To ship a 1 lb package from Arizona to Chicago (just randomly picking a destination) is approximately $7.50 with UPS (as of April 2009).  This doesn’t include the 50-75 cent box cost or the $3-5 for labor to process an order.  With our $7.95 flat rate for most orders, you can quickly see that the smaller the order, the more money we’re losing.  Because of this, we instituted a $4 handling charge on orders under $9.00 to try and cover some of these losses. 

Most local retail stores only provide what’s profitable ($50-100 headsets) and thus don’t offer accessories.  Because we empathize with people who can’t find accessories locally, we’re happy to provide them, but our shipping & handling charges must cover our costs, remembering most of the time we didn’t profit from the original sale.

As for alternatives, we have tried the United States Post Office but we ran into a few problems like breakage of items in envelopes; lost shipments; lack of tracking with carrier pick-up; additional labor costs of travel and waiting in line to obtain tracking.

Again, I wanted to be honest and open with you and please know we’re just as frustrated as you. Ultimately, I would suggest voicing your displeasure with your local retail stores for not carrying accessories.  We’re always open to your ideas and suggestions so please leave comment and suggestions.  

Thanks.

Wayne Baumgartner
President & Founder

Headsets Direct, Inc.