Why ‘Free’ Shipping Is Not Free, But Actually More Expensive.

By Simon

Many E-commerce websites offer‘Free Shipping’ to convince customers to place an order, and more and more websites are advertising it. But someone has to pay UPS, FedEx or the post office no?

‘Free Shipping’ is, and will never be free. Usually when a company offers free shipping, the shipping price of the item is included in the final price. Let’s have a look at the following example: Seller A sells his product for $50 with “Free Shipping” while seller B sells his product for $30 + $20 shipping cost. What seller A did here was adding the shipping price to the price of the products and advertised the shipping as free. At first sight it seems like you pay the same price for both items but when ordering multiple pieces from seller A, you will be getting a worse and worse deal on the shipping since a shipping discount is offered when sending higher volumes. In this case, when ordering 3 pieces from seller A offering “Free Shipping” you will end up paying $150 (3x $50), while when ordering from seller B with transparent shipping costs will only set you back for $135 (3x $30 + $45 Shipping).

Another trick sellers use to offer “free shipping” is cutting the shipping cost by using the cheapest shipping method available. This can result in an endless waiting time (3 months is not unusual in this case) and you won’t be able to track the status of your parcel.

Here at Chinavasion, we truly believe in transparent shipping prices and that is why we offer you the option to choose your shipping method. This doesn’t only allow you to save big on the shipping cost but also gives you the ability to track your parcel and receive it within a few working days.