USPS Shipping from IWM?

[Stinger]

Okay, so I have a question.

Why isn't USPS shipping offered from IWM?

Shipping is the main reason I avoid buying directly from IWM, and I usually go through another third-party online (no LGS within 25 miles of me).  I would love to get some online exclusives, but then I look at the shipping costs.  2 Mechs - $20-25.  Shipping - $10.  Where from other sites I get 3 Mechs - $30-35, shipping $3. 

I would totally buy direct if it were more economical.

Thoughts?

[Firesprocket]

It's a convenience to us that they sell directly to their consumer.  Their primary business still comes from selling to wholesalers and/or store fronts where the product is more likely to gather more exposure and sold in bulk with intent to distribute directly.  USPS is convenient to smaller orders, but not necessarily larger ones which their business would typically rely on.  If I am ordering one or two minis I shop it around elsewhere rather than directly through IWM because of shipping costs.  However, and more often then not, unless I find an awesome price on a lot of stuff I'll hold off on placing an order for 3 or 4 months and buy in bulk from IWM to hit that free shipping mark.

[Stormlion1]

Usually if your buying a lot of minis the shipping isn't that big a deal but for small orders it is. But in the end I am still paying S+H somewhere whether it comes from Amazon, IWM, or a online gaming store.

[SteelWarrior]

It's a convenience to us that they sell directly to their consumer.  Their primary business still comes from selling to wholesalers and/or store fronts where the product is more likely to gather more exposure and sold in bulk with intent to distribute directly.  USPS is convenient to smaller orders, but not necessarily larger ones which their business would typically rely on.  If I am ordering one or two minis I shop it around elsewhere rather than directly through IWM because of shipping costs.  However, and more often then not, unless I find an awesome price on a lot of stuff I'll hold off on placing an order for 3 or 4 months and buy in bulk from IWM to hit that free shipping mark.

Ummmm that would almost make sense if there was actual distribution sites for BT minis, ive yet to find a site that claims to have stock on hand.   When you place an order with say, The War Store they place an order to IWM, there is no middle man, which is why websites always list these products as a supply chain instead of coming from normal distribution out lets.  Because of this its a huge pain in the ass to order anything from cdn unless its $200+.  Further more its not a privaledge to us, selling direct from the producer is maximum profite for IWM because they arent selling it whole sale to a retail store, thats why companies like GW are forcing people to buy directly from them and thats why they have huge restrictions on retailers.

[YingJanshi]

I'm kind of in the same boat. I can't afford to buy minis very often. At most 1 or 2 every 3-4 months. So shipping does kind of bite. Also my store won't stock minis.

[cavingjan]

When you place an order with say, The War Store they place an order to IWM, there is no middle man, which is why websites always list these products as a supply chain instead of coming from normal distribution out lets.

The War Store has stock on hand. Occasionally their inventory is wrong and something is listed that they don't actually have. Only once didn't I have something backordered that took longer than the next weekday to ship out. My orders are typically large and mixed between minis and other gaming items and it comes in a single shipment right away (unless an item is backordered.)

IWM has made the decision to stick with one shipper that includes tracking and insurance. I don't blame them for that. UPS and FedEx offer much better services for businesses, hands down. That includes multiple pickups per day (if wanted), a labelling system that can integrate directly into your system, single call customer service, tracking, etc.

The one catch that hurts the one to three minis orders is that they have a flat shipping rate. That encourages larger orders but can really hurt the small orders. It makes the website simpler but does have its drawback.

[Redleg1995]

If you contact Ironwindmetals directly, they may be able to ship to you via USPS.  I don't know if it will change the shipping costs, but they have shipped to me via USPS before when I requested it ( I couldn't be home to receive UPS).  They have always been pretty user friendly when I have contacted them on something in the past.

[cold1]

It's a convenience to us that they sell directly to their consumer.  Their primary business still comes from selling to wholesalers and/or store fronts where the product is more likely to gather more exposure and sold in bulk with intent to distribute directly.  USPS is convenient to smaller orders, but not necessarily larger ones which their business would typically rely on.  If I am ordering one or two minis I shop it around elsewhere rather than directly through IWM because of shipping costs.  However, and more often then not, unless I find an awesome price on a lot of stuff I'll hold off on placing an order for 3 or 4 months and buy in bulk from IWM to hit that free shipping mark.

Since there are dozens of posters here that don't have a store near them that sells minis. Including myself (and I live in one of the top 75 largest metro areas in the US).  It's safe to say IWM is not making it convenient but rather selling directly to end users because the market for their products is not large enough to attract enough wholesalers to cover the entire geographic distribution of consumers.  It would be foolish on IWM's part to not sell direct.

I agree their shipping costs are high and geared towards large orders.  But they do provide excellent order fulfillment, tracking, and insured shipping.

I buy all my minis directly from IWM just I like I buy all my books from Battleshop.  I want the people who keep BT alive to keep as much of my money as possible when I make a purchase.

[Giovanni Blasini]

Since there are dozens of posters here that don't have a store near them that sells minis. Including myself (and I live in one of the top 75 largest metro areas in the US).  It's safe to say IWM is not making it convenient but rather selling directly to end users because the market for their products is not large enough to attract enough wholesalers to cover the entire geographic distribution of consumers.  It would be foolish on IWM's part to not sell direct.

I live in the eighth largest city in the United States.  I know of not one shop that will keep IWM minis on their shelves. Even Game Towne, the last holdout, stopped doing so as I recall.

[Acolyte]

Likewise my FLGS has a small row of IWM mini's - mainly to show that they can order them in. I prefer to order them in direct, myself.

   - Shane

[Stormlion1]

For every order I've made it has been shipped through the Post Office, not UPS or FedEx. I use a PO Box for my orders and its very convenient as FedEx and UPS don't have good records with me at the moment. The number of lost packages gets annoying after a while.

[megatrons2nd]

I actually prefer the UPS or FedEx delivery.  I typically get my orders the day after shipment, and often get them the same day.  I have received an order before it was changed to shipped status on one occasion.

I dislike USPS shipping because god knows where it is going to go before it gets to you.  I shipped two packages on the same day from the same location (Indiana) to the same person in Ohio, one went to California before being returned to Ohio the other went straight to Ohio with no strange detours.  Of course the one that went to California was late getting to the person, so much for the 3 day delivery.  This is also not the first time I have had a similar problem with the USPS.  I have had a package to be delivered to me go to Indianapolis IN, then to Gary IN, back to Indianapolis IN, and finally to Crawfordsville IN where I live.

[mike19k]

I actually prefer the UPS or FedEx delivery.  I typically get my orders the day after shipment, and often get them the same day.  I have received an order before it was changed to shipped status on one occasion.

I dislike USPS shipping because god knows where it is going to go before it gets to you.  I shipped two packages on the same day from the same location (Indiana) to the same person in Ohio, one went to California before being returned to Ohio the other went straight to Ohio with no strange detours.  Of course the one that went to California was late getting to the person, so much for the 3 day delivery.  This is also not the first time I have had a similar problem with the USPS.  I have had a package to be delivered to me go to Indianapolis IN, then to Gary IN, back to Indianapolis IN, and finally to Crawfordsville IN where I live.

I have to second my dislike of USPS they do not do a very good job of tracking stuff, and if it is late that is your fault not theirs same if it gets lost. I have seen them take almost six months to delver a package from UT to FL. If I was running the store I would not use USPS as if it takes that long to get someplace you will proably end up having to send a second set out before the first one gets there.