What $351, You have to be Shipping me!!!!!

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

Totally OT but I was into Reef Aquariums for years and I once bought an 8'L Metal Halide/T5 light fixture. Also 2-400wx2 gigantic, heavy ballasts for a total weight of 108 lbs. It only cost $145 to ship from CA to PA.
So $352 is extremely high, must be to copmbat their lower list prices for the speakers themselves....or at least I hope.
I got quoted $85 for two pairs of their x-ls bookshelves.

 

[Soundman]

I think we all need to make sure we are comparing apples to apples when talking about shipping charges. AV123 will not ship their larger heavier speakers via UPS, Fedex, etc. They value their product and want to make sure their customers are happy when they receive them. I think we all know what a box from fedex or ups looks like when it gets to your door. It's not pretty. Hopefully nothing is damaged. Instead, AV123 has opted to go with a much better shipping method. First they are double boxed very nicely, your order is then shipped on it's own individual pallet so your entire order stays together nicely, it is not handled by hand. Yellow freight will drive a forklift all the way into your living room if need be and unpack everything for you. It's a much better service. AV123 even includes a white pair of gloves to use when opening your speakers to avoid finger prints. Also, their speakers are much heavier. A pair of 760's will weigh almost right at 200lbs, 850's will weigh slightly more. The RS200 center weighs almost 50lbs on it's own, so once these speakers are double boxed on a pallet, they are incredibly heavy. My point is that AV123 is not scamming anyone. Their shipping service is far superior to say UPS. Given the service you are getting, the rates are actually competitive and AV123 does not decide the pricing on that anyway. They've made a decision to make sure they're large high quality speakers are taken care of and delivered to you in excellent condition. This may or may not appeal to you, but knowing your stuff is getting to you in one piece does wonders to your piece of mind, IMO. I ordered some Axioms once and the boxes looked destroyed by the time they got to myhouse and one of the tweeters blew after a couple days. Let me just say that you will be hard pressed to find another ID that offers this kind of service, and even harder pressed to find another ID speaker of the same built quality for their prices even considering the shipping charges. Also realize that right now some of their speakers are on sale at a 50% discount so take that into consideration too. Ok, didn't mean to go on. But just wanted to point a few things out.

 

[Soundman]

Totally OT but I was into Reef Aquariums for years and I once bought an 8'L Metal Halide/T5 light fixture. Also 2-400wx2 gigantic, heavy ballasts for a total weight of 108 lbs. It only cost $145 to ship from CA to PA.
So $352 is extremely high, must be to copmbat their lower list prices for the speakers themselves....or at least I hope.
I got quoted $85 for two pairs of their x-ls bookshelves.

A pair of 760's and the center channel will easily weigh 2.5 times as much as your aboved mentioned setup, so $352 is about right on par with your quote.

 

[soloz2]

soundman makes a good point.

Also, just for reference I just purchased a Marantz SR7001 receiver off another forum that has to be shipped from CA to NY. Shipping via UPS ground was 78.00 with insurance and another 25.00 to pack it, I'm almost positive av123 uses insurance on all their speakers as well, which increases the price, especially when you are insuring $500+

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

Ok, so perhaps it is not THAT OT, but it is still steep for sure, I mean, your paying almost 50% of the cost of the item just to ship it. It really just pushed it over the edge for me and decided to go with a less expensive speaker.

I auditioned a set of Polk rti8 and really liked their midrange so much so that I am buying a pair this weekend.

Perhaps the rockets are better, they certainly look nicer, but for $500 extra bucks, I guess i'll just "suffer" with the rti's.

 

[highfihoney]

A pair of 760's and the center channel will easily weigh 2.5 times as much as your aboved mentioned setup, so $352 is about right on par with your quote.

It sure is.

All this freaking out about overcharging for shipping amazes me,anybody who has shipped (not received) a large & heavy item lately,with any shipping company, would know that the price being charged is normal,maybe about 20% too high but i'd bet its because a faster mode of shipping(other than ground) was chosen without understanding the costs involved.

Anybody who cares to find out what everyday shipping are costs can take these measurements & call 1-800-pick-ups.
7425-877

Use my zip code as a destination,Detroit Michigan,48201.

56" high
24" deep
24" wide
Package weight of 100lbs.
Insured value of $600.

After getting the quote then multiply it by 2 because there are 2 box'es.

 

[AbyssalLoris]

Don't mean any disrespect and not insinuating anything, but facts are facts. When comparing prices (on anything) you would not compare against the highest that others have paid but rather the lowest. After all, you can get anything for as high a price as you want, but not necessarily as low.

The upshot of my micro-rant is that the shipping cost does seem very high. Why are we only comparing to the cost of the aquarium stuff, or the amplifier? Why not go back and look at Zumbo's example. His speakers (same category of equipment) total to 282 lb. His cost was $104 (quoting from memory here). What about that? We're talking about a legitimate company and a huge disparity in price. Too much to ignore!

Then there's the other point: I can go and put my speakers in a steel box and send them to you so they will be almost invulnerable to damage. It would cost you more than your speakers. Would this make sense? Of course, I'm using an exaggerated example to make a point.

Keep in mind, I have no bias against AV123. In fact, I recently bought speakers from them (my only speakers currently) and am very happy with my purchase.

 

[soloz2]

I find it hard to believe you could ship 282lbs for $104 unless the distance was not great, or they were not insured.

You should ask someone at av123, but I have a suspicion that the speakers are shipped with insurance on just about the full retail price, not the sale price. That would explain the approximate 20% increase in price.

 

[highfihoney]

Don't mean any disrespect and not insinuating anything, but facts are facts. When comparing prices (on anything) you would not compare against the highest that others have paid but rather the lowest. After all, you can get anything for as high a price as you want, but not necessarily as low.

The upshot of my micro-rant is that the shipping cost does seem very high. Why are we only comparing to the cost of the aquarium stuff, or the amplifier? Why not go back and look at Zumbo's example. His speakers (same category of equipment) total to 282 lb. His cost was $104 (quoting from memory here). What about that? We're talking about a legitimate company and a huge disparity in price. Too much to ignore!

Shipping is a business & just like any other business different customers get volume rates,not all companies get the same rate,it all depends on how much business they give the shipper.

The problem with what your saying is that "it seems",this is pretty much valueless & im not trying to be a dink but its the truth,there are many reasons why shipping costs differ between competitors,some manufacturers subsidise low shipping rates by building them into the selling price,this is where "it seems" gets buyers into trouble,what seems like a low shipping price is merely added to the final cost of the product.

Try calling UPS using the figures in my post,after you call for a quote what "seemed" to be extremely high shipping costs will then be an accurate cost,then figure out weather the other guys are selling such high volumes as to get a 70% better price on shipping or are they simply passing the cost onto customers by adding it to the MSRP.

Where is the value if shipping costs are hidden in the MSRP?.

 

[Soundman]

Ok, so perhaps it is not THAT OT, but it is still steep for sure, I mean, your paying almost 50% of the cost of the item just to ship it. It really just pushed it over the edge for me and decided to go with a less expensive speaker.

I auditioned a set of Polk rti8 and really liked their midrange so much so that I am buying a pair this weekend.

Perhaps the rockets are better, they certainly look nicer, but for $500 extra bucks, I guess i'll just "suffer" with the rti's.

Shipping is not necessarily 50% of your cost. it depends on what you want. With yellow freight, you are paying for the pallet, so after a certain point it doesn't cost much more to add some weight to it as long as it fits on the pallet. For example, if ordering the 850's with the "Bigfoot" center, and then let's just say you throw in the 450's for surrounds. It only costs an additional $20 in shipping. The 450's weigh 70lbs a piece and would have cost me about $85 to ship UPS ground. So, the more you order, the cheaper the shipping gets per pound. My shipping is going to be around $400, but the total weight for my package is over 550lbs! Not to mention, the regular price for this package is around $3500 not including shipping. My total cost due to the sale is $2,241 including shipping. So, for me it's a savings of $1,259 even with the shipping charges. If you factor the shipping into the regular price, I'm saving $1,659. It might be a little less since I might have been able to get a slight discount on the (regular price) package, but still, as you can see, at this point shipping begins to be not that big a deal. In my case, my shipping charges are around 18%. And based on what the normal price for these speakers are, shipping would only be about 10% of the total cost.
I do admit that the shipping for a pair of 760's + a "Bigfoot" center is a little steeper percentage wise, but it's more like 31.9% ($800+$300=$1100;and $350/$1100= 31.9%). Still, I can understand why someone may be reluctant to purchase, especially if funds are tight. At the same time, I still think it's an excellent value right now. The regular price for the 760 + "Bigfoot" package would be over $2000 not including shipping.

 

[mazersteven]

Ok, so perhaps it is not THAT OT, but it is still steep for sure, I mean, your paying almost 50% of the cost of the item just to ship it.

You can't look at it as paying "Almost 50% of the cost of the item".

These speakers are normally $1999 per pair. Shipping would have been the same at this price as the sale price.

Just look at it as you saved $1000 bucks.

 

[highfihoney]

I just finished getting a quote from UPS using the dimensions i gave above,i used my zip code in Detroit with a destination zip code of 78701 which is for Austin Texas,i got a quote for standard ground shipping with me dropping the item off at the UPS Store.

My quote was for $171.69 & that was for 1 speaker,total shipping costs would be $343.38 & that is for an uninsured shipment,add another $1 for every $100 dollars of insured value,an insured value of $1,000 will add another $10 making the final estimate $353.38.

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

Shipping is not necessarily 50% of your cost. it depends on what you want. With yellow freight, you are paying for the pallet, so after a certain point it doesn't cost much more to add some weight to it as long as it fits on the pallet. For example, if ordering the 850's with the "Bigfoot" center, and then let's just say you throw in the 450's for surrounds. It only costs an additional $20 in shipping. The 450's weigh 70lbs a piece and would have cost me about $85 to ship UPS ground. So, the more you order, the cheaper the shipping gets per pound. My shipping is going to be around $400, but the total weight for my package is over 550lbs! Not to mention, the regular price for this package is around $3500 not including shipping. My total cost due to the sale is $2,241 including shipping. So, for me it's a savings of $1,259 even with the shipping charges. If you factor the shipping into the regular price, I'm saving $1,659. It might be a little less since I might have been able to get a slight discount on the (regular price) package, but still, as you can see, at this point shipping begins to be not that big a deal. In my case, my shipping charges are around 18%. And based on what the normal price for these speakers are, shipping would only be about 10% of the total cost.
I do admit that the shipping for a pair of 760's + a "Bigfoot" center is a little steeper percentage wise, but it's more like 31.9% ($800+$300=$1100;and $350/$1100= 31.9%). Still, I can understand why someone may be reluctant to purchase, especially if funds are tight. At the same time, I still think it's an excellent value right now.

Good point..IF you did this and then IF you did that, SAY you got the pallet already..so just spend another $400 or $600 on some more speakers and you ultimately pay less on shipping...

Lets get a couple things straight, the freight I quoted WAS the cheapest one available not expedited, not yellow (which would be more), it was THE cheapest way to get from A to B. So I torture myself (and my finances) into deciding to go for the rockets (figuring shipping would be about $80-110) and then when I'm all excited that I'm actually buying them $300 shipping pops up.

I'm sure they are packaged VERY well, I'm sure ALL higher end companies package their stuff well. But if your going to add that much weight to the package, then perhaps raise the price of the speakers to offset the cost. Being as I was stretching my budget in the first place, it was really the breaking point. The proverbial "PHUK-that" on the camel's back. For someone that had allocated much more money to spend, they probably wouldn't blink.

But ask yourself this, Crutchfield is shipping me my rti8's (which I paid $120) less per piece than local BB) AND a 10" sub (I'm thinking a combined weight of around 150-175 lbs). for a grand total of $0.00. so what are they going to package them in? A garbage bag?

 

[mazersteven]

But ask yourself this, Crutchfield is shipping me my rti8's (which I paid $120) less per piece than local BB) AND a 10" sub (I'm thinking a combined weight of around 150-175 lbs). for a grand total of $0.00. so what are they going to package them in? A garbage bag?

Not a "Garbage Bag", but nothing close to how AV123 packages their products.

But then again the RTi's don't have the finish the Rockets have. So I guess Polk just don't have to pack them that good.

 

[Soundman]

Good point..IF you did this and then IF you did that, SAY you got the pallet already..so just spend another $400 or $600 on some more speakers and you ultimately pay less on shipping...

Lets get a couple things straight, the freight I quoted WAS the cheapest one available not expedited, not yellow (which would be more), it was THE cheapest way to get from A to B. So I torture myself (and my finances) into deciding to go for the rockets (figuring shipping would be about $80-110) and then when I'm all excited that I'm actually buying them $300 shipping pops up.

I'm sure they are packaged VERY well, I'm sure ALL higher end companies package their stuff well. But if your going to add that much weight to the package, then perhaps raise the price of the speakers to offset the cost. Being as I was stretching my budget in the first place, it was really the breaking point. The proverbial "PHUK-that" on the camel's back. For someone that had allocated much more money to spend, they probably wouldn't blink.

But ask yourself this, Crutchfield is shipping me my rti8's (which I paid $120) less per piece than local BB) AND a 10" sub (I'm thinking a combined weight of around 150-175 lbs). for a grand total of $0.00. so what are they going to package them in? A garbage bag?

Good point. If your happy with the Polks then that's all that matters. As for the Rockets, remember you are saving a ton of money already because of the reduced prices. Also, I don't think AV123 is using unnecessary packing materials. Remember, the 760's weigh almost 200lbs. Just to compare, the Polk RTI 8's only weigh 55LBS each, I believe, so the Rockets practically weigh twice as much. Also, the size of the package can have as much an effect on the shipping charge as the weight (if using UPS, fedex, etc). Also, I believe your quote should have been for yellow freight anyway. AV123 will only ship their large speakers via Yellow, due to the size ad weight. The smallest speaker they will ship via UPS etc is the RS40's. My actual shipping quote to NC was actually $381. That was for a pair of 850's, "Bigfoot" center,and 450's, plus the risers for the 450's.

 

[Adam]

...so what are they going to package them in? A garbage bag?

Hee, hee! That made me laugh.

I've found Crutchfield packaging to be quite good, which makes sense because you can send stuff back to them on their own dime...so they don't want stuff to get jacked up on the way to you. Crutchfield prices are generally higher than other places for the items themselves, but the free shipping to and from makes up for some of that. Personally, I am a huge fan of free shipping, because that means that my financial commitment is just about zero if I decide that I don't like something (and speakers really do need to be heard before you'll know if you like them).

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

I do have a penchant for being a bit of a smart *** at times I think more than anything I was a little bummed that i couldn't afford to rationalize the rocket purchase. The CSI5 and RTi8 are WORLDS above what I have..and for now, in this house, are likely "good enough".

 

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

A pair of 760's and the center channel will easily weigh 2.5 times as much as your aboved mentioned setup, so $352 is about right on par with your quote.

Except these are being shipped with 'light bulbs'...which are much much more fragile than speakers, especially if they are built like tanks.

 

[bandit]

Maybe my son should go into shipping.... He's a high school senior and just nailed the "egg drop" packing experiment in physics. Dropped a packaged egg from the cat walk above the theater without the egg breaking.... no it wasn't hard boiled.

On another note-- Does AV123 let you pick up? If someone was close enough to them maybe thats an option??

Bandit...

 

[jinjuku]

My recent dealings with Elemental Design audio should be a nice counter point:

The A5-350 that clocks in ~120lbs is a 550 watt 15" sub for $600 shipped. You can get a pair of their A6-6T6 3 way towers at 55lbs/40X12X11 inches EACH for $500 shipped. All I know is the sub came no worse for the wear via fedex.