Wednesday 11 January 2023

Dream Theatre, Act 2

 I decided to make the cheaper version of Dream Theatre using the "magazine" format, as I've done in the past for other publications, such as Let's Get Lost, or Stand. You should be able to check it out using this link:

The price is right, but the only problem, as always with Blurb, is that the shipping cost is disproportionate. At least, it is if you import an item made in the USA or even in Europe into the UK. Your shipping may be significantly cheaper, of course, if you do actually live in the US or Europe (which, come to think of it, most of my regular readers do). I decided to take this up with Blurb, so "reached out", as they like to say. I wrote:

Blurb shipping charges can be far too high. I recently uploaded a magazine, and wanted to order a single proof copy. Base cost of magazine: just over £8. Shipping cost: over £18...  This is insane. 
I realise this is probably because magazines are still made in the USA. But others (e.g. Zno) can ship US to UK for a reasonable price, and I'm sure you could, too, if you looked into it.

They replied:

Our shipping and handling fees include the actual cost of shipping a parcel from our print facility to your doorstep as well as the materials and manpower needed to package your book. This means the price you see for shipping and handling isn't just for the postage alone but includes other costs associated with shipping the order to you.
We do conduct regular research to ensure that the shipping and handling fees we charge are competitive while offering reliable methods and multiple shipping options for every budget.
That said, we appreciate the feedback and I will pass it on to our operations team so they can consider it in their next shipping-cost review.
If you have any additional questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to me.

To which I replied:

"Our shipping and handling fees include the actual cost of shipping a parcel from our print facility to your doorstep as well as the materials and manpower needed to package your book."

And other people's don't? I'd be surprised...

So, *are* magazines made in the USA? Is it really too much trouble to have them produced in Europe? I've been a Blurb customer for many years now, and I know from feedback that the shipping cost is why so many potential sales fall through.

To which they replied:

At the moment, our magazines are produced in print shops in the USA and Europe. We always try to use a print shop closest to the final destination. I looked into this and your order will be printed in our European print shop. 

Hmm. Let me see... From the UK, Royal Mail charge £3.25 to send a large letter weighing less than 750g by Standard International mail to the Netherlands. VistaPrint (also based Somewhere in Europe) charge £3.75 for Economy Shipping, and Zno charge $9 to ship from the USA. In other words, someone at Blurb thinks it costs something like an additional £15 ($18 or €17) for someone to pick up one printed 40-page magazine, put it in a cardboard mailer, print out and attach an address label, and put it in the post to the United Kingdom. Blimey! I suspect they need to stop employing lawyers on legal hourly rates in the post-room, and should also check they're not being ripped off by their stationery suppliers. Or maybe they should simply stop trying to gouge customers by massively overcharging for shipping?

Anyway, I have to say that I actually prefer this slightly revised version, and (provided the shipping isn't prohibitive) I'd recommend it to anyone wanting to buy a hard copy. A downloadable PDF version is also available at the bargain price of £5.99 (and no shipping charge!).

5 comments:

Hans van der Molen said...

Hi Mike,

FYI: Blurb's European printing plant is located in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. I suppose the British Isles may still be regarded as being part of Europe, so it's not likely that your books and magazines have to cross an ocean to reach you. I have created a number of magazines with Blurb, I think they are very well made, but as you say, the postage on magazines is incomprehensible.

Greetings from Holland,
Hans van der Molen

Mike C. said...

Thanks for the confirmation, Hans. Yes, I very much like the magazine format, and the results are comparable to the softcover books, despite being much cheaper. Interestingly, I think VistaPrint are in Eindhoven, too... I wonder if they're all using the same printers?

Mike

Stephen said...

Shipping costs from the USA to the UK always seem high to me, at least in comparison to the rates Royal Mail charge to ship to the USA. (I'm thinking primarily about eBay but other US suppliers are similarly costly.)

As an aside Mike, I think I mentioned to you previously that I had a Zine (More of a short book really) printed a few months ago at Mixam UK. The price was great, as was quality, though I think they've put their prices up since then.

Cheers,

Stephen.

Mike C. said...

Stephen,

I presume Mixam is not an "on demand" publisher, though? After some initial experiments in self-publishing, I vowed never again to end up with boxes of unsellable books under the bed. The big plus of Blurb, Lulu, et al is that if someone wants to buy a copy then it gets printed; if nobody does, none get printed (other than the copies I buy), and hoovering under the bed remains a possibility...

Mike

Stephen said...

You're right Mike — Mixam aren't an on-demand publisher. Forgot about that. (I ended up giving away most of the 'Zines' I got printed. I'll look at Blurb again next time.

Stephen.