Friday, February 26, 2010

Shipping Woes: Whoa! How Much????




Having your own website can be great. I've really enjoyed learning the ins and outs of starting my own online business. In fact it went better than expected.


The only problem I really have is the shipping. (Wouldn't it be nice to really have that many boxes to ship out at a time?)

I truly think my current shopping cart is hampering sales. It's crazy!!! Place more than one item in the cart and it doubles, then triples when adding a third, and so on.


Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat? I can just see the mouse clicking away from my site as it happens.


I don't blame my customers. I probably wouldn't continue with checking out either. Who wants to be hit with an enormous shipping charge on a few items?


Here lies my problem: When ordering more than one item, the way the current shopping cart is set up, each item placed into the shopping cart receives its own shipping value, as though it were being shipped separately in different boxes. Shipping is based on California rates (we're located on the East Coast)... so it really starts to add up. The shopping cart cannot to weigh all of the items selected and place it in one box.




I could set it up for a set value. Like lets say, the average cost of $5.85. But, here is where it gets tricky. A piece of jewelry may only cost 2.00 to ship while a heavy bowl will cost 10.00 to ship. I'm not kidding. I sold a small cup and saucer and a small plate to a woman in California, fit them into a small box and the shipping still came to 9.92! So, that won't work.


What I've been doing is returning overpayments back to the customer's account. It is working but I'm not sure how many customers I've lost who do not feel comfortable or do not trust this system. Again, I don't blame anyone for balking at high shipping charges.

Another solution would be to completely remove the shopping cart and have customers email me with their selections with their zip code. I'm actually starting to like this idea.


Last night Dear Hubs sat down with me and we tried to set up the cart to have a beginning value and each additional item only be a dollar or two extra based on the shipping zone. The problem is, it is not working. I tried to order my own item to see what would happen and the old system kicked in. Sigh. Total frustration.

But I'm not giving up! I am currently waiting to hear back from my website provider, PAPPASHOP, to email me back with some help. I've gone round and round with them before with no solution. I'm hoping for some help.

Anyone have a similar problem with your website? What did you do to find a solution?

2 comments:

Joyce - Quilted Nest said...

Thinkin' this was a good move for you! Looks good.

Lisa said...

I budget $10 for anything I ship and try to be excited when it's less! The rates stink. I don't think anyone blames sellers for the cost but it does factor in the decision to buy if it doubles the price. Sorry it's being so hard on you.
Hugs, Lisa