Shipping and handling is sometimes a cash chicken. Too small to be a cow, but it's easy to add up a flock of them. The pricing breakdown covers the costs of all shipping materials, the hourly pay of the employee(s) as they "handle" said package, and lastly the actual freight or postal costs. Free shipping became really popular among the larger companies when Ebay started cutting in and those sellers were charging full compensation for the boxing and shipping of all those little Beanie Babies. Throw in Amazon and other large retailers going virtual and you've got the big boxes that can afford to give away free shipping vs the smaller dealers, or Mom & Pop shops, that have to cover every last penny and you get the S&H wars.
INMHO, the pair of tarnished, scuffed pennies it is, I say shop small. When the S&H seems out of whack, reach out. I'm sure most smaller businesses would rather eat the cost of the postage than lose future sales. Yeah, I'll go look at Cheaper Than Dirt to shop around, but when I find the items I want, I go to where I shoot and ask for it there. I attempt 3 locals before I go online.
INMHO, the pair of tarnished, scuffed pennies it is, I say shop small. When the S&H seems out of whack, reach out. I'm sure most smaller businesses would rather eat the cost of the postage than lose future sales. Yeah, I'll go look at Cheaper Than Dirt to shop around, but when I find the items I want, I go to where I shoot and ask for it there. I attempt 3 locals before I go online.
