CPC Farnell Head Towards Free Postage/Handling?

[Humber888]

Remembering the recent thread of RS introducing handling charges for smaller orders, it seems as if CPC Farnell may be heading the other way. Their website is currently offering a limited time, free postage offer on any web order, no matter how small or whether you are a business account holder. Admittedly their way of implementing this through the website is weird (having to write 'WEBFREE' in the comments box and still seeing the handling charge added at checkout). However, I just spoke to a lady in Sales and she said that they were planning to extend the offer indefinitely as, internally, Sales had felt it was unfair to inflate a tiny order by £6 or more for handling. I also asked about why the web ordering process could not just remove the handling costs at checkout and she said they had tried but it had crashed the system! However, they are planning to introduce a new web platform in 'a few weeks', so we will see.

I forgot to ask whether this theory applies to 'phone orders as well and I don't know what the state is with Farnell Element 14 - but they always seem to be significantly more expensive anyway.

Hope this is useful.

Mike

[Nicklyons2]

I would like to know how much the sales were affected when they put the minimum order to get free delivery up from £30 to £45. I now buy almost nothing from CPC any longer because the p&p charges for the odd small item inflate the price too much and I end up paying through the nose at Maplin. I wouldn't object to small items and orders under, say £10, attracting £1 or £1:50 p&p but the current charges (current promo excluded) have just stopped me dealing with them.

[flyingtech55]

I stopped buying from CPC because of the ridiculously disproportionate postage charges. If these charges are being abolished then I might go back to them. I find Maplin stores a total waste of time although I pass one every day. They stock very few of any one component for example; one 220uF capacitor. I think they may well be the next 'High Street Casualty'. I got most of my stuff from, believe it or not, Amazon. Free postage. More power to them!

I refuse to buy anything from RS as they refused to supply me when I had a small TV repair/rental business which I operated from home many years ago in the Philips G8 days.

TimR

[Bazz4CQJ]

Rapid also have free delivery offer until sometime in April. 24/7/365 would be better!

[Tim]

Lower postal charges was one reason why I started to use Cricklewood.

[Paul Stenning]

The problem these companies have of course is that postage is becoming ever more expensive. A CD or DVD disk in a plastic sleeve in a padded envelope costs £1.85 by first class recorded, and anything too big to be a "large letter" (such as a DVD in a case) is £2.30 or more. Hogh volume customers will get some discount but it's not that great.

So the companies either have to charge for postage, or have to add it onto the product prices. Adding it to the product prices unfairly penalises those who place larger orders for small quantities of different parts - and it's the customers that place bigger orders that the companies are more keen to keep happy.

I think the fairest arrangement is a P&P charge for smaller orders (say £2.50 for orders under £25) as larger orders will probably have enough profit on the products to cover the postage.

The problem of course is when the P&P cost is disproportionally high compared to the cost of posting the products, or the free postage threshold is unrealistically high.

[PaulR]

I wonder whether their small sales are dropping off. I used to order then drive to them as I live fairly close, but the cost of fuel has put an end to that so I buy elsewhere now. As Paul says P+P charges that simply cover the costs over and above the trade counter costs are fair enough. I must dust the catalogue off...