STOP! Don't dump your Baratza grinder, fix it! - Page 2

#11: Post by **cmin** » June 8th, 2015, 8:24 pm

If you order from Baratza, the parts are so cheap it makes sense to grab a couple things all at once just to have offhand vs paying shipping for every item as you need. Like an extra upper or lower burr holder, adjustment ring if you have a Preciso or belt if you have a Vario etc.

#12: Post by **Eastsideloco** » June 8th, 2015, 11:14 pm

Richard wrote:$6 cannot begin to cover the real cost of an employee preparing a shipment plus the cost of shipping materials.

While many business models bury the cost of shipping in the retail price of an item, be assured that any business which does not charge adequately to cover those expenses will soon enough be out of business.

There are many ways to skin that cat. Espresso parts seems to do just fine with their "part ship free" policy. But they likely also ship high volumes and have specialized their operations and price structures accordingly.

If Baratza has to charge $12 to ship small parts, they might want to sell these parts through their distribution partners. Or just increase the markup on the parts so that the shipping costs don't have to sting so much.

cmin wrote:If you order from Baratza, the parts are so cheap it makes sense to grab a couple things all at once just to have offhand vs paying shipping for every item as you need. Like an extra upper or lower burr holder, adjustment ring if you have a Preciso or belt if you have a Vario etc.

Agreed. That is my approach to getting value out of high shipping charges. And it's a win-win scenario. Vendors also love the "spend more money to save some money" approach.

#13: Post by **MrRob** » June 9th, 2015, 11:37 am

Seems to be more a matter of a poorly-setup shipping calculator, to me. The UPS shipping quote was $30. I ship UPS all the time, and do not ship high volumes, and that is a ridiculously-high number, even considering packing, etc.

#14: Post by **MrRob** » June 9th, 2015, 11:39 am

Eastsideloco wrote:If Baratza has to charge $12 to ship small parts, they might want to sell these parts through their distribution partners. Or just increase the markup on the parts so that the shipping costs don't have to sting so much.

Agreed. Other parts suppliers seem to be doing just fine charging a reasonable amount for shipping small parts. The markup on this stuff is typically already pretty high.

#15: Post by **Eastsideloco** » June 9th, 2015, 2:03 pm

MrRob wrote:Seems to be more a matter of a poorly-setup shipping calculator, to me. The UPS shipping quote was $30. I ship UPS all the time, and do not ship high volumes, and that is a ridiculously-high number, even considering packing, etc.

Some vendors that primarily ship larger and costlier items-like electric coffee grinders-default to UPS as a standard service, which is likely a function of the shipper's reliability and cost-effectiveness over time. However, UPS does not have the best prices for small shipments; their minimum charge is on the order of $10. USPS has the best prices for small items.

If you call these vendors directly, they may be willing to ship via USPS. The vendor may not be able to guarantee delivery by a certain date or may not insure the shipment if you request USPS delivery. But if it saves you $10 on a $2 part, then it's probably a reasonable compromise. This has worked for me in the past when USPS didn't show up as a shipping option at checkout.

June 9th, 2015, 2:56 pm

I actually use USPS Priority a ton now over FedEx and UPS, way cheaper and faster/same time delivery, been using them for years. I only use UPS once in awhile now depending, and for Amazon Prime as they do the drop returns through them. Could make sense for Baratza to look into USPS.

#17: Post by **homeburrero** » June 9th, 2015, 3:20 pm

cmin wrote:Could make sense for Baratza to look into USPS.

I think they do already. My small parts shipment last year was shipped USPS first class for $3.75 (to New Mexico). I just put together a shipment now, and see they offer both UPS and US Mail shipping. Their 'estimate shipping' web function did not work at all for me, but by proceeding through towards purchase I got the option of USPS priority 2-day for 11.52 or USPS first class for $6.37 (for a bulky one pound box to New Mexico.) Seems to me their shipping options and costs are very reasonable.

June 9th, 2015, 4:02 pm

Now that you say it I'm almost positive my shipments from them were USPS.

#19: Post by **MrRob** » June 9th, 2015, 5:11 pm

Yes, USPS and UPS are both options at checkout, though the initial shipping calculator doesn't work. $3.75 to New Mexico sounds extremely reasonable for parts shipping. I'm in CA and neither option gets anywhere close to that.

It's obviously not the end of the world, but I'm glad so many people have chimed in. I think this is an important, but often overlooked, aspect of selling online.

#20: Post by **MrRob** » June 9th, 2015, 5:37 pm

I just went back and tried adding a few more things to my cart and, lo and behold, the shipping via USPS was cheaper. Hmm; strange. Perhaps they are trying to get you (me) to buy more at one time, indeed. Anyways, just thought I'd follow up here. Thanks for everyone's input.