# How do these shipping charges make sense? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 2, 2017, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-these-shipping-charges-make-sense/792628 "2017-08-02T15:14:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![dstarfire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dstarfire/32/5762_2.png) [@dstarfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dstarfire)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2017, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-these-shipping-charges-make-sense/792628/21 "2017-08-05T21:43:25Z")
I know lithium-ion batteries are a pain to ship quickly. I don’t think they’re even allowed on aircraft (maybe it’s a cargo-only aircraft). Just a guess. I doubt you’re getting anything lithium for $2 but who knows. ---
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2017, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-these-shipping-charges-make-sense/792628/22 "2017-08-05T22:07:53Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > I just checked on FedEx’s site and I can ship a 10-pound 1-cubic-foot box overnight from Nome, Alaska, to my house for $137. It surprised me that it was even that high. But I could ship on the order of 500-1,000 watch batteries in a box that size and weight. What does shipping 500-1000 watch batteries have to do with this case though? You’re only ordering one, so even if they could ship 500 of them to you for the same cost, it’s not relevant. I would expect shipping 500 batteries to be barely more effort than shipping 1, and no be nowhere near 500x as expensive, maybe even the same cost. ---
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2017, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-these-shipping-charges-make-sense/792628/23 "2017-08-05T22:15:30Z")
For an example from a respected site, I went to Monoprice and checked the next-day shipping for HDMI cables. For next day shipping, it was $39.53 for one, $48.78 for fifty, and $148.841 for five hundred. You pay a lot more per item if you’re shipping just one thing next day. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2017, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-these-shipping-charges-make-sense/792628/24 "2017-08-07T23:07:18Z")
For anyone who is interested I received the battery today. It was sent in a business envelope with first class postage postmarked 8/2 from Miami, FL. > [@Pantastic](#): > > What does shipping 500-1000 watch batteries have to do with this case though? I can ship a FedEx envelope with a single battery overnight for under $40, probably cheaper from Miami. I was just drawing a comparison for the costs. They are charging me an amount that it would cost to ship a big heavy box from farthest point in the continental U.S. I haven’t looked up what it would cost to send an envelope overnight by USPS but that would be comparable to FedEx and the only difference to them is what kind of envelope they put it in. So the overnight charge still makes no sense to me. I can’t believe anybody needs a battery that bad, and that charge is almost 80% profit. ---
**Author:** ![BeeGee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5a626/32.png) [@BeeGee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeeGee)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2017, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-these-shipping-charges-make-sense/792628/25 "2017-08-08T02:31:20Z")
Batteries have hazmat fees if you send them by air. Big whopping fees because airlines don’t want to handle them. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2017, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-these-shipping-charges-make-sense/792628/26 "2017-08-08T03:51:12Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > So the overnight charge still makes no sense to me. I can’t believe anybody needs a battery that bad, and that charge is almost 80% profit. It happens especially with big businesses. I work in an industrial manufacturing and distribution facility and we pay huge money for same day service and parts. I had someone accidentally cut a power cable to a critical label printer today and I had to find a replacement as fast as possible. The only power supplies available were on Ebay for $29 plus $80 priority shipping (2 day, not one). I had to take it because it is an essential device that is worth a whole lot more than that in business and workforce terms. I think it is people like us that they are aiming for with those charges. Sometimes batteries are essential as well and you don’t really care how much it costs as long as someone will send you one because the company is paying for it. ---
**Author:** ![justmeetee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/898d66/32.png) [@justmeetee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justmeetee)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2017, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-these-shipping-charges-make-sense/792628/27 "2017-08-08T16:50:34Z")
At the risk of getting a reprimand from a moderator, several grocery stores I shop at have watch batteries. Why have it shipped? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2017, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-these-shipping-charges-make-sense/792628/28 "2017-08-08T17:09:56Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > Overnight shipping is expensive for the little guys that don’t ship a lot. UPS overnight from state-to-state is easily $55 for a 1-pound package going to a nearby state. It can be over $100 going across the US. That is the actual cost UPS charges the shipper. Companies like Amazon that ship a lot apparently get much better deals. I just pulled up the rates for my little store that doesn’t ship a lot (you can find them on UPS’s site). It’s about $50ish dollars for a 1# box shipped a moderate way across the country, overnight. It’s about 8 or 9 dollars for ground shipping. That’s my cost. If you go to [UPS.com](http://UPS.com) and hit the calculate time and cost button you’ll find you get something along the lines of $75 and $15ish dollars. Which is close to what I would sell that service for. Something that you need to keep in mind that a lot of people don’t know is that UPS (and FedEx, I think) now use something called Dimensional Weight. They measure the box and calculate a cost for the size and charge the customer whichever price is higher. This is, IMO, to keep places like Amazon from putting a box of pens in a box that could hold a microwave. So, that same 1# box, shipped to the same place, but in a 12X12X12inch box, would cost you about $160 instead of $75 at the UPS store. Something to keep in mind. ---
**Author:** ![vtxrider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d26b3c/32.png) [@vtxrider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vtxrider)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2017, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-these-shipping-charges-make-sense/792628/29 "2017-08-08T17:36:28Z")
UPS charges based on the dimensional weight or the actual weight depending on which ever is higher. UPS has limited space in the trucks and as was mentioned shipping big boxes that weigh very little consumes the space that could have been used for other packages. A 16 lb bowling ball takes up much less space than a lampshade, but weighs much more. The bowling ball would be calculated on the actual weight, the lampshade on the dim weight. The reason Amazon uses bigger boxes than needed at times, is they have pre-negotiated rates and it is easier to have fewer standardized boxes and know what it will cost up front. And they ship so stinking much, that they can negotiate great rates. As for the earlier question, what if the seller is a dude, that works a 9-5 job and ships out stuff when he gets home? The post office is not open past like 5pm, you might can drop off stuff inside, but they have cutoffs and you would have to have all the package materials in advance. So, to get it next day, he has to go earlier to ship it. Maybe this is not easy with his job so he is discouraging people from choosing this option. Whether Amazon makes you have 2 day and next day options or not, I have no idea. But since most people are used to those options, offering them on the screen makes you seem like a legit business. If you do not, then people will wonder what kind of crappy set up is it. If the option is there, but at a price that no reasonable person would choose, then wonderful. And if they do choose it, then it is worth driving home, getting the battery, taking it to the post office (or UPS location) at lunch. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2017, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-these-shipping-charges-make-sense/792628/30 "2017-08-08T17:46:03Z")
Another thing to keep in mind, if you are shipping to the same or a nearby state then UPS Ground is much cheaper and is often overnight. UPS will tell you the transit time and they are almost always right. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2017, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-these-shipping-charges-make-sense/792628/31 "2017-08-09T00:54:32Z")
> [@justmeetee](#): > > At the risk of getting a reprimand from a moderator, several grocery stores I shop at have watch batteries. Why have it shipped? Find me a store that stocks SR6321SW (364) and I will go there next time. I’ve been to stores in two grocery chains and found 2032, 2016, 2025, 303, 357, 377, and hearing aid batteries. I used to have a Radio Shack near me with a great battery selection but they closed. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2017, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-these-shipping-charges-make-sense/792628/32 "2017-08-09T01:07:08Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > Find me a store that stocks SR6321SW (364) and I will go there next time. I’ve been to stores in two grocery chains and found 2032, 2016, 2025, 303, 357, 377, and hearing aid batteries. I used to have a Radio Shack near me with a great battery selection but they closed. There’s a[Batteries Plus Bulbs](https://www.batteriesplus.com/store-locator/va/201)in Fairfax. They don’t list the battery you need online but I don’t know if that matches the store inventory. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2017, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-these-shipping-charges-make-sense/792628/33 "2017-08-09T02:49:03Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > There’s a[Batteries Plus Bulbs](https://www.batteriesplus.com/store-locator/va/201)in Fairfax. > They don’t list the battery you need online but I don’t know if that matches the store inventory. Thank you for that, I have never heard of them. They charge $4.49 for the same battery (typo in my post above, it should be SR621SW) .They are a 20-minute drive from my house, not worthwhile to get a battery the same day that I can wait 3-4 days for in the mail with free shipping. Although Guitar Center is right down the street, so… ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2017, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-these-shipping-charges-make-sense/792628/34 "2017-08-09T04:40:27Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > For anyone who is interested I received the battery today. It was sent in a business envelope with first class postage postmarked 8/2 from Miami, FL. > . Container shipment to Florida, then posted. I’ll be quoted $120 shipping (4-5 weeks) for a $5 item from the USA, where local shipping is quoted at $5. In that case, I suspect that I’m paying for somebody to check and document that the item is not restricted by USA export restrictions. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2017, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-these-shipping-charges-make-sense/792628/35 "2017-08-09T04:59:39Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > I’ll be quoted $120 shipping (4-5 weeks) for a $5 item from the USA, where local shipping is quoted at $5. In that case, I suspect that I’m paying for somebody to check and document that the item is not restricted by USA export restrictions. About a year ago I looked in to shipping some items to the UK. Maybe 10 pounds and an unusual shape (narrow and long…like a rolled up poster in shape but a bit bigger). Still, nothing ridiculous. I forget the quoted price but it was something near $200 with UPS (cheapest option). It was absurd. We joked it would be cheaper to buy it a seat on a passenger plane. The company we were sending to was much bigger and somehow wrangled a much better deal (probably because they do it a lot). For the average schmo shipping costs are absurdly expensive and super-especially if you ship internationally. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2017, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-these-shipping-charges-make-sense/792628/36 "2017-08-09T15:38:30Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > I forget the quoted price but it was something near $200 with UPS (cheapest option). It was absurd. We joked it would be cheaper to buy it a seat on a passenger plane. > > The company we were sending to was much bigger and somehow wrangled a much better deal (probably because they do it a lot). For the average schmo shipping costs are absurdly expensive and super-especially if you ship internationally. International shipping is very expensive, but most people go with USPS rather than UPS or FedEx. Even then it’s often $60+ for a ~5 pound package. From everything I’ve heard UPS and FedEx are very expensive on International shipments, have spotty service in many countries, and require a lot of paperwork. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-these-shipping-charges-make-sense/792628.md?page=1)