We covered some other questionable companies in the other compare section, (the ones using fake oil based imitation chocolate & giving the credit card numbers to a third party...), now it�s time for shipping.
Would you rather pay your fare share or fund someone else�s shipment? When you are talking about shipping a perishable product anywhere in the United States, using overnight methods, you are really talking about using airplanes (or using methods that always take more than one day which results in a product that is not as fresh). The costs can run anywhere from around $7 to much higher, obviously the shipments to Alaska and Hawaii are much higher.
Would it be fair for charge the person 50 miles away a higher rate just to subsidize the shipments to Alaska or Hawaii? Of course not. Just like it's not fair to hide all shipping in the product cost, thats why the FTC has rules on the use of the word "Free". Just like any airline, the ticket price is partially based on the distance. All the carriers charge based on package weight, size, and how far it has to travel, we set our rate tables to try to match those actual charges.
When you are talking overnight service those numbers can vary greatly. Just like an airline a ticket to fly someplace relatively close is less than a ticket to someplace far, far away. When someone is using a fixed shipping cost model they are using the extra money from local shipments to fund the distant deliveries. That is just like everyone being forced to pay for someone elses Hawaii vacation. And if you are delivering to a state they have a site in, one that taxes the product but not the shipping, you are actually being charged a tax on that built in shipping.
Better than free?
There are a group of companies that have ignored the FTC guidelines on the use of the word �Free�.
It�s not �Free� when you raise the base price of the product like they did.
Then there are all sorts of upgrade fees and charges.
They charge you $9.95 more per item if you want it delivered in the morning, or $9.95 if you need a rural delivery.
With the �Free Shipping� companies: if you order two items and need it there in the morning it will add $19.90 ($9.95x2) to the cost of the order.
The upgrade for AM delivery or rural delivery for us is $3, that�s a $6.95 savings over the free shipping that others offer.
If your shipment contains two items : our upgrade for is still just $3, but for them it�s $19.90, in this case we�d save you $16.90 just on shipping.
By using their twisted logic: we are better than "Free" and we are not making the people close pay for someone elses distant shipments.