ShipToHawaii.com?

[pzarquon]

Anyone here use ShipToHawaii.com (http://www.shiptohawaii.com)? The company was featured in the Star-Bulletin (http://starbulletin.com/2004/12/03/business/engle.html) and in the Honolulu Advertiser (http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2005/Feb/02/bz/bz08p.html). I know folks in the Bytemarks (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bytemarks) group have used them to ship rugs and other bulky items. Now that I'm thinking of picking up another Dell PC, I'm wondering if they'll be a good alternative to paying nearly $200 to FedEx or UPS.

[Eric]

I do. They're a great deal, assuming that you order a lot of bulky stuff from companies who only ship UPS Ground, and that it's convenient enough for you to get to the airport to pick up your stuff when it comes in.

The only problem was that I had a hard time finding them the first time I went. The address, 3375 Koapaka Street, is one of those huge industrial buildings with dozens of businesses in it. You get off Nimitz onto Paiea, then turn right onto Koapaka and go past the strip mall with the Starbucks and Jamba Juice, past the big parking ramp, all the way to the 'ewa end of Koapaka. It would be nice if they had a sign out front that said "ShipToHawaii", but they don't. Instead there is a small sign for the business that runs the service, Lynden Air Freight. You go inside, and the staff will retrieve your package for you. All in all, I think it's worth it.

[LikaNui]

Extremely helpful response, Eric!
Excellent! And a great example of how this message board can really be useful (in addition to fun).
:)

[pzarquon]

Thanks indeed!

I'm still trying to figure out if I come out ahead (and I don't ship heavy stuff that often) in my computer purchase. To ship it FedEx 2nd Day, it'll cost about $180, maybe more. To join ShipToHawaii.com, I have to spend $20 to become a member, then the cost of shipping, {x} per pound in dimensional weight. A couple of Dell boxes, under those measurements, are pretty "heavy." My blind guesses got me a ShipToHawaii.com estimate of $120 or so.

ShipToHawaii.com sounds fab if you want to get stuff from Pier 1 or other furniture spots we don't have here and who otherwise won't ship to Hawaii... or if you do a lot of shipping, period. For a one-off thing like what I'm thinking, maybe not.

[scrivener]

When I saw this in the paper (and I thought it was the Weekly I saw it in), I was freaked. What a brilliant idea. I don't ship a lot of big, bulky stuff, but there are a LOT of specialty-type businesses who only ship UPS ground, and that has prevented me from ordering.

A case of Dr. Pepper that's sweetened with only 100% cane sugar, for example, only costs eight bucks or so, but with UPS shipping to Hawaii, the cost goes through the ceiling. I'm foodie enough to order lots of things this way if I find the ShipToHawaii price cost-efficient; the thing is, I have to do a little more research first to see if it is: How many of these cases of Dr. Pepper plus how many orders of blood-orange olive oil plus how many blocks of New York cheddar would make it worth my while? Or, if the beer-of-the-month club and ship through this service, what's my actual yearly cost going to be?

I am thinking of getting together a group of locals who are interested in placing larger orders of these specialty items and then splitting the cost of shipping; I wonder how ethical that would be. For example, I'd say that in June, I'm placing an order with X company in Sonoma. I post the URL and others who want to jump in send me their money. We ship it here through ShipToHawaii, one of us picks up the entire stash and we split it up.

Gotta think about it.

Anyone tried this service?

[cezanne]

You know what's weird is that we in Hawaii can ship something to the mainland via FedEx and UPS regular ground rates... but it doesn't work the other way around. :confused:

[Surfingfarmboy]

You know what's weird is that we in Hawaii can ship something to the mainland via FedEx and UPS regular ground rates... but it doesn't work the other way around. :confused:

Mainlanders now have the capability of shipping packages to Hawai'i at "ground" rates, something mainlander shippers previously could not do. In January 2005, UPS updated its online shipping software to allow for this type of shipping from the mainland to HI. It's ground up to the air departure point for HI, where that is at depends where one is at on the mainland..LA seems to be the big switch from ground to air point.

Now based on what I'm seeing in the rate charts, the monetary difference between UPS 2nd Day to HI and ground to HI isn't huge, maybe 25%..just a rough guess. Now that would be huge if one is sending hundreds of parcels to HI, but for a one or two package to HI a month shipper, like the business I work with, the difference isn't all that great and we usually opt for the 2 day air service, rather than the ground service, which can take up to 8 days from this point on the East Coast to O'ahu, more for the outer islands.

[pzarquon]

I think both UPS and FedEx have "ground" rates to and from Hawaii (special trucks included - point at one and ask, "How'd he get here?"), but lots of merchants still impose restrictions themselves on what shipping methods can be used for Hawaii and Alaska. I'm sure they'll say it's because they want to guarantee prompt delivery, but there's gotta be some cha-ching in there somewhere for boosting their SuperHyperExpress shipments.

[cezanne]

I think both UPS and FedEx have "ground" rates to and from Hawaii (special trucks included - point at one and ask, "How'd he get here?"), but lots of merchants still impose restrictions themselves on what shipping methods can be used for Hawaii and Alaska. I'm sure they'll say it's because they want to guarantee prompt delivery, but there's gotta be some cha-ching in there somewhere for boosting their SuperHyperExpress shipments.

I guess those would be the ones that got the barnacles and seaweed hanging from the fenders? :D

Some of the bigger places like Amazon waive the "Alaska and Hawaii" (the two "other" states) exception and just goes ahead and ships via Ground. Some places say it has to be via the "faster", more expensive 2nd Day Priority rate which is bs because the stuff still takes a week most times (nope the money back guarantee doesnt apply to here either).
But that's news to me that both are offering the Ground service to Hawaii. I guess if I'm gonna get it in a week anyway, there is some savings in the cost I guess.

[adrian]

So, you need to pick up the package yourself, or can they deliver?

[tutusue]

Thread bump!

I just signed up based on this discussion (http://www.hawaiithreads.com/showthread.php?t=11552&page=2&highlight=woot.com). I found an item on Overstock.com that they wouldn't ship to Hawaii...a mattress pad of all things; a special size that, at other sites, is grossly expensive. What's up with that?!!! They've shipped other, bulkier items in the past. Then I stumbled on a couple of other items, one a baker's rack! The shipping for the 4 items, including the piece of furniture, is $2.95 from Overstock to STF in California. God only knows what it's going to be from Cali to Oahu! :eek:

I now need to stay away from woot.com! :rolleyes:

Adrian...they don't deliver.

[buzz1941]

The package I just received would have cost $38 to ship UPS (judging by weight). It was $5 to ship UPS to Hawthorne, then $17.79 to Hawaii via STH. So I saved about $15.

But one important point. The company I ordered from WILL NOT ship to Hawaii or Alaska.

[tutusue]

The package I just received would have cost $38 to ship UPS (judging by weight). It was $5 to ship UPS to Hawthorne, then $17.79 to Hawaii via STH. So I saved about $15.

But one important point. The company I ordered from WILL NOT ship to Hawaii or Alaska.
That's an admirable savings! And, yes, STH is perfect for those discriminatory web sites! I've run into several eBay auctions that won't ship to Hawaii. I mean, we really are a primitive territory in the middle of the ocean with limited resources. How does one get the pony express across the ocean? Can horses swim? :rolleyes:

What, exactly, is the mentality behind not shipping to Hawaii? Or, Alaska, for that matter? :confused:

I just registered at woot.com. They accepted the difference in billling and shipping addresses just fine. STH warns that that's not always the case.

[scrivener]

What, exactly, is the mentality behind not shipping to Hawaii? Or, Alaska, for that matter?
For a lot of businesses that have daily pickups from UPS or FedEx, the few orders they get from Hawaii are not worth the extra hassle of processing shipments differently. At least, that's how it was once explained to me by someone who was supposed to ship me a hard drive. Sure, USPS would have worked just fine, but the company had a system in place, and there was a regular pickup by UPS, and if I was unwilling to pay the enormous UPS shipping, I was out of luck. Of course, some businesses don't even offer you THAT option.

Here's what I'm wondering. I have been wanting to give a loved one (me) one of those "wines of the month" subscriptions, but most of the providers say that can't ship to Hawaii for legal reasons. I know: I can't make sense out of it, because some WILL ship wine to Hawaii while others say they're prohibited from doing so. Will they ship it to Ship to Hawaii, and will Ship to Hawaii in turn send it here? The only relevant item in the FAQ says that you can't send flammable materials. Does that include wine?

[GeckoGeek]

and if I was unwilling to pay the enormous UPS shipping, I was out of luck.

At that point it would be worth going to UPS and checking the rates. Make sure they are telling you the truth and not making something up.

[tutusue]

[...]Here's what I'm wondering. I have been wanting to give a loved one (me) one of those "wines of the month" subscriptions, but most of the providers say that can't ship to Hawaii for legal reasons. I know: I can't make sense out of it, because some WILL ship wine to Hawaii while others say they're prohibited from doing so. Will they ship it to Ship to Hawaii, and will Ship to Hawaii in turn send it here? The only relevant item in the FAQ says that you can't send flammable materials. Does that include wine?
I read somewhere on STH that they won't ship alcohol. Maybe it was their ToS? Didya know that local shopping services (eg: Akamai Grocery Shopping and Delivery Service) are prohibited from purchasing and delivering alcohol?

[Honoruru]

Here's what I'm wondering. I have been wanting to give a loved one (me) one of those "wines of the month" subscriptions, but most of the providers say that can't ship to Hawaii for legal reasons.

I think it's because the laws regulating shipping/ordering online/transporting wines inter-state are varied and somewhat complicated, because each state has its own rules and regulations (including being of legal age). After a hasty search, here's a link (http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004/alcohol-policy.htm) that might explain why, though there are sites that probably provide better explanations (sorry, I don't have time; I think my dinner is burning).

[buzz1941]

Alcohol seems to be OK, long as it's not more than a gallon at a time.

(I once shipped a couple of gallons of casting resin here as excess baggage on a flight. Knowing the airline wouldn't accept it, I labled the gallon jugs Zinfandel and Rose, and they sailed through just fine. Never get away with that today.)

Note that woot will charge you the California sales tax when you order on their online form. They did to me. Apparently, they're not supposed to. (http://www.shiptohawaii.com/index.php?do=faq)

[Miulang]

Here's what I'm wondering. I have been wanting to give a loved one (me) one of those "wines of the month" subscriptions, but most of the providers say that can't ship to Hawaii for legal reasons. I know: I can't make sense out of it, because some WILL ship wine to Hawaii while others say they're prohibited from doing so. Will they ship it to Ship to Hawaii, and will Ship to Hawaii in turn send it here? The only relevant item in the FAQ says that you can't send flammable materials. Does that include wine?
The winery that I'm a manini shareholder of (Silver Lake Winery) will ship to Hawai'i. But there are some legal limitations on the quantity that can be shipped to Hawai'i (a Hawai'i state reg). I also don't know who they use to ship their wines, but they (Silver Lake (http://www.silverlakewinery.com/)) do have a wine club and most of the wines are excellent, especially the ones from the Silver Lake Winery label (which is moderately priced) and Glen Fiona (http://glenfiona.com/)(high end, and very luscious French-style Syrahs and Bourdeaux and their Viognier is absolutely fabulous) which Silver Lake markets for the Glen Fiona Winery.

I think the laws in Washington State allow each Hawai'i customer to purchase a total of 3 cases annually. And maybe the restriction is that you can't join a wine club but can buy individual bottles, so long as the total number of bottles you send to any one address in Hawai'i does not exceed 3 cases annually.

Hmmm...I just found this "Reciprocal Shipments of Wine (http://www.wineinstitute.org/programs/shipwine/current_events/Reciprocal%20form.PDF)" form from the Hawai'i Dept. of Liquor Control (from 2001-2002) which states that wineries in reciprocal states (California*Colorado*Hawaii*Idaho*Illinois*Iowa*Mi nnesota
Missouri*New Mexico*Oregon*Washington*West Virginia*Wisconsin) can ship up to 2 cases of wine at a time to home addresses in Hawai'i for the customer's personal use only, but it only talks about this form being valid only for the Neighbor Islands and not Oahu. Kind of odd. Maybe you can call the Honolulu Liquor Control Board and ask them if the 2 case limit also applies to Oahu addresses or if Oahu customers can get 3 cases? So if that's what the limitations are, even if a winery is in a reciprocal state, it could be that some wineries and wine clubs on CONUS don't want to hassle with registering 4x just to ship wine to a few customers in Hawai'i every year?


Miulang

[LikaNui]

I also don't know who they use to (,,,)
I think the laws in Washington State allow (...)
And maybe the restriction is (...)
Maybe you can (...)
So if that's what the limitations are (...)
even if a winery (...)
it could be that some wineries (...)
While that post may have looked impressive at first glance, a second reading of it showed the seven vague and evasive items above. Seven, in just one post.
Now, don't go accusing me of "stalking" you, Miulang. I'm starting to believe that maybe you simply don't realize how often you use those vague and evasive terms.
Carry on.

[scrivener]

maybe you simply don't realize how often you use those vague and evasive terms.
Maybe, but I found it helpful. It gives me somewhere to begin looking for answers.

[Miulang]

Maybe, but I found it helpful. It gives me somewhere to begin looking for answers.
I just checked on the Volcano Winery (http://www.volcanowinery.com/states.htm)website (wines from the Big Island) and it says the State limit is 3 cases of wine per year per customer address, so it sounds like the State changed the upper limits of their regulations sometime between 2001 and now. If you want to avoid the hassle with out of state regs, you can also get local wine from Tedeschi Winery (http://www.mauiwine.com/wines.html) on Maui. Some of their red wines are surprisingly tasty (they're only bottling one variety right now---Ulupalakua Red), although I don't like their whites too much. Too fruity for me. The Maui Brut (sparkling wine) is good, too. You can usually find their stuff at Longs (I think some of the local supermarket chains might carry a few bottles). ABC Stores also carries some varieties every now and then, too. And when Whole Foods Market finally opens in Honolulu, they should have a very impressive selection of French, Italian and domestic wines available by the bottle.

Miulang

[tutusue]

I read somewhere on STH that they won't ship alcohol. [...]
Found it! From STH's "shipping agreement":
1. The following items shall NOT constitute any part or all of any Shipment:

a. Alcoholic beverages and tobacco;

This is just a snippet from a lengthy list.

[buzz1941]

Found it! From STH's "shipping agreement":

This is just a snippet from a lengthy list.

Interesting. Not listed in their FAQ, which does mention tobacco.

[tutusue]

Interesting. Not listed in their FAQ, which does mention tobacco.
That's interesting, too!!! Maybe a personal clarification from the owner is in order.

[Miulang]

Scriv:
Looking at the tariffs for UPS (http://www.ups.com/media/en/us_tariff_01032006.pdf), they will accept shipments of alcoholic beverages (beer and wine only), but it appears that it has to come directly from "licensed shippers":

ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES
The only alcoholic beverages that UPS accepts for transportation are wine and beer. Packages containing wine and beer are accepted for transportation only from shippers who are licensed and authorized under applicable laws to ship alcohol and only on a contractual basis. To receive service for packages containing wine or beer, the shipper must sign a contract and agree to the provisions set forth in the applicable approved UPS agreement for the transportation of wine or beer. ..

So again, the "hassle factor" may be why some wineries and wine clubs in states that have reciprocity agreements with Hawai'i refuse to ship wine to customers there. The tariff also states that UPS can destroy any contents which violate the tariffs, so I wonder if they let their workers sample the contraband material if it gets confiscated????:p

Miulang

[Palolo Joe]

You can usually find their stuff at Longs (I think some of the local supermarket chains might carry a few bottles). ABC Stores also carries some varieties every now and then, too. And when Whole Foods Market finally opens in Honolulu, they should have a very impressive selection of French, Italian and domestic wines available by the bottle.

Shopping for wine at Longs and ABC Stores? Wait for Whole Foods to get here, then us ignorant Hawaii residents will know what "real" wine tastes like?

Please.

There's already plenty of choice for wine drinkers in Honolulu who wish to support LOCAL business. And there are no tariffs or shipping charges to worry about.

The Wine Stop (http://thewinestophawaii.com/)

Tamura's (http://www.kaimukihawaii.com/businesses/current/1065.html)

Fujioka's Wine Times (http://pacific.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2004/08/09/daily84.html)

Liquor Collection (http://www.liquorcollection.com/)

[Miulang]

Shopping for wine at Longs and ABC Stores? Wait for Whole Foods to get here, then us ignorant Hawaii residents will know what "real" wine tastes like?

Please.

There's already plenty of choice for wine drinkers in Honolulu who wish to support LOCAL business. And there are no tariffs or shipping charges to worry about.

The Wine Stop (http://thewinestophawaii.com/)

Tamura's (http://www.kaimukihawaii.com/businesses/current/1065.html)

Fujioka's Wine Times (http://pacific.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2004/08/09/daily84.html)

Liquor Collection (http://www.liquorcollection.com/)
Hmmm...Volcano Winery and Tedeschi ARE local, unless the Big Island and Maui have ceceded from the state while no one was looking.:rolleyes:

Miulang

[Palolo Joe]

Hmmm...Volcano Winery and Tedeschi ARE local, unless the Big Island and Maui have ceceded from the state while no one was looking.

Are you high-fiving yourself because you came up with a snarky comment?

My point is that local residents don't need to go to Longs, ABC Stores or wait for Whole Foods to come riding in on a white horse.

There are lots of options for residents to buy quality wine without having to worry about tariffs or shipping charges.

Oh, and you need to work on your spelling. It's seceded.

[Miulang]

Are you high-fiving yourself because you came up with a snarky comment?

My point is that local residents don't need to go to Longs, ABC Stores or wait for Whole Foods to come riding in on a white horse.

There are lots of options for residents to buy quality wine without having to worry about tariffs or shipping charges.

Oh, and you need to work on your spelling. It's seceded.
Too bad somebody has no aloha. But then, everybody who's been on this board for any length of time already knew that. Put me on ignore, Joe, because this is getting boring. The people who want to go to Whole Foods will go there. The people who want to go to Tamura's will go there. Nobody is putting a gun to their heads either way.

[Palolo Joe]

Too bad somebody has no aloha. But then, everybody who's been on this board for any length of time already knew that. Put me on ignore, Joe, because this is getting boring.

I have no aloha for someone who shows no aloha to me. And don't try to tell a Hawaiian how to "act" Hawaiian, especially if you have no koko of your own.

Don't act like you're a little angel, because you're not. And don't whine about people "attacking" you while you take passive-agressive swings of your own.

Again, my point: There are lots of options for local residents to buy wine locally, without the need to pay tariffs or shipping charges.

For you to suggest that folks wait for Whole Foods to open is silly.

If this is getting boring for you, feel free to move along. I don't utilize the ignore button.

[admin]

Both of you, grow up. Any more pointless snarking and you're taking a month-long vacation.

[scrivener]

Local wine merchants have been very, very helpful, and I enjoy shopping at their stores. The problem is that I live alone and opening up a good bottle of wine when one typically dines alone is sort of a losing proposition, kinda like those five-pound bags of broccoli florets one gets at Costco.

I am thinking of the wine-of-the-month thing because it would be a fun gift to give three friends, a kind of split-subscription. Then once a month, we'd have a great reason to get together and have a few glasses of a few different wines. Getting wine delivered every month means that my gift goes all year long, which also appeals to me.

I know that individual wineries have their own wines-of-the-month deals, but I'm not as interested in that because I'm looking for a wide variety of wines recommended by someone else. My own wine log is going to get boring if I'm writing about the same vintners every day.

My guess is that the three-case limit is the reason some subscriptions will ship to Hawaii and others won't, but that doesn't make sense for those short-term subscriptions (you can often get them in three- or four-month terms).

[Miulang]

Local wine merchants have been very, very helpful, and I enjoy shopping at their stores. The problem is that I live alone and opening up a good bottle of wine when one typically dines alone is sort of a losing proposition, kinda like those five-pound bags of broccoli florets one gets at Costco.

I am thinking of the wine-of-the-month thing because it would be a fun gift to give three friends, a kind of split-subscription. Then once a month, we'd have a great reason to get together and have a few glasses of a few different wines. Getting wine delivered every month means that my gift goes all year long, which also appeals to me.

I know that individual wineries have their own wines-of-the-month deals, but I'm not as interested in that because I'm looking for a wide variety of wines recommended by someone else. My own wine log is going to get boring if I'm writing about the same vintners every day.

My guess is that the three-case limit is the reason some subscriptions will ship to Hawaii and others won't, but that doesn't make sense for those short-term subscriptions (you can often get them in three- or four-month terms).
Are you looking for any particular appellations, or just a variety of different wines from all over the place? I know for sure this "aggregate" wine club from the Walla Walla (http://www.wallawallawineclub.com/index.cfm?pid=2)appellation does ship to Hawai'i. The wines from this region are being compared favorably to those from Oregon and California now. Or were you thinking more on the order of international wines? The Walla Walla Wine Club is modeled very similarly after the California Wine Club (http://www.cawineclub.com/store/become_a_member?Args=), which is one of the grand daddies in the industry. You could write to them and find out if they have registered with the State to ship wines to individual consumers in Hawai'i. I bet they are. And they even have a subscription for foreign wines, if those are your preference. I'd probably go that route (the international one) if I was considering joining one of these clubs; the downside is if you find a wine that you really like, replacement bottles might not be available due to the small quantities that are being produced. And I know plastic corks and screw tops that some domestic wineries are now starting to use actually are better for wine preservation, but I still like those natural Portuguese corks on the imported bottles. Plastic corks and screw tops on good wine just seems sooooo wrong, you know?:eek:

Miulang

[tutusue]

Local wine merchants have been very, very helpful, and I enjoy shopping at their stores. The problem is that I live alone and opening up a good bottle of wine when one typically dines alone is sort of a losing proposition, kinda like those five-pound bags of broccoli florets one gets at Costco.[...]
Scriv...this is a handy-dandy wine preserver (http://www.amazon.com/FoodSaver-Wine-Preservation-System-T000-00845/dp/B000BS705O). Works great. And, to get more mileage out of it, it works with these canisters (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/105-5732978-3026857?initialSearch=1&url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=foodsaver+canisters&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=Go) to help extend the shelf life of food. I use this system both in town and Makaha. Love it!

[GeckoGeek]

has no aloha.

Not to step into the snark-fest, but this came up in a conversation today. It seems anymore it's a code phrase meaning "you're not allowed to complain". As in "driving with aloha" - not allowed to complain about other drivers.

Anyway, carry on.

[buzz1941]

has no aloha

It means, "I'm more Hawaiian, and therefore better, than you are."

[Miulang]

For Scriv and anybody else who's interested in wine and wine clubs, in the mail today I just got some information from HAL about a Hawaiian Wine Club (http://www.hawaiianwineclub.com/index.cfm?s=vinesse&t=join.cfm&c=hw&src=hw&CFID=522078&CFTOKEN=36587896). Looks interesting; you can get from 2-4 bottles of wine approximately monthly for about $12-15/bottle plus shipping PLUS Hawaiian frequent flier miles and you also get recipes and a newsletter. The wines are both domestic and international and you can choose red, white or mixed selections. The company that actually is shipping the wines is based in California, but I guess Hawaiian wanted to get in on the recent wine craze. So you can sip and also earn some Hawaiian miles at the same time.

Miulang

[leelee2223]

A case of Dr. Pepper that's sweetened with only 100% cane sugar, for example, only costs eight bucks or so, but with UPS shipping to Hawaii, the cost goes through the ceiling. I'm foodie enough to order lots of things this way if I find the ShipToHawaii price cost-efficient; the thing is, I have to do a little more research first to see if it is: How many of these cases of Dr. Pepper plus how many orders of blood-orange olive oil plus how many blocks of New York cheddar would make it worth my while? Or, if the beer-of-the-month club and ship through this service, what's my actual yearly cost going to be?

I am thinking of getting together a group of locals who are interested in placing larger orders of these specialty items and then splitting the cost of shipping; I wonder how ethical that would be. For example, I'd say that in June, I'm placing an order with X company in Sonoma. I post the URL and others who want to jump in send me their money. We ship it here through ShipToHawaii, one of us picks up the entire stash and we split it up.

Hey.....where do you get this blood orange olive oil?? I love to cook and I've been looking for something like that, but not sure where to find it! And how good is the Dr. Pepper with cane sugar? It must be super duper good!!! Anything with cane suger instead of processed sugar is so much better..

And I think that creating a group shipping order is a good idea because all of you aren't paying as much, I suppose because it is a larger order, rather than paying X amount for maybe even 3 or 4 cases of your DP, when it could be cheeper for you & everyone else included! I suppose it wouldn't be too unethical?:p

[tutusue]

[...]I just signed up based on this discussion (http://www.hawaiithreads.com/showthread.php?t=11552&page=2&highlight=woot.com). I found an item on Overstock.com that they wouldn't ship to Hawaii...a mattress pad of all things; a special size that, at other sites, is grossly expensive. What's up with that?!!! They've shipped other, bulkier items in the past. Then I stumbled on a couple of other items, one a baker's rack! The shipping for the 4 items, including the piece of furniture, is $2.95 from Overstock to STF in California. God only knows what it's going to be from Cali to Oahu! :eek:[...]
:eek:, indeed. And an expensive lesson.

The baker's rack shipped by weight as I expected. So, no surprises. What I didn't thoroughly understand was "dimensional weight", which is how 2 of the remaining 3 items were shipped.

Altho' an order was placed for 4 items, the 4 were shipped separately. Aside from the baker's rack, I also received a set of sheets, the mattress pad and a replacement to my beloved George Foreman Grill!!!

The latter 2 were each shipped in boxes 2-3 times the size of the merchandise. The bigger size switched the shipping rate from weight to dimensions. OMG! :eek: Shipping for these items cost more than the items themselves. I wonder if vendors will be willing or even able to provide box dimensions and weight PRIOR to ordering. Without that info it's not possible to estimate STH charges.

Another issue involves insurance. Since I wasn't aware everything in one order would be sent separately, I chose to insure the *entire* order thru STH. Turned out the insurance applied to only the first item received, in this case, the sheets!!!

The other thing I found disconcerting about STH is it's lack of email notification of shipping charges once known. I found a debit memo online in my checking account for which I had no receipt. I had to contact the bank for information. After that I navigated thru STH's web site and found the charges. It would be nice to have an option to receive an email alert.

So, user beware! I have nobody to blame but myself and I'll probably use STH again but very, very selectively. It worked fine for my sheets as they shipped in an envelope and incurred actual weight charges. The mattress pad is lighter but slightly larger. It was shipped in a very large box. Yikes! Yikes! Yikes!

[buzz1941]

Let the STH folks know your concerns. It seems to be a work in progress.