Today's Special Value

[Aumgirl]

On 11/12/2014 MaggieToo said:

I've been ready to purchase items and when the s&h charges were shown, i didn't order. If I see a top I like, I might order it in a couple of colors, but when they charge one and a half times what it should cost, they have lost a sale.

Agreed MaggieToo! I have routinely purchased tops on HSN for less than $2.00 shipping. Whey can't the Q do that? The shipping charged for clothing is absurd.

[brandiwine]

There is nothing on the Q that I want bad enough to pay their out of control S&H. Way too many great sites that ship for free. The Q used to offer unique gifts and products. Now I can get almost anything they sell for less money and no shipping. Things also get to me in half the time or less than the Q's shipping.

[gardensla]

I'd love to know their figures for abandoned carts. Bet it's huge. Most other vendors offer free shipping with a certain amount purchased, others offer a one-year deal for shipping and still others just ship for free. I was buying some tee shirts I saw on Oprah's favorite and the shipping for 3 featherweight tops was 12.50. I wrote to the vendor and told them I would not be buying because that amount just didn't add up. They wrote back within an hour and offered me free shipping. Some vendors just get it. Consumers have the power to set the rules.

[chrystaltree]

Yes, indeed many,many Q shoppers share that feeling and NEVER get tired of whining and crying and complaining about it...never. It's obvious that the vast majority of Q shoppers have no problems whatsoever with s&h charges. It doesn't affect our shopping at all and that's all Q cares about. Sales. If sales dipped due to shipping charges, you betcha Q would reduce them. But, obviously, that hasn't happened because people have been whining for years and years. It really isn't a QVC problem. Shop where you get lower shipping charges, if that's important to you. It really isn't a big deal.

[Kathlen]

I only buy stuff at QVC that I want, and I can't get elsewhere ... so shipping/handling doesn't matter.

[stevieb]

It seems like every once in a lonnnnng while and on selected items they offer a shipping 'deal' or, I suppose, more accurately, what's a deal to them. And, of course, on some items the more we buy they'll cut the shipping down, but I can't even begin to account for how many times I've backed out of a purchase because of the shipping charges. Sometimes, if I really want an item and can't find it elsewhere, or elsewhere for less, I'll hold my nose and 'submit', but far more often I simply opt out because of their need to include shipping as a profit center.

[GloriBee]

On 11/12/2014 gardensla said:

I'd love to know their figures for abandoned carts. Bet it's huge. Most other vendors offer free shipping with a certain amount purchased, others offer a one-year deal for shipping and still others just ship for free. I was buying some tee shirts I saw on Oprah's favorite and the shipping for 3 featherweight tops was 12.50. I wrote to the vendor and told them I would not be buying because that amount just didn't add up. They wrote back within an hour and offered me free shipping. Some vendors just get it. Consumers have the power to set the rules.

WOW! That was very smart on your part and on theirs for offering free ship! QVC does not "get it"!

[KJPA]

I think eventually QVC will get it. So far the S&H policies may not have hurt sales too much but I think shoppers are getting more savvy by the day. Currently there are probably still a majority of Q shoppers who don't know or have the means to search the Web for other/better bargains. But that's changing.

For example, I was looking at the I love Dooney site last week and saw a bag offered for $100 cheaper and free shipping compared to the Q's price (and Q was charging about $12 or so shipping.) I forget the exact S&H amount and I don't remember if Q was offering EZ pay at the time. I find it amazing that another legitimate site can sell the bags for cheaper and free shipping! I'm sure as people learn there are other places to purchase they will do so. It's just a matter of time.

For now QVC is doing a lot of free advertisement for other sites where we end up making our purchases.

[goodstuff]

There have been many, many threads discussing QVC's extremely high S&H charges -- especially high since they are computed per item, no matter how small the item or how many items you order together. You could order six or seven small, lightweight items (makeup, small accessories, small kitchen items, whatever) and pay several dollars for S&H apiece -- possibly adding up to $30 or more in S&H for items that could easily be packed and shipped together in one small box! You can conveniently shop online so many places now and have items delivered to your door.......and many of QVC's online competitors offer free shipping, very low shipping fees, or frequent free/reduced shipping specials. It's a major factor in shopping choices for me! QVC may be chortling over all the $$$ they're making in S&H.......but I doubt they realize how many sales they are losing because of their S&H.

[stevieb]

It's a conundrum for them because shipping is pretty clearly a revenue source for them... They rely on shipping to generate profit. Granted, the 24/7 on-air operation, which has become increasingly stale and redundant, is a tremendous source of overhead that most on-line or brick and mortar retailers don't have. Still, the other TV based home shopping entities don't seem quite as inclined to gouge... I also wonder if some of it might have to do with what is essentially an antiquated warehousing system that doesn't facilitate multiple items shipping concurrently in the same box. As noted though, even when they can and do, they tend to charge for shipping each item, which is just plain ridiculous. I also wonder how much has to do with corporate arrogance. For years now, QVC has been the jewel in the crown of TV based home shopping, and it seems it's taking an extremely long time for it to sink in that they are NOT the operation they once were, and will likely have to make some concessions to customer incentives. Here's hoping...