Saturday 5 April 2014

Let's talk postage costs and The Sewcial #3

We want to pick your brains about the sometimes thorny issue of postage costs.  With Royal Mail putting up their prices, we thought that now was a good time to see what you think about UK postage.





So we have two options:

1.  Would you prefer that we continue to calculate our postage costs as per the Royal Mail charges, or

2. Should we introduce a flat fee postage so that no matter what you purchase, we charge one postage fee?

I know there will always be a difference of opinion on this matter so your comments are really important to us.  The more feedback we get from existing and potential customers on this, the more certain we will be that we are doing what the majority of people want.

So please do take the time to comment at the end of this post - or via email at hello@fabrichq.co.uk.
If we are going to make a change then we really want to get it right and we can only do that if we know what matters most to you.

Right, business over - on to this month's Sewcial.


Yet again we had a fantastic turnout. Obviously the opportunity to learn new tricks, eat cake, get stuff done and engage in a bit of banter is proving a winning combination! So what were you getting on with this month?
 

 
There was dressmaking and duvet de-prettifying ...

 
pattern cutting and knitting ....

 
applique and hot-water bottle covers...

 
oven mitts and knickers!! ....

EPP, kid's clothes ...
 
 
and fabulous appliqued cushion!
 
Oh, and not forgetting Sam's amazing tutorial on how to insert an invisible zip.  This truly brilliant technique is going to change the way I whip in a zip forever - no more wonky bottoms and gaping tape - this pretty much guarantees invisibility.  Thanks Sam!
 
Thanks for coming along ladies what a lovely buzz there was about the place!  We'll be posting the topic of the next Sewcial soon. Rest assured it will definitely be worth coming along, so keep 20th May free!
 
Don't forget to have your say and post your thoughts on postage below.
 
 
Enjoy the weekend!


11 comments:

  1. I like the idea of one postage price no matter what.

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  2. Sadly this postage thing is a fact of life. Would there be an option of postage linked to spend and presumably weight so prices would be known when making an order. Eg less than £5 spend first price bracket, then say £5 to £10 next price bracket etc. If not, would prefer to be charged based on cost.

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  3. I would prefer postage to be based on actual cost, with perhaps free second class postage if you spend a lot, eg over £50. I know that Uk postage is now horrendously complicated so good luck!

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  4. Can the options be widened? I am sure there are other companies to compete with Royal Mail. If not I would prefer to pay by the weight of my own order. thank you Irene

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  5. Hi I like the idea of one postage as long as the is not to expensive Thank you Anne

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  6. Always flat rate for me, and yes free postage with a big spend is always appealing.
    Nothing worse than putting together a huge order then finding £8 postage whacked on at checkout!!

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  7. As I live across the pond, I would like to be charged the actual costs. I can't believe if I order something like a FQ from Etsy in the States I have to pay 7euro for the FQ and 10 euro for the shipping!!!

    The perk for me to shop 'local' as 'in Europe', are the shipping costs.

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  8. I don't mind flat rate and I love the Royal Mail Carol W

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  9. Flat rate postage is easier to work out as a customer; it's nice to know what the charge will be before you start filling up your basket.
    If its set up in price brackets I'm always tempted to fill my basket up to the limit to get my money's worth.
    Free postage on large orders is always nice too.

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  10. Definitely free postage on large orders. I am often wary about flat rates especially if you are only placing a small order, it puts me off ordering if I only want a couple of small things that I know wouldn't cost the earth to post but find I am having to pay more than twice or three times the amount because I am not placing a larger order. (Although it is hard not to order lots of things from FabricHQ!) In an ideal world I would like it if you are only ordering a small amount that you pay the actual cost, but once you get over a certain threshold to pay a flat rate. It is a tough one, but like Irene has said, there are other companies other than Royal Mail that could be used.
    As someone who sells things and posts them I often will charge as close to the actual postage charge with just a little extra to cover the cost of my packaging (sometimes just 10p extra) usually for smaller packages. It is tough when the packages get heavier as I need to charge close to that postage charge (I usually either charge the exact postage amount or just under) to cover the cost of it without putting up my item costs too much to cover the shortfall. I don't like to put people off with high postage fees but I am a small business so as yet cannot really offer things like free postage.
    I wouldn't like to see FabricHQ's item prices having to take the hit to absorb the postage costs.
    The price rises are pretty awful, they have only recently changed the rules in terms of package sizing and it just seems like once you get your head around one thing, they change it. So some consistency from shops is good, but it is definitely a good idea to explore other courier options.

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  11. I don't like flat rate really. I don't want to pay £3 postage on one or two fat quarters or a bit of ribbon!

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