Shipping Rates

Have you ever found a product online that you looked far and wide for only to discover at checkout that shipping will cost almost as much as the product itself? Frustrating. We all know that gas prices are increasing and so shipping isn’t cheap, but the alternative is to put gas in your own car and drive to a store. Of course, the beauty of shopping online is that you don’t have to go anywhere, so it seems okay if shipping costs about the same as a gallon or two of gas. Don’t forget, as well, that the diesel powered UPS truck is more efficient and pollutes less than that big SUV you might be driving.

The reason it seems like many companies try to gouge customers isn’t so much that it is true they are trying to get you. The problem is that shippers don’t give small or medium sized companies very good rates. When you order a one pound item that ships from Florida to Washington and you are charged $10 or $11, it is because the company you ordered from is being charged $8 or $9 (hint: a great way to save money is to have your orders shipped to you at work). Most companies’ decision makers are programmed to believe that money must be made on shipping, so the rates are padded to cover handling costs.

We decided to do things a little differently. As a smaller company, The White Pebble does not get the best rates from UPS. Instead of marking rates up, though, we mark them down – that’s right – The White Pebble actually loses money on shipping. Some folks would say that practice isn’t very smart, but we’re more concerned with removing any and all barriers between you and great organic fashion. For some, it is already somewhat difficult to make a connection between health and clothing. If making shipping charges cheaper helps bring them around, The White Pebble is willing to lose a couple of dollars to promote individual, social and environmental health.