Shipping help

[KJamesJR]

I posted syrup for sale on my social media account and got some people out of state that want to buy. The issue is shipping.

The only thing that seems to make sense to me it USPS flat rate shipping. They all want pints in bacon jugs and it seems they’re only looking for a pint each. What’s the best method to ship a simple pint? Assuming a pint weighs approximately 1.5lbs, the prices I’m getting are kind of ridiculous. $12 for standard ground shipping??? I’m afraid no one will want to pay upwards of $20 for a pint of syrup.

Any tips?

[motowbrowne]

I posted syrup for sale on my social media account and got some people out of state that want to buy. The issue is shipping.

The only thing that seems to make sense to me it USPS flat rate shipping. They all want pints in bacon jugs and it seems they’re only looking for a pint each. What’s the best method to ship a simple pint? Assuming a pint weighs approximately 1.5lbs, the prices I’m getting are kind of ridiculous. $12 for standard ground shipping??? I’m afraid no one will want to pay upwards of $20 for a pint of syrup.

Any tips?

We just shipped a pint to a friend in Denver. Syrup was $10. Shipping was $13. Seems crazy to me, but she was happy to pay for it. We also shipped 3 quarts to a relative in southern California. That cost $18. Much more reasonable.

[KJamesJR]

We just shipped a pint to a friend in Denver. Syrup was $10. Shipping was $13. Seems crazy to me, but she was happy to pay for it. We also shipped 3 quarts to a relative in southern California. That cost $18. Much more reasonable.

Yes that’s what I’m seeing. Trying to ship a pint to the mid-west. Pint = $10 shipping $9.47. **** near $20. Maybe I can put it in a small box and ship in the cheaper plastic envelopes. Saves $2...

How do you all calculate shipping with an online store? Unless you’re using some kind of flat rate, you’d need to hit the weight of the package exact every time!

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

You can try a smaller box but the one time I shipped 1 quart to Florida from Maine, it was actually more that way than what I could ship 3 quarts in a medium flat rate box. So I don't know how much help we can be....my suggestion is to explain the shipping to the customer and see if they want to buy more for a better value. The flat rate shipping also takes the guess work out of calculating shipping cost. Not sure about bacon jugs but get some boxes and see what different combinations you can fit in there and offer those to the customer.

[tcross]

get the padded envelops to ship 1/2 gallons and under in. it's $7.25 to ship. I have shipped many many orders across the country in the last 5-6 years and have only ever had one not get there in good condition. and the good thing... each envelope comes with a $50 insurance included. so if your pint gets damaged... send another one and collect the $50 from usps!

[maple flats]

Yes, they are insured, but unless you are not honest, you will not get $50 back. I would hope honesty would prevail, even when dealing with a gov't agency.
I have not tried the padded envelopes, but I ship smaller orders using a priority mail regional box #4. That then is charged by the region it is going to. Before my new website was online (it handles the whole process except the actual packing of the product) and I used my old website, I sent customers who ordered a qty that was costing them a lot more per unit bought an email giving them options to buy more product all at the same shipping cost. Most but not all increased their order to get more syrup for their shipping dollar. I no longer have that interaction but if a customer takes the time to read the info I have on the site they will get that more efficient rate. I have a section that tells them how to get the best per volume shipping choice, but they just chose what to order and the program picks the box. They can chose a different qty to compare the shipping to get the best bang for their buck. My site based on what they order chooses the box and gives them the shipping cost, from there it is all up to them. I ship about 2/3-3/4 of my sales every year, and that % would be higher except for the fact that I have a few local customers who buy a lot of syrup. One local family buys 26 half gal when they get their tax refund, and often they still buy more shortly after Christmas because they ran out before their next refund came back. That is my best one, but I have several others who buy 4 or more gal/year, and most get it in half gal or qts rather than getting gal jugs. The only glass I pack is in smaller sizes, pretty much 250ML and under.

[tcross]

perhaps a pint is not worth $50 in insurance but I'd disagree that larger quantities are. the only time I've had a bad experience with the bags it was with a half gallon. I charge $25 for my half gallons. since it was destroyed in shipping, I had to bottle up another one, explain to my customer what I was going to do for them, and I lost a 1/2 gallon of syrup. to me, the $50 I get from them destroying my product is worth the time, effort, lost product and their negligence. No offence meant, but in all reality, how many times does the government take from you and give to someone else?! and honesty in government is sort of an oxymoron in my opinion.

[KJamesJR]

Yes, they are insured, but unless you are not honest, you will not get $50 back. I would hope honesty would prevail, even when dealing with a gov't agency.
I have not tried the padded envelopes, but I ship smaller orders using a priority mail regional box #4. That then is charged by the region it is going to. Before my new website was online (it handles the whole process except the actual packing of the product) and I used my old website, I sent customers who ordered a qty that was costing them a lot more per unit bought an email giving them options to buy more product all at the same shipping cost. Most but not all increased their order to get more syrup for their shipping dollar. I no longer have that interaction but if a customer takes the time to read the info I have on the site they will get that more efficient rate. I have a section that tells them how to get the best per volume shipping choice, but they just chose what to order and the program picks the box. They can chose a different qty to compare the shipping to get the best bang for their buck. My site based on what they order chooses the box and gives them the shipping cost, from there it is all up to them. I ship about 2/3-3/4 of my sales every year, and that % would be higher except for the fact that I have a few local customers who buy a lot of syrup. One local family buys 26 half gal when they get their tax refund, and often they still buy more shortly after Christmas because they ran out before their next refund came back. That is my best one, but I have several others who buy 4 or more gal/year, and most get it in half gal or qts rather than getting gal jugs. The only glass I pack is in smaller sizes, pretty much 250ML and under.

Okay, but how does your website account for packing material as far as weight goes? Unless it's all flat rated? If you add say, newspaper or packing peanuts that would increase the weight i.e. increase the cost correct? Or do ya'll ship your bottles bare bones, none of them crack or break without padding?

Sorry, but I've only ever shipped maybe 2 packages in my entire life so I'm a little ignorant to the process.

[johnallin]

You could do what Amazon and others do and simply advertise $22/pint including Shipping. It's all the same at the end of the day.

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

You could do what Amazon and others do and simply advertise $22/pint including Shipping. It's all the same at the end of the day.

That's how we do it.....1 price and advertise free shipping.