Quote:
Originally Posted by swanicyouth  That's no good. Don't you know, they want :
1.FREE shipping,
2.Cheap (or even better yet FREE) flat rate shipping to anywhere in the solar system that can get an Internet connection
3. Constant 20% off everything in the house sales
4. Every cool new product in stock in copious amounts (God forbid you run out of one thing and shipping is delayed),
5. Lots of BOGOs( that nobody else does),
6.All the CHEAPEST prices
7. ABSOLUTELY NO (as in NONE!) packing peanuts.
8. All Eco Friendly packaging,
9. FREE give always of every new product
10. FREE how to videos on detailing everything
11.A FREE forum to learn and ask questions to a world renowned expert for FREE
12.People to moderate said forum for FREE
13. More contests to win stuff for FREE
14. Free samples ( that nobody else gives),
15. Price matching on any product you can find listed on the Internet from any unknown vendor that resembles any product AG sells
16. Everything stocked in gallon sizes, 17. Speedy returns on anything UPS may damage (along with the right to complain and post pictures of the damaged dripping wet merchandise)
18. Anything else not listed here should be for free, or cheaper than anyone else on the Internet can sell it for. |
^^^^
^^^^ @swanicyouth:
I like your
"style" of writing!!
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ On another note, for any interested party:
-An interesting article from
Buyer's Guide...
(Feel free to glean what is applicable to your individual scenario)
Shipping and Handling Charges
-One of the main advantages of retail sources is that you are shopping in person and can take
the item home with you. However…When you buy from an online or catalog vendor the
item must be sent to you. Shipping items costs money, and you usually end up paying
for it explicitly through a charge added to the order.
-Vendors vary greatly in how they charge for shipping and handling; this can make a huge difference in
the total that you pay for many items, often making one vendor far more attractive than another.
-There are no standards for how companies charge for shipping items. In some cases the
company attempts to charge you exactly what the shipping is costing them.
Other companies use shipping charges as a way of incentivizing additional sales
or distinguishing themselves from their competition.
Some use it just to make money at your expense.
-Here are just a few of the more common pricing models out there:
Exact Charge:
Shipping and handling is charged based on the exact cost that the carrier charges
the company to ship the item. Probably the only really honest method,
it is also one of the least common because it makes billing difficult: They can't
tell you what the order total is until it ships, and many customers don't like this.
Per-Pound Charge:
Shipping is charged based on the weight of the item. This is a common method,
and since most carriers charge on this basis, it is a fair one--
assuming the company is being honest about what items weigh and what the shipping costs per pound.
Sometimes the charge is based on how far away you are from the company, but this is actually uncommon.
These companies are the best choice for smaller, high-ticket items.
Per-Dollar Charge:
Shipping is charged based on how much you order, regardless of what it is.
This is considered a very strange model, because the cost of shipping something
has nothing to do with what it costs, except in a very broad way.
This method biases orders towards larger, cheaper items.A company that
prices this way is not a good place to buy smaller, expensive items.
Per-Dollar Charge With A Cap:
Shipping is charged based on the value of the order but with a maximum total.
A company using this model is encouraging large orders, because above a certain point
you get the additional items for no additional shipping charge. There are companies that charge
based on order value up to a certain point, and then after that the shipping is free!
Flat Charge:
A flat fee is charged for all orders regardless of the weight or value of the order.
Again here, the company is trying to discourage small orders in favor of large ones.
Free Shipping:
Some companies don't charge explicitly for shipping at all.
Of course, they build the shipping cost into their prices, making them less competitive.
But if their price is close to or the same on something as another company that does
charge shipping, you may have a winner there. Some companies usually charge
for shipping but have short-term "free shipping" deals.
-Obviously, the way that a company charges for shipping and handling
has an important impact on the optimal "strategy" for shopping at that company.
-If the company is charging per-dollar, you want to buy cheaper items there.
If by the pound, lighter items.
-Overall though, the more you buy from a company, the less the shipping and handling usually
is as a percentage of the total order cost.
-If the company has a flat charge, that's especially important, because on small orders you might
end up paying twice as much for the shipping as the item itself.
-Some online vendors are honest and fair about how they charge for shipping.
Unfortunately, many companies are dishonest, ranging from exaggerating costs a bit, to outright fraud.
-Here are some of the tricks you should watch out for in this area:
General Overcharging:
Some of the "flat rate" or "per-dollar" charges for shipping can make smaller or even medium-sized orders
not economical. Some companies can try to charge $7.95 to ship a $30 order with a straight face,
while pretending that the weight of the item is irrelevant. Even where they charge per-pound,
often the cost per pound is far in excess of what the company is really paying
(bear in mind that large companies get better pricing from the shipping companies.)
"Jupiter Syndrome":
Any object on the planet Jupiter would weigh many times what it does on Earth,
due to the larger planet's increased gravitational pull. It seems that some companies that charge
for shipping by the pound have warehouses on Jupiter, if you look at what they seem to think things weigh!
Weights several times actual are often entered into the system to drive up shipping charges.
The company of course is only charged by the carrier for what the stuff actually weighs.
(They claim that there is a minimum weight their system can handle...
they should upgrade their system, or let the salesperson override the total.)
You have to watch out for the "rounding issue" on smaller items.
Explicit "Handling" Charge:
Charging customers for "handling" is a farce that we have all put up with for far too long!
If a company is selling products, shouldn't they expect that they will have to "handle" it?
Did they expect the products to box themselves up and ship themselves to the
customers automatically? Don't retail stores have to "handle" items also?
It's a bit ridiculous. Many buyers don't touch these vendors.
Outright Highway Robbery:
There are companies that literally make a living on shipping and handling charges. They drop their
list prices down to the point where they are selling at or near cost,
often to get top billing in price search engines, then charge outrageous shipping charges.
-Example:
Some companies have tried to charge people $90 to ship $900 worth of products weighing
less than 20 pounds. Do not do business with these companies. If someone tries to overcharge you
in this way, tell them to cancel the order, and hang up the phone.
A note on international shipping:
If you are ordering from a company other than the one where you live, be sure to find out
exactly what the shipping cost will be. Some companies won't ship outside
their home country; others will, but charge a fortune for the privilege.
You may do better with a local source in some cases.
Tip:
Some online companies, if they have a warehouse physically near you, will let you pick up your order
to save on shipping charges. Unfortunately, most will not, usually because it causes
too much hassle for them and they have no way of dealing directly with the public at the warehouse.
Tip:
If you think you might be getting ripped off on shipping, then contact the carrier you are using directly.
Tell them approximately the weight of the item, where you are,
and where the item is shipping from. If the number they give you
is far less than what the company is charging, tell them to lower the charge or go elsewhere.
Do remember that some companies ship from a number of different warehouses,
so the item might be further from your house than you think.
The bottom line of shipping and handling is:
You should always ask the person taking the order what the cost will be,
and decide for yourself both: if it is reasonable and if the cost of the items plus the shipping is worth it to you.
If not, and especially if the shipping charges are ridiculously high, cancel the order immediately,
and tell them why you are doing it.
Spend your money somewhere else, possibly a local source if the item is large.
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ Also:
-Not trying to bestow any accoloades; but...
-There are only an appreciable handful of vendors (such as
AGO)...online or retail...
that has not only a generous
vendor-warranty/guarantee,
but
'handles' any applicable
manufacturer-warranty/guarantee, as well.
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________
Just a few extra thoughts I wished to express.
Bob
But I don't think anyone is bashing Autogeek's Customer Service...which is phenomenal btw... but merely the fact that shipping "could be a bit improved" especially to International Buyers...but who am I to speak on AutoGeek's behalf...simply just an opinion 
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