I have for last year or so been buying gold coins from a dealer Gainesville, What gets me after looking at what they charge for shipping now is more then it's worth before .There shipping was less years ago I just got a 144.00 dollar lunar coin, with shipping on this one coin was at 12.95 .I check on what it cost on there part to ship and comes to 7.30. Do you think this is good business on there part to over charge on shipping, or should I just bite the cost on shipping from them? They ship U.S..PO AT FLAT RATE 4.95 WITH INSURANCE IT COMES TO 7.30. This is with boxes we pay for from U.S..PO they use GOV post office boxes, and a piece of tape across box to hold it closed. see below on there shipping cost as I look it up Mailing Summary Your Cost Priority Mail® Small Flat Rate Box $4.95 Signature Confirmation™ 2.35 Total $7.30 People who work for them work by the hour so if to do one package on there part cost them 5.65. Then shipping after packing one coin, comes to 12.95, and I thought on EBAY shipping on some coins was way over priced, they Gainesville is making a killing on shipping alone, I know you will say there overhead for brick and mortar store justifies cost. Then where can I go to buy gold coins from where shipping is within reason. Thank You all on any thoughts on this.
My feeling is, that shipping charge is out of line. You spend that much money on something the shipping should be discounted somewhat.
My method: 1. Do not transact business without knowing all charges upfront. 2. If cost + any charges = more that I feel it is worth, then I don't buy it. 3. If there is a place I can get it cheaper (cost+charges), I do. I know some people don't do this, but I am on a small budget, so I consider every penny spent on a coin as part of its cost. I know some use only price paid, however I consider price, shipping, taxes, or any other cost totaled to be the price paid. That shipping sounds high to me. If you are uncomfortable with it, either call and ask them about lowering it for you or find another dealer that offers better. ps. To me, if you are buying that much from him he should be willing to work with you.
signature confirmation is not the same as shipping insurance, one just proves the package arrived, the other actually covers the cost/value of the contents inside said package. small flat rate package $4.95 signature confirmation $2.?? insurence on 144 buck value $4??? not sure on exact prices but that would get you right near close to $12.
Appreciated S/H Enlightenment Thank you for presenting another necessary? facet of the total buying equation which many buyers want to ignore. If one is that concerned about these relatively incidental costs (~8% of example) they should confirm total costs in advance of payment, rather than fretting about what would normally be an exciting/enjoyable experience. For some time, I've been trying to locate 2 special mirror mounting screws for my "classic" trike motorcycle. I've tried to contact some eBay sellers about whether they might have the items. These inexpensive? items are seemingly never offered in auction, and can't? be acquired through the manufacturer. EBay has blocked my inquiries when I've sent purchase requests to sellers who've listed the vehicle mirrors. After months of trying, a message slipped through the eBay system, and a seller directly contacted me. He stated that the screws could be sent next week, and he would Paypal invoice me today. I responded "please do". The S/H charge for the screws was $18+, a charge which many would find outrageous, but I found acceptable due to the availability factor. If buyers have a better choice, rather than dilute the joy in making a purchase, I suggest that it would behoove them to select the choice which applies least frustration and ill will to all. :hail:
