser degree (at least most seem to be based in a single location), so there’s minimal opportunity for large scale efficiencies.
Relatively small populations of customer base live or work within driving distance, thus there’s a need to market to a much wider audience than those who are local.
While merchants offer a diverse range of products, in terms of size, shape, weight, etc., there is a basic conformity of those products being offered, though variety of inventory is probably a big plus. (I haven’t any experience with inferior products, and I don’t see much discussion of them, so I’m assuming that’s not much of an issue.)
Profit margin must come from product prices or shipping costs.

Add to that something of an intangible — my suspicion that once a beekeeper starts buying from one supplier, or two, they prefer to stay with that merchant. 

So what can the merchant do to maintain and nurture that relationship? Yes, it may be dismaying to customers to have to pay so much for S&H, but if there’s no other alternative, and folks need equipment, they’ll have to come around. I think creative marketing is essential. I'm mostly recommending that an enterprising merchant test strategies that will make some sense to buyers, whatever those strategies may be — and I think respect for customers (by that, I mean leveling with them) and some degree of transparency in the process are two of the buttons that can be pushed. 

BTW, I also think a repeat buyer program would make a lot of sense — do any exist, that anyone’s aware of? I mean, many delicatessens have "Buy-9-and-get-the-10th free" sandwich programs. Wouldn’t it make sense for Brushy Mountain or Dadant or someone come up with such a retention incentive?


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## Mike Snodgrass (Mar 11, 2010)

You also have the fear of pricing yourself out of a already very limited market! Most folks these days have far less disposable cash. Most beeks arent anywhere near commercial size and getting their items in bulk with the normal unit price drop associated with that. I had another hobby/interest not to long ago and when someone complained about the price there, the answer was always, if you cant afford to play....i guess you dont play! You can only get so much blood out of a turnip!!! The prices of everyday items increaseing and the average wage decreasing is going to be hurting both sides in this drama...untill something gives. Dont give up your day jobs bee equipment suppliers!:no:


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## McSpin (May 25, 2010)

Mignolen, I'm pretty new to beekeeping and dont' know much about the companies involved. Could be none of them are large enough to have a significant price advantage. Marketing can definitely have an effect, but if the service isn't there, then marketing only works once. You can get a lot of new customers, but very few repeat ones. In today's market, often times the company that seems to do the best is the one with the best website. Making it an easy and enjoyable experience to order online can have a big effect on the bottom line.


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## mignolan (Nov 19, 2009)

Just thought everyone who posted to this topic should know that Mann Lake Ltd is having free shipping right now (edit: on orders of $100 or more). I don't know how long it'll last ... !

http://www.mannlakeltd.com


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## brac (Sep 30, 2009)

It will last from here on out, and by the way, they raised ALL prices to account for. You only get "free shipping" if the order is over $100, however you pay the jacked up prices for any and all items so if you order $80 worth of stuff you get to pay twice for shipping. 
If it looks like a scam, and smells like a scam......


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## Mike Snodgrass (Mar 11, 2010)

Check their catalog prior to the free shipping offer....that vwill tell the tale! Either way, some folks are still getting pretty good deals compared to other places that were just high priced overall!


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## afss (Mar 19, 2009)

find some local beekeepers and place a group order, delivery to one location and split it up there. A buddy of mine and i just did this for the first time, saved over 20 bucks each.


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## longrangedog (Jun 24, 2007)

For several years Brushy Mountain has offered free shipping during the month of December. I try to anticipate my needs for the next 12 months and place one order for the year. Most years I overestimate needs and order too much. The overage stores well and gets used eventually. I especially make sure to buy all woodenware and any other heavy (high shipping cost items) items during the free shipping period. Dadant offered free shipping last year and I understand others did also. It just makes sense to do it this way. I haven't paid ANY shipping on bee equipment in several years.


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## stoweski (Apr 1, 2008)

longrangedog said:


> For several years Brushy Mountain has offered free shipping during the month of December. It just makes sense to do it this way. I haven't paid ANY shipping on bee equipment in several years.


I second this statement! December 1st and Brushy Mountain have been the best time for me to order supplies.

Of course, living an hour from Betterbee and as a backup having a father who passes by their store once a week helps too. Sure, I have to pay tax but it sure beats their shipping prices! 

Wait until Dec. and buy from Brushy. :thumbsup:


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## Dave Burrup (Jul 22, 2008)

Unless it is something that I need fast, I keep a list of needs. When I order I will add to the order untill the handling charges change, and then take items off until it goes back down. This maximises the purchase per block of handling charges. Frequently 50.00 of purchase will cost the same as 5.00.


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## palmerbee1629 (Jun 16, 2009)

stoweski said:


> Wait until Dec. and buy from Brushy. :thumbsup:


I don't buy from them because they have sales at the end of the year, and when I need the stuff in May it is full price. I like Miller's they have stable prices throughout the year so I am not getting hosed. It just doesn't seem right to have a product and sell it to customers at there busiest time of year at full price and then offer a sale when most people don't need it.

I understand they want to lower there inventory but come on. On a final note I think consumers are too fickle and we're all forgetting that once most beekeepers have there stuff they don't buy more next year. It is not like you buy a brand new hive every year to replace the one you have. Some stuff is decades old. God knows what it is in it. I find that the quaint and fun part of beekeeping though.(caveat being if you are commercial, which I guess the average is to replace equipment about every 5 to 10 years depending on how much you abused it tossing it on a truck). None of these companies are rolling it dough. Otherwise the Dells and Haliburtons and what not would be in on it. It is a very small market.


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