Global Sugar Shipping?

Decorating By sumerae Updated 12 Oct 2011 , 5:51am by siuingme

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sumerae Posted 27 Sep 2010 , 9:15pm
post #1 of 33

I love the site, they're quick, have tons of supplies, but holy cupcakes, the shipping costs as much as what I am ordering! I wanted to order the funky letter tappits and they're only $16, but shipping is $13!

Am I the only one who has a hard time swallowing the shipping costs?

32 replies
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Rusti Posted 27 Sep 2010 , 9:45pm
post #2 of 33

I agree, I used to order GSA a lot but the shipping charges went way up. I order what I can from www.fondantsource.com , goog price and better shipping cost.
Don't know why they went up so much.

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All4Show Posted 27 Sep 2010 , 9:49pm
post #3 of 33

Yep, I only order from them when I absolutely can't find what I want ANYWHERE else. You better believe that I research prices pretty closely.

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Stephy42088 Posted 27 Sep 2010 , 9:58pm
post #4 of 33

Yeah, its ridiculous. so I only buy from there as a last resort otherwise I go elsewhere to find what I'm looking for. There is no way shipping can cost as much as what they charge.

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mdanacakes Posted 27 Sep 2010 , 10:12pm
post #5 of 33

The phrase is shipping and HANDLING it is the handling part that can up the rates. I thinking the shipping rates are pretty standard across the board. icon_razz.gif

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thin4life Posted 27 Sep 2010 , 10:15pm
post #6 of 33

I agree, I don't order from them either, their shipping is ridiculous! The last order I got from them (and this was about a year or two ago) they over charged me for shipping and when I brought it to their attention they said they would refund the difference. It took several weeks to get the refund. That was the last time I ordered from them. Never again.

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aundrea Posted 27 Sep 2010 , 10:24pm
post #7 of 33

ive ordered from them many times and received my order very fast. but i agree their shipping prices are high!!!
what other websites do you suggest to order from?
im always scared to try a new place.
TIA

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mpetty Posted 27 Sep 2010 , 10:38pm
post #8 of 33

FYI, I just checked the UPS rate chart and for 2nd Day service, the charges start at $10.45 for a 1 lb package and go up to $25.00 for the same package, depending on what shipping zone you live in. As the weight of your package increases, so do the charges.

My shipping rate has been $11.40 for a 1 lb. package, which isn't bad for UPS 2nd Day. My only problem is that right after I order, I'll think of something I needed but didn't put on my list, so I have to wait until I need enough stuff to warrant spending another shipping rate.

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chrisviz Posted 27 Sep 2010 , 11:00pm
post #9 of 33

Yeah, I had an item on wanted to order that was approx $3, put it in the shopping cart, went to check out and the shipping was over $10... ground... pretty much had a heart attack and cancelled the order.

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Rosie2 Posted 27 Sep 2010 , 11:25pm
post #10 of 33

Same here!! I don't order so much because I can never keep it under $100 with the 'shipping and handling' charges!!

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lauriekailee Posted 29 Sep 2010 , 8:21am
post #11 of 33

It's even worse going to canada!! But we don't get to see the charges...they email us the charges and if we don't want it we can cancel, but we only have I think 3 days to do it. If you then say no, and change your mind, they charge you another fee to repack it! I have never gotten an order WITHOUT fondant, with less than $35 shipping from them. I wonder if they read these and actually care if they are losing customers due to the high handling costs?!

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Apti Posted 29 Sep 2010 , 9:27am
post #12 of 33

Lately I've been trying Amazon.com. Granted you can't get a lot of the really specific cakey stuff, but you'd be surprised at what is available and is included in their free shipping if you order $25 worth of stuff. I figure it's at least worth a comparison since it might save me $10.

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AlanT Posted 29 Sep 2010 , 8:56pm
post #13 of 33

I understand everyone's frustration with shipping costs and I would like to address these concerns again. UPS charges for a minimum of 1 pound of weight, regardless of how light the box really is. If you are ordering one or two small items, choose the Priority Mail option. Priority Mail also becomes more expensive than UPS over 1-1/2 to 2 pounds of weight.
UPS also charges an additional $2.20 for any rural deliveries.

We cannot compete with Amazon. Amazon itself ships everything through bulk mail with no tracking numbers and no guarantee of delivery times. If the items are shipped from another business selling on Amazon, shipping can be expensive. I ordered 4 small items from Amazon yesterday and paid $19.00 in shipping because it came from three different warehouses.

Since most of our customers are decorators in business, their need to get products in a timely basis is critical. Therefore, we do not ship first class mail. It is not guaranteed and there is no way to trace lost packages.

We do not profit from shipping and we never have. Here is a link to a UPS web quote to ship a one pound package from Plattsburgh, NY to North Carolina. You can easily see the costs of sending one small lightweight item. A five pound box would have cost only $1.50
more. http://www.globalsugarart.com/newsimages/scan0020.pdf

In these tough economic time, I am very aware of the costs passed on to customers. That is why we offer great sales and specials every month and continue to sell fondant at very reduced prices. Unfortunately, we cannot control the prices UPS is charging. Alan

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KimmyKakes4Me Posted 29 Sep 2010 , 9:25pm
post #14 of 33

It's like someone saying "you charge too much in tax". Huh? Tax is not something I control. It's an unavoidably cost, shipping is, just like taxes.

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cathyscakes Posted 29 Sep 2010 , 9:26pm
post #15 of 33

I know its probably easier to just have standardized shipping. Its sure maddening. I ordered a rubber leaf veiner, like 1" long. The shipping for this item is 10.00. Something that could have been stuck in a envelope, for a postage stamp. It drives me crazy, they would sure sell alot more stuff if they wouldn't do this. Needless to say, I cancelled the order.

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AlanT Posted 30 Sep 2010 , 12:54pm
post #16 of 33

Regarding the shipping to Canada, I invite you to click on this link http://ircalc.usps.gov/MailServices.aspx?country=10054&m=6&p=5&o=0 and see what it costs us to send a 5 pound package to Canada. Flat Rate boxes are not that large and many items like fondant will not fit in them. Our base cost for that package is $27.00. Many Canadians feel we overcharge but we are charging the exact postage cost plus $2.00 for filling out all the customs paperwork and driving to the post office. Alan

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sugartforyou Posted 30 Sep 2010 , 2:37pm
post #17 of 33

I do disagree on the comment about shipping through First Class Mail, at least in reference of domestic mail. I do have a shop in the internet and ship all the time, domestic and international. If items ships within USA, yes, you can have a tracking number using First Class Mail and be able to trace packages if you use the Paypal printing label system (even if customer pay via credit card as well) Shipping is cheaper than going to the post office and for merely 20 cents more (they added it to the shipping) you have the tracking number, they email automatically to the customer (so they know their item is shipped) and I save time by avoiding the line in the post office. I just drop the items and if there is a lot to ship, I do schedule pick up. International First Class is different because in order to track down packages customer have to pay for insurance and / registered mail and does cost a little more. First Class should be an option for any business regardless of how big is the company and is a lot lot less than using UPS.

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Larkin121 Posted 30 Sep 2010 , 2:57pm
post #18 of 33

Regarding Amazon, I order there all the time and I always get a tracking number included with my free shipping. I am always aware of exactly when it will arrive and where the package currently is.

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tracycakes Posted 30 Sep 2010 , 3:00pm
post #19 of 33

I have ordered alot from Global Sugar Art and I will continue to. They have a variety of products and I can usually get everything I need from their website, especially since they started carrying SPS. My order is usually shipped the same day I order it and I know exactly when it will arrive. I placed an order yesterday afternoon and it went out within about 2 hours. I consider that GREAT customer service and I trust them. I have ordered from other places and it took over a week for my order to even be shipped. I'll stick with GSA because I'm paying for shipping regardless of where I order. I trust them and they have proven themselves over and over.

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MadMillie Posted 30 Sep 2010 , 3:22pm
post #20 of 33

If you will add some other things you want to the order, especially items that are not heavy, you will notice the S/H does double with each item added. They have a base charge that is added to the first item and then they add for weight. When I order I try to order enough to make it worth while.

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goodiegoddess Posted 30 Sep 2010 , 3:35pm
post #21 of 33

If you live in Canada try Goldaskitchen.com There shipping is always very good and they have sales on Fondat all the time.

They ship to the States as well.

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sumerae Posted 30 Sep 2010 , 9:07pm
post #22 of 33
Quote:
Originally Posted by tracycakes

I have ordered alot from and I will continue to. They have a variety of products and I can usually get everything I need from their website




This I agree with! That's why I order from them, b/c I can get everything there. It's just painful when there is something you need in a pinch and don't really want to order a bunch of stuff. I ended up ordering the FMM funky alphabet set alone and paid $7 in shipping with USPS. I prefer UPS but is was $6 cheaper with USPS. So a little better.

And Alan, I'm sorry if my post offended you. It wasn't in malice, it was just a vent session at shipping costs.

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Lili5768 Posted 22 May 2011 , 9:24pm
post #23 of 33

I placed an order for the first time with Global Sugar last night. I live in Puerto Rico, and they informed me that they will email me the shipping charges after they package and weight everything. I hope it is not to much, or I may have to cancel also! icon_sad.gif

Being a hobby painter also, I have ordered art supplies such as heavy jars of paint and canvases from the Dick Blick art company in the states and they have very reasonable shipping charges, so I was thinking Global is the same.
I hope so icon_confused.gif

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jules5000 Posted 22 May 2011 , 10:12pm
post #24 of 33

I have no doubt that their cost for shipping things internationally is expensive. I had a DVD that I wanted from a lady who is in Mexico and her DVD's were expensive not because that is what she would normally sell them for, but it is expensive for her to make them and very expensive for her to ship them so she has to make something on them and hence the expensive cost of the DVD. I still want one, but it is going to take me a while to get the money. I know as much as I gripe about the shipping companies here in the US, we have nothing to complain about compared to other countries. The one thing that does gripe me is that there are things that can be shipped in a much smaller packaging then what they send it in and then you get charged more shipping than what needed to be. I am talking about 1 little item that could be shipped in a bubble envelope and it is sent in a box that is at least 30 times too big. This item would be safe in a bubble wrap envelope or they could use a box that was much closer in size to the item they are sending. I was going to order a suit for my daughter's wedding from this one company and the shipping cost was based on the cost of the item I was going to buy not on the wt. of it. It was ridiculous. It probably weighed in at no more than a lb, but I was going to have to pay 19.99 for shipping because it cost 140.00. Now that is ridiculous. Now maybe someday I will have the money to order something from them that is less in cost and see what the shipping is then. Now consider Jennifer Dontz. I think that the way she does her shipping is great. She is with sugardelites.com. She has a great customer service too. Very speedy.. It has never taken her orders more than 3 days to get to me and many times that is counting the day or evening that I order it.

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Lili5768 Posted 26 May 2011 , 2:21am
post #25 of 33

Got the email from GSA today with the shipping price and I must say I was pleasantly surprised. It was very reasonable so I went ahead with the order and will soon be ordering again! thumbs_up.gif

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Lili5768 Posted 1 Jun 2011 , 12:08pm
post #26 of 33

I received the Global Sugar Art order yesterday! Very happy! Everything was there and I couldn't wait to start playing with my cake "toys" icon_biggrin.gif

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cbiscuit85 Posted 20 Jun 2011 , 4:17am
post #27 of 33

I just received my order from GSA the other day and I am very pleased at how quickly I received everything! The shipping charges were not too bad. I work at a company that sends FedEx all the time - it can cost $13 to send a piece of paper 2-day if it's to a residence in a rural area! And sending internationally is $30 and up. So by comparison, to get a tub of fondant and gumpaste, plus several other accessories for $12 is fair in my opinion, especially because I was able to track it.

On the same day I ordered some cake dummies from another website because they were much cheaper, but have only received a confirmation email for my order and no tracking number, though they claim to send by FedEx Ground which I know should have a tracking #. I wish I would have ordered the cake dummies from GSA because of the great customer service but they are so expensive. I prefer to buy cheaper and cut/sand them myself to fit my needs.

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Lili5768 Posted 25 Jul 2011 , 1:31am
post #28 of 33

I just put in another Global Sugar Art order for lace mold,baby mold,rope mold,stencils,petal and luster dusts, impression mat, boards, cutters etc., etc. Should be getting here on Tuesday. They had a shipping offer of a dollar off of every 10, so I got it to come express icon_lol.gif

Can't wait to get my hot little hands on those toys!!! icon_biggrin.gif

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Uniqueask Posted 25 Jul 2011 , 2:02am
post #29 of 33

I always order from global sugarart, and I am very happy with them, Everywhere I order from shipping is expensive, even Amazon, I have a wholesale account with ckproducts, and I never know how much it costs, until I receive my package. I always have to make sure there is enough mony on my card, because their minimum order is $125 Plus shipping.

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Gerle Posted 25 Jul 2011 , 2:11am
post #30 of 33

I order more than I probably should from Global Sugar Art. They have a large variety, but I find that a lot of time what I'm looking for is out of stock and even when I say to email me when in stock, I don't get the notifications. That can be a bit frustrating at times when you're really looking for something specific and can't find it any place else, either. I also think their shipping is a bit high, but so are a lot of other places. I've also ordered from Golda's kitchen and am happy with them as well. I'll continue to order from Global, especially when they have their sales, but I also take advantage of other sites and Amazon as well. I just make sure I order several items from Global...which most of the time isn't a problem for me! I love their customer service and usually the shipment is received within a week of placing the order. In this day and age, customer service is a valued commodity, and I do like the service from Global.

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