The new reality is who pays how much for shipping, a question that can strain relationships between buyers and sellers at a time when e-business is just starting to take hold in a big way. Buyers looking for bargains are likely to click-off when they see their savings evaporate at the bottom line. Compounding the issues, neither party knows the exact cost of all possible shipping options at the moment of ordering. Consumer Reports, which has commenced rating e-commerce sites, finds shipping charges at most sites to be within reasonable limits, but faults difficulties in finding out what they are. Considering the tumultuous and youthful history of e-business, it is no surprise that there is no industry standard formula for calculating shipping costs.
Merchant charges a flat fee for shipping to all destinations.
Merchant adds a handling charge to help cover the cost of shipping. Merchant e-mails shipping charges the next day to buyer who often cancels the order as a result. Merchant Web site is linked to a carrier's Web site for downloading one rate at a time, based on the consumer's choice of a shipping method. If the consumer wants to see other rates, the back button may be pushed to start the process over. The most logical question of the day asks why is it so difficult to provide comparative rates online at the time of purchase in one display and let buyers make the choice.