One of the inhibiting factors that we have, based where we are at the bottom tip of Africa, is that our shipping costs are high.
We are unable to use the post office system because the South African Post Office has collapsed. It started going under in about 2014 and since then we have used Aramex Couriers. When we changed over to couriers, we spent many hours doing comparison costing between the various courier companies with Aramex coming out on top with the added advantage being that we have a wonderful local office that gives us excellent service.
At the time of doing those comparisons, it became clear that on larger, heavier international parcels there was very little difference between the Post Office and Aramex Couriers. This is because the courier companies work on a sliding scale meaning that the heavier the parcel, the cheaper the charge per gram.
We have often suggested to overseas customers that they get together with fellow stitchers to place larger orders, thereby paying relatively less for shipping. This is difficult for lone stitchers in the countryside, and we concluded that it would be best to set up a separate log in section on our website for Guilds and Stitching Groups who would be in the best position to take advantage of this. It would also be useful for a group wanting to stitch a design as a group over a period of time and also, a group wanting to do an online class with us.
We have now set that up and in addition to the prospect of cheaper shipping for everyone, we are offering a 25% discount on all our kits and books, the things that we churn out ourselves. So, in effect, you will be purchasing those kits and books at wholesale prices.
So, how to go about taking advantage of this system.
Each Guild or Group would appoint a person to take in and place the online orders. It might even be a good idea to register a group email address on gmail, maybe something like [email protected]. Or whatever is available. That person would register a user account on our website at www.hazelblomkamp.com and then email us at [email protected], requesting that it be converted to a wholesale account. We will convert it in the back end of the website and get back to that user, telling him or her that it’s good to go. When that person logs into the converted account, discounted items will show up with a line through the original price and the discounted price below that.
If you look at the shipping cost comparisons at the bottom of this page you will see that, for example, one person in the United States of America ordering one kit would pay $59.06 to ship that kit whereas 20 people ordering 20 kits would pay $7,95 per kit for shipping. A huge difference. Of course, the comparisons in the table over the page are based on an average kit weighing 250 grams and we are aware that all orders will be different. This does, however, give you some idea of the savings you will make on the shipping costs. We have placed a minimum order level for orders using this log in as we envisage that it will only be for orders that are large enough to take advantage of the saving on shipping costs.
One thing that we have no control over is customs duty on the receiving end. The US and Australia have duty free limits on products received in those countries and I have listed them in the table below with the South African Rand (ZAR) amount alongside for easy reference when ordering. Other countries might have similar duty-free limits, but if they do, I don’t know about them. It’s worth your finding out. Any parcel with a product total of more than those amounts will be subject to customs duty so I would say that it would usually be wise to keep the product total (not including the shipping) to below that amount. Why pay it if you can avoid it.
Unfortunately, there is not a lot we can do about customs duty in other countries and if you are in a country where you are required to pay duty on everything that comes into your country, it would be a good idea to find out what you will be expected to pay. You will probably be able to get that information from your government websites and it might help to know that the customs code for the kits is HS Code 52041110 whereas the code for books is HS Code 490110.
We envisage that when appointing a person to place these communal bulk orders, the appointed person would collect the appropriate funds from those ordering and I would envisage that, having some idea of the customs duty costs (if appropriate) it would be a good idea to collect an approximate amount for that. The shipping invoice will list the weights of each product so you will be able to work out who pays what percentage of the shipping cost.
I have tried to cover everything but if you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Shipping Cost Comparisons
United States of America
| Quantity | Weight | Total Shipping US$ | Cost per item US$ | Minimum Order US$ | ZAR | |
| 1 kit | 250g | 59.06 | 59.06 | 266.02 | 5000.00 | |
| 10 kits | 2500g | 103.58 | 10.35 | |||
| 15 kits | 3750g | 136.69 | 9.11 | Duty Free US$ | ZAR | |
| 20 kits | 5000g | 159.08 | 7.95 | 1600.00 | 30000.00 |
Canada
| Quantity | Weight | Total Shipping CA$ | Cost per item CA$ | Minimum Order CA$ | ZAR | |
| 1 kit | 250g | 96.57 | 96.57 | 361.13 | 5000.00 | |
| 10 kits | 2500g | 177.56 | 17.76 | |||
| 15 kits | 3750g | 238.30 | 15.89 | |||
| 20 kits | 5000g | 278.80 | 13.94 |
United Kingdom
| Quantity | Weight | Total Shipping GB₤ | Cost per item GB₤ | Minimum Order GB₤ | ZAR | |
| 1 kit | 250g | 24.44 | 24.44 | 211.62 | 5000.00 | |
| 10 kits | 2500g | 42.26 | 4.20 | |||
| 15 kits | 3750g | 55.62 | 3.71 | |||
| 20 kits | 5000g | 64.53 | 3.23 |
Australia
| Quantity | Weight | Total Shipping AU$ | Cost per item AU$ | Minimum Order AU$ | ZAR | |
| 1 kit | 250g | 67.92 | 67.92 | 408.77 | 5000.00 | |
| 10 kits | 2500g | 159.63 | 15.96 | |||
| 15 kits | 3750g | 228.42 | 15.23 | Duty Free AU$ | ZAR | |
| 20 kits | 5000g | 274.28 | 13.71 | 1000.00 | 12237.42 |
New Zealand
| Quantity | Weight | Total Shipping NZ$ | Cost per item NZ$ | Minimum Order NZ$ | ZAR | |
| 1 kit | 250g | 74.10 | 74.10 | 445.98 | 5000.00 | |
| 10 kits | 2500g | 174.16 | 17.41 | |||
| 15 kits | 3750g | 249.21 | 16.61 | |||
| 20 kits | 5000g | 299.24 | 14.96 |
France (Eurozone sample country)
| Quantity | Weight | Total Shipping Euro | Cost per item Euro | Minimum Order Euro | ZAR | |
| 1 kit | 250g | 38.77 | 38.77 | 247.07 | 5000.00 | |
| 10 kits | 2500g | 78.74 | 7.87 | |||
| 15 kits | 3750g | 108.71 | 7.25 | |||
| 20 kits | 5000g | 128.70 | 6.43 |