Holly Posted August 8, 2007 Share Posted August 8, 2007 I am trying to get my shipping situation squared away. I looked into it a little while ago but then thought that I would hold off on shipping until later. I now need to get it going, so I am back at it. I just did a dummy transaction on my website. I weighed a 7 oz. wickless tin and it came out to 8.3 oz. I then put it in a USPS box for one item. I filled it with peanuts and even put the label in it (that is actually 1 oz.) and it came out to 14.5 oz. I did not put an invoice in it. I then plugged in 8.5 for the weight of that product in my website set-up site. I purchased the candle under my name with my address (did not use another address this time - in another area) and it came out to $8.15 in shipping. I am unsure though if it would be more than this if I actually took it down to the post office (if this was a real order). Because they weighed it with the peanuts included, etc. it would show them 14.5 oz. So, I then plugged in 14.5 oz. for the weight of the 7 oz. tin just to see what the shipping would be for this weight. I made another purchase and this time the shipping came out to $10.15. That seems a little high going to the same area and for one small item. But, that is what the whole box including the item weighs (14.5 oz.). The thing is, I can't enter 14.5 for the tin because then when someone orders more than one it would end up calculating more weight than it really is. You can get at least two tins and maybe three in this box. How do I calculate this? Should I just add a couple more ounces to the tin weight? What do you all do? Thanks for any help on this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vicky_CO Posted August 8, 2007 Share Posted August 8, 2007 I don't know much about this but for my weights I just put a 1 in for 1 pound and for say 7 oz ounces I would put .5 which is 1/2 a pound. Now because the items packaged up would be close to a pound I would just use the 1. The post office calculator goes by 1 pound increments.http://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/123.htm#wp1071591I am really hoping someone that knows this stuff better than me will come along and explain it better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinetreecandles Posted August 8, 2007 Share Posted August 8, 2007 It really depends on the shopping cart software you use. Mine will add a certain amount to the actual weight of the items in the cart to make up for the packaging then give an estimate of the shipping price. It's usually not off more than 25 cents either way. I give all orders a discount on shipping anyway so the difference does not matter.Figuring all shipping manually is the only way I know of to get the correct amount to charge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinInOR Posted August 8, 2007 Share Posted August 8, 2007 Remember, shipping one small item doesn't give you a break on shipping. Those first pounds are the most expensive of all. My shopping cart lets me enter a tare weight - how much my average box costs. I use .5 pound for that, and I always add an ounce or 2 to the weight. You just have to keep adjusting and checking orders vs real costs as time goes on. That's also why some people go flat rate - it can be a pain to get a shopping cart set up right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly Posted August 8, 2007 Author Share Posted August 8, 2007 Thanks everyone for your responses. I woke up this morning realizing that I made a mistake in putting the numbers in their proper place. I must have been tired or something. I have done it before and did not make the errror. However, my question regarding how to calculate the weight would still have been an issue (because of the packaging).I just ran the numbers again:@ 8.2 oz. = $4.60@ 14.5 oz. (includes added packaging) = $4.60 and with two wickless tins added = $5.05This sounds more like it, but now a little on the low side. Of course it is going to the same area so that would make a difference. I actually have to send this package out with one tin, so I should look up the address and plug it in and see the difference. It will be interesting to see what it actually costs when I take it to the post office. It will be a good trial run and will give me a better idea of how accurate it will be with the numbers I have plugged in. If more than two tins are purchased it would appear that the charges would go up more than necessary because of the duplicate 1 lb (or more for larger boxes) would add up more than it would actually be. This is where I get confused. I will look over your responses again. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly Posted August 8, 2007 Author Share Posted August 8, 2007 It really depends on the shopping cart software you use. Mine will add a certain amount to the actual weight of the items in the cart to make up for the packaging then give an estimate of the shipping price. It's usually not off more than 25 cents either way. I give all orders a discount on shipping anyway so the difference does not matter.Figuring all shipping manually is the only way I know of to get the correct amount to charge.That would be great. I don't really know what software it is. It is just the Real Time Calculator that is used through DIY websites. When you click on the calculator to input the weight this is what is says:"Input the weight in Pounds and Ounces.Click the "Equals" Button to calculate.Formula: shpUnits = pounds + (ounces/16)That sounds pretty basic....like it is just figuring a percentage formula for the actual pounds and ounces that was inputted, or just oz. inputted. What you and Robin have would be much better. Maybe there is something I am not seeing that mine has to offer, but I am not sure at this point. Thanks again for your response. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly Posted August 8, 2007 Author Share Posted August 8, 2007 Ok, I just ran another dummy transaction using the address that I am actually going to send this package (one tin) to, and it still came out to $4.60. This address is on the west side of Spokane whereas my address is on the east side of Spokane. Package will be leaving from Newman Lake Post office. I will see today what it actually ends up costing me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perkyaim99 Posted August 8, 2007 Share Posted August 8, 2007 You may want to consider using flat rate boxes. You can order the boxes online for free and they will ship to your house Priority Mail, also free. You can also pick them up at your local PO but if you'll be doing lots of shipping you can order a larger quantities online. The flat rate boxes ship for $8.95, there are 2 sizes 11" X 8.5" X 5.5" & 11-7/8" x 3-3/8" x 13-5/8" , max weight is 75lbs. Really nice way to save $$ on boxes.HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perkyaim99 Posted August 8, 2007 Share Posted August 8, 2007 BTW, you're calculator is right, it's $4.60 to ship upto 1 lb, they raised rates a few months back when they raised postage. Still way cheaper than UPS or FEDEX. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LynnS Posted August 8, 2007 Share Posted August 8, 2007 For me to ship a sample 4 ounce jar it is almost $3.50. I took it to the PO and it was weighed and also with the box still about the same. I will be shipping within my state but will be about 200 miles or less. Staying within that range.I am thinking about going with tarts as samples BUT nothing like burning a candle. always a good throw. LynnS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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