Charging for Shipping?!?!?

[oxymoron]

^ I agree but about for the meanwhile?

[Frag Mortuus]

I buy components from digikey and console 5. In many cases, the part is >$1 and shipping is $2-3. Your logic is that you'd rather have it say $4 instead of $1 plus $3 shipping.

That doesn't make sense in many cases, likely with the enix store, and definitely with the 2 stores I just mentioned. Applying your logic, they are going to charge me $8 and free shipping for 2 AV jacks. Or, the way it works now, I buy 2 jacks for $2, and shipping is still $3, so it's only $5. Doesn't that make a lot more sense?

I bet if you put 2 or 3 copies of that game in your cart, the shipping wouldn't be $13.50 or $20.25, it would probably be the same, maybe $1 or so more.

I don't know what you think the discount for retailers is - but I assure it isn't as high as you are assuming. My employer has 2,500 employees and they send i'd guess 40-50 mailings a year to each employee (26 paystubs mailed, plus random events, notices, etc), and probably another 3-4,000 bills to patients each month. That's a rough guesstimate of 140,000 letters a year. Our discounted rate on first class mail is $0.09/per. I understand amazon is much larger - but we're talking about the enix shop, if they get a discount, it isn't what you had assumed.

You're absolutely right. It doesn't make sense every time, for every item. In those cases, it doesn't work. But, when a normally high priced item goes on sale but the shipping takes it back up to normal price it is kind of disheartening.

So if the game was priced at $16.74 with free shipping you would of bought it?

No. As I said in my original post, I think the amount of shipping vs the price of the game is ridiculous. If it were a couple of bucks, then I would have paid it.

So, if the price was $11.99 with free shipping, then absolutely.

I guess my point was if you had no idea how much the shipping cost was and the game was listed for $16, would you buy it? It's only 6 bucks more. I deal with this on a daily basis, so just interested. If I give a client a landed priced vs a price with freight it's a totally different story, like everyone expects freight companies not to make any money.

Ignorance is bliss Honestly, I may have. I think the whole thing was that I didn't like getting blindsided by the shipping cost. Because a dirt cheap deal was no longer so dirt cheap.

[Frag Mortuus]

^ I agree but about for the meanwhile?

Nothing. There really is no quick fix. Maybe people can start migrating toward learning a trade instead of college. The training is far quicker and cheaper and in some instances can lead to more money than most college graduates should expect to make. Carpenters, Masons. Electricians, Mechanics, Welders. Those types of jobs are in pretty high demand and can lead to some great money.

[MrPopo]

^ I agree but about for the meanwhile?

Nothing. There really is no quick fix. Maybe people can start migrating toward learning a trade instead of college. The training is far quicker and cheaper and in some instances can lead to more money than most college graduates should expect to make. Carpenters, Masons. Electricians, Mechanics, Welders. Those types of jobs are in pretty high demand and can lead to some great money.

I was going to say this. Right now there is a large deficit in young people pursuing trade schools, which means we're going to see a shortage of this kind of skilled labor in the future.

[oxymoron]

^ I agree but about for the meanwhile?

Nothing. There really is no quick fix. Maybe people can start migrating toward learning a trade instead of college. The training is far quicker and cheaper and in some instances can lead to more money than most college graduates should expect to make. Carpenters, Masons. Electricians, Mechanics, Welders. Those types of jobs are in pretty high demand and can lead to some great money.

I was going to say this. Right now there is a large deficit in young people pursuing trade schools, which means we're going to see a shortage of this kind of skilled labor in the future.

This is handy-dandy for folks who want to pursue careers in the blue-collar industry. What about people that want to work in the office?

[Frag Mortuus]

This is handy-dandy for folks who want to pursue careers in the blue-collar industry. What about people that want to work in the office?

There are plenty of office jobs that don't require a college degree. However, most of them aren't well paying. The office manager at the coal inspection company I mentioned made about $21 an hour and she didn't have a degree, but that is a bit of an anomaly. I think the solution for that will fall under granting companies tax incentives if they pay their employees better. IMO, this would help to lessen the large income gap we have in this country.

[dsheinem]

This is handy-dandy for folks who want to pursue careers in the blue-collar industry. What about people that want to work in the office?

No education at any level offers a "golden ticket" (see the deluge of unemployed or underemployed PhDs in many fields), but in most contexts (especially "office jobs") a college degree is seen as either a prerequisite for consideration or something that gives you a leg up on those without one. It isn't going to make you stand out from the pack, but the lifetime earning statistics, job satisfaction measures, and most other evaluations of career happiness weigh heavily in favor of those with a degree than those without.

[oxymoron]

So a college degree is only worth pursuing if you're going to follow it up with more handwork and dedication is what you're saying I presume. I know this is a given but from what I hear, read, and see it's no longer the standard. Part of the problem is due to the economy but a good portion is also do to this generation's entitlement and ''I'm special'' attitude towards life.

[dsheinem]

So a college degree is only worth pursuing if you're going to follow it up with more handwork and dedication is what you're saying

Yes, work hard in college and work hard in life. Dedicate yourself to the things that interest you and excel in them as much as you can. If you do it right, it often won't feel like work at all.

It's best not to look at college as a vocational training school or as a chance to get your start in some big money career. Unlike High School where you are told what you have to take, college is a once in a lifetime opportunity to spend as much time as you can manage in studying things that interest you, broadening your horizons and experiences, and making new connections. Inevitably you will pick up some useful skills that can be folded into a career along the way, but I think viewing college as a magic key/golden ticket to a particular kind of job will do more to frustrate than motivate. Work on developing versatility and a broad general knowledge of the world and work on becoming an expert in something that you really enjoy learning about/working on. That combination of educational training will be valued in almost any field. Do internships and get involved in student clubs that are connected to the kinds of people and professions that excite you. Do stuff in the community. Show that you can and do go above and beyond what your peers do, and you will be in much better shape than the "C or B" student who just goes to class and spends all evening/weekends yukking it up.

[Jagosaurus]

I don't know why, but I have a serious issue with paying for shipping when I'm ordering from a major company. Most big companies get dirt cheap rates since they do so much business with couriers and can probably write it off as a business expense. So, why charge your customers for shipping? Make them happy and let them get their items for the price they have in their head and be done with it.

A lot of places are doing this, so why doesn't everyone? I just tried to order a Final Fantasy III (DS) from the Square Enix store because they have it on sale for $9.99, then I canceled my order when I saw the shipping was an additional $6.75. Dude, that is 67.5% of the price of the game! If it were just $2, I may have gone ahead and bit the bullet. But, that price is a little outrageous.

Maybe I've been spoiled, but I will pretty not much order an item online form a retailer if I have to pay shipping. I don't mind paying shipping to an individual like on this site, but a big company can afford to give free shipping to their customers.

/soapbox

Square Enix reported a loss of $138 million last FY....not the best "they can float my shipping cost" example lol...