Rapha..extortionate delivery charges

vinnymarsden

I think I have touched on this topic before, but they still appear to think charging £5 minimum for standard delivery is okay.
Their argument when I broached it with them was they do free returns...err, so do Wiggle etc and they charge 3.99 next day delivery, so wheres your unique angle there?
Don't get me wrong, I like Rapha stuff, but I just don't get how they think £5 is okay when as I say, NDD from others is cheaper.
It just seems a way to make more money for what is a lot less of a cost to them..I have ordered some overshoes, last week, still not here, and paid for the privilege of a slow service!!
LAt time someone suggested ordering another item to take it over 100, for free delivery, then return the one you didn't want...seems a faff and unnecessary depletion of my account, surely they could offer free, or reduced postage for standard delivery...Rant over!!

pblakeney

VinnyMarsden wrote:

I think I have touched on this topic before, but they still appear to think charging £5 minimum for standard delivery is okay...

Yup. You have.

VinnyMarsden wrote:

I like |Rapha gear...however, why is it, with a lot of online sales you pay 4 or 5 quid at most and you get next day delivery..you pay £5 to Rapha for normal delivery..it seems odd..hopefully the WalMart buy in will change things..Rapha do free returns, as if thats something out of the ordinary either!!

sloppyschleckonds

If you can afford Rapha overshoes, you can afford £8 next day postage

mfin

I don't get the problem, whatever you buy online you just look at what the total cost will be of the item arriving at your door at the speed you want.

If your brain doesn't work like that then your brain doesn't work very well.

cougie

I think the Mail costs are the least of your worries buying rapha.

imposter2.0

Buys Rapha.......complains about the delivery cost...........but misses the 500% mark-up on the item itself......

FatTed

mfin wrote:

I don't get the problem, whatever you buy online you just look at what the total cost will be of the item arriving at your door at the speed you want.

If your brain doesn't work like that then your brain doesn't work very well.

Thats how I look at online purchases.

Amazon charge an arm and a leg to send things to NZ, Book Depository is free postage. The total amazon + post id often cheaper than the Book depository item

fat daddy

how do companies get the rates they do for NDD ..... if I go to The post office it costs me £8 to send a package NDD ... but I imagine a company like wiggle who send 1bn packages a day get a better rate for someone to come to them, pick there package up and deliver it.

I cant imagine Rapha sell anywhere near the same amount as amazon/wiggle/CRC etc .... so isnt it likely that they dont have the purchasing power of the biggies and postage does actually cost them more ?

navrig2

Delivery charges helps them keep the cost of the clothes down :shock:

stevie63

I think Rapha have the purchasing power for delivery having turned over 67 million last year. Just to give you an idea my company is small with just 7 staff but we can send stuff next day for a little over £3.00 and normal post for £2.00. The simple fact is that whilst Rapha's business is growing they can continue to charge silly amounts for smaller order deliveries and if they find that orders are slowing down they can adjust that by maybe lowering the spend for free delivery to £50. Basically there's no point them giving something away for free if people are prepared to pay for it. Also in reality there isn't much that you can order from them that wouldn't take you over £100 for free delivery.

Beatmaker

Free postage over 100 quid.

First.Aspect

It's about customer relations. If a budget airline stings you with add ons throughout booking you get hacked off with them even if it still works out cheaper.

Rapha are so disgustingly priced anyway they could add £10 to the headline cost and give "free" postage and no one would notice.

pblakeney

Beatmaker wrote:

Free postage over 100 quid.

Precisely.
Vinny is just too tight to spend enough.

trivial_poursuivant

PBlakeney wrote:

Beatmaker wrote:

Free postage over 100 quid.

Precisely.
Vinny is just too tight to spend enough.

I didn't think Rapha made anything that cost less than £100

cooldad

First Aspect wrote:

It's about customer relations. If a budget airline stings you with add ons throughout booking you get hacked off with them even if it still works out cheaper.

Rapha are so disgustingly priced anyway they could add £10 to the headline cost and give "free" postage and no one would notice.

Postage is not exactly 'stinging' you with add ons.

mfin

I think the point is, that psychologically, some people are so drawn in by things like free postage just as people are susceptible to thinking prices ending in 99p rather than rounded up are cheaper. They are both effective psychologically on many many people, hence why companies do it. It's so common we're accustomed and conditioned to it, this is the case for the OP, hence why it "hurts" when Rapha aren't doing it.

Of course, the truth is just as I said up thread, you just look at the total cost of getting the item you want to your door at the speed you want. It's so simple. You also don't have to buy something, nobody is forcing you.

I also wonder how people can be so stupid as to seem to think Rapha have not thought about offering free postage on everything and looked at it financially and from all other angles (It's completely obvious they'd look at issues like whether they could cheapen packaging, whether they'd use cheap couriers like Hermes etc too). I also would be stunned if they didn't review and revisit the topic now and again, of course they would.

In the meantime, just look at the total cost and decide if you want it or not. It's hardly difficult.

veronese68

People do know that free shipping isn't really free, it's just factored into the cost of the items. They could put their prices up to cover free shipping. :shock:

thegreatdivide

mfin wrote:

I think the point is, that psychologically, some people are so drawn in by things like free postage just as people are susceptible to thinking prices ending in 99p rather than rounded up are cheaper. They are both effective psychologically on many many people, hence why companies do it. It's so common we're accustomed and conditioned to it, this is the case for the OP, hence why it "hurts" when Rapha aren't doing it.

Of course, the truth is just as I said up thread, you just look at the total cost of getting the item you want to your door at the speed you want. It's so simple. You also don't have to buy something, nobody is forcing you.

I also wonder how people can be so stupid as to seem to think Rapha have not thought about offering free postage on everything and looked at it financially and from all other angles (It's completely obvious they'd look at issues like whether they could cheapen packaging, whether they'd use cheap couriers like Hermes etc too). I also would be stunned if they didn't review and revisit the topic now and again, of course they would.

In the meantime, just look at the total cost and decide if you want it or not. It's hardly difficult.

Bingo!

veronese68

mfin wrote:

I think the point is, that psychologically, some people are so drawn in by things like free postage just as people are susceptible to thinking prices ending in 99p rather than rounded up are cheaper.

The other side of the coin is when sellers (often on Ebay) list an item cheaply to get a buyers attention, then do have a truly extortionate shipping cost. Again your words about looking at the total cost apply.

ATYapton

A significant difference is that you cannot bowl up to Wiggle and collect your order. Even though there are only a few shops you can go to Rapha and there is no shipping cost. And whilst you’re there you can buy a nice cheap cup of coffee
Time it seems reasonable to separate shipping costs if there is a shop but to include them if there is not.

pblakeney

ATYapton wrote:

A significant difference is that you cannot bowl up to Wiggle and collect your order. Even though there are only a few shops you can go to Rapha and there is no shipping cost. And whilst you’re there you can buy a nice cheap cup of coffee
Time it seems reasonable to separate shipping costs if there is a shop but to include them if there is not.

Fair point, well made.

First.Aspect

cooldad wrote:

First Aspect wrote:

It's about customer relations. If a budget airline stings you with add ons throughout booking you get hacked off with them even if it still works out cheaper.

Rapha are so disgustingly priced anyway they could add £10 to the headline cost and give "free" postage and no one would notice.

Postage is not exactly 'stinging' you with add ons.

Well no, I can't say I'd work myself into a foam about it. I think that's the OPs issue though.

vinnymarsden

Some sweet comments re me buying Rapha!! By the by, my argument isn't that I want free postage..I just expect that if I'm paying £5 then it should be expedited delivery.It's Thursday tomorrow and still not here..it really takes the proverbial, but hey ho, as some of the Aldi wearers have pointed out.....if I can afford Rapha!!!!

sloppyschleckonds

VinnyMarsden wrote:

Some sweet comments re me buying Rapha!! By the by, my argument isn't that I want free postage..I just expect that if I'm paying £5 then it should be expedited delivery.It's Thursday tomorrow and still not here..it really takes the proverbial, but hey ho, as some of the Aldi wearers have pointed out.....if I can afford Rapha!!!!

Are you the same poster who sells stuff in the classifieds at more than RRP and gets your knickers in a twist when nothing sellz and removes the ads in a huff?