How are you saving money by ordering close??

[ChristinaTate]

Hi, I saw a couple posts (forgot which section) that people were saying they were saving money by using places online that were closer to their area.
I usually order from BB which is in WA and I'm in Maryland. I was thinking of ordering just a couple FO's from NaturesGarden. I noticed they were in Ohio which I think is pretty close, but shipping was about 11.00 for 5 ounces of FO! Do you all mean it's cheaper if you order heavier stuff like soap?

 

[soapbuddy]

I'm one of those that prefers to order online with vendors that are close to me. With that said, different vendors ship via different couriers, so the shipping can vary wildly. I now know which ones have good prices and shipping and which ones charge more for shipping. It's a good idea to make a fake order (but not complete it and delete the order online when done) so you know what the shipping might be.

 

[pixybratt]

shipping for 1 item is going to be pretty high either way, shipping is cheaper when you buy more than one Item and you also have to watch some companies charge a small order fee.

 

[Mandarin]

Well, I think it depends on the supplier. There is one supplier that is just two states away from me that has INSANE shipping costs. I suppose it could be less costly for heavier parcels based on zone. I think this would be the case with those suppliers who are charging reasonable shipping rates already.

 

[ChristinaTate]

Thank you!
Yes I do "fake" orders all the time lol I added more stuff to my cart at NG and it didn't really go up too bad. This is what I found out:
I added exactly 40lbs of soap at Natures Garden and BrambleBerry
Shipping
NG: UPS 21.35
BB: FEdex 43.14
yikes! I wish NG has the same olive oil M&P base that BB has because that has become my new favorite.
The BB shipping kills me Now I see it works out better for heavier orders. Thank you all for your help! If you know of anyone on the east coast with the same Olive oil base as BB, that would be great!

 

[soapbuddy]

Thank you!
Yes I do "fake" orders all the time lol I added more stuff to my cart at NG and it didn't really go up too bad. This is what I found out:
I added exactly 40lbs of soap at Natures Garden and BrambleBerry
Shipping
NG: UPS 21.35
BB: FEdex 43.14
yikes! I wish NG has the same olive oil M&P base that BB has because that has become my new favorite.
The BB shipping kills me Now I see it works out better for heavier orders. Thank you all for your help! If you know of anyone on the east coast with the same Olive oil base as BB, that would be great!

Is Florida close enough for you? They have an olive oil MP base. http://www.fssoapworks.com/soapbase1.html
Or maybe Michigan? Scroll down the page for thier olive oil MP base.
http://www.goplanetearth.com/bases_melt ... ml#organic

 

[ChristinaTate]

Is Florida close enough for you? They have an olive oil MP base. http://www.fssoapworks.com/soapbase1.html
Or maybe Michigan? Scroll down the page for thier olive oil MP base.
http://www.goplanetearth.com/bases_melt ... ml#organic[/quote]

thank you for those, I hadn't heard of the first place before.
I just compared goplanetearth and BB
44lbs olive oil - 248.00 + 28 sh = 276.00
BB - 50lbs - 120.00 = 47sh = 167.00!
I can't believe that is a $110.00 difference. planetearth must be putting gold in their olive oil soap lol

 

[olivebranchfarms]

Is Florida close enough for you? They have an olive oil MP base. http://www.fssoapworks.com/soapbase1.html
Or maybe Michigan? Scroll down the page for thier olive oil MP base.
http://www.goplanetearth.com/bases_melt ... ml#organic

I'm glad I was reading this thread because I too am an East Coast soaper that cringes every time I see the shipping prices from all the West Coast suppliers.

THANK YOU for posting the FS Soapworks link! I'm most likely going to check out their base since their prices and shipping are reasonable.

Thanks again for that link!

 

[rachelb5499]

Olive Oil base

Well, it seems like I read on here that BB's bases are by SFIC? IF so, you may want to look into a CoOp to save on costs including shipping. (I'm trying out SFIC's bases right now---next week or two and plan on ordering DIRECT and possibly picking up to save even more. Luckily, I live about 4 hours away from SFIC, but have a grandmother that lives in the same town so I can visit her AND save money on shipping.) *grin*

Anyway, I don't know what shipping to the east coast would be, BUT I know that Wisteria Lane has SFIC bases as well so you might compare shipping even though it's from West Coast to East Coast....you never know from one vendor to another!

 

[soapbuddy]

Columbus Foods is on the east coast also and carries MP bases. I don't know where theirs come from though.

 

[palms1124]

I was just getting ready to order some base and of course came here to the best of the best. Usually I order a minimum of 50 pounds. It has gotten so confusing with all the differing base ingredients and then the shipping! I like a low sweat base because I live in sunny hot South Florida but it has always been my understanding that SLS is bad bad bad. It seems that lately all I'm finding for any kind of reasonable price has SLS it in it. What do you all think? I was buying the pro base from WSP and now the prices have risen and I don't know if the ingredient list has changed but I never noticed all those chemicals in that base before. I love the idea of not having to figure the shipping costs, which sometimes are almost as much as the purchase.

 

[Catmehndi]

I don't know about others but typically, shipping is based on weight, volume and distance.

If someone says they'll ship *for free* they're getting you somewhere else.

Some companies get better deals with their shipping agents than others - Internet is a wonderful tool to compare product prices and the cost of shipping.

There's not much shipping under $10 - would you get in your car and deliver something for less than $10? :wink:

 

[palms1124]

Thank you for the response. With today's gas prices "NO" I would not deliver for $10 LOL
Have you ever gotten base from the Chemistry Store?

 

[Mandarin]

The Chemistry Store has fantastic base and I use it regularly. You may also want to try Essentials by Catalina. They ship in flat rate boxes, so that could be good for you too.

 

[palms1124]

Thank you Mandarin for your response. I received my shipment from the Chemistry Store today and it appears to be awesome! Not all bubbly like some I've received before and the clear has a very nice fragrance already! Thank you for your response