Ordering Question for the gang...

[Paul]

I'd have to agree your min is fair. I rarely order from venders precisely because shipping is so high. It is usually just not worth it to order just one small plant and pay almost as much in shipping. As shipping generally does not go up that much with the addition of a 2nd or 3rd plant (assuming they are also small of course), I would be more likely to make use of a min order with a vender who would keep the shipping cost down for me.

[jkofferdahl]

Ray, in my opinion a minimum of just $20 is absurd. To you! I can't imagine, with your fair prices, that you're leaving much space at all for profitability once your costs are added into the equation. It seems to me that you are way to generous, and I can't imagine why anyone would fault you for making that minimum higher.

[littlefrog]

I have to agree with the previous, although I wouldn't increase the minimum. Charging for packing is perfectly reasonable, and I don't think people mind paying for shipping supplies if they know they are going to get what they pay for. Some vendors definitely charge too much, but covering your costs is certainly reasonable (and sane).

I charge $3.00 for winter packing, regardless of how many plants (50? Bring it on!). That includes a foam lined box (I have to buy the foam, and sometimes I buy the boxes), and one or two heat packs depending on how big the box is. Comes out to about break even, often I lose money but that is life.

I'd have to raise my prices substantially if I didn't charge for packing. Now, most of the things I sell online are $2-4 foliage plants (little ferns, bromeliads, etc), not orchids. With orchids the profit margin is higher, so I could probably absorb it. But with those cheap little ones, even a $20 order wouldn't come close to covering the materials.

I always calculate shipping costs based on the actual weight, so not much that I can do about the one plant orders costing more to ship than the plants are worth. After foam, heat packs, boxes, etc, a minimum weight is 2 pounds. Usually more like three. I can ship at least 10 plants in a three pound box, so it really doesn't make sense to order just one. But people do it all the time...

Rob

[quiltergal]

Considering many vendors have a $50 minimum order, I think a $20 min. is more than fair. Heck if someone can't find $20 worth of stuff to order from your site they aren't looking hard enough!

[Ray]

Thanks for the additional feedback.

Part of my issue is automation. I can automatically add a surcharge for orders below a certain level, or I can specify a minimum.

I suppose I could automatically add a packing surcharge, but orders need different packaging, and I'd have to use the more expensive case for the charge, which screws orders that are physically smaller.

I suspect that in my situation I'm stuck with a minimum, or assigning a price to every different box, and apply that. Naahhh. Too much work.