WHY ARE HATS SO EXPENSIVE TO SHIP?

WHY ARE HATS SO EXPENSIVE TO SHIP?
Looking for a great hat deal here on okay? Find the hat of your dreams and it's only .99 opening bid with no reserve? Very Cool! But wait... You check the shipping and are shocked to find that the postage and s/h costs are $10 - $12? OK, I'm gonna let you in on a few trade secrets here about shipping hats. This particular guide will be short, but it should answer your questions about this topic.
I'VE FOUND THE HAT OF MY DREAMS...
So you've found it. The perfect hat. In your size. In the color you prefer. Quality material. Reputable seller. The price is right. It's an omen! You've got to have it! You've researched this type of hat and know you're getting an awesome deal. Your hand is twitching and itching and ready to bid. You notice that postage is $9.15 (USPS Flat Rate Postage is a verifiable shipping rate)and are wondering why...
POSTAGE and S/H COSTS...
The hat you are jonesing for weighs less than6 ounces, so whyare the postage and s/h charges around $10? Here is a typical breakdown of that $9.15:
1. Crush Resistant Box - This is very important. I wouldn't want my hat to arrive in an old, cheap, beat-up, crushed box. Picture the back room of a post office or UPS warehouse. Need I say more? A good, sturdy, crush-resistant box costs me about $2.65 for my larger hats. The smaller derby's and fedoras can be shipped in a USPS Priority Mail box, which is also a sturdy, crush resistant box. This cost is gemonly listed under s/h charges.
2. Insurance - You should always insure your hat. Insurance runs $1.65 to cover up to $50.00. This small price covers your hat or hats in case some freak accident occurs and your box does get crushed (hey, it happens), or say Joe Postman spills his morning coffee on the box and it seeps through the box. You just never know. It also covers loss in the event your hat doesn't arrive and the post office can't locate it.
3. For my sales, I usually put the hat in a nice hat bag. Suitable for gift giving. The bags run 1.05 each, but are well worth it. They protect the hat from Joe Postman's coffee, as well as spills from broken items that are from other people's packages. You know what I mean, Sweet Little Mrs. Jones sent her granddaughter and grandsona bottle of perfume/cologne, but didn't bubblewrap them and they broke during shipping. Your hat was stored right underneath it on the truck. Ewwwwwwwww. Now your hat smells like Shalamar. Pretty manly, huh? Ladies, your hat now smells like Brut, and that's not very femine, now is it? And the mixture of the two scents would knock an elephant out. Not to mention what that perfume/cologne will do to the wool or straw that your hat is made of... This cost is gemonly listed under s/h charges.
4. Bubblewrap, popcorn, etc. - As a rule, most hats are stronger than people think they are and require very little, if any, packaging material. I sometimes put airbags if the hat is one that will take on a new shape during shipping. Expect to pay about $1.00 to $2.00 for inside packing materials. Sometimes they aren't necessary, but if they are, you don't want the seller to have cheaped out. The reason this is charged for all hats, even if not used, is because most listings are standardized and the cost is prefigured before the hat is boxed. The money is not usually deducted because it gets used to cover other costs, like tape, paper, ink, glue, fees, gas, etc. It's a long way to stretch a buck, but sellers try. This is gemonly listedunder s/h charges.
As long as we're mentioning fees, do you know how much it costs to list a hat? A typical listing, for me anyway, runs about $1.80 if I only use one photo. Each additional photo (like the one of the inside lining) is .15. That $1.80 is before final value fees or paypal fees or additional photos. I don't usually go in for the fancier stuff for two reasons: I'd have to pass the cost on to the buyer and that would definitely stink. I think a fair price sells a product. I think personality sells a product.
5. Actual Postage - Most, but not all,hats weighjust about6 ounces before packaging. Packaging adds to that weigh considerably. The box has a weight, the packing materials have weight, even the tape and mailing label add to the weight. Your6 ounce hat, once boxed, can be expected to weigh somewhere in the area of about1 1/2lbs, which gets charged at the 2 lb rate. 1 lb 1 ounce is charged at the 2 lb rate. Sellers have no control over that and are as frustrated about it as you are.On a 6 ounce hat, with postage and insurance, I average about $9.00 to be paid just to the post office. That is postage and insurance alone. And don't even get me started on International Postage!!!
SO LET'S ADD THAT UP ON A HAT THAT SOLD FOR $9.00:
Crush Resistant Box: $2.65
Insurance $1.65
Hat Bag 1.05
Packing Material $1.00
okay Listing Fees:$1.80
okay/Paypal Final Sales Fees:$2.00
AveragePostage $8.00
Total: $18.15
That is approximately what the 'cost' is for every hat sold. Even if you subtract what thebuyer pays for postage ($9.15 plus $1.65 for insurance in most cases), it still gees to about $7.35 just to list, sell, and package a hat. That doesn't even include the time it takes me to list it, which is about 40 minutes (my time is worth something right?). But add the cost of gas (going to the store to purchase packing supplies, going to the Post Office to mail, etc.) and the price goes right back up. So that $9.00 plus postage you paid actually nets meless than$1.65 if it sells for the opening bid.
If you buy a name brand hat, like say, a Bailey Cowboy Hat, postage goes up, insurance may go up, but the rest stays the same. Sometimes we make a dollar on the postage, and of course if I can save a dollar somewhere without sacrificing quality in shipping, I may actually make an extrabuck or two. That is not to say that all sellers are fair-postage-minded. I'm always ticked when I see a hat listed for .99 and the postage is $30 . It doesn't cost that much to send a hat. I know. I sell hats everyday. Even a Bailey Western Hat in it's Bailey Box doesn't run that much.
Now, I can't vouch for other sellers. I can't vouch for other items. This is what the associated costs of sending a hat are. If it's done right. If a listing doesn't have the weight of the item, and/or the shipping weight, ask the seller what the weight is. In most cases, you will find hat dealers are not making their money on postage and/or s/h fees. Another thing to think about is this: Just because you get your hat, or any item, for a great price, it won't change the shipping. I've had customers geplain that they only paid .99 for a hat, but postage and s/h were $10 or so. It doesn't matter if you pay .99 or $199.99, the $9.15 shipping is the $9.15 shipping. As you can see, it really is what it costs to send that beautiful, perfect, dreamy hat.