General Interest
You must be kiddingI just received this email: "Because our new printer is in Europe, we can <font color="#fd7820">ship books faster</font> and lower your shipping costs while still providing reliable and trackable shipping methods. " But you’re still asking almost 24 euro’s to ship 1 softcover of 12,95 within the Netherlands? How come? Ton van ‘t Hof 
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Ton – We currently offer a trackable shipping method because it’s reliable and, on the off-chance something unexepected occurs, easy to quickly resolve issues with UPS. That said, we share your concerns with the expense in certain countries and are actively working with our print partner in the Netherlands to come up with cost-effective alternatives. Stay posted to the Forums and our blog for shipping updates. |
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I’d like to share the same feeling Shipping to Hong Kong for a 28 pages hardcover landscape book of US$29.95 is US$58! Please, kindly look into this as this is absolutely ridiculous as it stands now. |
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Same for me, here in Brazil. Blurb would be a wonderful option for me (and for other people I know, too), if it wasn’t for the shipping prices. |
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Yeees! Keep that shipping prices down. The trackable shipping method is great, but I think I could live without it for that price. Please give us the option!! |
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As someone that is involved in ecommerce myself, I can attest to the fact that shipping is the most irritating part of the job. Prices are extremely high—yet if you elect to ship things more cheaply, i.e. without a tracking number etc., either items often do not arrive or people feel entitled to claim that they didn’t. Heck, in Canada it is more expensive for me to ship items within my own country than it is to ship to any place in the United States. Eg. I can ship my standad sized package to Fredericton (the capital of the province of New Brunswick and by no means a remote area), only 1000km away for $27.88; however, to ship the exact same package from here to Los Angeles, California, a distance of 4500km, it only costs me $20.10. Can you explain that? And this is of course for a package that only measures 4"x4"x12" and weighs 2lbs. So I understand the situation Blurb finds themselves in. Shipping is tough. |
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Mindspan, Try to understand that there are two different currency valuation in the states and Canada. And you did not state the specific carrier, whether if it is public or private carrier to ship your book in Canada. Try to be a bit more specific when addressing about the shipment issue, cost wise and which carrier you are referring it to. |
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Mindspan…..you empathy and perspective are appreciated. |
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Brian—I don’t think you understood my post :) I was talking about my own ecommerce business and drawing parallels to the situation Blurb finds themselves in with my own. For the record, we use UPS. |
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Oh and also for the record I am well aware of the currency differences between Canada and the United States, right now our dollar is worth 95 US cents… it’s pretty much at parity… and I was quoting both prices in Canadian dollars which is what UPS bills me in no matter where I ship. |
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The shipping costs more than the books. We are all in the wrong business. |
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agree!!! the production cost of my 20pages book just $18.9, but shipping it to Hong Kong need $60. it’s ridiculous! |
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For a €12.95 book, I’d gladly save money by using standard postage and tick a checkbox on the order page to acknowledge that I assume the risk. |
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UPS (and other specialist freight/courier companies) are a pain for private consumers. You pay twice the cost, the goods arrive no faster than normal mail (unless you pay a super premium) and you have to be home to sign for the goods (which often results in me having to arrange leave stuff in the carport after UPS find no one home 2-3 times). Give me normal mail every time. The tracking is a gimmick for the consumer and is only of interest to the seller to ensure that there is a way of resolving false claims of non-delivery. |
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I downloaded the software and have a book about done, I am wondering since I can’t get shipping prices until my book is uploaded if anyone has a guess how much shipping is going to be on a 8×10 hardcover book to 49009 zip code, I’m starting to get worried that this place might be making some huge profit on shipping alone from what I read and the fact that you can’t see shipping till your uploaded a book. Any help would be great, Ron |
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I don’t know where 49009 is but I had some books shipped to 22836 (opposite end of the country from originating point) and the shipping was between $7.00-8.00. I actually live in Canada, and this was half the cost of shipping to my home As my in-laws live in the US, I was able to wait until a family visit to get my book. I too would love to see a cheaper alternative, although I also see the value in being able to track the orders. Dale |
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Ron— Your reaction is understandable given the community’s feedback in this and other threads. Let me assure you, shipping is not a profit center for us. Our domestic rates are competitive and our international rates, while steadily improving, are what bring on the community’s ire. Per your question, there are more variables to consider aside from zipcode … though it’s an important one. To figure package weight you need to consider both page count and quantity of books. Check out this FAQ for more information. My recommendation would be to find a book of similar size in the bookstore and take it through the first step of the check-out process to see sample rates. Here is an example of a 158 page book and another example of a 40 page book. Try out different quantities and if you’d like, tell the group what you’ve found. And Dale….thanks for adding your experience to this discussion. |
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A small point as Blurb makes moves to be more global – referring to something as domestic as a synonym for domestic to the USA is not good ettiquette. Rather than "domestic", say "in the States". "Domestic" is unclear in these circumstances. Small point, but it’s things like this that help to add community. |
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Thank you guys for your reply, Put’s my mind at ease that I won’t go through all the steps of making a book that I am really proud of to find that I have a 50 dollar shipping added on. I’m in Michigan by the way. I hope to have my book uploaded sometime this weekend. Ron |
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good point Calustral….thanks |
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I had the same problem! I preferred not having my book printed than paying 67 € for the shipping costs to Spain. Note that the book costs about 20 €. It’s more than three times!!! I think one solution may be the Amazon’s shipping method. You choose what you want. If you want it fast and urgently, you have to pay more, etc… |
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