A brief explanation of S&H shipping and handling charges, From Earls Fine Art Page.
As you are well aware shipping rates within the USA vary by zip code & Class of service. International Shipping rates vary by delivery destination, carrier & class of service. Shipping to ALL destinations varies based upon requested service i.e. media mail, parcel post, First Class, priority, UPS, FedEx, DHL, Air-express, delivery confirmation etc. This is in addition to weight, size and additional services required such as insurance, gift preparation, customs documentation, extra special handling, etc.
INTERNATIONAL delivery varies based upon additional factors such as, surface, boat, air, DHL, FedEx, customs requirements, packaging restrictions etc.
HANDLING is an additional component to delivery over and above the actual cartage or postage. Handling includes but is not limited to, Packaging materials, Inserts, supplies, document preparation, labels, customs preparation, time & travel, ancillary expenses etc.
In addition INTERNATIONAL transactions require a special trip to the point of dispatch because the shipper must personally validate the customs documentation. This is a more labor intensive transaction because it can not simply be dropped off at the shipper.
International shipping charges are on average 33% greater than the posted USA delivery rates, Asia and India are much more. Handling on average is 28% more due to special preparation and processing requirements. REMEMBER S&H shipping and handling is just that and is factored on a fully allocated cost basis. I trust this helps put the delivery concept into focus. It is more than postage, It is total customer service!
