Shipping Costs are significant

[drcollie]

One of the most noticeable things I have seen since Covid is shipping rates have risen considerably. All kinds of shipping. Truck, In home Delivery, UPS / Fed Ex. It's amazing to me that companies like Amazon can still offer "Free" prime shipping.

Case in point. I have a client in Washington State that needed a single booster pillow, size 14" x 22" from Hancock & Moore. That is NOT a very large pillow. Fed Ex Ground was $ 62.00 from North Carolina. I could not believe that and called and asked them to re-check that rate. It was correct.

The proposed UPS strike in August will make all shipping even more expensive as well, no matter how it plays out. If they go on strike, the other companies raise rates. If they have an agreement, the rates will still go up because now they have to pay the union-negotiated contract more and it comes back to consumers as a higher cost.

That's why I am always hesitant to "Take a guess" at shipping costs over the phone. If I guess $ 20 and it comes back $ 65, guess who the customer wants to pay the difference! So I don't guess, I defer until I can run it through a shipping calculator or in the case of a drop ship, confirm via contact with the manufactuer.