The Complexities of Shipping & Handling Fees

How to Charge

Most catalogs today use a tiered S&H fee schedule. Charges are divided into levels, with the fee charged for an average order size somewhere in the middle tier.

Other less-common methods of charging include using a flat fee (but that only works for a limited number of catalogers), or charging actual cost for shipping, based on the weight of the items and the location to which they’re being sent (but this is difficult for most catalogers to manage). “It may cost you more to ship from a distance, for example, New York to California, but it’s problematic to charge more from a consumer’s point of view,” Mollo states.