Our (strange) desire not to pay shipping costs

"Hello, I would like to purchase an item but not pay shipping costs"

We regularly receive messages asking for a promo code to obtain free shipping. It's true that we would all like to be able to purchase products online without paying extra for shipping when checking out our cart.

But is this desire realistic and is it justifiable?
We looked into this thorny but vital question for all e-retailers.

WHAT ARE SHIPPING COSTS?

The first step in tackling this subject is to clearly define what shipping costs are. Too hasty a judgment could lead one to believe that these are simply costs related to the carrier.

In fact, here are all the elements that make up the shipping costs :

👩‍🦰 Order preparation : print your order, collect the products from stock, prepare a box (a box costs around 1 euro), fill it then edit the label and stick it on the package. At Petits Cadors, it is Marion who takes care of it with great rigor and incredible efficiency. She is also the one who takes care of correcting shipping addresses, wrong telephone numbers, delivery method errors, etc.

🚚 Collection : every day, a transport company comes to collect the day's packages which are loaded into metal containers. This service is the subject of a contract and has a significant annual cost. Momo loads full containers into his truck, and unloads empty containers for the next day. He then leaves towards the sorting center. As far as we are concerned, about 12 km from our workshop.

📦 Your package will then join a Colissimo platform to be weighed, measured and directed. Your package leaves for a truck ride to the processing platform closest to its final destination. The Colissimo price list for e-merchants is negotiated by volume, but be aware that the price is very close to the one you pay to send a parcel from your post office !

🎁 Last step, your package has arrived at the post office closest to your home, it is taken care of by a postman who can put it in your mailbox or deliver it to you in person.

It is also necessary to add to all these actions the sending of notifications that you receive by email or SMS to inform you of the status of your order. Although this is automated, it is not magic and requires IT development work and daily maintenance to ensure the services work.

So we see, “shipping costs” are much more than the expression might suggest!

For information, at Petits Cadors, we cut the pear in two: the costs represented by this entire logistics chain cost us around 10 euros per package. We take on about half of it.

WHY IS IT NORMAL TO PAY SHIPPING COSTS?

After having listed all the elements that come into play in the long process that allows you to receive your package at home , you will easily admit that all of this comes at a cost.

How could we justify that Marion, our order manager, is not paid for the work she does on a daily basis?
How could we justify that the truck that comes to collect our packages from our workshop comes to us for free?
How can we justify that the operations carried out by sorting centers or postmen are offered free of charge?

Order online and receive your package without having to travel

Without going into detail about the different steps, how could we justify not paying to receive the product of our choice without having to travel?
By purchasing online this is the main benefit we have: ordering peacefully at home and receiving our package at home without having to travel .

The most surprising thing is that when we go to a physical store, it would never occur to us to ask the merchant to reimburse us for the gasoline, metro or bus ticket that allowed us to come there. 'to him. And yet, it's the same thing!

In fact, buying online but not wanting to pay shipping costs is a bit like wanting to have it both ways :-) Having the best service but for free.
In real life, it doesn't exist.

TO CONCLUDE

We could say that every service deserves payment and it is quite normal to participate financially in the delivery of a product that comes to us without having to travel . It's a question of common sense and when you take the time to think about it, you don't really see how it could be otherwise! 😺