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| Woodturning (rec.crafts.woodturning) To discuss tools, techniques, styles, materials, shows and competitions, education and educational materials related to woodturning. All skill levels are welcome, from art turners to production turners, beginners to masters. |
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#1
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Shipping and Handling Charges?
I'm having a real hard time trying to figure fair shipping costs for my
items. As many of you know I sell CLTL (Carpe Lignum, Torne Lignum) items and now have a stainless steel bottle stopper. This is not an ad for those items, my problem is how to charge for shipping and should I add a handling fee? I hate handling fees, however, I'm learning there is a cost to handling. I've been quoting exact shipping to zip codes. After buying tissue paper, bubble wrap and tape, then there's the PayPal fees, ..... well, you get the picture. Am I making this a bigger deal than it really is? Could I add $1 or more to cover these expenses? I'm driving myself crazy trying to be fair but not lose money. Guess that comes from raising 4 kids alone and struggling forever, sort of like people I know who lived through the Depression and are still afraid of losing their money. My, I hadn't expected to go off like this, I was just going to ask a simple little question. Sorry. Any opinions? advice? suggestions? Ruth www.torne-lignum.com |
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#3
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I as a consumer of items would rather have you build the extra expense
of packing material into your price as part of your overhead. Some one with a storefront certainly wishes that there cost of business was as low as the internet people. Building the cost into your price allows you to say shipping at actual cost no handling fee and makes the buyer feel that they are buying at the best possible price. |
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#4
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I as a consumer of items would rather have you build the extra expense
of packing material into your price as part of your overhead. Some one with a storefront certainly wishes that there cost of business was as low as the internet people. Building the cost into your price allows you to say shipping at actual cost no handling fee and makes the buyer feel that they are buying at the best possible price. |
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#5
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Hi Ruth
I would suggest that you include the handling cost into the price of your product, and you could give better prices for larger orders of the same products, it will encourage people ordering larger orders rather than more small or single orders. and of course placing 20 doehickies in one box is a lot less work than filling 20 single orders. Ruth I hope you will let all of us know when you will be able to start shipping those bottle stoppers and the pricing etc. I have never made any bottle stoppers but I'm sure I would be able to make some people happy with them. Have fun and take care Leo Van Der Loo wrote: I'm having a real hard time trying to figure fair shipping costs for my items. Any opinions? advice? suggestions? Ruth www.torne-lignum.com |
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#6
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Leo,
Bottle stoppers are one of the easiest and fastest turnings that really impresses people. It took me years before I turned one only because I'd think "there isn't enough work in them to justify calling it woodturning"! Boy, was I wrong (again). My new stainless steel bottle stoppers are available right now. I've been selling them for a few weeks and getting a lot of positive feedback from the turners. Go to my website ( www.torne-lignum.com ) for the details, I'm a little hesitant to post them here without permission to do an "AD". Thanks, Ruth www.torne-lignum.com |
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#7
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wrote:
snip I'm a little hesitant to post them here without permission to do an "AD". Ya don't spam the NG TOOOOOO much, I expect you can get a way with an occasional FS. %-) Dave in Fairfax -- reply-to doesn't work use: daveldr at att dot net American Association of Woodturners http://www.woodturner.org Capital Area Woodturners http://www.capwoodturners.org/ PATINA http://www.patinatools.org |
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#8
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On 20 Jul 2005 03:24:22 -0700, wrote:
feedback from the turners. Go to my website ( www.torne-lignum.com ) for the details, I'm a little hesitant to post them here without permission to do an "AD". Hi Ruth, FWIW, The long-standing concensus here has been that one blatant ad, every 2 weeks is an acceptable use of the newsgroup. It certainly couldn't be called "spamming." And I agree, build it into the price. -- Chuck *#:^) chaz3913(AT)yahoo(DOT)com Anti-spam sig: please remove "NO SPAM" from e-mail address to reply. September 11, 2001 - Never Forget ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =---- |
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#9
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On 20 Jul 2005 03:24:22 -0700, wrote:
Leo, Bottle stoppers are one of the easiest and fastest turnings that really impresses people. It took me years before I turned one only because I'd think "there isn't enough work in them to justify calling it woodturning"! Boy, was I wrong (again). My new stainless steel bottle stoppers are available right now. I've been selling them for a few weeks and getting a lot of positive feedback from the turners. Go to my website ( www.torne-lignum.com ) for the details, I'm a little hesitant to post them here without permission to do an "AD". You know, Ruth- I'm of the opinion that you're undercharging as it is. Look at what you've got there- Stainless steel, with the three O-rings assembled. I don't know if you're making them yourself or gettting them from a machine shop, but either way they're a custom(ish) product made from a high quality metal that is not particularly easy to work with, and has an additional assembly step involved. It's really easy to short yourself when you're setting the prices, but if you're worried about the cost of packing materials, you should be charging more for the product. I don't need a bottle stopper insert at the moment, but I would expect to pay at least $10 for one of those. Compare it to some other products- you're offering a great deal on a good product, and you shouldn't be afraid to charge what it is actually worth- there is really no great need to offer wholesale prices to somone who is only buying one or two! Once you've got the price where it should be, shipping materials should be far less of a concern. Just my $.02, as someone who has undervalued his work in the past... |
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#10
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Prometheus (nice name!) wrote: "You know, Ruth- I'm of the opinion
that you're undercharging as it is. Look at what you've got there- Stainless steel, with the three O-rings assembled. I don't know if you're making them yourself or gettting them from a machine shop, but either way they're a custom(ish) product made from a high quality metal that is not particularly easy to work with, and has an additional assembly step involved." *********************************** I like you're way of thinking, Prometheus! However, most woodturners wouldn't pay more than the $4.50 per that I'm charging. I'm having these done at a machine shop, but I put the rings on myself. We decided to go with the 300 series stainless and better rubber rings so both materials are FDA Approved, which the chrome stoppers definitely are not. The turners who have received these "SS Niles Bottle Stoppers" (BTW, the official reg. copyright title ahem!) have all emailed saying how impressed they were with the quality and hefty feel (each weighs 1.8 oz.). So, Prometheus, you are absolutely right in what you're saying, I guess a big part of it, for me, is the thrill knowing I came up with this idea and a lot of woodturners think it's terrific. Thanks for the encouragement! Ruth www.torne-lignum.com |
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#11
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#12
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#13
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Hello Ruth
Thanks for the reply, those stoppers look real sharp, and the cost is a little better than half of the good quality ones I'm familiar with. So the check is in the mail. Have fun and take care Leo Van Der Loo wrote: Leo, Bottle stoppers are one of the easiest and fastest turnings that really impresses people. It took me years before I turned one only because I'd think "there isn't enough work in them to justify calling it woodturning"! Boy, was I wrong (again). My new stainless steel bottle stoppers are available right now. I've been selling them for a few weeks and getting a lot of positive feedback from the turners. Go to my website ( www.torne-lignum.com ) for the details, I'm a little hesitant to post them here without permission to do an "AD". Thanks, Ruth www.torne-lignum.com |
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#14
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I used to own a small business and did a lot of shipping. I, also,
found it best to just build the handling cost and shipping materials into the item. But don't worry yourself sick about exact costs for each item. Take an honest look at your overall materials costs and time and then divide it by the number of items you can usually ship with that amount of materials and time. My off hand guess would be that $2-$3 is going to cover most small items and most people will not even notice that small of a price increase. Check your box and supply source, too. We found we could order things like peanuts, bubble wrap and boxes from a wholesale paper distributor far cheaper than you can get them from stores. Earl |
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#16
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"Owen Lowe" wrote in message news  In article . com, wrote: my problem is how to charge for shipping and should I add a handling fee? I hate handling fees, however, I'm learning there is a cost to handling. I've been quoting exact shipping to zip codes. After buying tissue paper, bubble wrap and tape, then there's the PayPal fees, ... Hi Ruth. Seems like all the responses so far are advising to just build it into the item cost and leave shipping as an exact line item. Well, I'm no different with the exception of putting some sort of blurb into your descriptions that there are no extra packaging or handling fees - something on the order of: "All items are carefully wrapped and cushioned against damage for the journey from my door to yours with no additional packaging or handling fees." Well, you get the picture - let them know that a valuable service and expense is put into every order with no extra costs. Whenever you are going through additional steps beyond what is expected or customary let your customers know. Jeez, even when it is customary, let them know - the guys who don't promote these services are then perceived as more costly since it's implied they'll be charging - whether they do or not. ======Owen! For shame! Ruth's not that kind of gal*G* You're suggesting she stoop to false advertising?? Rather let the customer assume the cost of the packaging and handling is incorporated into the price and have her establish appropriate postage from the U.S. Postal Service, UPS, etc. If one must have a statement then let it be something to the effect that all shipments are carefully prepared and wrapped and leave it at that. Boy! I am going to have to really examine claims made by Oregon companies that ship their merchandise before ordering from them!!! 8^) Leif |
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#17
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Well, it looks like everyone agrees. My thinking was going along this
same track, just needed reassurance. I have 2 very big pet peeves: 1. Why can't the USPS, who is so automated, have postage per ounce like the GOV'T requires of grocery stores? If you ship 1 lb. 1 oz., you pay for 2 lb.; that's 15 oz. you're paying for that you are NOT shipping. See how fast a grocery store would be shut down if they tried this with chicken! 2. An eBay seller who puts shipping and handling at, say $6.95, for an item you KNOW will be $2.75 (or something close) to ship and starts the bidding at $1.00. Even if I want this item, I refuse to bid or buy anything from that seller. (of course, it wouldn't be anything for turning anyway; all those sellers are sensible, right?!?) Stepping down off my soap box and feeling a lot better for the little rant. Ruth www.torne-lignum.com |
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#18
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On 20 Jul 2005 03:38:48 -0700, wrote:
I have 2 very big pet peeves: 1. Why can't the USPS, who is so automated, have postage per ounce like the GOV'T requires of grocery stores? Ah, that's an easy one. You answered your own question. "Why can't the USps...GOV'T..." I'll bet you can't name a single thing, under government auspices, that is done efficiently. 2. An eBay seller who puts shipping and handling at, say $6.95, for an item you KNOW will be $2.75 (or something close) to ship and starts the bidding at $1.00. Even if I want this item, I refuse to bid or buy anything from that seller. (of course, it wouldn't be anything for turning anyway; all those sellers are sensible, right?!?) I hear you on this one. That irks me, too, and my response is the same as yours. I also make a point of stating on my own auctions that I don't have fake "handling" charges to jack up the price, and buyers pay only actual shipping costs. Sometimes I'll even go to the trouble of writing to the auctioner and asking them why it costs $12 to ship a baseball card or something like that, or why I can't pick my own shipping rate. Why on earth should I have to pay for Express Mail if I want a book shipped media rate or parcel post? I guess that's why they call it "shopping!" -- Chuck *#:^) chaz3913(AT)yahoo(DOT)com Anti-spam sig: please remove "NO SPAM" from e-mail address to reply. September 11, 2001 - Never Forget ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =---- |
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#19
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In article ,
(Chuck) wrote: On 20 Jul 2005 03:38:48 -0700, wrote: 1. Why can't the USPS, who is so automated, have postage per ounce like the GOV'T requires of grocery stores? Ah, that's an easy one. You answered your own question. "Why can't the USps...GOV'T..." I'll bet you can't name a single thing, under government auspices, that is done efficiently. ....so how does Chuck's "it's the government's fault" theory explain UPS and FedEx? It doesn't? Hmm. Could be a flaw in Chuck's theory...BTW Medicare has lower operating expenses than any other insurance company, last I recall things being pulled out for examination. But this is OT. When using USPS, be aware of the "Flat Rate" Boxes and Envelopes. They put a little kink in the price curve when they fit your item and the weight/distance gets to about where a small box full of stainless steel stoppers might... -- Cats, coffee, chocolate...vices to live by |
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#20
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"Ecnerwal" wrote in message ... ...so how does Chuck's "it's the government's fault" theory explain UPS and FedEx? It doesn't? Hmm. Could be a flaw in Chuck's theory...BTW Medicare has lower operating expenses than any other insurance company, last I recall things being pulled out for examination. But this is OT. Probably because they contract their billing to civilian contractors. It would be outrageous if they had government workers (oxymoron) doing it.... |
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#21
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wrote in message ups.com... Am I making this a bigger deal than it really is? Could I add $1 or more to cover these expenses? I'm driving myself crazy trying to be fair but not lose money. Any opinions? advice? suggestions? Mostly a me too. Add the buck to the item, quote actual shipping, then discount on five or more to compensate for the lower handling. I don't know as if I would go to advertising with misleading statements. You're not going to be selling a lot to people who believe in a free lunch. |
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#22
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In article , "George" George@least
wrote: I don't know as if I would go to advertising with misleading statements. You're not going to be selling a lot to people who believe in a free lunch. I'm at a loss as to what I said that would be misleading... George and Leif, is it because I used the word "extra" instead of "additional"? Reread my post with the word "additional" in place of "extra" - at least I think that should clear up the misunderstanding. I merely said to describe what Ruth is including in the price so people are aware there are no extra/additional fees. By stating it, people may gain confidence and attain a higher comfort level with ordering. When they compare Ruth to other merchants who don't state similar details it may sway them toward Ruth. Consider a competitor, Minerva, selling a similar item for $25 - Ruth's costs $25 as well. Ruth has made a point of saying she takes extra care with the customer's selection through packing a certain way with no additional fees tacked on - other than actual postage. Minerva doesn't say anything about this aspect of delivering the item to the customer even though she does the same thing. I'd say it puts Ruth in a more positive, customer oriented light and raises questions about where the ultimate costs may end up if ordered through Minerva. Consider how this would come across even if Ruth charges $26 to Minerva's $25. I think it still gives Ruth an advantage because she's clearly putting it all on the table for the customer to see, and possibly, be made aware of something they might not have thought of. Nothing is misleading, falsified or impugning. -- Owen Lowe Northwest Woodturners, Cascade Woodturners, Pacific Northwest Woodturning Guild ___ Safety Tip'o'th'week: Never grind aluminum and steel or iron on the same machine or workstation - Thermite. http://www.hanford.gov/lessons/sitell/ll01/2001-36.htm |
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#23
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"Owen Lowe" wrote in message news In article , "George" George@least wrote: I don't know as if I would go to advertising with misleading statements. You're not going to be selling a lot to people who believe in a free lunch. I'm at a loss as to what I said that would be misleading... I suppose you might be, having suggested it. But good service needs no hype. "Extra" valuable services indeed. |
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#24
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In article , "George" George@least
wrote: I suppose you might be, having suggested it. But good service needs no hype. How is a new customer supposed to know that Ruth offers outstanding service if she doesn't point it out? Repeat customers may not need such a description but new ones have nothing to go on. If you were selling a turning would you not talk up the quality, details or uniqueness of the turning? After all, the customer ought to be able to recognize all those things without a word, yes? I see nothing wrong or untoward in letting a customer know the effort and care that goes into the item they are purchasing whether it's in the making or the packaging. Does anyone else see my point or am I hanging off my own cliff on this one? -- Owen Lowe Northwest Woodturners, Cascade Woodturners, Pacific Northwest Woodturning Guild ___ Safety Tip'o'th'week: Never grind aluminum and steel or iron on the same machine or workstation - Thermite. http://www.hanford.gov/lessons/sitell/ll01/2001-36.htm |
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#25
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Owen Lowe wrote:
In article , "George" George@least wrote: I suppose you might be, having suggested it. But good service needs no hype. How is a new customer supposed to know that Ruth offers outstanding service if she doesn't point it out? Repeat customers may not need such a description but new ones have nothing to go on. If you were selling a turning would you not talk up the quality, details or uniqueness of the turning? After all, the customer ought to be able to recognize all those things without a word, yes? I see nothing wrong or untoward in letting a customer know the effort and care that goes into the item they are purchasing whether it's in the making or the packaging. Does anyone else see my point or am I hanging off my own cliff on this one? Yes and no, you're not hanging off your own cliff. |
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#26
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On Fri, 22 Jul 2005 02:19:24 -0700, Owen Lowe wrote:
In article , "George" George@least wrote: I suppose you might be, having suggested it. But good service needs no hype. How is a new customer supposed to know that Ruth offers outstanding service if she doesn't point it out? Repeat customers may not need such a description but new ones have nothing to go on. If you were selling a turning would you not talk up the quality, details or uniqueness of the turning? After all, the customer ought to be able to recognize all those things without a word, yes? I see nothing wrong or untoward in letting a customer know the effort and care that goes into the item they are purchasing whether it's in the making or the packaging. Does anyone else see my point or am I hanging off my own cliff on this one? Yep.. the reason that I brought up mentioning your care in packing to Ruth is that I buy several things a year from a couple on ebay, (they live in Ohio and find a lot of used shopsmith stuff), and I was impressed when I saw their shipping section for the first time.. They said upfront that their handling charges were a bit high, but they wanted to get the item to you well packed and intact... and guaranteed that it would be... This, to me, is an example of WHY you say (and do) something like that... so that someone is impressed by it, orders from you and then tells others that they were impressed.. OTOH, if you say it and don't DO it, you get negative referrals, which are about 10 times more effective than positive ones... mac Please remove splinters before emailing |
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#27
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In article . com,
wrote: I'm having a real hard time trying to figure fair shipping costs for my items. As many of you know I sell CLTL (Carpe Lignum, Torne Lignum) items and now have a stainless steel bottle stopper. This is not an ad for those items, my problem is how to charge for shipping and should I add a handling fee? I hate handling fees, however, I'm learning there is a cost to handling. I've been quoting exact shipping to zip codes. After buying tissue paper, bubble wrap and tape, then there's the PayPal fees, ..... well, you get the picture. Am I making this a bigger deal than it really is? Could I add $1 or more to cover these expenses? I'm driving myself crazy trying to be fair but not lose money. Guess that comes from raising 4 kids alone and struggling forever, sort of like people I know who lived through the Depression and are still afraid of losing their money. My, I hadn't expected to go off like this, I was just going to ask a simple little question. Sorry. Recall that eBay/PayPal don't want you to charge extra for PayPal (trust me, they complained to me about it when I did) Build your costs into the price, people -hate- paying extra for shipping, I know I do -- -------------------------------------------------------- Personal e-mail is the n7bsn but at amsat.org This posting address is a spam-trap and seldom read RV and Camping FAQ can be found at http://www.ralphandellen.us/rv |
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#28
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#29
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On 19 Jul 2005 19:48:54 -0700, wrote:
I'm having a real hard time trying to figure fair shipping costs for my items. As many of you know I sell CLTL (Carpe Lignum, Torne Lignum) items and now have a stainless steel bottle stopper. This is not an ad for those items, my problem is how to charge for shipping and should I add a handling fee? I hate handling fees, however, I'm learning there is a cost to handling. I've been quoting exact shipping to zip codes. After buying tissue paper, bubble wrap and tape, then there's the PayPal fees, ..... well, you get the picture. Am I making this a bigger deal than it really is? Could I add $1 or more to cover these expenses? I'm driving myself crazy trying to be fair but not lose money. Guess that comes from raising 4 kids alone and struggling forever, sort of like people I know who lived through the Depression and are still afraid of losing their money. My, I hadn't expected to go off like this, I was just going to ask a simple little question. Sorry. Any opinions? advice? suggestions? Ruth www.torne-lignum.com I don't think there is a really GOOD way to handle (no pun intended) those expenses... The best that I've come up with, from being on the buying and selling end several times, is that Paypal is a way to get more sales, and I eat the cost of that... I try to figure out how much it costs to pack something, and take it to the post office if UPS isn't picking it up, because if I don't, I burn up profit unless I raise the item price or charge handling... I hate the term "shipping and handling" and think most folks do... it doesn't say how much is handling and is usually a way to make a profit on handling, like a lot of the stuff on ebay.. I think for example, that on a small item, you state that the shipping will be whatever the actual charge to you is, add a $2 (or whatever it costs you) handling charge, state that it IS a handling charge, and mention that you care enough to make sure that your items are well wrapped, folks will go along with the charge... YMMV Mac 03 Tahoe Widelite 26GT Travel Trailer replaced 1958 Hilite tent trailer 99 Dodge Ram QQ 2wd - 5.9L, auto, 3:55 gears |
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#30
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mac davis wrote:
I hate the term "shipping and handling" and think most folks do... it doesn't say how much is handling and is usually a way to make a profit on handling, like a lot of the stuff on ebay.. In the UK it is called P&P: post and packing. I'm not sure if it is any less expensive, but it sounds like less of a rip off. I don't think anyone is going to object to having to pay a little for packing materials. -- Derek Andrews, woodturner http://www.seafoamwoodturning.com http://chipshop.blogspot.com http://groups.yahoo.com/group/toolrest/ |
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#31
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Drop PayPal like a hot potatoe, figure your actual out of pocket
expenses for however many items you expect to ship and divide by that number. Handling fee's suck and on a smalltime basis are a rip off to the purchaser. I can't count the number of items on fleaBay that have S&H charges exceeding the items bid price. Yes, it's an expense but one that I absorb or figure into the item cost initially, just like the labor to make an item. I hate handling charges and consider them a rip off. Let your conscience be your guide. John wrote: I'm having a real hard time trying to figure fair shipping costs for my items. As many of you know I sell CLTL (Carpe Lignum, Torne Lignum) items and now have a stainless steel bottle stopper. This is not an ad for those items, my problem is how to charge for shipping and should I add a handling fee? I hate handling fees, however, I'm learning there is a cost to handling. I've been quoting exact shipping to zip codes. After buying tissue paper, bubble wrap and tape, then there's the PayPal fees, ..... well, you get the picture. Am I making this a bigger deal than it really is? Could I add $1 or more to cover these expenses? I'm driving myself crazy trying to be fair but not lose money. Guess that comes from raising 4 kids alone and struggling forever, sort of like people I know who lived through the Depression and are still afraid of losing their money. My, I hadn't expected to go off like this, I was just going to ask a simple little question. Sorry. Any opinions? advice? suggestions? Ruth www.torne-lignum.com |
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#32
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wrote:
...... my problem is how to charge for shipping and should I add a handling fee? I hate handling fees, however, I'm learning there is a cost to handling. I've been quoting exact shipping to zip codes. After buying tissue paper, bubble wrap and tape, then there's the PayPal fees, ..... well, you get the picture. Am I making this a bigger deal than it really is? Could I add $1 or more to cover these expenses? I think it is reasonable to add a little to cover the material cost of shipping. But the labor cost of processing an order is probably even higher. How many orders can you process and pack in an hour? How the customer pays for this can be tricky! Do you consider it an overhead and add it to your item prices? Or do you add it to the shipping costs? There are pro's and con's of both approaches. The approach I take is to have a flat fee to cover the basic shipping cost to anywhere in the USA, plus the cost of a padded envelope. Then I add a little to the unit price of each for my time, and a little bit more for heavier items that will push the shipping cost up when someone buys multiples. Overall I think it works out ok for me, my products and my shipping destinations. YMMV. I ship from Canada mainly to the USA. Many small orders are actually cheaper to send to USA than to Canada due to the vagaries of the postal services available. So there is no easy answer, but I think overall I have struck a fair balance for both me and my customers. It is also worth considering the shipping as a service you provide to your customer, so why shouldn't they pay for it? On another related note, one thing that comes up a lot amongst online merchants is insurance and delivery confirmation. Presumably you are going to be selling to nice woodturning folk who aren't out to rip you off, but there are people out there who won't pay for insurance on their shipments, then complain when it arrives damaged, and even more who deny the parcel arrived and instigate a charge back. So do consider insuring everything and using a service that includes delivery confirmation or signature, especially for larger orders that you cannot afford to replace. -- Derek Andrews, woodturner http://www.seafoamwoodturning.com http://chipshop.blogspot.com http://groups.yahoo.com/group/toolrest/ |
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#33
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Derek wrote: "How the customer pays for this can be tricky! Do you
consider it an overhead and add it to your item prices? Or do you add it to the shipping costs? There are pro's and con's of both approaches." *********************** Derek, I've decided to just eat the PayPal service charges. There are too many customers who want to use it rather than send personal checks. I prefer checks, I know I'm a bit naive, but I never think a woodturner will cheat me so I ship the day I get the check rather than wait for it to clear. Guess most people prefer the speed, ease and security of using PayPal. ************************************* Derek also wrote: "..... Presumably you are going to be selling to nice woodturning folk who aren't out to rip you off, but there are people out there who won't pay for insurance on their shipments, then complain when it arrives damaged, and even more who deny the parcel arrived and instigate a charge back. So do consider insuring everything and using a service that includes delivery confirmation...." ******************************* Derek, after a few talks with my postmaster and showing him what I'm shipping, he said, "Unless you have a cash register receipt or official bill and a tracking #, the USPS will not pay for a lost item. The item must be shown to the PO and the damage assessed and a cash register receipt or other formal billing shown before any payment is made." Now, IF the package is lost, well, it looks like tough luck because the receipt would be in the package. The damage part is fairly simple and clear enough. As to customers ripping me off, I don't think that will happen with woodturners, but if they feel that's the way to behave, so be it. In over 16 years I only met one woodturner who was definitely of this sort, he bought 2 mugs at a Symposium and badgered me so much I just gave him his money back and let him keep the mugs just to get rid of him. Thank goodness I have no idea who he is, I don't want to know his name. AND if it's anyone reading this group, don't tell us. Ruth www.torne-lignum.com |
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