Suppliers Postage & VAT Rates

[funkey monkey]

I couldn't find a cat for this post to fit in so I've put it here.

Now before anyone shoots me down this is not aimed at any supplier who has a spot on this forum but it is a general observation of suppliers postage costs!

a lot of suppliers seem to obtain their stock from the same overseas suppliers which we then buy our stock from but there is a massive gap what we get charged for postage along with prices not showing the cost with VAT! now before anyone starts about being VAT Reg's that only really applies if you have a turnover of £69,000 plus so that doesn't always apply to small sized traders who don't need to be when first starting out.

But the point I'm trying to make is! are the suppliers using high postage costs to make extra income from the postage when other suppliers seem to be able to ship orders for the same items cheaper with free postage regardless of the orders weight?

Something to think about along with suppliers having a rethink as well?

[jennywren]

I do have a look at the postage that suppliers have but my main frustration comes when it's not clear till you buy at the end

[James990]

I get annoyed when suppliers add VAT to the postage, when we all know it is zero rated for VAT, so they cheat by calling it postage and packaging!

[funkey monkey]

Now this part will put the cat amongest the pigeons!

I have and still do have orders with a supplier where I order between 1 or more boxes of 36 Sub mugs at less then £28 per box of 36 dishwasher proof 11oz AAA grade with a 15%+ discount along with loads of other blank items like iPhone & iPad cases, Rock Slates (ALL SIZES), Keyrings, Bags, Kindle Cases and so on and the postage is always Free and gets to me the next day or the day after.

So questions really need to be asked how some can do it and some want to charge silly prices for postage?

[galerion]

I get annoyed when suppliers add VAT to the postage, when we all know it is zero rated for VAT, so they cheat by calling it postage and packaging!

It is correct to add standard rated VAT onto postage if the item being posted is standard rated. It is only the original purchase of postage stamps that is zero rated - when they are incorporated into a standard rated product, the postage cost becomes standard rated also. Your supplier will be paying over VAT on his entire income, so you pay him the VAT, and he pays the VAT over to the government.

[galerion]

Now this part will put the cat amongest the pigeons!

I have and still do have orders with a supplier where I order between 1 or more boxes of 36 Sub mugs at less then £28 per box of 36 dishwasher proof 11oz AAA grade with a 15%+ discount along with loads of other blank items like iPhone & iPad cases, Rock Slates (ALL SIZES), Keyrings, Bags, Kindle Cases and so on and the postage is always Free and gets to me the next day or the day after.

So questions really need to be asked how some can do it and some want to charge silly prices for postage?

I can only think of one supplier who is £28 a box along with free postage and that would be coralgraph. Their £28 mugs are not AAA they are A grade which means no pinholes on surface of the mug although I notice they still get the odd one on the handle. AAA would be their Ultra White Reinforced which are £44.99. As for suppliers making money on postage its more likely that supplier who charge postage don't think they would offset there postage costs with sales gained from offering free post.

[Earl Smith]

Back in the 80´s I had a small business in the UK. A supplier sent me goods via the post and he had to add VAT to the postage even though there is no VAT on a stamp. Why? Because he physically put the goods into a packet and posted the package to me, therefore he had to charge the VAT on postage.
Maybe its changed since then but I doubt it. If it hasnt and suppliers are sending things out without VAT then the supplier and you will eventually get a VAT bill from the VAT peeps.
Its a bit like no VAT on food eaten in a restaurant but VAT is charged if it taken away. Daft.

[mrs maggot]

i have a supplier who i deal with for patches, for another part of our business, no matter what i order, the postage is £10 per order, then he credits me back off my next order, the postage actual cost ie £6, £3 whatever, when i queried it with him, he said he got fed up with people moaning about the cost of postage when it was over, and never when it was under, so he now charges £10 and credits back !!! really strange way to do it, but he is a spot on supplier.

I cannot expect anyone to deliver anything to me for free, so if they say its £8 or free over £100 and i only have £40 to order then its £48 im going to pay. but it does get me when they charge an unreasonable amount or do things in a snide way - Gala tent offer "free carriage" BUT you pay a £7.99 order packing and picking charge !!!!

as others have said, just make it clear what you are going to charge me, and let me make my own mind up

[funkey monkey]

This is why it is so frustrating! not so much the VAT being added to the postage but the difference is postage costs across all the suppliers and the way some market their goods price without the VAT and some market their prices with the VAT already added and some do both.

I did a test last night where I went to every suppliers sites and found some items that all of them sold, then I placed orders and canceled them before the final checkout process but what a huge difference in not only the goods prices but the postage costs as well.

Now I know with the goods some suppliers may have slightly better quality which would justify the higher price but what you see with the postage costs was like buying from eBay where the P&P was hiked up just to make more money and I have to say there was one very clear winner for the award of best P&P price and one very clear winner of the award for worst P&P price.

So in conclusion I'd say the moral to this is shop around for the best price on the suppliers P&P because it could make all the difference of you being able to get more stock with what you save on the P&P

[arthur.daley]

p&p varies because there are variables involved. Some suppliers double box bugs others don't. Some are overnight and reliably arrive next day whilst some are overnight and decidedly hit and miss. Some use the cheapest carrier they can find and some use a carrier committed to handling goods marked as fragile, as fragile. Its not all the same. One supplier will ship the first box of mugs for free but a second box will cost you. However, if you order one box iat 10am and another on a seperate order an hour later and another an hour after that, they all go free. I don't know how many separate orders you would have to put in before someone had a 'quiet word'.

So long as you know up front what the total cost is going to be, thats fine. What really gets up my nose are the suppliers who deliberately hide postage charges. You only get to see them clearly AFTER you have filled in the order, you have to fanny about filling in online forms complete with payment details and card numbers etc and are just one click away from committing to the order before you get to see the postal charges.


Arthur