[deepspace]

Since I discovered the availability of anvils on Amazon, I have always wondered about the economics of shipping them.

Right now, I can order a 66lb "Happybuy" anvil for $153 with free prime shipping. One assumes that the $153 includes the cost of shipping it all the way from China in the first place.

For comparison, a similarly sized anvil from a reputable local dealer costs $949 plus tax and shipping at the lowest rate (UPS standard) is $93.

[wcunning]

Two things: 1) that "anvil" is cast iron or potentially at that size, semi hollow steel. It's not great for doing anvil things and will likely break, whereas the "reputable" one is cast steel or wrought iron, both of which are much much much tougher for beating on. 2) The more interesting thing here is the market for kettlebells and other heavy weights -- they can go up to hundreds of pounds, though typically top out around 100 lbs. Kettlebells that prime ship are all cheaper than any reputable manufacturer since they use their own logistics. I've unfortunately graduated to sizes that the main suppliers don't list on Amazon (40kg+) which have to be paid for UPS shipping and a non-trivial portion of the cost is the packaging to prevent damage to something that heavy. At this point, when I need to buy a new round of them, I'll be driving to the manufacturer in Ontario (including expensive Canadian gas and bridge fees) because that's cheaper than shipping more than one...

[fortran77]

I own a gym and it's always amusing to see the delivery guys struggle with deliveries of kettlebells and plates. If I see the truck pull up, I always run in and ask some of the gym guys to help carry the things in.

[unwind]

I realize I don't understand much of the life of someone so strong, but how do you wear out a 40+ kg kettlebell often enough to have a thought-out replacement plan?

[pluies]

I assume the new round would be of heavier kettlebells as OP continues to develop strength? If not, I’d also be interested in knowing how one wears out kettlebells!

[wcunning]

For posterity, several days late, upgrading to larger bells or getting a second 40kg to do exercises with a 40 in each hand (double kettlebell). If I ever wear one out, I'll be shocked.

[zdragnar]

It's cast steel with a hardened face. Pretty decent for starting out or hobby work if you don't mind cleaning it up a bit, really.

[seoaeu]

The transportation from China probably isn't the issue. Google suggests that moving a 40-foot shipping container across the Pacific Ocean costs several thousand dollars. You can fit a whole bunch of anvils inside a shipping container [citation needed], so the cost for this part of the journey may be pretty low.

[b112]

Plus, shipping anvils with pillows sort of evens it out..

[gnopgnip]

On the order of $10k to ship a 40,000lb, 40ft shipping container from China to LA without insurance now, prices have increased a lot recently. So the per item cost into the US is around $16 on the low end for this anvil. But then there are other costs associated with shipping something to the amazon warehouse once the container gets to the US, and amazon will either charge a fee or require the seller to split the shipment to different states. It costs about $2-$3 a mile to ship a container across the US by truck or train, and less than truckload shipments are generally more expensive per item. And they need to pay someone, or pay amazon to put labels on everything, handle/repackage damaged items. Or another $5-$10 to ship it to the warehouse.

Amazon negotiates with UPS and other couriers, and they have their own shipping service, so their merchants pay a lot less than the "retail" cost for shipping to amazon customers. For that 66lb anvil, amazon charges ~$35 for fulfillment including picking, packaging and shipping. About 50 cents a pound. Amazon also charges other fees including the commission/referral on the sale, storage, etc that are mostly not based on item weight, this is about $20 more for a $150 sale.

Retail cost to ship a 66lb anvil UPS from LA to SF would be about $90. With a regular commercial discount about $65, more for longer distances and less for shorter. If you are in the business of shipping a lot you can negotiate a slightly better rate than $1 a pound.

[linksnapzz]

When I heard that Amazon was going to try drone delivery of parcels, my first thought was: "Isn't it possible to buy anvils from Amazon?"

[peterlk]

My friend once ordered a hot tub with 2 day shipping on Amazon Prime, and has often wondered about the economics of that purchase.

[elihu]

I once bought a band saw from Amazon with free shipping. (I didn't have Prime, it was just regular free shipping.) I could have bought it locally, but I didn't have a convenient way to get it home.

In my case, free shipping didn't turn out all that great; it was damaged when it got to me. Fortunately I was able to get free replacement parts from the company.

I suspect Amazon probably lost money on that deal since they had to hire specialty movers, but who knows?

[ceejayoz]

"Free" shipping of that sort of thing tends to be factored into the selling price. I'll occasionally find large, heavy items on Amazon that are 20-30% more than in a local store for this reason.

[Dylan16807]

It also means that your average sub-25-cent part on Amazon costs $5.

[apricot]

That's the best name I can imagine for an anvil.

[giantg2]

People who watched the road runner growing up might like "Acme" anvils.

[nobody9999]

>People who watched the road runner growing up might like "Acme" anvils.

These days, Acme is better known for these[0]. :)

[0] https://www.kleinbottle.com/

[brewdad]

My in-laws bought us a cast iron outdoor pizza oven one year from Amazon. It probably weighed close to 200 lbs and they had to ship it twice because the first guy dropped it off the back of the lift on the truck while unloading it at our house. I don't know how much Amazon actually spent on our free shipping but they certainly lost money on the deal.

[scarface74]

I’ve ordered a set of 50 pound kettlebells from Amazon and watched the delivery person struggle on my security camera.

[wolverine876]

Shipping is generally charged by volume, not by weight. Think of a ship at sea.