shipping and handling

updated thu 7 nov 02

David Hendley on sun 3 nov 02

I started adding a "packing charge" to wholesale orders
this year. This is added to the actual shipping charges.
Heck, I charge retail customers for shipping items, so why should
wholesale orders get packed for free when they are already paying
less for the work?
It takes me at least half a day to pack a $3-400 wholesale order.

My charge is 5% of the RETAIL price, which means that it is
10% of the wholesale price.
5% sounds a lot better than 10% !

This is not the same as simply raising the price and including
packing in the price. Some of my wholesale customers
come to me to pick up pottery, so they rightly get the work
for a cheaper total price. They even bring their own boxes!

No one has ever complained about my "packing charge".
The gallery that is refusing to pay your charge is completely
out of line. If it's spelled out in your terms, it's a non-issue,
no matter what or how much it may be.

David Hendley
Maydelle, Texas
hendley@tyler.net
http://www.farmpots.com



----- Original Message -----
From: "Kevin Ritter"
To:
Sent: Sunday, November 03, 2002 10:15 AM
Subject: shipping and handling


> Hey all,
>
> I was just wondering how the people on this list do shipping and handling
> when shipping to stores and galleries. I charge 7% and then add the
actual
> shipping charge, which I think is fair. I have a gallery that is
refusing
> to pay the 7% charge eventhough it is clearly spelled out in our terms.
I'm
> still trying to figure out what to do about it, I was just wondering how
> others handle it.
>
> Thanks,
> Kevin in NE Ohio

Kevin Ritter on sun 3 nov 02

Hey all,

I was just wondering how the people on this list do shipping and handling
when shipping to stores and galleries. I charge 7% and then add the actual
shipping charge, which I think is fair. I have a gallery that is refusing
to pay the 7% charge eventhough it is clearly spelled out in our terms. I'm
still trying to figure out what to do about it, I was just wondering how
others handle it.

Thanks,
Kevin in NE Ohio

KLeSueur@AOL.COM on sun 3 nov 02

I've been wholesaling my work for over 20 years, probably 80% of my sales since 1995. I've never charged for "handling" or "packing". I consider that part of the cost of the product. It's built into the price. Customers are charged the freight that UPS charges me.

Kathi LeSueur

foxpots on sun 3 nov 02

Dear Kevin,

I charge 12% for packing and handling, plus the actual UPS charge. That
still leaves me with about 3% to absorb for the actual packing cost, never
mind the time to wrap. The problem is that we cut our prices in half, then
add the packing, handling and UPS charge. Then the gallery has to compete
against us, with their price being this 12% plus. The other side of the
problem is that we can't afford to sell for half price to start with, never
mind selling for half price and eating another 15%. It's a tough call.

When I can possibly do it, I just deliver the order and charge a $20.
delivery fee. I'd rather be driving than packing for a UPS pick up.

This is just MY experience. I'm sure there are as many experiences as there
are Clay Arters.

Good luck,

Jean Wadsworth Cochran

> I was just wondering how the people on this list do shipping and handling
> when shipping to stores and galleries. I charge 7% and then add the
actual
> shipping charge, which I think is fair. I have a gallery that is
refusing
> to pay the 7% charge eventhough it is clearly spelled out in our terms.
I'm
> still trying to figure out what to do about it, I was just wondering how
> others handle it.
>
> Thanks,
> Kevin in NE Ohio
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________
__
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
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>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.

L. P. Skeen on sun 3 nov 02

If it is clearly spelled out in your terms, they have no grounds not to pay
it. If you have their credit card number, you can charge it anyway, and if
they try a chargeback, you just send a copy of your contract to the cc
company.

L
----- Original Message -----
From: "Kevin Ritter"
To:
Sent: Sunday, November 03, 2002 11:15 AM
Subject: shipping and handling


> Hey all,
>
> I was just wondering how the people on this list do shipping and handling
> when shipping to stores and galleries. I charge 7% and then add the
actual
> shipping charge, which I think is fair. I have a gallery that is
refusing
> to pay the 7% charge eventhough it is clearly spelled out in our terms.
I'm
> still trying to figure out what to do about it, I was just wondering how
> others handle it.
>
> Thanks,
> Kevin in NE Ohio
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________
__
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
>

Tony Ferguson on sun 3 nov 02

My customers pay acutal shipping & insurance, and a packing fee of $5.

Thank you.

Tony Ferguson
On Lake Superior, where the sky meets the Lake

Stoneware, Porcelain, Raku
www.aquariusartgallery.com
218-727-6339
315 N. Lake Ave
Apt 312
Duluth, MN 55806



----- Original Message -----
From:
To:
Sent: Sunday, November 03, 2002 12:40 PM
Subject: Re: shipping and handling


> I've been wholesaling my work for over 20 years, probably 80% of my sales
since 1995. I've never charged for "handling" or "packing". I consider that
part of the cost of the product. It's built into the price. Customers are
charged the freight that UPS charges me.
>
> Kathi LeSueur
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________
__
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
>

KLeSueur@AOL.COM on mon 4 nov 02

<>

Just because it is in your contract to be paid a packing fee doesn't mean you can put an "unauthorized charge" on someone's credit card. If someone pays you by a check which bounces and you have their card number from a previous transaction, you can't then collect by charging the amount to their credit card. Doing so could land you in court for fraud. You have not been authorized by the cardholder to charge that amount to their card.

If the charges are listed on your contract, then expect payment. If they don't pay, take them to small claims court. But don't put an unauthorized charge on their card.

Kathi LeSueur

Marni Turkel on tue 5 nov 02

About 20 years ago when I started wholesaling beyond a local market
(where I could hand deliver work), I charged a packing fee plus UPS
charges. Wholesale buyers at ACC fairs and Rosen shows seemed willing
to accept this at the time, though they weren't really happy about.
When I began doing business with people who weren't strictly used to
dealing with a small producer of crafts, I found the buyers looked at
me as if I was crazy charging a packing fee. As someone else has
pointed out on the list, it makes it very difficult for the buyer to
get a sense of what the retail price will have to be.

At a big wholesale show, some buyers will just leave the booth rather
than try to do mental calculations. I used to think that was stupid,
but now I realize they have a hard enough job just getting through
the show. If I want to do wholesale business, I consider part of my
job to be making it easy for the buyer to buy my work and to sell my
work--the more they sell, the more they re-order. Making pricing easy
is a part of that. I found that there were a fair percentage of
buyers who simply would not do business with me if I had an add-on
packing fee. It was my decision that a packing fee was not in my best
interest.

My solution: My wholesale price includes some extra to cover packing
and paperwork. I have a minimum opening order ($250) and a minimum
re-order ($150) that includes packing fees. Different work styles
would dictate different minimums. Orders below the minimums are
subject to a packing fee and are by special arrangement. For me, the
larger an order is, the lower the relative cost of packing and
paperwork. If a store wants to pick up work from the pottery they
are given a 2% discount. I still have to wrap and pack the work for
pick-up, just not as well if I was shipping, and I don't have to
double box it. I don't have to write it into the UPS book, but I
still have to enter it in the computer and invoice it and I consider
that a part of what a packing fee would cover.

The original problem of what to do about the gallery that doesn't
want to pay the 7% packing is tricky. Part of the answer lies in
whether you want to continue doing business with them? If this is the
first order you have done with them, did you specifically point out
the packing fee? If you pointed it out, my feeling is that they owe
it. If you left it to them to "read the fine print" and didn't point
out your terms (and you want to keep them as a customer), you might
offer to split the packing fee with them this time and be very clear
that subsequent orders would be subject to the 7% charge. It would
atleast get the work in the gallery, if it sells well, they would
probably be more open to the 7%.

Marni

--

Marni Turkel
Stony Point Ceramic Design
2080 Llano Rd 1B
Santa Rosa, CA 95407

Phone: 707-579-5567
Fax: 707-579-1116
http://www.marniturkel.com

KLeSueur@AOL.COM on tue 5 nov 02

<>

It continues to amaze me that people think they are giving away 50% when they wholesale. Not realizing that the reason they are charging 50% is that they are paying someone else to sell their product.

Retail involves time and money also. David says that it takes him half a day to pack a $400 order. That's pretty slow packing for me. But, think of it this way. I'm going to a retail show. I have to pack all of my pots and display for the show. It takes me all day. Then I drive 2-12 hours to go to the show and spend two days selling at the show. If I do $1000 a day ( a good show by some standards, not mine), I'll come home with $2000. I can easily pack $2000 of pots at wholesale prices in a day. That leaves me two days to produce more pots while someone else does the selling. And the pots I'm packing for wholesale are sold. I'll definitely pack more pots than I'll sell at a retail show.

People can charge whatever they like for packing and shipping. But I can tell you from experience that the wholesale customers would much rather have the packing included in a price. They usually know what their freight charges run. So they can stand at a wholesale booth, look at a @20 piece, tack on the average freight and decide if they can sell the piece for that price in their gallery. If they can't they'll pass and go to the next booth.

Kathi LeSueur