[Riverkilt]

So, I have embraced Ham's suggestion of a kilt pin for every tartan kilt.

Decided to give Kiltstore/ScotsWeb/et.al. a try. Which is big stuff for me...I detest the huge conglomerates. But they give a discount to us at X Marks and I certainly appreciate the financial support of the board.

So I need four kilt pins. So I order four pewter kilt pins. With the X Marks discount the cost is $66.64.

By the time I came out the other end the shipping by mail was $22.92....

That's 33% of the cost of the kilt pins. Kilt pins are light. Royal Mail and US Mail ship by weight.

No clue how/why they charge so much for lightweight goods.

Asked them that in two places on the order....will be interesting to see what, if any, justification they offer.

They also said that since I was new an account will be created for me. Didn't happen during the buying process. Guess I'll see if it comes later.

Feeling swept away, and not a good taste in my mouth for the process.

Only solace seems to be that the total cost for four kilt pins is gonna be $90. So that's $22.50 a pin for pewter. Guess I can live with that...

Bottom line is the "discount" was swept away to sea by the shipping charges.

Understand its overseas...but $22.92 for four kilt pins by parcel post....come on....

Ron

[Mattg]

That certainly does seem high. I ordered some earrings from a Scottish company for my wife and I only paid $5 for shipping.

[chasem]

4 kilt pins from Rocky for $8 including shipping!

Granted, that's the basic safety pin, but that's the route I take for the time being, for having a kilt pin for each kilt.

[Riverkilt]

Silly me....grumble grumble.....two of the kilt pins will go on the kilts I have ordered from Rocky....

We got so into measurements forgot I was gonna hang something on the kilts too....

grumble grumble....my own fault....

Ron

[Robin]

Hey!

Keep some kilts unkiltpinned (nice scrabble word ) until my pins hit the market

[StoneCold]

Originally Posted by Robin

Hey!

Keep some kilts unkiltpinned (nice scrabble word ) until my pins hit the market

Which will be...? I'm hoping to get one of the second run of X Marks when that happens, but I'm interested in more. Also, any idea what designs you may have?

Sorry for hijacking your thread Ron

[Livingston]

Originally Posted by Robin

Hey!

Keep some kilts unkiltpinned (nice scrabble word ) until my pins hit the market

Sitting here with a pinless kilt, waiting to see what you'll have :neutral:

[M. A. C. Newsome]

First of all, I do think that $22 to ship three small pins is a bit much, so I'm not arguing that point.

But just as a point to keep in mind, shipping and handling fees include shipping and handling. This means that in addition to paying for the actual postal charge (or UPS or FedEx or whatever), you are paying for the box or envelope, packing material, and the man hours involved in packing, labelling, and (depending upon the size of the company) driving it to the post office! (Even if UPS or FedEx comes to the company to pick up outgoing packages, they do charge a pick-up fee in most cases, so you pay for that, too).

And also keep in mind that shipping is a commodity that these companies offer, and like anything else they sell, they want to make money on it. So most companies do put some degree of mark up on shipping costs for profit. With some companies it will be very minor, but with others it might be rather substantial. It all depends on how that particular company chooses to conduct their business.

So, all this is to say that "shipping and handling" charges always involve more that the simple cost of postage. Many times when we think that these fees are high, it is because we are mentally comparing them to what we think it would likely cost us, in stamps, to mail that size of package. But there is actually more involved in those fees. So keep that in mind.

But I still think $22 is really high for three kilt pins.

[davedove]

Adding to Matt's answer, there is also the extra cost of shipping overseas.

Although, like everyone else, I agree that's a lot for a few kilt pins.

[longshadows]

Originally Posted by M. A. C. Newsome

And also keep in mind that shipping is a commodity that these companies offer, and like anything else they sell, they want to make money on it. So most companies do put some degree of mark up on shipping costs for profit. With some companies it will be very minor, but with others it might be rather substantial. It all depends on how that particular company chooses to conduct their business.

Matt is so right. Be it in the U.S. or overseas, "shipping charges" vary greatly. I recently ordered a book from a publisher in Glasgow: shipping was 5 UK Pounds (< $10) and it arrived in a week. I felt it was "good value." I also ordered some merchandise from a Scots foods importer: total order came to $22, but the shipping cost was over $30 (due to requirement for priority shipping and dry ice, etc. (yes, I bought a wee haggis!).

So, shipping varies greatly. Usually online merchants will display shipping options and allow you to see what the shipping will cost you. On the other hand, if it seems excessive, you might try emailing the merchant and asking if they would consider recalculating your shipping costs due to the light weight of merchandise. Many merchants are set up to automatically calculate shipping based on total cost of items purchased--regardless of weight. So $80 worth of books, say, would cost you the same as $80 worth of kilt pins perhaps!

Finally, keep in mind the "intangible value" of what you are ordering. You want that particular kilt pin. It's made in Scotland and it's coming to you from Scotland, but you want it at the same price another kilt pin made elsewhere and shipped from Dallas, say. Is that reasonable? If it's just a matter of the lowest price, get the one from Dallas, but if you want the "mystique" and uniqueness of the ones from Scotland, you may well have to pay for it. A luxury, to be sure, but isn't that what keeps places like Neiman Marcus and Orvis in business?