The Shipping/Pricing/Minimum Order Qty Discussion Thread

Andrew,

They are different depending upon where you’re at. Up in your neck of the woods, I would think Pack and Ship would be less expensive than others in say Napa or Sonoma but I’m not sure. But I’m sure other winemakers on the board here could assist. Or look at what some wineries are charging, find ones that seem more ‘reasonable’ than others, and ask away . . .

Cheers!

I find it odd that people actually want to be fooled into what they are paying for. Just tell me what the cost of the wine, shipping, and taxes are. I can then make an informed decision on whether and/or how much to buy.

One thing that had happened and irked me quite a bit was a small producer who didn’t quote shipping on the order. I have ordered before from this producer so I had a good idea of price or so I thought. I was charged over $100 for 17 bottles west coast to mid west ground. When I informed the producer he was surprised and apologetic. He has since changed something in the process to reduce cost substantially. I still got stuck with that bill though.

Me too. I have gotten a hard time for having it be complicated when I just pass on the actual discounted shipping cost. It makes a case across country about $3.30 per bottle.

Clearly, shipping cost goes up per bottle when order size goes down, but even a 6 is only $5.30.

Some times I think people would rather we raise our prices and offer free shipping. Really?

Free shipping is great enticement for me as a consumer, but barring that, it’s great to see some sort of shipping cost at the outset. Love how Rivers Marie informs you upfront that shipping is $4 a bottle, for instance.
It’s the not knowing and fear of a large shipping bill for just a few bottles that sometimes dissuades me.

One consumer’s two-cents’ worth.

I am very OK being charged for shipping. It is a legitimate cost and the winery is entitled to recover it.

My understanding of shipping costs from my previous life are that they are a function of weight and distance to be shipped. However, there are different levels of service–e.g., Overnight Delivery, 3-Day Delivery, Temperature Control.

So:

–Shipping a case of wine 2,300 miles costs more than shipping 100 miles.

–Shipping 2 cases of wine costs more than shipping 1 case.

–Shipping “Overnight” costs more than “3-Day Ground.”

It seems to me that there are an awful lot of “moving parts” that would make it difficult to build the shipping cost into the price of a botltle of wine.

Now, let’s say, Larrry, that I order a case of wine from you and for X dollars you ship it down to me in Eastern Los Angeles County at “no cost.” Then let’s say that my friend Hartwell in Davidson, NC orders a case of the same wine for X dollars and gets “free” shipping. Am I not subsidizing Hartwell’s purchase? Let’s further say that my buddy, Bill, drives down from Los Osos and buys a case of the same wine for X dollars, loads the case into his car and drives home. Is Bill not subsidizing both Hartwell and me?

Anyway, I am OK with the shipping being added onto my order–as long as it’s calculated and disclosed before I click on the “Order” button.

Of course, I’m even OK with paying Sales Tax. Go figure.

To address the other issue that caused such a kerfluffle over in the “Myriad” thread. I am OK with minimum orders. If the minimum is to high, then I can walk away. In the Myriad scenario, though, you could mix and match. WIth 6 different wines to select from, there was no problem for me reaching the minimum.

Since I’m working on my sales tax filing, it occurs to me that shipping is better left as a line item because it doesn’t get taxed (I think) that way. If you make it “free,” that is added to the bottle cost, that added cost is taxed.

Main rule - I always consider the whole cost of the bottle. So it makes no difference to me if shipping is a separate line item or included in the bottle cost.

I don’t like it when wineries charge shipping prices that exceed actual cost, or force me to do 2-day air. But if I want the wine and cannot buy it somewhere else (for the same price or less), I will pay the rip-off shipping if the total cost of the bottle is acceptable.

Minimum quantities are usually a non-issue.

I believe that what you have said is correct. I do that that we ought to be paying tax on the box etc., particularly if we use our resale number when we buy it and don’t pay tax.

It’s really about the per-bottle cost to my door. Including all taxes and shipping. Sometimes that means I’ll pay shipping from, say, Wine Library to save the tax and sometimes it means I’ll end up asking to hold at the winery. Shipping wine is expensive, and most wine prices are rather high so sometimes the $2-5 per bottle shipping cost puts it in the range where I no longer feel that it’s worth it. Sometimes it isn’t a factor. Depends on the wine, etc.

Generally, I do not mind paying for shipping. My only gripe is wineries that use it as a profit center and/or are insensitive to doing anything to lower the costs (eg force me to use 2-day air and heavy wooden crates). I recently paid $252 to ship 3 day air 6 750’s and 2 magnums of Schrader. Ouch.

I really don’t like minimum orders or minimum #'s of a given bottle.

I also really don’t like “flat rate” shipping, where it is $30 to ship 1 bottle and $30 to ship 6 bottles.

I’m much more likely to drop off a list with a minimum bottle number, and in the case of Kistler where the minimum order is a case, there is no universe in which I can abide.

These things don’t always keep me from continuing to buy the wines, but I must be head over heels for them with every bottle I open.

Great question and a great point. Is it ‘fair’ that ‘shipping included’ to someone on the West Coast has the same ‘value’ as someone on the East Coast?

Well, take a look at the weather today out West and then in the midWest and East Coast and you tell me!!! :slight_smile:

There is no way to ‘make everyone happy’ as this poll shows and as the responses show. It just isn’t going to happen. All I can do as a business owner is to try to listen to my customers and meet their needs as best as possible - and be ‘fair’ to them as customers. It’s what I try to do every day . . .

Cheers!

I don’t mind paying for shipping, and think it works best as a separate line item. By far the method I like best is when the winery has estimated shipping costs and tells you cost per bottle (or for a certain number of bottles) to your state before you order.