Just Placed My First Order Too, But Not A Happy Camper....

**Moosehead** · 18th April 06, 05:54 AM

Not a fan of the sword/clan/other types of pins available. I just picked up a bunch of the 'ole standard safety/diaper kilt pins at Walmart for about $1 each for casual wear. On my more formal kilts I'll have a panel.

**beerbecue** · 18th April 06, 06:28 AM

Considering that kilt pins could easily be stuffed inside a global priority mail envelope (USPS, $9.50), $22 is way too much.....

**Riverkilt** · 18th April 06, 08:48 AM

Thanks guys,

I used to manage a shipping department for a factory in my younger days and I understand the shipping and handling costs.

I also know that many companies in many fields of business choose to use "shipping and handling" to pad their profits. There's a reason you don't get to know the shipping details until the end of most online orders.

Will be VERY curious to see the stamp amount when the pins arrive. They do have a complaint system and I received a prompt "nothing we can do" response.

In turn, I challenged them to put four kilt pins and a shipping box on their postal scale and see what the Royal Mail charges.

Understand about other rare things and the need vs. cost....but dang...these are Mark I Mod zero pewter kilt pins.

I could have ordered them a zillion places stateside but wanted to support the Kiltstore folks....feeling more like I made an unsolicited donation...

Just a sour taste about it all, reinforced with the words, "I am sorry that you feel that our shipping fees are too high, I am afraid we cannot reduce these fees as the postal services do charge us a lot to send goods with a tracking number and to have them insured."

Tracking over here with the USPS is 50 cents. Not sure the insurance on four pewter kilt pins...or why insurance.

Grumble grumble grumble. Understand some of the hassle and frustration from you guys that order kilts from overseas.

Ron

**Colin** · 18th April 06, 10:15 AM

I was going to order a few kids kilts from them, but considering the kilt was $45 and the shipping was $21, it didn't seem worth it to me. To have to order a minimum of $200 before the Royal mail free shipping is an option didn't seem like they wanted my business too badly....depends on how bad I want it I guess.

**porrick** · 18th April 06, 10:25 AM

Originally Posted by Riverkilt

Thanks guys,

Tracking over here with the USPS is 50 cents. Not sure the insurance on four pewter kilt pins...or why insurance.

Grumble grumble grumble. Understand some of the hassle and frustration from you guys that order kilts from overseas.

Ron

Ron, I'm not attempting to defend the rates quoted, but one cannot simply compare European prices with American prices.
I have seen this done often enough among my family and friends in the US, and it just doesn't make sense making a direct comparison of the price of individual goods or services.

A couple of examples: 1) it costs 5 times as much per minute to make a phone call from the US to Norway than vice versa, and 2) petrol is currently $7.65 per US gallon at my local gas station.

Speaking of petrol prices, the average American family drives 4 times as many miles per year a the average Norwegian family, so the yearly petrol bills aren't that different...

As with all trade, it is the grand total that helps decide where to trade.

I wish I had as many kilts that I could be ordering a batch of kilt pins - enjoy

**GlassMan** · 18th April 06, 11:10 AM

I think the most important thing to remember is that with most ecommerce software there are two ways of setting up the shipping calculations. One is by weight (which is what I have used on my stained glass website) but that requires that all items have an accurate packed weight in the database for use when calculating shipping. But even that method can get messed up. For example, if I have a fragile object that requires a lot of packaging to survive travel, then the packaging can add significantly to the weight. If someone buys two of them, I can place them both in the same box which will save on the weight. However, the computer does not know this, so it just adds the weights for each item together when calculating shipping.

The second way to handle shipping charges on a website is by total purchase price. This method is by far the easiest to implement because there is no need for extra information in the database. Every item already has to have a price. Since Kiltstore offeres free shipping for orders over a certain amount (if you are a member of their club) it is most likely that they are using shipping based on purchase amount. That completely disregards the item weight, and is usually priced so that the shipping costs average out over all the transactions. If this is the case, your shipping cost is most likely subsidizing the shipping of someone who ordered a heavy item but that cost the same as your order. Also, they must cover the cost of the free shipping offer, and that is probably amortized across the remaining orders.

Finally, there is the issue of handling charges. A website can either apply a handling charge as a single charge per order, or as a handling charge per item. If the charge is per item, the more items in your order (no matter how light they are) the higher your handling charges. So if this method is used, then handling charge for on extremely heavy but fragile item that requires a lot of packing will be less than the handling charges for 4 extremely light items.

I would contact them directly.

**Riverkilt** · 18th April 06, 12:27 PM

Have contacted them directly.

Do understand the shipping options, was a former shipping department manager myself.

The only way I can see they can justify so much for so little is that averaging deal....but 33% of a purchase price is a VERY high percentage no matter what currency you're using.

Someone else is probably getting a deal on their shipping based on what I'm paying for these four kilt pins.

When the parcel arrives I do plan to take it to the desk at the post office and have them weigh it and see what it would cost to ship it to Scotland.

33% is just way too much no matter how its calculated....

As automated and extensive as their website and holdings are I'm sure I'm being averaged in somehow....I don't like the feeling it causes me.

Ron

**Jerry** · 21st April 06, 05:39 AM

I purchased a kiltpin from Scottish kilts.net a while back, and although I don't remember exactly what shipping was, I know it was not $22. Slightly off topic, I am an avid golfer,(avid, not good). I've recently started purchasing top grade "experienced golf balls online.. These balls are like brand new, and the ones I play would be between $15 and $20 brand new in a store. They are sometimes under $10 as experienced balls. However shipping is $6, so a dozen would be $16. However shipping is $6 for one dozen or for 5 dozen, so I purchase in quantity. Maybe the kilt pins are done the same way.

**mudd** · 21st April 06, 11:48 AM

Ron,

All I can suggest is, maybe you should sit down, relax and have something to eat. I think I keep hearing you stomach growling.

**Riverkilt** · 21st April 06, 12:08 PM

Hmmmm, good idea Mudd, I do like to eat...

Got an email from them today suggesting I spend another $34 with them to put the order over $100 and they'll do free shipping....ever marketing...I'm sure a logic professor would have a field day with that offer...but I'm looking at it.

Ron