POSTAGE TO UK

[Clive Palmer]

I have just deleted a possible order for 4 hard backs (with dust cover) where the cost of the books would have been £64 and the cost of postage £60 (and that was the cheapest option). When I have ordered hard backs previously, the postage has been much, much more reasonable. Can anyone tell me what has happened or how the problem can be overcome (if it can). With postage costs at that level the solution is clear - no orders.

[Nick Popio]

Clive,
I can certainly understand your frustration, and we are working to solve the underlying issues that are causing such high prices. Unfortunately, dust-jacket hardcover books are currently only printed in the US, which is why the shipping is so high. We are working with our European printer to be able to print them as well, but it will likely be early next year before that happens. In the meantime, you might consider making a a case-wrap hardcover or perfect-bound version of the book as as well as both of those can currently be printed outside the US. That way, it would be more cost-effective. I know this isn't an ideal solution, but I hope it helps.

Regards,
Nick

[Clive Palmer]

Thanks for your help Nick

[Nick Popio]

Clive,
No problem, I'm glad to help.

Regards,
Nick

[Clinicality Press]

Having just completed a 20-page A5 pamphlet, I should like to add that it's not only the cost of postage for hardcover books which is prohibitive. £2.99 to post one such pamphlet (using the cheapest option)? How can such a fee be justified? I find it hard to conceive that this is a true reflection of the actual costs: after all, the weight of such an item is minimal, and the packaging materials are, from previous experience, neither sufficiently weighty to signigficantly contribute to the item's weight, nor likely to cost a great deal in volume.

The 75% discount available when ordering 25 copies or more is certainly a plus, but then again I'm not convinced that it really costs £18.50 (again, the lowest budget option) for P&P within the UK - only a couple of pounds less than the cost of 25 pamphlets.

What concerns me is that many people will be put off placing orders on account of these postage costs, and while I appreciate that the real cost of posting items isn't cheap, and that profit has to be made somewhere, contend that it would benefit both Lulu and its authors if P&P costings were at least slightly competitive or representative of actual costs, and suspect that a revised pricing strategy regarding P&P may in fact go toward boosting sales of actual books.

[Liam]

[Roger Cave]

This has been raised a few times before.

I have a hardback book at a cost of £10.50, yet the cheapest postage is £14.00!

Ordering single books is cheaper than it was, but ordering in bulk is now prohibative.

[Liam]

OK, this is crazy! I just went through the ordering process for the hardback version of the book, and postage is only £3.99 - £8.53 cheaper than softcover!

What on earth is going on?

[Keith Dixon]

It may be dependent on the size of the book you're trying to buy - some sizes I believe are still only printed in the US. And while dustjacket hardbacks are printed in the US, casewrap hardbacks can be printed in the UK.

So the combinations you're trying to buy may only be able to be printed in one country or the other, leading to different postage costs.

[Liam]

Ah, thanks for the explanation.