Yeah we did it in the german group. We listed all parts and I collected the money from 4 people. We split the 30 euro shipping cost and 5 euro per domestic parcel. So in total it was still around 10 for everyone in shipping, but better than 30€ for each person.
#muchefficiency #segermans
Good thing I found this thread before I preordered the Framework Laptop so I can add some more modules to my order…
I understand that Framework can’t operate on a loss by having like €5 when it costs them €30, but sometimes I still wonder why stuff from like AliExpress costs cents or rarely 1-3€ to ship from China but any “proper product” like stuff from Framework or other small companies costs €30. Why does shipping crap from China cost €2 but shipping from Taiwan €30 when they’re right next to eachother?
I hope they can get a warehouse set up in Europe relatively quickly to fix that issue.
If you were being serious, it’s because they ship stuff in big containers via ships and take much longer time to arrive. My Framework took one week from order to delivery.
You can’t send a package via plane and only pay a few € for shipment.
Then why not offer fast plane shipping for €30 and slow ship shipping for €3 and let the customer choose?
Same as with AliExpress - default shipping is free or 1-2€, but I (usually) have the option to pay €10 or €20 to get faster shipping. Framework could do that as well, couldn’t they?
Who said they will never do this?
It’s probably on their ToDo-list already. But you know, setting up a global shipping network isn’t going to happen within a day or two.
As we all should probably know by this point, Framework doesn’t announce or communicate something that isn’t set in stone, which honestly, is exactly what I like about them.
No empty promises, no useless hype. Just pure truth.
I suspect it is still being worked on. It was being discussed in November last year…
In this thread
To repost my quote here from TheTwistgibber…
I ship things all over the world. It costs an inordinate amount to ship to Europe because of the place you live. If you have a problem with paying 10 Euros for shipping you should take it up with your Governments. Duties and requirements for shipping electronics can be skirted by one man shops as posted previously in this thread. They can not by companies. Smaller companies are beholden to rules that keep them from being completely competitive.
I deal with postage around the world from many small companies. But none of them charge twice+ for postage than the actual item is worth!
It’s approx £26 ($36) to ship a 43g module (I weighed the package when it arrived) that costs £9!
Duties taxes and costs associated with shipping electronic equipment that are not samples has been the reason in my experience that shipping is higher to Europe, as your governments have punitive duties to keep imports out.
Duties and taxes is a percentage of the item’s value, not a fixed fee. Taxes for a €20 module would be like three bucks or so (taking Germany as an example). Not 30.
Also, the item prices in the EU store do already contain taxes. In the EU the price you advertise must be the actual price someone has to pay including all taxes.
So in the US the HDMI card costs $19 (plus tax), and in the EU it costs €20 (including tax) - $19 converted to euro would be €17.50, so just like customers from the EU expect, the price in the shop (€20) does already contain the €2.50 in taxes.
So the €30 is JUST for shipping and not for duties or taxes which are already included in the item price. When I put a HDMI card into the cart, it explicitly says “Total 20.00 € including tax” (plus shipping).
So no, high taxes or import fees or “punitive duties” in the EU don’t count - because they are included in the item price already. No need to include them in the shipping price again.
From what I understood, the main reason for cheap shipping from junk sites is that it is heavily subsidized. So if you move one country over, the cost stays but the subsidy is gone.
As a point of comparison, shipping a 20x10x10cm, 500g parcel from Taiwan to the UK through Chunghwa Post, the official postage company of Taiwan, costs £10 for 2 week delivery, or £15 for 4-5 days delivery.
Additionally, at least the screen, battery and expansion modules are made in China, so shipping directly from there rather than through Taiwan first would be even cheaper.
I am periodically checking up on this thread, since I would like to order some small parts, but the shipping cost are crazy. I don’t know why Framework needs its own marketplace for these small parts and doesn’t use Amazon or somesuch as fulfillment. A 10€ dongle with 30€ shipping won’t sell much.
Wow shipping for a single 43g card is now £24! 
Give it another year and it will be impossible.
Only Framework…
Please be patient, everyone.
They just have not the same capacity as Amazon or the other big vendors.
They can’t sell/ship through Amazon (or alike) because that would be very complex and only bad for them.
Because many may not be aware, when you sell stuff through Amazon you are forced to not sell any of your equipment cheaper anywhere else and you have to abide to their rules and conditions which is probably nothing a small company would like to get itself into.
Patient? I did raise this over a year ago.
Thing is I’ve seen the operation on YouTube and it’s not some little cottage business in someones spare room.
Framework have been around a fair while now.
The excuses people are pushing are just getting a teensy bit thin.
I order from all over the world, from vendors large and small and no one charges like this.
This is a big problem that needs fixing sooner rather than later.
It’s not FW’s problem, say your complaint to FedEx/logistic companies across the world .
Hmmm so seems only Framework have this issue…interesting.
Well I look forward to paying £30 postage for a £9 item this time next year!
I highly doubt this is a FW only issue, but I do agree it makes me way less likely to replace, say, a broken UBS-A card when I have to pay triple the amount in shipping, and maybe a bit more when it arrives in my country with more taxes.
Yes all I’m saying is…this is a big problem!
Solution please!