Simple Loose Leaf | Shipping question for Canadian residents
Dear Canadians,
We are working on being able to ship to Canada. One of the elements that we struggle with is the cost of shipping and how much customers are willing to pay. So instead of guessing we are going to ask you.
Let’s say you are purchasing a 3 to 6 month subscription from Simple Loose Leaf and the average price of the tea you order is $7.50 US. What should shipping cost you per item? At what point do you say “No, way to high.”?
Thank you for any and all input offered.
Sincerely,
Simple Loose Leaf
How many ounces of tea would we receive for $7.50?
That largely depends on the tea. For most of our teas that would be 2 oz to 4 oz of tea. Some of the more expensive teas that is going to be in the 1 oz. area.
It really depends on what kind of tea it is (and how bad I want it). If it was just 1 oz of tea, I would not be inclined to pay anything for shipping because it is such a small amount. But I also rarely order just 1 oz of tea. I currently pay between $4-7 for around 3-4 oz of tea. Some companies have flat rate shipping, ie. $15 shipping for any amount of tea up to $50; $20 shipping for how much tea can fit into a medium sized Purolator box. Also if I am ordering a large amount of tea, I usually save up to get a free shipping level (ie. shipping free over $40, etc). Hope that gives you some idea.
Some companies have reduced shipping charges by creating other options for there clubs. Ie 52 teas had an option where you could select to have the teas sent to you once a month vs weekly and this option was significantly cheaper. If you cannot find a cheaper shipping option you might want to consider a bimonthly plan or something of the sort. As for my self like Lalla I’m most willing to pay the shipping charges above. When the prices push above $10.00 it tends to have to be a tea I am deeply interested in or a great sale where the reduced cost can push the shipping back into a price I’m willing to pay. Price tends to be a greater motivator than time for me when it comes to shipping I don’t mind waiting for tea to arrive.
Thanks. I appreciate your thoughts on shipping. The Canadian market is something we would love to get involved with, shipping is the only issue.
I am a terrible example because I don’t pay shipping. I only order from a few vendors I trust and I always meet their threshold for free shipping because it bothers me to pay the postal service so much for shipping. I deal with Canada Post regularly at work and I know they are the ones setting the shipping prices so high, but I still prefer to buy from vendors who are willing to ship for free at a certain (reasonable) point. Basically, I buy from Verdant and Teavivre, heh. I also like discount codes in the form of $ off, which I will sometimes convince my brain is paying for shipping. I know either way that the vendor loses some money though, so it may not be a viable option for you.
I don’t think your desire for free shipping is that uncommon. The issue we deal with is that free shipping inside the US is a different kind of creature than free shipping to Canada.
Thank you for your thoughts.
One other option you could look into is offering a shipping discount for Canadians on special dates. For example, Andrews and Dunham have in the past offered free shipping but only on Mothers day, Fathers day, etc.
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