Dear AB: Where is the Free Shipping from CPS?

Dear AB: Where is the Free Shipping from CPS?
Container and Packaging
by Container and Packaging
September 8, 2020, Updated June 16, 2021

Welcome to our monthly advice column! It is written by yours truly, Amber Boston, but call me A.B. Each month, I sift through the piles of letters I receive and pick out just one lucky writer. Then I offer my completely solicited advice (because, hey, you asked!) to help you have the best experience possible from Container & Packaging Supply. This month, we're tackling shipping.

Dear A.B.,

I noticed that CPS doesn't offer free shipping. Don't you know that EVERYONE offers free shipping these days? It seems silly that you make me pay to have my purchases delivered to my front door. You really ought to get on the bandwagon and give everyone free shipping.

Sincerely yours,

FedUPS

 

Dear FedUPS,

What a fascinating observation you've made! And a true one, at that! Many retailers offer what they call free shipping! That so-called free shipping is often attached to a condition: spend X amount of dollars to get free shipping! Pay an annual fee to get free shipping! But is shipping really free?

What is Free Shipping?

Let's take a quick look at how a product might get to you. After you place an order, it is picked from the warehouse, packaged, and loaded onto a truck. The truck takes your order to a distribution hub, where it is weighed, measured, and sorted. Then your package gets loaded onto another truck, which takes it to the distribution center closest to you. It is sorted again and put on yet another truck, which delivers it to your door.

How Shipping Works

Now look back at that process. Do you really think any of that is done without any compensation to all of the sorters, loaders, drivers, and other people who work so hard to get your order to you? Would YOU do those jobs without expecting some sort of payment? No? So why would anybody else? News flash: shipping is NEVER free. And anyone who tells you differently is trying to sell you something. When companies advertise this perk, they have to make up for the cost somewhere else. They do this by increasing the prices of their products, or by charging annual fees to cover those costs. Shipping has to be paid somehow.

Saving on Shipping with CPS

At Container & Packaging Supply, we believe in creating value for everyone. One way that we do this is by giving you a great price on your container needs. Our product prices aren't marked up to cover shipping fees; the prices you see are the prices you get, with no coupons, sales, or gimmicks. This includes the shipping costs. We have people who work tirelessly with different shipping companies to get the best deals, and we pass those savings on to you. So instead of marking up the prices of our containers to cover so-called free shipping, we tell you what you're getting. We hope that by showing you what you are actually paying for, you will be able to make the best decisions for yourself.

For more information about how knowing what you are paying gives you power in your purchasing decisions, check out this blog post. And if you need help deciding what shipping options are best for you, feel free to contact our customer support group.

Cordially,

A.B.

For more advice from A.B., leave your questions in the comments below!