Shipping charges on EO/FO's can be ridiculous! Is this unique to my suppliers?

[RogueRose]

I wanted to order a total of 16 oz of EO's (4/4/8 oz) and it was going to be shipped ground. The total was almost 33% of the cost of the EO's - $20.96! I thought this was maybe unique to the supplier but I ordered from 2 other vendors and one billed me $6 for faster ground (it was 16 oz as well) and another vendor that was a little pricey at ~$16 for 16oz & 3 4oz packs of color powder.

The thing is that I know these can be shipped USPS priority for a lot less and even express/overnight may be less than the $20 above.

I'm not naming names publicly because I don't want to speak ill of them (PM me for private discussion).

Do any fellow members find some outrageous shipping charges with these supplies?

 

[navigator9]

Sadly, this is not unusual. I'm on the east coast, and there are several suppliers that I'd love to use, but don't because I just can't justify their shipping charges. I've tried to stick with suppliers closer to me, which isn't easy, and those that offer "free shipping" when you buy a certain amount, and always wait until I can put together an order for that amount. You might also look for suppliers that charge a flat rate for shipping, like Soapalooza, and try to order as much as you can at once. The biggest surprise I had as a new soapmaker, was discovering that olive oil from Costco was the only ingredient that I could source locally. There are a few other oils that I do find locally, but not in bulk, and that makes their cost prohibitive. I think shipping charges are a huge part of soapmaking expenses for most soapers. :cry:

 

[shunt2011]

I agree with navigator. I've ordered from soapalooza, symphony scents they have flat rate shipping for your order. WSP (free or flat rate for small orders) and Nature's Garden if fair with their shipping to me anyway. I'm fortunate, I can get my CO and Castor locally in bulk at a good price and don't have to pay shipping. I too get my OO from Costco. If someplace has really high shipping I tend to wait until I need to place a large order as I find it makes the shipping a better deal.

 

[gigisiguenza]

I've been trying to not order online for that very reason. I've seen sale posts and checked the supplier out, happy to take advantage of the sale, only to toss the whole order because any savings I might have enjoyed are negated by the exorbitant shipping. I've not yet found a local supplier for bulk oils, but I'm on the hunt for a restaurant supply locally, because I'm sure I'll find one here in Houston, and that's got to be cheaper than paying outrageous shipping.

 

[Obsidian]

Also keep in mind that EO/FO can not ship ground USPS due to the flash point. This is why I also order more then just FO's regardless of where I'm ordering from. Might as well make the shipping worth while.

 

[Susie]

If you find someone who will sell to you in Houston, please let us know? I am just a couple of hours from there, and that would save me a bundle.

 

[gigisiguenza]

I will Susie

 

[galaxyMLP]

Mikes fragrances does $7 flat rate on all FO orders. I don't know if it applies to EO's too but, his shipping is very fast and the flat rate is nice.

 

[dixiedragon]

It depends on a lot of factors. For example, I think BB's shipping is pretty high - but they also use that liquid foam packaging material that hardens and conforms to your items, so that's packed VERY securely. I usually keep a wish list and buy around $100 at a time so shipping doesn't hurt as much.

 

[cmzaha]

Soapsupplies.net has $7.95 flat rate shipping, but the only supplies other than fo's she carries are a few colorants. Soapalooza is $9.95 flat rate which is okay if ordering more than 1 bottle. WSP adds shipping onto each item so it can be quite expensive on large orders. I just quite purchasing from Backwoods they wanted $15.95 to ship 1lb of a $17.99 bottle of fo and the shipping cost went up when I added on another pound

 

[Deedles]

If you find someone who will sell to you in Houston, please let us know? I am just a couple of hours from there, and that would save me a bundle.

Me, too, GiGi. I'm just East of Houston about 30 miles. What part of Houston are you in?

 

[gigisiguenza]

Deedles I'm in NW, over in the Champions area by Willowbrook Mall. Where are you?

 

[snappyllama]

Ack, that was my mall growing up... small world!

As far as shipping charges go, I also try to make it worth my while. FOs are bad - actually most supplies are pretty crazy. I recently bumped an order up from $20 to $90 and the shipping charges went from $18 to $19. I think I've been spoiled by Amazon.

 

[gigisiguenza]

Ack, that was my mall growing up... small world!

As far as shipping charges go, I also try to make it worth my while. FOs are bad - actually most supplies are pretty crazy. I recently bumped an order up from $20 to $90 and the shipping charges went from $18 to $19. I think I've been spoiled by Amazon.

Snappy small world indeed LOL. I'm strongly considering Amazon simply because of the free shipping. I'm still looking for local sources though, I haven't given up yet

 

[rparrny]

For those of us that don't sell and use smaller amounts, shipping is always an issue. I have amazon prime so shipping is free but the EOs are limited and the cost so much higher it usually works out to close to the same. There are always the companies that give you free shipping on your first order and I always check shopathome.com for coupon codes and rebates. My favorite of late is wholesalesuppliesplus.com cause they have free shipping with any order over $40 which I find reasonable.

 

[rparrny]

WSP adds shipping onto each item so it can be quite expensive on large orders.

Nope WSP is free on orders over $40 and flat rate of $7.95 on orders under that.

 

[snappyllama]

I think cmzaha meant that WSP builds the price of shipping into the cost of each item. When I price compare things like oils or other raw materials, WSP is a bit higher - due to including the price of shipping into each item's sticker price. If I have a big order, it's often less expensive to buy locally or from another supplier.

For EOs and FOs it gets a little murky to figure out since the actual item varies across suppliers. You kinda have to try different ones from different suppliers. They smell different and have wildly different prices. Adding to the confusion is that some suppliers like WSP sell by volume instead of weight.

Example: Say I wanted at least 2lbs of Black Raspberry Vanilla FO using their least expensive shipping sent to me in Colorado

BB: ($30.08 * 2) + $10.73 shipping = $70.89
WSP: ($35.95 * 2) + $0.00 shipping = $71.90 note: this is by volume
MO: ($28.90 for 15.5oz + $28.90 for 15.5oz + $7.00 for 1.8 oz) + $12.54 shipping = $77.34 (but I get 2 extra ounces - by weight)
NG: ($16.99 * 2) + $9.30 shipping = $43.28
FB: ($15.75 * 2) + $12.00 shipping = $43.50

Now, NG and FB are a lot less expensive. Does this mean that the product smells worse than MO or that it behaves differently than WSP? I don't know. I'd have to try it out. do know that WSP shipping policy isn't saving me any money.

Hope that was clear as mud

ETA: MO sometimes sells FOs in weird sizes since they are a little heavy. They can only fit 15.5 oz of that FO into a 1lb (by volume) container. That really lets me know that buying by volume isn't a great deal. Companies I know sell by weight are MO and Bescented. I think BB also goes by weight. WSP goes by volume.

 

[not_ally]

Not to derail, but WSP's price is *really* high for BRV when you can get really good ones (soapsupplies.net, Peaks are two) for so much less. Also, ss.net has a 7.95 flat rate shipping charge, I think you would still come out significantly lower (unfortunately I can't state the price on the FO b/c they are OOS on it, but it seems like I remember paying about $20 a lb or so.)

 

[rparrny]

I

Example: Say I wanted at least 2lbs of Black Raspberry Vanilla FO using their least expensive shipping sent to me in Colorado

BB: ($30.08 * 2) + $10.73 shipping = $70.89
WSP: ($35.95 * 2) + $0.00 shipping = $71.90 note: this is by volume
MO: ($28.90 for 15.5oz + $28.90 for 15.5oz + $7.00 for 1.8 oz) + $12.54 shipping = $77.34 (but I get 2 extra ounces - by weight)
NG: ($16.99 * 2) + $9.30 shipping = $43.28
FB: ($15.75 * 2) + $12.00 shipping = $43.50
.

Wow, great research, thanks! What is NG? and FB? what a difference in price!

 

[traderbren]

NG is Nature's Garden. They also sell their FOs by weight not volume. I buy a lot from them because their shipping cost is reasonable to me, plus they ship quickly.