# Shipping Honey.....need opinions



## Dave W

Chef . . .

Are you shipping "collect"? (Extra charge).

I just shipped a 10 lb package by FedEX for 10 bucks. Have you checked other shipping rates?

Can you ship liquids by mail?

Let the customer tell you how they want it shipped, then its not your problem


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## Chef Isaac

Dave:

ya, I think I should just let the customer pick.


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## gardenbees

This is somthing to consider if you are shipping a larger amount. USPS has a flat rate box that would hold I think five or six one pound plastic honey bears. You can ship anywhere in the us for $8.80. You can get the box for free at the post office but have to pay extra for insurance. Theresa.

[ November 18, 2006, 02:45 PM: Message edited by: gardenbees ]


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## iddee

If you shipped cod by ups, they charge 6.00 plus the normal shipping charge. Always ship after you have been paid, or trust the buyer to pay. Never ship cod. Also, ups charges much more to deliver to a residence than to a business. Consider this also when you ship by ups. They also charge a surcharge for a wooden box, over the charge for a cardboard box weighing the same.


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## xC0000005

Chef - I have the same sort of response every now and then from people who say "it costs as much to ship your honey as it does _for_ the honey. My sales page acknowledges this up front and most people are ok with it.


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## kamerrill

Fed-ex is far better and in my experience, cheaper every time. I won't touch UPS. They are way too expensive. I find the fed-ex on-line shipping manager much easier to use than any other shipping software. I recently dedicated an old computer, installed their free shipping manager and dedicated an old laser printer to zap off the shipping labels - very slick.


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## Laurence Hope

Isn't it wonderful that we can produce honey for less than the shippers can produce shipping?


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## Dave W

>Isn't it wonderful that we can produce honey for less than the shippers can produce shipping?

Duh . . . Maybe "we" are selling our honey too cheap


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## carbide

If you want to sell any honey at all you have to compete with imports. I can buy a 2# bottle of imported honey at a local food store for less than $4.00.

No matter how hard you try to educate the public about the benefits of local honey, they will only pay a certain amount of premium to buy your "better" honey.


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## tarheit

Unfortunately the big boys can get shipping deals that we simply can't. You can get a bit better price with UPS if you have a pickup account (I use my employers) but it involves a weekly fee, and then typically it matches FedEx, etc. I always disclose shipping costs and let the buyer chose the method. For most products I simply charge the exact shipping I get charged (which usually means it's at a slight loss due to credit card or paypal fees).

Still, You can't begin to match the big boys. One place I regularly order from offers $9 overnight UPS shipping for up to 9 pounds (anywhere in the US). I couldn't touch that with a 10' pole. The cheapest rate for UPS overnight for 9lb I can get is $27.34 (and that to the same zip code I ship from). (fedex.com quotes me 27.99)

-Tim


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## [email protected]

We ship a great number of small packages, so perhaps our experience can help.

First, to Tim's points. Tim, Lilly Vernon and Lands End pay just about the same amounts for UPS as your employer. I've seen very very tough negotiations go on for weeks and UPS has stopped discounts at about 7%. They have said they would rather lose the business to Fed Ex. (I'm talking ground (not air) service here.) Fed Ex has serious problems with their ground service, and UPS knows it well.

Since the famous Xmas strike, UPS has considerably expanded their zone coverage for 'next day' ground service. This is because customers discovered just how good, and how cheap, USPS can be for deliveries within 250-500 miles. For example, from here near Albany NY UPS will deliver packages to Central and Northern Ohio, Boston, New York City, and Northern NJ (UPS Zone 2) THE NEXT DAY at standard ground rates. 

However, those rates (UPS) are also double the USPS rates, which will typically deliver in 1-3 days to the same addresses. 

Beyond Zone 2, the USPS gets much less cost effective compared to UPS but they keep an advantage until Zone 6. From Zone 6-8, UPS is actually less expensive then UPS.

Many small shippers are not aware that USPS will pick up packages, free of charge, at their place of business (including their home). The only requirements are that the shipper use labels prepared on the USPS web site, and either have a postage meter or buy postage when the labels are printed. Moreover, beginning in 2006 the USPS tracks packages and can report deliveries just like UPS! 

For packages under 7 lbs I'd say that 90% of our shipments go USPS. Over 7 lbs, 60% go UPS. 

Give USPS shipping a try, for package pickup with labels printed on their web site. I think you will be pleased.

Question for the group...we ship 5-10 packages daily. Back in my corporate life, when we shipped 2,000-10,000 packages a day we bought software that automatically calculated 'least expensive' delivery charges based on zip code and weight. But just annual maintance on that cost some $20,000 a year. Today we make a judgment call of which will be less expensive based on our experience and I'm sure we are right 70% or better. (It just takes too long to get the rates from both UPS and USPS to make the decision.) Does someone know of PC software that will make the calculations based on zip code + weight?

Lloyd


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## iddee

Both ups and usps websites have the ability to price a package from one zip to another by weight and shipping mode.
We use both to find a price. Just today, I looked for a 5 lb. to Syracuse, NY from here. $5.40 ups.
$4.15 usps both regular delivery.
Where you have a problem is with ups, you have to look at each package shipped. From here to Raleigh, 70 miles, is 1/2 the price as from Raleigh to here with UPS. Our zip is considered out of the way more than Raleigh. Also, delivery to a residence is costlier than to a business with ups.


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## tarheit

It should be fairly simple to setup even just a simple web page to calculate shipping by the different methods now that most have a web based interface. I know ebay use to have such a calculator that calculated rates for both UPS and USPS for the various shipping methods (Ground, 1-day, etc.). If you can't find something premade I could whip one up for you Lloyd. My online store (and many others I've seen) does basically the same thing and lets the buyer choose which shipping company and service. (UPS, USPS and probably FedEx all have internet API's for querying prices in realtime)

-Tim

[ November 30, 2006, 10:55 PM: Message edited by: tarheit ]


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## kamerrill

Fed-ex Ground (home delivery) seems to beat UPS by a couple of bucks every time. Today I shipped a 3.35lb package:

NH - Vegas (3.25 pound) Fed-x = 8.30
NH- Vegas (3.25 pound) UPS = 10.98


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## Bob Harrison

Many things you order off the net can be cheaper than shipping.
For example last week a customer picked up a small .75 block of beeswax at the market. She commented she could not find pure beeswax in a small amount so she ordered a dollar small bolck off the net and was charged 5.95 shipping and handling!
Chef,
If a customer is unconcerned about shipping when placing the order at my place the order goes the easiest way for me and not the cheapest!
I deal with the public as much as most (maybe more than most) and you get some silly issues.
I don't think your customer is planning on ordering another jar of honey so I would not lose any sleep over the issue. You can't please everyone.
I would send an email saying you were sorry for the problem and maybe suggest one of the ways others have posted to keep the problem from happening again with future orders. 
Shippping on a pound of honey will most likely always at least equal price and in some cases be 200% higher.
The cheapest shipping in my opinion is USPS. When I have ordered old magazine collections from for example fusion/bee he ships USPS. Takes a long time to get to you but shipping is cheap!
Slowest way is cheap!


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## sqkcrk

Be sure that you package what you ship so that it will not break after a 3 foot fall and after 75 lbs has been dropped on it.

I tried to send a case of 5 lb jars of honey to Queens by UPS. The first case, they broke one jar and lost the package. (probably threw it out.) The second package, wrapped better, arrived at the customers home with two broken jars. I'm learning slowly.


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## Bob Harrison

Think Plastic.

Do not fill to top as pressure will force honey from the jar exactly like happens in a hot box at 30,000 feet.


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## Bob Harrison

Does the list know of a source for 1&2 pound plastic squeeze jars which sit on the shelf upside down ( like mustard & ketchup jars)?
Queenline design would be great if available.
Thanks in advance!


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## kamerrill

Gamber Container

http://www.gambercontainer.com/honey.html


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## tarheit

Plastic is definately better for shipping, both weight wise and for breakage. However, I do have clients that absolutly insist on glass. Of course they pay a bit more in shipping and prices for glass containers are a bit higher to cover the occasional jar that gets broken.

-Tim


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## Ross

"Fed Ex has serious problems with their ground service, and UPS knows it well."

I use Fedex Ground all the time and I have far less problems than with UPS. It is also cheaper, insurance is cheaper, and they don't break things like UPS does. It is generally cheaper than USPS as well for insured shipments.


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## tarheit

Personally I've found little difference in the prices and most things I ship are under $100 so insurance cost doesn't figure in. BUT, I ship from the company I work at and they have an account with daily pickup which means you get the lowest published rates (and it saves me an extra trip someplace to drop off the package). If it weren't for the daily pickup discount FedEx would be cheaper I think.

-Tim


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## Cyndi

Hey Chef,

I too realized this aspect about the shipping cost after I received your honey. Actually, I should of said, put more honey in the box to justify the shipping, but I forgot. I did this this past summer. I ordered several jars to fit in one box at that flat rate. Perhaps you should remind people of this aspect when they place an order. It's not your fault though. 

Another thing, shipping in general has gotten so expensive after the 9/11 thing. I personally feel that the Post Office took advantage of the situation and hiked up the shipping prices. In general, I prefer UPS and Fed-X.


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## tarheit

The Flat rate box is a great idea when shipping honey. You can fit two 5lb jugs in a box and ship for just $8.10. UPS can't compete with that. I try to steer customers wanting more than just a small jar towards 10lb by offering a special price on it. (Of course USPS also privides the boxes which saves the 50 cents and the time/drive to pickup boxes).

-Tim


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## Ross

anybody tried this
http://www.scholle.com/agchem/pdf/howitworks.pdf


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## Hobie

I shipped a 1# glass jar via US mail for about $5. Packed in a ton of packing peanuts. I wouldn't choose to ship glass for a business, but this was a one time deal, and someone asked if you could ship it US mail. The only issue I had was answering the question "Anything perishable?" I gave the poor woman a funny look, said "Not really...." and explained. She laughed and had no problem accepting it.


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