Getting racked over the coals on AG shipping costs
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octane
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- Apr 9, 2012
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For me, the current shipping structure is simply unfair..
it should be a base charge, then add X$ per pound. that's the way most if bit all online businesses I buy from are.
With AG, anytime you get something overweight you have to pay extra, but when you buy something light and expensive (like a tube of OC 2.0), it's not like you get a refund
it should be a base charge, then add X$ per pound. that's the way most if bit all online businesses I buy from are.
With AG, anytime you get something overweight you have to pay extra, but when you buy something light and expensive (like a tube of OC 2.0), it's not like you get a refund
FUNX650
New member
- Dec 1, 2010
- 21,057
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^^^^:goodpost:^^^^
@swanicyouth:
I like your "style" of writing!!
rops:____________________________________________________________________________________________________
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
cleanmycorolla
New member
- Apr 27, 2012
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Couldn't have said it better....:dblthumb2:
Amazon ships with strips of airbags less impact in the land fill............. Just saying, maybe even cheaper than peanuts
I would also like the liquids to have a strip of tape over the tops.
No small business can keep up with a power house like Amazon, that's why I make a point of going to the smaller guys when ever possible. This allows the people working at AG to get paid. I don't see them all running around in 100K+ cars. They are running a business and keeping food on the table for their families.
ARizzle
New member
- Mar 22, 2012
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As much as I love the sarcasm in this post above, I just feel as though its a little unfortunate that people like myself in Canada are getting charged $50ish for shipping, plus another $58 for oversized
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 
MI Mike
New member
- Aug 29, 2009
- 481
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Shipping and Delivery could be improved.
I have ordered from California, Hawaii and Florida (AG), shipping cost's were close or near what everyone was charging.
My orders from California and Hawaii arrived on the same day, (even weekends), but products ordered from Florida take a day longer. I am closer to Florida than the other areas. Confused.
I have ordered from California, Hawaii and Florida (AG), shipping cost's were close or near what everyone was charging.
My orders from California and Hawaii arrived on the same day, (even weekends), but products ordered from Florida take a day longer. I am closer to Florida than the other areas. Confused.
Madness87
New member
- Sep 3, 2012
- 117
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As much as I love the sarcasm in this post above, I just feel as though its a little unfortunate that people like myself in Canada are getting charged $50ish for shipping, plus another $58 for oversized
If you order enough that it's getting to be a hassle, why not get a US delivery service or PO box and ship it there and pick it up? Besides, there are other Canadian distributors and you can also shop locally. Sorry, I know it's not helpful but it's the fact of life. Just like the people in Australia or Indonesia get railed over shipping costs as well.
68bowtie
New member
- Mar 6, 2011
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I disagree about fast shipping. I like the product selection that AG has but i won't order stuff unless they have a big discount or cheap or free shipping. ALso there shipping is very slow exspecially for how much you pay for shipping. IT always takes a full week to get products, and i live in wi. I"ve ordered stuff from other places and there always faster, even from CA.
mhphoto
New member
- Jun 5, 2012
- 157
- 0
My wife and I run two small business, one being an online shop. I'm not trying to be rude, just pointing out that I have indeed paid too much for shipping in the past considering how much the seller paid to get it to me. The money to cover the packaging supplies and labor should be built into the cost of the product, not shipping. But it really is a useless conversation when you think about, for both sides. Businesses are in it for profit. We choose to build the cost of shipping and handling into our products and offer free shipping, and that works well for us. It may be a psychological thing, seeing free shipping. You're willing to pay more.
Jaretr1
New member
- Jan 29, 2011
- 2,391
- 0
I find it interesting so many people are moaning about the shipping fees. No ones arm is being twisted to do business with AG. Being a regular customer, and understanding how their promotions work, I have figured out how to take advantage of them and I order accordingly.
Eandras
New member
- Dec 6, 2011
- 808
- 0
Shipping method is key. I placed an order with another online detail supply company on Sunday. They offered shipping options. Different companies that ship products. The option that I chose was USPS cost is much cheaper than UPS, FedEX and LTL. In much cheaper it was 1/3rd what I paid at AGO. It is not the cost but the lack of options. There are three large companies that ship in the USA. USPS, FedEX, and UPS the pricing is much less if the USPS was used. They have a large infrastructure in place which far exceeds UPS or FedEX. The delivery time on what I ordered is actually faster than what UPS or FedEx offered. USPS also ships Internationally.
The fact that members feel that the person that is packing the items, taping it and labeling is a shipping cost is wrong. That would be a handling cost. AG list the cost as shipping. If it was labeled as shipping and handling I would agree. Then the handling is picking up the expense and the cost of the product should be lower.
Again shipping cost should not be more than 5 to 8% of the price of the product.
The fact that members feel that the person that is packing the items, taping it and labeling is a shipping cost is wrong. That would be a handling cost. AG list the cost as shipping. If it was labeled as shipping and handling I would agree. Then the handling is picking up the expense and the cost of the product should be lower.
Again shipping cost should not be more than 5 to 8% of the price of the product.
dertoLearN.
New member
- Aug 6, 2012
- 109
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U so sarcasm and so naif i said! it's easy for u to say cos u live in US!!!:bash: SURE i want those u said all FREE (and im sure we all are!) i think AG must considered for win-win solution for all of us (AG-us customer). My others friends who also detailer in jakarta indonesia, won't buying their purchase in AG because they said AG shipping cost to Jakarta more expensive then the others online detailing store, and they can help us to choose what kind of shipping we want, and they "help" us to "lower the actual price" well i know it's wrong but it's really helps us to lower the tax (in here the price+shipping cost-$50/10kgs (the minimum price not got tax) x 27.5% = our tax ) so if we buy the stuff for $10 if came to jakarta the price will going up to $21-$22. so i said it's easy for u to say! FYI our fee for do FULL DETAILED (exterior, interior, engine bay, headlamp, windshield) around the cheapest in $55 (for daily cars/small cars) $70 for medium cars, $100-$200 (for Large and exotic cars), we don't get paid on hours.
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david11g35
New member
- Mar 13, 2012
- 1,005
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I love AG. But I do think they can improve on there shipping methods. I think the shipping method is design to make customers buy more items so they can use the discount codes such as AGO.
For example- A couple of weeks ago I need to get some Opti-Coat 2.0 shipping for this was $15.99 on AG
Same Opti-Coat on Amazon sold by PBMG was shipped for $7.95. I received my item same exact packaging if I had ordered it directly from AG. So why is the $8 difference?
I work for a shipping company so I know the INS & O
uts of shipping. I deal with FedEx, UPS and DHL on the daily basis. AG ships a lot of volume per day so I know they would have to be set up with a corporate account which gets bigger discount than a person who would go and ship an individual package. Depending what kind of rates they have they can be as low as 45-65 cents per pound for ground shipments.
There also lots of factors that plays into the total shipping cost.
Actual Weight VS Dimensional weight
For example- Say you buy a bucket from AG total weight of the shipment is 3lbs. You wouldn’t be actually be quoted for 3lbs because the item is pretty big which would require a larger box
Example- said the dimensions for the box are 18*12*18. The Formula for domestic shipping is L*W*H/194. In this case you multiply the dimensions then divide by 194. 3888/194= 20.04. So you would actually get billed for the dimensional weight of 20lbs.
All the shipping companies go with the highest which can be the actual weight or the dimensional weight
For International shipments it’s the same formula but you divide by 166.
Also international shipping can incur duties & taxes which are always high and broker fees
Other factors are-
Fuel surcharge which is at 11.50% this month up 10% from last month add this to the total shipping cost.
Residential vs. Business address. Residential is always adds about a $2.50 charge
Best advice is to coordinate your orders and take advantage of sales and free shipping codes.
Sorry for the long reply.
At the end of the day there is no place like AG!!!!! :buffing::buffing:
For example- A couple of weeks ago I need to get some Opti-Coat 2.0 shipping for this was $15.99 on AG
Same Opti-Coat on Amazon sold by PBMG was shipped for $7.95. I received my item same exact packaging if I had ordered it directly from AG. So why is the $8 difference?
I work for a shipping company so I know the INS & O
uts of shipping. I deal with FedEx, UPS and DHL on the daily basis. AG ships a lot of volume per day so I know they would have to be set up with a corporate account which gets bigger discount than a person who would go and ship an individual package. Depending what kind of rates they have they can be as low as 45-65 cents per pound for ground shipments.
There also lots of factors that plays into the total shipping cost.
Actual Weight VS Dimensional weight
For example- Say you buy a bucket from AG total weight of the shipment is 3lbs. You wouldn’t be actually be quoted for 3lbs because the item is pretty big which would require a larger box
Example- said the dimensions for the box are 18*12*18. The Formula for domestic shipping is L*W*H/194. In this case you multiply the dimensions then divide by 194. 3888/194= 20.04. So you would actually get billed for the dimensional weight of 20lbs.
All the shipping companies go with the highest which can be the actual weight or the dimensional weight
For International shipments it’s the same formula but you divide by 166.
Also international shipping can incur duties & taxes which are always high and broker fees
Other factors are-
Fuel surcharge which is at 11.50% this month up 10% from last month add this to the total shipping cost.
Residential vs. Business address. Residential is always adds about a $2.50 charge
Best advice is to coordinate your orders and take advantage of sales and free shipping codes.
Sorry for the long reply.
At the end of the day there is no place like AG!!!!! :buffing::buffing:
Flash Gordon
Well-known member
- Feb 6, 2010
- 11,450
- 459
This thread reminds me of a friend of mine me and my wife invited over for dinner once. He is a loner type guy and I could tell he had been feeling down, so I invited him over to our house for dinner. When he got here all he could do was complain!!! He complained about everything from the traffic getting here to telling my wife her meatloaf was to dry and he had a better way!
Needless to say, he did not get invited over for Thanksgiving dinner
Needless to say, he did not get invited over for Thanksgiving dinner
cleanmycorolla
New member
- Apr 27, 2012
- 3,805
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And with like a 2 second google search, you could've got your over $50 order and package shipped for free....
david11g35
New member
- Mar 13, 2012
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Yes I know that now. Not everyone on AGO knows all the codes.People get upset over it when the post them on here. Alot of people are new or are not on the forum 24/7. So can you explain the shipping difference in shipping from AG and PBMG on amazon. Same item coming from the same warehouse?
ARizzle
New member
- Mar 22, 2012
- 362
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Again to reiterate, Not sure why US citizens are complaining...as a few of you have mentioned...simply place a large enough order to be entitled to satisfy the shipping discount...or wait. As for International buyers like myself, with the suggestion of using a US shipping company/P.O. Box to deliver, it could possibly be a better alternative. Or definitely take advantage of other retailers. I personally will be doing more research on getting sending my package to a U.S. location and crossing over to pick it up. But Flash is right, at least for the US citizens...shouldn't be complaining that much/
LOL. Dude, You were attacking me last month over complaining about the same stuff. Just think about it for a second with just .00001% of your brain.. $7.99 to ship.. when do you EVER walk into a post office and it come out to anything $.99 unless it was a coincidence. They're making money off of it. Nowadays, in your website you can have UPS or USPS pull an actual quote for shipping instead of just charging based on value.
Not to mention they refuse to ship Parcel post through the USPS. This is the cheapest way to ship larger and heavier items across the US and even to Hawaii. There's also more than one island here in HI, just cause we got Pakshak doesn't mean we can just walk into their store and pick it up.
I've shipped 18"x18"x18 boxes weighing 30-50#'s for $30-40 parcel post from NYC to HI..n yea it takes 3-4 weeks but sometimes we just dont care versus spending $100 shipping the same thing.
Glad to see more people with complaints like i expressed last month when they posted here
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/discounts-specials/54586-autogeek-shipping-options.html
"'ve been getting a lot of phone calls the last couple days regarding how we ship and what services we offer. Just to reiterate, our standard shipping method is UPS but we also offer FedEX and USPS. With the various shipping options we offer, technically we deliver six days a week. Hate to bore the AGO veterans that already know this (), but we'll make it any which way you want it so long as you let us know! We'll even switch out packing peanuts for paper packing or vice-versa. Leave a note in the comments box at checkout or tell the operator over the phone and we'll make it happen.
If you find a competitor that offers a better deal on products or shipping, all it takes is a quick phone call, email, or PM and we'll beat it. "
Well i called, asked for help shipping USPS parcel post to Hawaii and got shut down and cancelled order. :nomore:
but this doesn't work on Hawaii. I'd be willing to increase the minimum order for Hawaii to get free shipping, make it $300.
UPS and FedEx will ship ground to Hawaii, I've recieved via ground deliver before (it still get's put on a plane and takes 5 days instead of 3 but the cost savings is tremendous). so how come we can't be included in the free shipping or even a discounted rate would be great.
I don't know how Amazon does it but I've gotten UPS backups shipped for free, and that stuff weighs a ton.
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