Shipping and handling...the great nemesis of internet shoppers and a wonderful place for distributors to hide profit. It's part of the landscape...especially in the internet age. You have to recognize and accept that most of the retail "webstores" are a virtual storefront...they have the cache, through understanding how search engines and chat sites like this one work, to grab your attention and be your point of purchase...a portal...nothing more. The stocking distributor does not care...it's an outsourced sales and marketing department...costs simply passed on to the consumer. Often those inflated shipping costs...largely the nebulous "handling" part is actually the profit of the point of purchase retailer. In the end, the great challenge for the consumer is going through the shipping calculator before they click purchase when they are comparing prices between websites.
Internet shopping became possible thanks to UPS and fedex...and relatively cheap gas. As gasoline prices get inflated and "real" shipping charges escalate...we will see consolidation among e-tailers and a return to traditional geographically determined distribution models... and yes....less choices. The internet makes purchasing by price easy for consumers...a nightmare for non-exclusive distributors...and capitalism in general. Shipping charges that approach a third of the entire purchase price of the product give the consumer pause...reducing demand...reducing sales. Many of these etailers are banking on making money on volume....$20 per purchase....multiplied by a lot of volume...not bad for a little web savvy. However, increase the cost of gasoline and these businesses dry up and blow away....leaving the big guys....uh-oh. Welcome to the marketplace.
What's my point you ask?
Well, maybe nothing...haha. Maybe I'm saying that if all other things are equal..run the shipping calculator and click as you see fit, because in many cases the "etailer" offers little value added. But this is not the case with VQ Warbirds...Thomas is obviously a Warbird enthusiast more than an RC etailer...we are all enthusiasts of warbirds... a specific aspect of the enormous world of RC...how could you buy better from anyone else but an enthusiast? When it comes to meeting your expectations...Thomas gets it...he adds companion product like Ty's cockpit kits that add value...not just products that he can find a margin on and get in front of you. I've got too many unfinished kits now..but I've got my eye on an ESM warbird It's a toss up between the Fairey Swordfish and a 50cc Spit...when I'm ready...Thomas will get the call.