Shipping and hobby products

[proxieken]

[Pappy]

I always wondered how I can buy something manufactured in China, have it shipped all the way to the US, from there have it shipped to it's destination cheaper than I can ship something to the next town.

I was buying small (1.6 x 4mm), stainless steel screws from Grainger that were supposably made in Italy. It was $25 for a pack of 50. I just ordered a pack of 100 on Ebay for $2.66 with free shipping. Now I have to wait 4 to 5 weeks for them to get here (it's a slow boat from China) but if you are not in a big hurry it's worth the wait. Makes me wonder if the Italian's didn't buy them from China, repackage them and sell them to Grainger.

[RichD]

You should be aware that the Chinese government pays for shipping merchandise from Chinese companies. Hong Kong was a British colony, it has now reverted back to China. All that I have gotten directly from China were some FC-130 motors and a keychain camera, those came in less than two weeks.

[proxieken]

According to the article the government of the receiving country has to pay. The USPS pays and then charges more for US shippers to make up for the difference.

If the Chinese government is also paying, that deal must be really sweet for those companies.

I am as guilty as anyone. I used to buy my LED bulbs for slot cars from Radio Shack. Until I found them on E-bay for an insanely low price with free shipping. Now I have a lifetime supply of bulbs and Radio Shack is no longer in business.

This is really good for consumers but is completely ruinous for producers and sellers. And importers looking to resell are simply done for. They have zero chance of competing and a look at seller forums confirms this.

Not to be pessimistic, it is just another factor to consider. I am shifting in to making some other items that will hopefully not be available from China for at least a little while.

One thing not explained in that article but mentioned in others is how the e-packet program works better than you think. The article mentions shipping a package weighing 4.4 pounds for just a few bucks. But that package might contain as many as 20-30 individual smaller packages that the USPS must deliver. So they pay one price for the "package full of packages". The net cost for a 3 ounce item when sent this way might be as little as $.15-20. While domestic first class starts at $3.50. On smaller priced, light weight items this difference is quite significant.

And this also has a way of getting customers used to free shipping. It is very hard to explain to my customers why I have to charge so much for shipping when Amazon and E-bay have all of these free shipping deals. Yes, it is the same postman bringing your stuff. But on the shipping end we get treated a lot differently.

[mattb]

Sounds like typical fail at the gov't level. Politicians that can't work together for the good of the country, officials that line their pockets at the expense of American people. What is new?

We increasingly have a gov't that does not work. Slogans and name calling are more important than governing together for the good of the people. A large percent of America seems to want name calling and dysfunction.

[RazorJon]

When I started selling Razors I could ship anyplace in the world for $25.00 now its $53.00, now that does seem high but when you think about it is $50 bucks a lot to ship
a 4 pound box to Europe ? I mean If you tried to pay me $50 bucks to take it to Europe I be like :violence-stickwhack:

[dw5555]

I can relate. I just sold a model airplane in a 6" X 6" box weighing 11 oz to Czech Republic. $9.75 plane and $23.00 shipping. Crazy..

Dave

[bigman]

Guys
I never buy anything from China on PayBay, just look at their ratings, :laughing-rolling:
a lot of the times they'll have fifty negative feedbacks and a whole lot more of the neutral feedbacks :violence-stickwhack:
I'd rather buy from someone that has gamboled with there money buying from China and I'll pay a little more for the piece of mind ordering from the U.S.A.
A good example, buying trees from China for your layout, there super cheap and they look it, Just look at the feedback scores of those China dealers... :scared-eek: :violence-stickwhack:
It's hard not to buy thing from China, darn they make everything just about, they will buy something take a good piece and make it cheaper
It may look almost the same but you can bet the materials isn't as good as other country's
DO You remember the cheap fenders and truck parts from China, they never fit right,
the nuts fell off the back sides they were welded on, NOT and how about that CHINA primmer , OMG IT FELL OFF TOO. :violence-stickwhack:
Can you tell I'm not a fan of anything China made, :violin:
If your going to make tires don't be surprised when you see them coming from China, they will be lopsided but you'll get free shipping
and a long wait for them if they get to your mailbox :laughing-rolling:
Sure sorry for the long post, just trying to give you all a heads up :angry-soapbox:
:flags-waveusa: :flags-waveusa: :flags-waveusa: :auto-checkeredflag: :auto-checkeredflag: :auto-checkeredflag:

[slothead]

Do any of you watch Shark Tank, where big dollar investors grill entrepreneurs seeking money to grow their brand?

After the presenter tells how great their product is, the investors want to know what are your current sales and what's the profit margin (difference between selling price and production cost). If production is domestic, one of the investors will immediately tell the presenter they have to get it made elsewhere (China) to reduce costs.

I was always taught capitalism is driven by the profit motive. Seems to me everyone who can, domestic or foreign, is playing the same game as they see fit. I remember when 'Made in Japan' meant cheap both for price and quality. If you bought a Japanese car in the 60's people would laugh and think it was the best you could afford. In the 70's a similar purchase was based on economics as gas prices rose and foreign cars got much better gas mileage. Now, the same cars have great quality ratings and sell for prices comparable to other top brands. Same basic principles, just more players and complexity.

Thankfully, we have a wide range of great looking and quality slot cars available at what I consider to be reasonable prices. I hope this means everyone in the production and delivery process is fairly compensated for their efforts, though I don't think fairness is a major consideration.

[munter]

I have bought motor screws from China, I have bought grub screws from China, I have bought body screws from China, I have bought tungsten putty from China...in large numbers and at cheap prices and mostly free shipping. I even bought five long can motors for about $US8.00

The quality has never been a problem, the number of items for my money has never been a problem, yes, there is a wait time but everything always shows up.

I will buy again when I see something I need and the deal is sweet.

[nhdungeonracer]

[slothead]

On Amazon.com:

Thunderslot CA00202S/W Lola T70 Can Am #52 Slot Car White
Price: $69.95 & FREE Shipping
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.

At Professor Motor website:

Thunderslot THCA00202 LOLA T70 CAN AM DANA Peter Revson #52
Our Price : $111.99 (Free shipping because order is over $100)
Quantity in Stock : 8

Thunderslot says car is 100% made in Italy. So overall sales volume must be the difference in price & shipping. I still only buy from Hobby stores & sites.

[mattb]

I still go where it is cheaper. I don't support any business as I would a charity. I buy from China and have had no issues. My wife actually returned some kind of cheap stuff a few months ago and got a prompt refund which surprised me!!!

I remember all the talk on some other forum about buying American, as the guys typed it on their imported computer and discussed the newest flat panel tv they bought! Of course my GM truck is made in Canada! The gm crate motor in my 34 came from Mexico!