stinkin high shipping charges

[Pam.Nagle]

I ship alot of packages with my day job. (I work in a warehouse.) And, I feel your pain on shipping charges. Depending on where you are located will depend on the charge, all areas are not created equal. If you ship UPS and ship to a UPS store or FedEx and ship to a Kinko's, you can use HOLD FOR PICKUP. Residential charge should not be that bad, but can be $5-7. (Been a while on that). Fedex has a program called Smart Post that Fedex works with the post office for residential delivery. You will need to ask the company when you order about it. It is a new program but does save money. If a box is "oversized" which a roll of batting will be, but since it is light, it doesn't matter. It is "dimensional weight" so a bit more. Example, if I ship a box 23 x 22 x 14 to Florida, it is about $21-$25, that box weighs 31 lbs, but dims out at 44. So, my suggestion with the company (online) who distributes their batting closest to you and order from them. Or, use the batting that you can afford to use without compromising your service. I love QD, but the Warm Co. is local and I can get Hobbs from Portland (long day trip) (I can get several rolls in my Prius).

For Shana, I would suggest contacting Lynden (in Seattle). They have a barge that goes to Alaska. What I do for my customers (again, the day job) is ship to Lynden which is cheap for me, one day delivery, and then find out how to get it from the barge to you. A lot of goods are shipped this way and it may save you money.

For foreign, I can't believe the charges some companies charge. I love USPS Flat Rate boxes. I'm cheap at heart on shipping and I don't believe in gouging someone just because they are in the UK or Australia (my 2nd job-quilting) I ship a lot there and I can pack a lot of fabric in a flat rate envelope (about 5 yards, but less than 4 lbs) for $12.95.

If you ask the company you buy from, ask what it takes to get free shipping. Example: Orders over $1000. Get with your LQS/other long arms and co-op it out.

Good luck.

[Guest Linda S]

I'm so fortunate to live only 1.5 hours from EE Schenck in Portland. I can order batting and go pick it up for less than a $30 tank of gas, plus I get to shop for other stuff while I'm there. I do occasionally order from Quilter's Dream and have never found their freight to be all that expensive.

[Sandra Darlington]

I am in Philadelphia, so not terribly far from Quilter's Dream - probably a 6 or 7 hour car trip, I'm guessing.

I just set up an account with them and received my first order a few days ago. I ordered the packaged batts and the box was FULL and I paid $13.00 for the shipping.

The box contained:

9 craft size batts

1 throw size

2 doubles

1 queen

I thought that was pretty good.

I remember discussing a roll of Puff batting with a friend in this area and I think she was charged $20 something for shipping charges, but I can't remember the exact amount.

[quiltmonkey]

Originally posted by Pam.Nagle

I ship alot of packages with my day job. (I work in a warehouse.) ........

For Shana, I would suggest contacting Lynden (in Seattle). They have a barge that goes to Alaska. What I do for my customers (again, the day job) is ship to Lynden which is cheap for me, one day delivery, and then find out how to get it from the barge to you. A lot of goods are shipped this way and it may save you money......

Thanks honey!!

[lindasewsit]

I order individual batts from QD also. 1 box cost me $13 to get shipped. I live in western side of Ohio. I let them know the batts that I NEED, then tell them to just get whatever else they can in the box. That way, I am getting all that I can in 1 box for $13 Shipping. They are very kind and good about getting all they can in the box for me! Their service is GREAT!

[Butterfly]

Thank you ladies for all your input. I think next time I will be contacting Quilters Dream and placing an order with them.

Jess

[Sandra Darlington]

Madam Butterfly ...your postage from Virginia Beach to Maryland should be low. I set up an account with QD in 5 minutes. They only asked for my business license number. They also mailed me a form to fill out (again, done in 5 minutes) to mail back to them, but the form did not hold up my order. They shipped before I even sent the form back to them. So far, their customer service matches the quality of their products. I am a happy customer.

[Lyn Heilman]

I totally agree that shipping can be outrageous! In fact, that is how I decided to be a Hobbs distributor. When you order from any of the companies ( and some distributors)

you will not only pay shipping but also a handling fee to cover their payroll expenses to do the shipping. UPS and Fed Ex are the usual carriers as they will pick up the freight from the business but they charge more since they are providing this service. If you look around you hopefully will be able to find a batting supplier that will work to keep the freight down as we do at Quilted Memories. Dory is correct about the 120" rolls. they do sometimes look a little funny! We pull the tube and compress the batting before shrink wrapping( with the customers okay). This way we can ship to you for the regular parcel post rate plus $4 to cover the supplies to compress the roll. This saves the quilter $ that can be turned in to profits. Dory, just cut off the stretch wrap and it will bounce right back and be ready to use!

Whether you order your batting from Quilted Memories or somewhere else, I would suggest trying to find someone that understands the profit margin in quilting. A company that will give you the customer service you deserve with out fleecing you for your profits! Don't hesitate to ask for a shipping quote before you order!

[NollR]

I too have ordered from Quilter's Dream and ususally have the batting in a few days with shipping that's not 2 bad.

Now, I'm going to be a Regional long Arm Distriibutor for Pellon Legacy Batting. I really like their batting and the variety and I can offer it to people in PA without high shipping charges! Since I order in bulk I save on shipping charges and therefore can pass savings onto customers!

You should try out their line to see how you like it and then see if there is a distributor for your area.

Good Luck!