Photo: KilgourI was briefly interested when the management of Savile Row's Kilgour online store decided recently that it would begin shipping to the United States. I mean, there are several interesting things on the web site, including Shagreen wallets and hard-to-find knit neckties with pointed ends, and the company went to the trouble to remove value added tax when purchases are shipped to jurisdictions that don't collect it.
Of course, that's all to no avail. It only took a couple of minutes to learn that the company has perhaps the most arrogant shipping policy on the planet. They want £40 (roughly $80) to send a necktie to the United States. Customers that spend more than $500 have the charge reduced to about $50, but who needs four more knit neckties?
It's some of the best sales prevention going and I'll bet they find the response underwhelming.
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8 comments:
Bizarre.
If they don't want to ship abroad, then just have a policy that they won't do it at all. That would be frustrating to foreign customers, but it's not unusual - there are plenty of online vendors who don't do international orders.
However, to offer foreign shipments but at a completely disproportionate fee seems like very bad business sense.
Unfortunately this does not seem unusual. I wear trousers from Cordings and to ship one pair of pants is roughly $70 USD. These days, between exchange rates and shipping I need my girlfriend to buy me several pairs at a time and pack them when she comes home...
I find this amusing in light of the equally extortionate international shipping fees charged by many US-based merchants.
To be fair to Cordings, I expect US$70 (35 quid or so) is roughly their actual shipping cost - especially if these are heavy moleskin or cord trousers. Shipping from the UK is expensive, especially if you use UPS or DHL rather than the post office.
That's completely different from Kilgour charging an exorbitant fee to ship a single lightweight item.
Example being?
I find it is not just them, but everyone. I am a Tottenham fan living in California and the cost of shipping items from their Company store to me usually triples the cost of my order. Gives me an excuse to visit London often, though.
What's happened at Kilgour reminds me of what happened at Burberry. A great, traditional old men's clothier has been turned into a trendy boutique with higher prices and more radical designs. Fortunately, there are enough quality English men's stores still reasonably priced.
What Kilgour is doing is typical of most companies in Europe. International shipping especially with the cost of gas has skyrocketed! I'm a designer here in the USA. I design my own silk knit neckties in various colors and designs in polka dots, stripes, houndstooth, argyle, etc. All of my silk knit ties have the pointed ends and they are all made in England, and I sell them here in the USA. The shipping is very expensive but that is the cost of doing business in Europe.
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