Shipping Costs for Pipes

[Tom-202]

I’m curious to know what folk think is ‘too much’ to pay for shipping costs for a pipe?

I’ve purchased from a number of the well-known online firms, a few brick-and-mortar tobacco shops, from Ebay and from Etsy. By and large the shipping costs feel reasonable to me — so $12 or less feels reasonable. If the costs of the item get much above that, then it pushes past what I am willing to pay. There is usually tax as well. So that lovely pipe for $114 is now plus tax and plus shipping.

I am just noticing that I am noticing shipping costs.

 

[paulfg]

depends where its coming from and what the pipe is.
I expect to pay more if it crosses from US to Europe than if it is within Europe.
I have paid 50 USD for USPS fast insured delivery on an expensive pipe but wouldnt pay that on a cheap one .
Anything from outside Europe I expect to get screwed for import taxes as part of the deal.

 

[OzPiper]

Helps to know where you are based and where it is shipped from.

Cost varies with postal/ shipping service. And if insurance is required

Local taxes have to be factored in for some states or countries

There is not one standard charge

I was charged AUD$130+ by DHL for postage and handling for a pipe shipped from Japan to Sydney, Australia

 

[Chasing Embers]

On pipes under $100 I've not paid more than $6. For pipes over $100, I've always gotten free shipping.

 

[captainsousie]

When I ship a pipe within the US via USPS Priority Mail, my cost is almost $11. With the cost of the box and packaging it does run over $12.00 USD. This doesn't include any extra insurance. I choose to charge less and mark up the pipe to compensate. Some might charge actual shipping and handling which causes the buyer to pause at the real cost. Now of course larger companies can negotiate shipping rates and get bulk packaging discounts so if you're buying from one of those it's different but they're also paying someone to stuff the box. Sad to say **** is getting more expensive and we can either deal with it or bitch about it.

EDIT: When shipping through Etsy, my cost is less but then again sometimes you can get hit with an "adjustment fee" later.

 

[RookieGuy80]

Most things bought online is plus tax and shipping, unless you meet some minimum purchase threshold for free shipping. The price of shipping depends on too much for such a vague post. How far is it going? What kind of borders does it cross? Is it a company or private seller? Which shipping company did they use?

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

It usually costs around $40 minimum to get a pipe shipped from Italy to Canada via UPS/Fedex ($20 retailer fee, $10 customs, $10+ tax).
Oppositely Smokingpipes.com will ship pipes across the border for $5 via USPS (packages valued below $150 Canadian coming from the U.S. are exempt from tax).

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

Shipping costs and taxes are all part of the total cost equation, no different than ordering anything else that needs to be shipped. Not seeing the revelation.

 

[TheIronMonkey]

It depends on where the shipping is from—overseas costs to the USA are often much higher, but you have to factor in if the additional cost is worth it. Some of the pipes I’m interested in are usually not found in North America, so if I want the pipe, I have to pay the piper (as it were).

 

[AJL67]

The most I’d pay for shipping is $8000 but everyone is different sorry you probably candt use me to justify the cost of shipping.

 

[blackpowderpiper]

I guess I'm just the opposite. I've never NOT noticed the additional fees incurred with tax + shipping. This is part of the total cost for the item. If I deem that the S/H costs are too much, I simply will not make the purchase and look elsewhere.

 

[Kirklands]

I'm an occasional pipe seller (I suppose I've sold around 70 pipes), and my cost for USPS first class package (now I think they call it "lightweight trackable") is around $4.50. When I list pipes, I always offer free shipping and price the pipe accordingly.

 

[Tom-202]

The point of my original post was not to ask how much people are charged for shipping, and I did not misunderstand the obvious that distance is related to cost. What I was asking is, where is that sweet spot? It’s why I mentioned a $114 cost for a pipe, say a Savinelli. Or say a meerschaum from a supplier. If the $125 pipe has a shipping cost of over $20 USD for that $125 pipe, then really that pipe is (duh) $145 plus tax, in which case I might be looking at a $140 pipe with smaller or free shipping.

I mean, if someone really wants the pipe, then the shipping cost is irrelevant. I’ve been there!

Most of the major retailers sell pipes at 80% of MSRP, whether you get the same pipe from one place to the next. But if I want a decent block meerschaum pipe at around $150, then $5.95 for shipping weighs into the purchase decision vs. $20.

 

[blackpowderpiper]

The sweet spot, that is, how much you're willing to pay for any item, can only be determined by you.

 

[Tom-202]

The sweet spot, that is, how much you're willing to pay for any item, can only be determined by you.

Sure. I was asking for your opinion about you.

 

[blackpowderpiper]

I think we we're all just trying to be helpful towards you. It appears to me that you've just suddenly had the epiphany that S/H and taxes factor into the purchase cost of a given item. For most of us, that has always been a factor. I have absolutely no idea what your "sweet spot" is for making a purchase.

 

[WhiteCrown]

Usually when I order a pipe, I order it from a place that offers free shipping. If the price of the pipe is less than the free shipping threshold, I add enough tobacco to the cart to get free shipping. My sweet spot is zero. Pipes to me are still just an instrument to enjoy tobacco, though I do appreciate their art and craftsmanship.

To others they are much more, and collecting them is a hobby of it's own. Those folks would understandably pay much more to ship that pipe. My collecting is rather in knives, and for those I'll pay much more in shipping for that limited edition or antique specimen. I'll also order them from distances outside of my country, which I won't do for pipes. It's not much different than pipe collecting.

In addition to being a pipe tobacco smoker, are you also a pipe collector? In addition to shipping locations, this is another factor and reason why it may be frustrating for some to try and give you a useful response without more info. Most folks here really want to be helpful, its helps to help them do that.

 

[blackpowderpiper]

Sure. I was asking for your opinion about you.

Perhaps I misinterpreted the tenor of your post. For me personally, take tobacco for instance, if I'm ordering from a vendor that offers free shipping at a certain dollar amount spent, I may increase items to obtain the free shipping. If I'm buying a pipe, say it's a fairly common factory variety, I may shop different vendors and see if one or another has reduced shipping costs. But customer service and past history with that vendor also play a role in my decision.

If I'm looking at a pipe that is unique and hard to obtain, I may be willing to pay more in order to obtain that pipe. For instance, I had been searching for a certain Boswell shotshell pipe for sometime (2 years) and one finally came available. I overpaid for that pipe but in the end I was glad to do so because it was exactly what I wanted. I guess it all comes down to the individual, how badly they want something and if their willing to make the investment to obtain it.

I hope this is helpful and my apologies if I came off a bit terse in my previous post.

 

[mingc]

There is no sweet spot. A $150 pipe with free shipping costs the same as a $25 pipe with $125 shipping. The real question is the aggregate cost. Whether that cost is acceptable depends on the individual pipe and the person evaluating it. You always have to figure in all the costs, including shipping.

 

[warren]

All of us can rest assurred that shipping and handling costs are, in some way or another, covered by us, the customer, either as an add-on or spread throughout the store's stock, in the formula required to insure profit in all transactions, the retail price. That is how retailers survive, passing all of the costs of doing business to the consumer. If there is a thresh hold for free shipping, rest assurred the retailer isn't "eating" the cost of shipping anf handling. Such a thresh hold is simply insurring customers strive for that amount, spending more. Indeed one is saving some monies but, the retailer's cost are all, to some degree or another, covered by customers. It simply can't be any other way.