Shop Talk: "Shipping Costs Are Eating Me Alive"

Q:"Shipping costs are eating me alive. Customers want free or very low shipping, but they have no idea what that means for small online retail stores. Do you have any strategies to deal with shipping costs and remain competitive?"— Carla Rose, owner, Green and Chic

A: Consumers don't care that you're small. They expect that if you're online, you should be competing with companies like Amazon that routinely offer free shipping. Consumers also don't care that you offer great customer service — they expect that. They just want a deal.