Has Rorie tried to negotiate some kind of better shipping rates for the items? They still cost as much as, if not more than, the cost of the item itself to get it to somewhere in the Pacific. He tweeted the pictures of the new t-shirts and, as much as I am excited for the new designs, I don't wanna pay $20 USD to ship a $15 T-shirt.
It's a shame, I must imagine there are better ways, paying almost 5 times as much for shipping on a $10 shirt is crazy. Then you might have to deal with the customs charge as well, ugh.
yeah, that stuff is just unreasonable. I would love to buy more shirts, but the shipping costs to europe (germany) are just nuts. There MUST be cheaper options. I ordered stuff from the US in the past that was way cheaper.
I don't anywhere else online that has shipping prices anywhere near as ridiculous as this. Surprised it's not been sorted yet either, it's not a new issue and basically a big "fuck you" to international users on the site. I just don't understand how the shipping price has quadrupled since 2012 when they used a different company.
Yeah, 40 bucks to get a 20$ shirt to Norway as well. Or I can do the UPS Saver 1 day delivery for a cool 300$. Because of this I actually can't justify buying a shirt. I got all the Whisky Media member shirts, I got the Bombduders one, but I'm not sure if I can afford the 2015 one :/ I might be able to, if my previous coupon for Yearly Membership still works. Anyway, it should be a way to lower the cost for shipping, right?
Is it still shit? I wanted to buy a giantbomb hoodie a few years back, but the shipping would have cost 50$ to get it to canada (at the time). How? What? Why? Some of the craziest shipping prices I've seen for something so simple (clothing).
Hmm... buy a PS4 or get a Giant Bomb shirt shipped overnight... Seriously, this is even worse than the UK shipping shown above. Can anybody justify paying any of these?
I'm not sure why the shipping cost is so high. I have ordered stuff from the US before (USPS no less), and that shipping cost was at most a third of that.
I had to pay 40 euro for import costs on top of the already pricey shipping when I got the shirt with the membership. It also took a month for it to arrive. It's a shame, I really want a hoodie and a shirt but I'm not emptying my already slim bank account for a shirt.
I had shipped in from Japan that was cheaper and faster.
This is the current shipping cost to Australia. Thankfully I ordered 2 shirts and a hoodie back when the price wasn't insane. Even back then (2012) it was $33 shipping, which was already a lot, but more realistic.
yeah, that stuff is just unreasonable. I would love to buy more shirts, but the shipping costs to europe (germany) are just nuts. There MUST be cheaper options. I ordered stuff from the US in the past that was way cheaper.
I don't anywhere else online that has shipping prices anywhere near as ridiculous as this. Surprised it's not been sorted yet either, it's not a new issue and basically a big "fuck you" to international users on the site. I just don't understand how the shipping price has quadrupled since 2012 when they used a different company.
I started another thread (didn't see this one... didn't look closely to be honest) and, don't worry! It's nothing personal to Duders Sans Frontières. I'm within the continental US and my shipping is not any cheaper:
And it's not like it's confused about where I am...
To put a little perspective on it, I could ship a 50lb slab of steel across the country for $13 with the USPS Priority Mail.
It's flat rate shipping. If you can get it in an 11"x8"x5" box and it weighs less than 70lbs, it's all the same price. Even if you couldn't get a sweatshirt into that box (side note, you can easily get a sweatshirt in that box), next size up is 27"x11"x3" for $18. Assuming that pricing scales...
For $31 you'd have the ability to send a box that is almost 1 cubic foot. If we waterproofed the box and filled it with beer, that'd almost be 60 pints of fluid and it'd still be under the 70lb limit.
Rorie made a thread about this about a year ago, I remember posting an extensive comparison between different stores and the GB Emporium there, as did other users. I think most of the issues discussed are still applicable, check it out if you want:
Not as "bad" but still insane. This is to a major metropolitan area in Canada. The cheapest option is twice the cost of the shirt.
To give you an idea, I checked the shipping prices for a few more popular shirt sites in the US.
Busted Tees: $9-14 (The most expensive still could take a few days. No 1 day.)
Think Geek: $7-20
Threadless: $10 (only option)
So it seems most places will ship a shirt at 1/3 of the price of the cheapest GB option.
Again, if it makes you feel any better (and it shouldn't because it doesn't matter). Threadless will ship a hoodie to me for $5.50.
Giant Bomb vs Threadless to Canada: 292% increase. Giant Bomb vs Threadless to US: 570% increase.
For fun, let's say I needed to spend $30 on shipping for a sweatshirt. Like I'm in the final throws of some Brewsters Million's scenario. If I wanted to do that with Threadless:
I would be able to order 19 sweatshirts. Now, I don't know if I could get another one in there, because once I crossed $1,000 the shipping dropped to $0 - apparently if you get 20 shirts or spend a grand, free shipping.
I order a lot of shirts from Teefury, I can get a shirt for 10 bucks plus 4 bucks UPS shipping, even less if I wanted more shirts and get the shirt within a week., and that's from the US to The Netherlands. Even ordering two shirts from J-List was cheaper and faster.
As someone whose job involves shipping things all over the world a few times a week, the problem is obvious. They are not offering USPS First Class shipping. I ship things internationally all the time with USPS First Class International, and the most I've ever paid is about $18, and that was for something that weighed over two pounds I think. A shirt would probably cost around $8-$12 or so, depending on where it was going, and a hoodie would probably be around $15.
It also seems that their shipping rates are just off in general. There is no way that Priority mail should cost anything more than $10 or so at the most. I have no idea how they got $46 for Priority 2 day mail. They need to do a total overhaul of their shipping options and rates. They use a drop shipper right, as in nobody at GB or CBSi actually handles the shipping? Its totally possible this drop shipping company rates aren't set up for individual purchases, but instead are set up for bulk purchases. I think I remember them saying the printing company handles their shipping, so I wouldn't be surprised at all if their rates were set up for bulk orders. That is the only way I can figure out why they would be charging so much for shipping.
They need to either have a serious talk with their drop shipper about this, or they need to hire someone else to handle their shipping. Hell, they could hire me to do it, ship the shirts to me, pay me hourly to ship them, and they would still save a ton of money from the reduced shipping costs.
Rorie made a thread about this about a year ago, I remember posting an extensive comparison between different stores and the GB Emporium there, as did other users. I think most of the issues discussed are still applicable, check it out if you want:
While incredibly selfish of me to point this out... nothing @rorie says explains why domestic shipping is so out of whack. Thaijedi posted a screenshot where his shipping, to Thailand, was .13 more than mine for the same item? If domestic shipping is double what it should be, maybe that's true for international orders.
Not sure what to think, here. This has been an issue for over a year. The crux of Rorie's solution was to have the customer email the printers? Unless they've entered in a long term contract, there's no good reason this should still be a problem. Even if the solution is to find a different printer.
I'm not trying to be mean, but at this point there's an element of complicity. If the vendor is gouging your customers and can't be worked with then change vendors.
This is always a problem for me when I get that $15 coupon for the store that is effectively worthless because the shipping is so insane I would never order anything.
@blaineblaine: I think he mentions in our exchange that he has no real control over it. He was just getting info.
@humanity: Yeah that's why I have been going for the discount subscriptions without the discount codes. It's good to have that as an option for the people who can't really put the discount code to good use.
The UPS shipping being high seems to just be because it's coming from SF. I played around on the ups ground cost site and I am getting price quotes from UPS that are pretty damn close to the store's super high pricing (when I reversed the from/to fields to ship from where I am in the midwest to SF the cost was like half). Going to the USPS site and looking at flat rate boxes to the UK as an example I was getting $23+ pricing for the small boxes there too. It doesn't look like the gbomb shipper is gouging so much as they don't have any sort of deal worked out to make it more reasonable. Places like threadless probably get so much more business they've worked out deals with the shipping companies for better rates.
@blaineblaine: I think he mentions in our exchange that he has no real control over it. He was just getting info.
I'm not dismissing that point. I don't doubt they're not listening to him. I am, however, deprecating it considerably.
It's not a get of out of jail free card. There are other printers. And I'm not saying it's Rorie's call who they use, it very likely is not. And it sucks that part of 'community management' is being a focal point for issues. Your loyal customers have a binary choice: Order a shirt and get gouged or don't. Giant Bomb is not in a binary choice. Saying 'we can't control what Social Imprints or Shopify does' carries water but only to a point. My contention is we are past that point.
Let's say whoever is contracted to do CBS's food service is consistently overcharging at the cafe/commisary. The statement could be made that pricing is the vendor's prerogative. However, I won't entertain the notion that if this is a documented issue that the relationship with the vendor would not be subject to negotiation and perhaps termination.
The argument that there is an utter lack of control can't be substantiated. And again, I don't want to be an ass, if it's been this long it's a manner of complicity. Not saying it's Rorie, but someone somewhere doesn't care or is fine with the arrangement for whatever reason.
Rorie made a thread about this about a year ago, I remember posting an extensive comparison between different stores and the GB Emporium there, as did other users. I think most of the issues discussed are still applicable, check it out if you want:
While incredibly selfish of me to point this out... nothing @rorie says explains why domestic shipping is so out of whack. Thaijedi posted a screenshot where his shipping, to Thailand, was .13 more than mine for the same item? If domestic shipping is double what it should be, maybe that's true for international orders.
Not sure what to think, here. This has been an issue for over a year. The crux of Rorie's solution was to have the customer email the printers? Unless they've entered in a long term contract, there's no good reason this should still be a problem. Even if the solution is to find a different printer.
I'm not trying to be mean, but at this point there's an element of complicity. If the vendor is gouging your customers and can't be worked with then change vendors.
It's worth mentioning that the prices from a year ago to the prices today have over doubled ($19 to UK then, $43 now). There was an issue when it was $19 and people were complaining then.
The UPS shipping being high seems to just be because it's coming from SF. I played around on the ups ground cost site and I am getting price quotes from UPS that are pretty damn close to the store's super high pricing (when I reversed the from/to fields to ship from where I am in the midwest to SF the cost was like half). Going to the USPS site and looking at flat rate boxes to the UK as an example I was getting $23+ pricing for the small boxes there too. It doesn't look like the gbomb shipper is gouging so much as they don't have any sort of deal worked out to make it more reasonable. Places like threadless probably get so much more business they've worked out deals with the shipping companies for better rates.
My question to this would be: Why are they using UPS to ship t-shirts/hoodies? I ship stuff as part of my job and the only reason to use UPS is when something weighs a significant amount. A t-shirt and/or hoodie are light and should be shipped via the USPS. USPS first class would be like $4-$5 at the most, while USPS priority would be around $8-$10 at the most. Even USPS first class international would only be around $20 at the most, and that would be for a multiple item order.
As for shipping deals, I'm pretty sure Threadless uses the USPS, so their shipping rates are the standard rates everyone would be charged. Its possible they have some type of agreement with them, but not to the point where their rates would be so much cheaper than the shipper GB is using.
@baillie: Add more if you get stung by import taxes. I live in Ireland, so shipping costs are comparable to those to the UK. The most you're allowed ship into the country before you get hit by custom charges is about $30 (including shipping). That meant that things like Teefury shirts just got under the radar. Recently I got stung for import taxes and now my name and home address is on a list and I got stung three more times (all kickstarter items). Custom charges are not cheap either, usually adding at least 25% of the value of the item.
I've never had a problem with how Teefury and other likeminded sites ship their clothes. They've always arrived in good time and good condition and more importantly they cost about $7 to ship. They're based in California too though they might print elsewhere.
Current cost of a $20 t-shirt + shipping (with a risk of an additional fee of customs charges of about 24%), twice as much as the cost of the shirt with the cheapest shipping option.
This is always a problem for me when I get that $15 coupon for the store that is effectively worthless because the shipping is so insane I would never order anything.
This is why I wait for the sales to buy my membership. The $15 coupon is worthless for me so there's no point in me paying extra for it.
I think I still have an unused voucher and my last sub was bought in the sale as I can't really use the vouchers.
The last store order I decided to do in bulk and that came to $70 shipping on $120 (inc discount) of goods, then the UK customs stung me for duty too. Probably wouldn't have bought anything if I didn't have a voucher to use up as the postage would put me off.
Recently bought from Yetee and they charged $5.50 post for one shirt and $8 for 2
Yeah the shipping charges are very prohibitive. I'd love to buy the new Metal Gear Scanlon shirt, but with the shipping expenses the price just gets too high.
Crazy, two years ago I ordered things on multiple occasions and shipping was less than $12 in both orders. Now, if I want to order a t-shirt again, the shipping is almost twice the price of the shirt! $29.25 to ship a $15 shirt into Ontario.
I just re-subscribed but I wish I had waited until I saw this because I wouldn't have bothered getting the store coupon..
Shipping costs definitely increased at some point for Canada at least. I bought a VinCo. Shirt on Aug. 26, 2014 and the shipping cost was $10.56. Now it's $29.25.
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