# Why am I paying you to handle my goods? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 3, 2004, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-paying-you-to-handle-my-goods/267387 "2004-10-03T23:53:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-paying-you-to-handle-my-goods/267387/21 "2004-10-05T03:43:29Z")
> [@tremorviolet](#): > > Yeah, but it this occured to me: prices online are usually the same as in a traditional bricks and mortar store (I’m thinking something like Gap online, not like a super discounted online-only electronics retailer). Factored into the costs of goods for something you buy in a store are overhead costs for the building, keeping sales clerks employed even during slow periods, attractive racks, the warehouse to hold the goods before they’re shipped to the stores, marketing materials for sales, etc. > > Contrast this with a online purchase. You pay the full-price for the item plus the cost of shipping and the cost of handling. The retailer is spending much_less_ money and yet you pay more. Huh, looking at it this way, online shoppng is a rip. You should pay less for buying online, not more… Naaaaw, think of it this way. Even though they don’t have the “attractive racks” and lay out, they have to store the stuff in a “bricks and mortar” type warehouse. That still means overhead, since likely they’re stacking it higher and deeper and have to have more “guys” and forklifts and crap to dig it out of it’s spot. Then they have to have a shipping department (which regular stores don’t). Of course, I’m just talking what sounds common sense to me, IANA retailer or online supplier, so I could be totally full of bologna. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-paying-you-to-handle-my-goods/267387/22 "2004-10-05T16:46:09Z")
> [@Uvula Donor](#): > > I won’t buy from any eBay seller who won’t list upfront what the fees are. I make my bidding decisions based on the item cost plus the shipping and handling, and I don’t trust sellers who won’t disclose shipping terms until after the bidding is closed. > > Packaging materials and trips to the post office do cost money, and I don’t begrudge anyone their shipping fees _if I know what they are beforehand_. That way, if I feel they’re too high I just don’t make the purchase. > > Most of the time I sell books, postcards, and ephemera on eBay, and I give customers free shipping. When I list something that will require a shipping fee, my auctions explicity list the item’s shipping weight and include either a shipping calculator or a flat shipping fee as part of the auction. No surprises. I’m with ya. I won’t buy from anybody who lists handling fees, unless it’s a legitimate store-front business. I don’t charge handling fees on things I sell, only actual mailing and packaging material costs (if I have to buy a box), which I state up front. I even give the buyer the latitude to choose the shipping method and optional insurance. What really pisses me off is when someone says they will ship priority, charge you for it, then ship via media or some cheaper rate. HUGE difference in postage. And it’s not the money, it’s the misrepresentation. ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-paying-you-to-handle-my-goods/267387/23 "2004-10-05T17:02:39Z")
> [@CanvasShoes](#): > > Naaaaw, think of it this way. Even though they don’t have the “attractive racks” and lay out, they have to store the stuff in a “bricks and mortar” type warehouse. That still means overhead, since likely they’re stacking it higher and deeper and have to have more “guys” and forklifts and crap to dig it out of it’s spot. Then they have to have a shipping department (which regular stores don’t). > > Of course, I’m just talking what sounds common sense to me, IANA retailer or online supplier, so I could be totally full of bologna. 😃 But that’s the thing, the stores _already_ had the warehouses in place. (I used to manage a record store and I’d got work in the warehouse to make extra money sometimes) They also had computer inventory systems to tell you how to pull the product to resupply the stores. All they had to do was make a little space for individual boxes and hire a few more guys to start shipping consumer orders. BUt, it did occur to me why prices are the same online for places like the Gap: they don’t want to cannabalize the physical store’s sales. If clothes were cheaper online, you could just go try stuff on and then go order it. Evnetually, it wouldn’t be worth it to keep stores open. But then you’d lose your primary marketing tool and chance to attract new customers. That still makes it clear that if you’re paying anywhere near retail for something, the shipping and handling fee is a scam… ---
**Author:** ![gouda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c77e96/32.png) [@gouda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gouda)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-paying-you-to-handle-my-goods/267387/24 "2004-10-05T17:12:36Z")
> [@Go You Big Red Fire Engine](#): > > I completely thought this thread was going to be about prostitutes. :smack: > > _Think_ about it. Yeesh! Somehow, I read the title as “Why am I paying you to handle my _boobs_?”! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-paying-you-to-handle-my-goods/267387.md?page=1)