Headline FeedsE-Commerce Times Talkback
|
|
See Full StoryThe holidays are a time for giving. True enough. But why should it be the only time
that e-tailers "give" shoppers free shipping? Smart online merchants use free shipping
to get those shoppers to buy and to do it early, easing the last-minute crunch.
And it works, by all accounts. So why does free shipping from online retailers
appear, right on cue, each November -- like fake Christmas trees in Wal-Mart -- instead of
sticking around all year?
Re: The Time Has Come for Free Online Shipping - Again
Posted by: Maria LoVasco 2001-11-20 14:21:07 In reply to: Keith Regan
I recall ordering books through a catalog seller: Hamilton something or other.
And the shipping fee was a flat $3.95 regardless of the total cost of the order. It took a
while for the books to arrive, but I appreciated not feeling ripped off. Another thing that
peeves me is when I'll pay the same shipping and handling fee for a small pair of lightweight
earrings as I would for a larger, heavier package, because the figure is calculated
on the amount and not the weight. Something about that doesn't seem right.
And finally, I have ordered items from Barnes and Noble over Amazon strictly because
the shipping was free. And if I had to order two items to take advantage of it, I would go
ahead and add another book to it.
And the shipping fee was a flat $3.95 regardless of the total cost of the order. It took a
while for the books to arrive, but I appreciated not feeling ripped off. Another thing that
peeves me is when I'll pay the same shipping and handling fee for a small pair of lightweight
earrings as I would for a larger, heavier package, because the figure is calculated
on the amount and not the weight. Something about that doesn't seem right.
And finally, I have ordered items from Barnes and Noble over Amazon strictly because
the shipping was free. And if I had to order two items to take advantage of it, I would go
ahead and add another book to it.
Re: The Time Has Come for Free Online Shipping - Again
Posted by: Aussie Shopper 2001-11-19 22:37:03 In reply to: Keith Regan
If I can't easily and quickly locate the shipping charges before I put the goods in my basket then I don't stay at that site.
I'll buy from the site with free shipping first anytime, but if they don't happen to have the goods I want then my dollar goes to the site with the least expensive shipping fees.
I'll buy from the site with free shipping first anytime, but if they don't happen to have the goods I want then my dollar goes to the site with the least expensive shipping fees.
