Seriously. Since the little fellow over there is extinct (and couldn't carry much anyway), shipping is a itchy subject over in the Testy Etsy Fora. I can't tell you how many posts there are over there about shipping costs. The questions are always the same:
How much to ship? How much is too much? How much is too little? Should I ship to Timbucktu? Why free shipping? Why, oh, why can't Etsy have a shipping calculator?
I have to admit I'm one of the people who asked that last question before I actually thought about it. Can you imagine the chaos?
I have also been a victim of second guessing my shipping costs; over and over and over again. And, of course, when the subject comes up, I question my process again. And today, after reading a post, I went to the USPS website. Again. I'm going to say that I THINK I've got it this time. I make no promises. Anyone reading, please feel free to take this verbage and use it in your shop. Just insert your particulars. Just saying.
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GFT Designs is committed to ensuring your purchase is shipped in a timely manner. All purchases will be shipped within 24 hours of payment processing. You will receive a delivery confirmation number in your acknowledgement convo. If your purchase is not shipped within 24 hours, and/or you do not receive an acknowlegement/delivery confirmation number within 48 hours, you will receive a refund of 30% of your purchase costs (minus shipping fees).
Shipping costs:
Scary subject for some, I know. I've gone all over the place about this and have researched quite fully, so I believe that these shipment costs are as close to accurate as possible. That said: ANY OVERCHARGES IN SHIPPING THAT EQUAL MORE THAN $1 WILL BE REFUNDED TO YOU.
Here goes: (via USPS First Class Mail)
USA, Guam, Puerto Rico: Free
Canada: $2.25
Mexico: $3.25
Everywhere Else: $4.75
INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMERS: PLEASE ENSURE THAT JEWELRY (COSTUME & PRECIOUS) CAN BE SHIPPED TO YOUR COUNTRY FROM THE US BEFORE PURCHASING. PLEASE REFERENCE THIS SITE TO CHECK YOUR COUNTRY:
http://pe.usps.gov/text/Imm/immctry.htm
Please also note that INTERNATIONAL customers are responsible for all taxes and duty fees incurred. If you require rush shipping, please convo and you will be invoiced for the shipping method that meets your needs.
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(wipes sweat from brow) All done. Now for the explanations:1. Why did I include Guam & Puerto Rico in my US charge? Sometimes shippping within the "contiguous 48 states" is different from shipping in Alaska & Hawaii, as well as Guam & Puerto Rico, which are territories of the United States. What about other territories? Um, yeah. I don't want my shipping to clip along for 8,000 pages. The rest of them are lumped in with International.
2. Why "free" for US and not everyone else? To ship my jewelry to the US & Territories, it costs me about $1.75, including the envelope & everything. Personally, I can "afford" the $1.75 to ship down the street, so to speak. That said, if you can't, then don't. That is a personal choice to make.
3. Why are Canada & Mexico separate from the Great Everywhere Else? When shipping from the US, Canada & Mexico tend to have radically different rates than other countries. And, although the costs for me are pretty close to US shipping, it does take more to ship to these two countries. Have you seen a customs form? Do you know what Customs has to do with a package that isn't packaged properly? So, basically, Canadians and Mexican are paying more of a "handling" costs than anything else. Sorry guys.
4. What about insurance? Doesn't insurance cost money? Shouldn't I carry this over? Well, yes, insurance costs money. But think about this; if a shipment gets lost, you will be the one placing the claim and you will be the one receiving the money (if your claim goes through properly), so that you can refund your customer and re-coup your costs. Why would you charge your customer for that? If your item is all that expensive, pay for the insurance.
5. How did you arrive at these costs? I took a piece, packaged it, put it in a padded envelope with everything I usually send, and weighed it. I work for a shipping company so, yes, I have a postage scale laying around. I used that weight for everything, because it is all about the same.
Do that for your shop. It will save a lot of pain later. And, yes, if it means weighing a good amount of items in your shop, then do it. Or bite the bullet, and allow 3 or 4 of your items to go out with estimated shipping, and keep track of how much they cost -- and how much you gain/lose. Average that cost and be prepared to refund any overages of more than $1.
Now, the big question is -- is this going to work for me? Let me ship a pair of these earrings to Pitcairn Island and I'll let you know.
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