P&P charges for a book

RHemmings

I'll say up front that this is a pretty trivial post. But, I was surprised at how much postage was charged on a book I just received. The p&p charges in the auction were £2.99. So, I thought to myself that was a fair amount of p&p for a book, and was peering at the sticker to see how much was actually charged. £3.05! So even ignoring the cost of the padded envelope, the seller hasn't covered their p&p costs with their charge. And the book was only £1.99 in itself.

It's only a medium sized hardback which fit through our standard post slot. It can't cost the PO that much more to send the book than a standard letter can it? Or does it?

It seems to me that the big winner financially in the transaction is more likely to be the PO rather than the seller.

MissGivings_2

RHemmings wrote: »

I'll say up front that this is a pretty trivial post. But, I was surprised at how much postage was charged on a book I just received. The p&p charges in the auction were £2.99. So, I thought to myself that was a fair amount of p&p for a book, and was peering at the sticker to see how much was actually charged. £3.05! So even ignoring the cost of the padded envelope, the seller hasn't covered their p&p costs with their charge. And the book was only £1.99 in itself.

It's only a medium sized hardback which fit through our standard post slot. It can't cost the PO that much more to send the book than a standard letter can it? Or does it?

It seems to me that the big winner financially in the transaction is more likely to be the PO rather than the seller.

If only we could all leave feedback for the PO.

RHemmings

MissGivings wrote: »

If only we could all leave feedback for the PO.

That is both very funny and very true!

Crowqueen

This is quite often why large hardbacks are uneconomical to sell online. From a buyer's POV too, if it's a cheap pulp fiction book worth all of 99p I'm not sure I want to pay £4.41 (! - but that's the price to send some HB books!) for it, which sends the price well over a fiver when you can probably get it in a charity shop for the 99p.

It has to be an extraordinary book for me to pay £5 for something now, with Amazon and eBay both seriously deflating the price of books. I only really ever go into a high street bookshop when I've got a voucher or a gift card; I buy a lot at our local Oxfam but we're a university town so we get a good range of interesting books in the charity shops. I just bought a Kindle and got a good book I'd seen in Waterstones half price as an eBook. Surprisingly, the saving isn't that great, but it's still significant enough. The range is not great though - it's fine for classic fiction and for ultra-modern titles but the range needs to expand fast - I can't see myself giving up buying print books any time soon. No Solzhenitsyn .

I did try a few years ago to cull some of my collection but these days I just donate them.

soolin

A standard chart paperback would cost £2.48 1st class to post, so buying them 2 for £7 new in Asda suddenly looks very cheap

MissGivings_2

I just love my books!

I'll buy any book at any price & postage if it's the right translator.

Yes, a kindle's fantastic for travelling & convenience etc, but so limited!

And the feel and smell of my beloved well-thumbed books -

Ah... up there with coffee and newly cut grass.:)

Crowqueen

MissGivings wrote: »

I just love my books!

I'll buy any book at any price & postage if it's the right translator.

Yes, a kindle's fantastic for travelling & convenience etc, but so limited!

And the feel and smell of my beloved well-thumbed books -

Ah... up there with coffee and newly cut grass.:)

I know what you mean - I've been researching a novel - and I've got a lovely collection of late 19c and early 20c books that I've been reading in order to work out just what people actually thought (rather than what the modern media says they thought).

What was really great was looking through my grandfather's old collection and finding 1830s volumes discussing life after the union of Britain and Ireland. They are still at my uncle and aunt's - haven't been over with a suitcase to get them yet - but I'm hoping to get them over soon and read them.

MissGivings_2

Crowqueen wrote: »

I know what you mean - I've been researching a novel - and I've got a lovely collection of late 19c and early 20c books that I've been reading in order to work out just what people actually thought (rather than what the modern media says they thought).

What was really great was looking through my grandfather's old collection and finding 1830s volumes discussing life after the union of Britain and Ireland. They are still at my uncle and aunt's - haven't been over with a suitcase to get them yet - but I'm hoping to get them over soon and read them.

Oh, how marvellous for you to have your grandfather's collection.

Absolute bliss!

(Yes, I remember somewhere else you mentioning that you were intending to go back to academic study.
Was your research initiated by that collection or was it coincidental?)

Crowqueen

MissGivings wrote: »

Oh, how marvellous for you to have your grandfather's collection.

Absolute bliss!

(Yes, I remember somewhere else you mentioning that you were intending to go back to academic study.
Was your research initiated by that collection or was it coincidental?)

I was already writing the stories when I found it but yes, it made a sizeable impact on me.

I'm watching a lot of period drama - to pick up modern themes in what people would want to read nowadays - but the period books are just a way of trying to understand some the attitudes - and I'm learning a lot about why these attitudes existed; while some are very archaic and have obviously been supplanted, the background to why people felt that way has informed a lot of what I'm writing. My cousin is a historian too, so we swap notes.

The uni course is something different - it's a law, history and politics research masters - but it's kind of intertwined as the stories have a very legalistic/public administration theme to them.

macfly

RHemmings wrote: »

I'll say up front that this is a pretty trivial post. But, I was surprised at how much postage was charged on a book I just received. The p&p charges in the auction were £2.99. So, I thought to myself that was a fair amount of p&p for a book, and was peering at the sticker to see how much was actually charged. £3.05! So even ignoring the cost of the padded envelope, the seller hasn't covered their p&p costs with their charge. And the book was only £1.99 in itself.

It's only a medium sized hardback which fit through our standard post slot. It can't cost the PO that much more to send the book than a standard letter can it? Or does it?

It seems to me that the big winner financially in the transaction is more likely to be the PO rather than the seller.

Stick a standard letter next to your book. Forget about the price of the item, how could that be relevant?
Then think about how it's delivered, i.e. distribution, distance no object, postmans mail bag etc.
Now have a ballpark guess at how many standard letters you can fit in the same space as that paperback. 10 minimum. I book, revenue £2.99. 10 letters, £3.60 or £4.60.
Royal Mail by the way for postal charges, just for the lazy minded among you.

MissGivings_2

macfly wrote: »

Stick a standard letter next to your book. Forget about the price of the item, how could that be relevant?
Then think about how it's delivered, i.e. distribution, distance no object, postmans mail bag etc.
Now have a ballpark guess at how many standard letters you can fit in the same space as that paperback. 10 minimum. I book, revenue £2.99. 10 letters, £3.60 or £4.60.
Royal Mail by the way for postal charges, just for the lazy minded among you.

You sound like my old (unpopular) teacher.
:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: