Posts
3062
Joined
12/14/2009
Location
Sparta, WI
US
Fantasy
335th
How can it be as fast as it is at times? In March of 2018 I ordered a pair of Sidi Crossefire 3 SRS boots. It took just 3-4 days to get here. I paid $20 for shipping. This week, I ordered one of the brand new RXR Protect chest protectors. I ordered it Wednesday morning at 6am my time. It showed up in my driveway at 2pm. So they printed my name and number, slapped it on the chest protector, and it made it from France to my driveway in 56 hours. I paid $0 for shipping. DHL was the carrier.
I ordered new gear from RMATV and Motosport this last Monday night. Two sets arrived yesterday via UPS and the other set arrived at the same time as the DHL guy via USPS.
I ordered new gear from RMATV and Motosport this last Monday night. Two sets arrived yesterday via UPS and the other set arrived at the same time as the DHL guy via USPS.
YouTube videos behind the scenes at DHL, UPS etc.. It takes an army of people and technology; much of which we take for granted in today's Amazon Prime fueled "on demand" world
The Shop
I'm all for supporting your local dealer, but I get the online convenience. Even more so if your dealer is an hour away.
Building a relationship with a dealer is worth it in my opinion, especially long term.
They are also in a convenient location for me as I go through there to and from work.
They are all around cool dudes, willing to talk and give advice/recommendations. I occasionally stop in just to bullshit/hang out.
We usually got around 20-30% off on most things, free tire changes, and the last bike was purchased at dealer cost.
That said, not everyone is lucky to have those kinds of dealership. I'm sure it didn't hurt that we also bought snowmobiles from them as well.
It would blow your mind how low rates are with DHL, FedEx, Purolator, UPS, etc if you ship high volumes of goods. Maybe you are not privy to that kind of rate. Big difference between Joe off the street and large enterprise customer.
Pit Row
BTW, free shipping means that you are not being directly charged for shipping. No one in their right mind with an IQ over 80 thinks that the cost is not being either collected or absorbed in some way by the company doing the selling. If I am selling a $500 helmet that I paid $250 to $300 for, chances are I can afford to absorb the $10 it’s gonna cost to ship it.
Assuming you get a salary, paid for by your employer. Does that not mean that THEY in fact pay for your free shipping? Since they gave you the money to give to the company you’re buying from. Or is it even further up the chain?
All that’s nonsense aside, an easy way of explaining the reality is that each company has to calculate and operate by their GPM. And it’s up to them to decide If they see it fit to lose a little bit of profit in return for the possibility of a more satisfied customer by offering to use that profit % to pay for the shipping. Then comes deals with suppliers to lower purchase prices and figuring out an optimal supply chain in order to make the profit lost on shipping as small as possible.
It’s quite a bit more complex than your original statement and is a huge decision amongst big (and small) businesses whether or not they gain enough customer retention or goodwill by offering free shipping, but there’s a short explanation on it at least.
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