Shipping Expenses
When you are purchasing lighting fixtures from the web you really need to consider shipping costs. Many organizations will provide a good deal but then charge a lot more for shipping and handling. This is very common and practised in many industries, so be aware of it when you cut your deal. Cover all bases so that there are no sudden surprises later on.
Different types of shipping: the cheapest form of shipping will typically be ground shipping and you will be able to save money using this method. Some companies will charge a little more for something like FED EX to achieve overnight delivery. It can be very surprising to see how much shipping and handling differs from place to place. Some organizations will offer their clients a variety of options like 7 day, 3 day and overnight deliveries. And, of course, the price varies. If you're in a hurry for the items you'll no doubt choose the overnight option.
Many businesses keep a database of delivery charges so they can determine what is reasonable and what's not. You can create your own spreadsheet using Microsoft Excel or one of the many other variants. Be careful though and take into account the size of items shipped as well as the time to ship (it isn't real fair if you compare the price to deliver an item overnight from one company to the UPS price of another company).
Cap on fees: One way to save money is to see if the company has a cap on their shipping and handling fees and how much that cap will be. A cap on the shipping and handling will prevent you having to pay larger fees for more items. You can assess shipping costs better if you know that each order will not exceed a certain rate. Sometimes companies might even offer a flat rate.
Bigger is better: Larger established companies can usually give you the best deal. This is because they buy in bulk and get discounts that they can pass onto their customers. Shipping and handling is one of the simplest ways to pass on these savings. Discounts can be offered for orders over a certain amount. Some stores even offer to waive the shipping and handling fees if the order is over a certain amount. This is especially useful if you are purchasing for your business. It is also an incentive to buy more if shipping is free for larger orders.
It's wise to pay careful attention to shipping fees because you can easily be trapped into paying too much for delivery of your lighting fixtures. Shipping costs might look innocent enough until you start to add them all up over the course of a full year. That's when you really start to get an idea on the sort of money you can save. You might find that even something as simple as a ten percent discount can save you hundreds.