What Goes into Shipping Costs?

Calculating shipping costs can get complicated with numerous factors potentially impacting the final cost. Witchdoctors cost are as close to the published shipping rates as possible. We offer FedEx, DHL, USPS with all the various delivery times to our customers. We also offer Free Ground shipping on all US orders over $159.99

With the recent advent of Covid 19, many international orders have seen a dramatic price increase in the cost of shipping. Small items that used to cost only a few dollars to send internationally can now become to expensive to ship. Here are several variables that go into calculating the cost of shipping.

Shipping Point of Origin and Destination

How far a delivery travels from the point of origin to the shipping destination is a key factor in calculating the cost. In general, the further away, the higher the price.

The Weight of the Package

The dead weight of a package is how heavy it is. The heavier the package, the more it will cost to ship.

Package Dimensions

The dimensions are the length, width, and height of the package used to ship the goods. Basically, this is the amount of space that a package takes in the delivery vehicle. 

To determine the dimensional weight, couriers multiply your package's length, width, and height, then divide this number by a cubic divisor of their choice.

Delivery Times for Shipping

The delivery time is how fast a package or shipment will arrive at the destination. This can vary from overnight to over a month, with price points everywhere in between, depending on the distance the package is traveling.

If you want a package delivered overnight, it’s going to cost much more than using a standard 3-7 day ground service.

Shipping insurance

If you're shipping expensive merchandise, you'll want to consider purchasing shipping insurance to protect against lost, stolen, or damaged goods during shipment.

There are sometimes additional charges related to the logistics of shipping and delivery. Due to the wide variety of variables, including delivery location, type of goods shipped, and timing of delivery, there are times when couriers will add additional charges. Common charges are:

  • Pickup location: Sometimes referred to as a “remote area surcharge” or “extended area surcharge,” these fees will be added if the delivery or pick up is in locations not regularly serviced by the courier. Additionally, some couriers will include charges for pickups at residential buildings.
  • Fuel surcharge: Express couriers will add a fuel surcharge which is calculated as a percentage of the shipping costs. This can vary from country to country, week to week, and month to month, as fuel costs are constantly in flux. This is one to pay particularly close attention to as the charges can add up quickly.
  • Fees for mistakes:  We're human, sometimes we make mistakes, but when it comes to shipping, it can cost us an “address correction fee”, “delivery reattempt fee” and even “return fees.”
  • Dangerous Goods are anything that a courier deems dangerous to handle, like chemicals, needles, guns, and, most importantly, lithium-ion batteries.

Duties & Taxes

  • When you ship something to another country, you or the recipient of your shipment may be asked to pay additional duties and taxes before the shipment is delivered. Duties and taxes may apply based on what you are shipping and its value. These can get complex and vary by country.

Packaging & Materials

  • Packaging is materials or dunnage placed around a good to protect it while moving it from one place to another. For example, the cardboard boxes and packing peanuts used to ship products. Other materials can include labels, pouches and tape.