Why does shipping cost so much?
Posted by Balanced Blends Inc. on
We are frequently asked why the cost of our shipping is so high when purchasing only 5 lbs. of product.
Our current shipping prices for ground:
5# of product = $35
10# of product = $20
15# of product = $10
20+# of product = free
So why so expensive?
Well, there are a few reasons.
- We have to cover the costs for the cardboard box, the dry ice, and the cooler case that are used to ship your product and keep it frozen. The box and insulating liner, depending on size, ranges from $7-15 when purchased in bulk, as we do. Dry ice costs anywhere from $1-3 per pound, and we include anywhere from 5lbs. (1 day winter) to 25lbs. (3 days ground summer). This means if someone orders 20# of food in the middle of summer, with dry ice, insulator, and box, it can be 50#s, which unfortunately isn’t inexpensive to ship.
- We include inserts about ingredients, how to properly handle frozen raw food, and how to transition. If we didn’t think these were important, we wouldn’t include them, but they unfortunately aren’t free for us to print.
- Since we ship a frozen product, we have to make sure we’re using a decent shipping speed, which tends to be more costly. Unlike Amazon, which has warehouses basically everywhere at this point, we just ship from one location in Nebraska. Your distance from our shipping partner affects how long your package will be in transit, whether it gets on a plane or a truck, where it’s stored along the way, and how many people interact with it.
Shipping example for an order we just got to our house in Colorado (2 day shipping):
20 lbs of food
10 lbs dry ice (winter, 2 day)
- Cost $30 (10 lbs & $3/lb)
Packaging materials 5.5 lbs 16 x 14 x 14 “
- Cost $10
Total shipped weight 45.5 lbs
Using general pricing from UPS
- $32 (UPS rack rate)
Cost to ship = $62 + Handling Fees (not low)
In summer, add 5lbs additional dry ice, 5 lb additional weight, and a larger box.
So why can we charge you nothing if you purchase 20# of product?
Because we set our prices to include distribution fees in case we decide to offer our products in stores. The math then works out that we can offer free shipping for 20 lbs of product to the contiguous US 48 states for no additional charge in summer or winter. For smaller orders we need to charge a shipping supplement to cover our costs. For larger orders the fixed costs (packaging, dry ice, handling fees) + the carrier shipping fees don’t offer a lot of room for additional discounts – though we are looking into making this happen for large families and parents to large dogs.