Back in the summer, I was on a fly-fishing trip in Colorado. The wife is from Boulder which is great for checking out some good coffee. We went to the Laughing Goat and had a couple of grand espressos. I was thinking about it today and decided to see if Laughing Goats roaster Kaladi Brothers in Denver offered online sales. Success. Or so I thought...

Product Name Item Total
Trieste Caffe $12.50

Handling $2.00 n/a $2.00

Estimated shipping (enter zip): $11.20 n/a $11.20
Total
$25.70

The point here being that handling and shipping cost more than the coffee. I offer up this scenario so that if you too are enjoying a good cup from Kaladi Brothers and are wanting some of that goodness at home, it comes with a price, at least via online orders.

Most people, I would estimate, order many bags at a time and freeze them (or simply are over caffeinated, not too unlikely). It cuts down on the shipping to a few dollars a bag. I actually just ordered from Caffe Fresco and their shipping was only $5, best i've heard of yet. Plus a good and easy espresso to work with.

Making money on shipping is not kosher. We all know that it doesn't cost that much to ship a bag of coffee. And to top it off with a "handling charge?"

They should bury the handling cost into their coffee prices and charge actual shipping. My impression is that there is some dishonesty with the shipping price.

And the impression of dishonesty to me is a significant deal.

I generally buy 2lbs every 2 weeks. Typically from a new place every time. I've got a couple of standby's, but the wife and I love the mystery of new espresso's. And mail order is the only option in our rural area.

This topic has been beaten to death

What to do about newbie noise

Here's a couple fairly recent discussions:

Coffee on delivery truck for a week!
What are reasonable shipping costs for roasted coffee?

From what I've heard, roasters prefer UPS and FedEx because they are ultra organized on their billing, tracking, and pickups. USPS is cheaper and faster for small packages / coast-to-coast shipping, but a pain to deal with from a business angle (e.g., pickups are not as reliable as UPS/FedEx; if something is missed, the roaster must go to the pickup window of the local post office).

The cost of shipping is disproportionately high for small packages like 1 pound of coffee; if you buy 2+ pounds at a time, the cost of shipping only goes up a couple dollars. Many roasters offer a break on shipping from time-to-time or free shipping for minimum orders (e.g., Klatch Coffee offered free shipping for purchases > $50).

Paradise Roasters offers a flat rate of three bucks.

PT's offers free shipping on occasions if you join their mailing list.

Some businesses find shipping a pain and it's priced accordingly.

Check the resource list at the top of the page . . .

Not sure how long it will last but the best deal on coffee and shipping is Red Bird espresso from redbirdcoffee.com. Not only has the espresso been one of my favorites right along with Dolce Vivace for over a year a five pound bag is still $47 INCLUDING shipping. All the way from Montana consistently in 2-3 days tops. I don't know how long Jeff will be able to hold this price with the rise in coffee prices and perhaps some shipping increases but it is extraordinary coffee.

Thanks for the positive comments/recommendations. I'm trying a new to me roaster ($4 shipping) and if that topic hasn't been beat to death I'll provide my impressions.

It depends on the shipper. As Dan points out many use UPS or FedEx which are quite expensive. Fresco uses USPS priority shipping. You can put a couple pounds in a USPS small flat rate box ($5) and the medium box will hold many pounds of coffee for $11. You should also take the location into consideration when ordering. If I am getting something from the other side of the country I will order it on Sunday and it is usually here by Friday/Saturday. Ordering mid week may leave you coffee sitting in a shipping yard for a couple days over a weekend.