reasonable shipping to Alaska?

[andisunshine]

I have been browsing through the different sites that offer materials and supplies for soaping and I would love to try some nice fragrances. The only problem is that since fragrances cannot be shipped by air I am out of luck. It seems so unfair that WSP can ship for $6.95 to anywhere but here and Hawaii. I added about three pounds of butters to my cart just to see how much it would be and it was $35 for shipping! :shock:

Does anyone know of a good site that offers decent USPS shipping? I don't even know how I'll be able to get a hold of fragrances. I do live in a town where accessibility is limited to air or boat, no ground shipping. Flat rate Priority Mail boxes are the best option for me. Any advice would be appreciated!

Andi

 

[Soapmaker Man]

Man that is the pits! :x I know the government really messed up a lot of shipping with the laws concerning certain flashpoints, making them ground only. I don't know what to tell you. Sorry. Alaska is beautiful though!

Paul

 

[DarCreates]

Andi, I have some lovely soaps made by a company in Alaska, www.denalidreams.com -- I wonder if you emailed her if she might share with you where/how she gets her supplies?

Just a thought.

 

[Guest]

many ebay sellers ship fragrance oil items priority mail.


I do agree it sucks that they don't offer priority mail, but I can understand not shipping items that are high risk for safety sake. But if you don't order those items, they should offer a cheaper method such as priority mail.


oh i have orderd from this company before, and their scents are awesome. I have ordered directly from their web site as well as on ebay. If you search for candle source you will find all their listings. Or you can go directly to their web site.

http://www.thecandlesource.com/

When I orded directly from their web site, i placed my order and then they sent me a paypal bill for the shipping since I wasn't sure how much to add, but you can email them directly and ask questions. They are awesome to work with and have lots of great scents to pick from.


good luck !!!

 

[andisunshine]

Wow, thanks for all the replies!

I had thought of asking a lady who sells soap and candles to tourists here in town how she gets her fragrances but from talking to her in the past I have a feeling she's pretty secretive about her business.

I've also noticed some Ebay sellers that offer scents, but I haven't tried that link Faithy posted. I'll have to check it out!

I've also looked at parcel post to Alaska and it looks like it comes by barge. So if I can convince a seller to mail parcel post (which can take weeks to get here but I don't care if I can get the products) then I'll be good to go!

Worst case scenario I'll have to have my packages sent to the barge company in Bellingham where they can receive them and place them on their ship for me. I'd pay extra for the barge fee but if all else fails then I've got something that'll work. That's probably what our local soapmaker does, it's probably worth it if she orders hundred of dollars of supplies.

Now off to scour Ebay!

Andi

 

[Guest]

It also might be worth while to ask sellers if they will use a flat rate priority box.

They are a decent size and you can fit quite a bit into them. And anything in that box up to 70 pounds for $8.95

So it can be cost effective in the long run and most of the time it's cheaper to ship flat rate even with a lot of dead space in the box just because of the weigh issue.

I've ask many sellers if they would cut the shipping rate if they could mail the item in a flat rate priority box. And I haven't been turned down yet. I guess they would rather make the sale and cut a deal on the shipping to save me money in the long run. Because I don't mind paying a small handling fee' but I don't want to get ripped off either. And flat rates are the way to go.

 

[andisunshine]

You know what, I emailed Brambleberry and the lady that responded was very nice. She actually is from Alaska, near where I am and said they would be more than happy to ship parcel post for all items except the medium and low flash-point FOs. The medium flash-point FOs could be shipped Fed-ex if I wanted them bad enough to pay for it.
I also emailed another company today and am waiting anxiously to hear what they have to say. This company has a lot of FOs that are 200 degrees and over that I wouldn't mind trying. So there is hope yet!
I just have to wait until my tax refund hits the bank on the 22nd, then I'm sure I'll go crazy!



Andi