2019 calendar - *** in the mail ***

[xtriple]

Paid. Many, MANY thanks.

[rml2345]

Funds have been fundificated.

[Sigmund Fraud]

Duly paid !

[Datsuncog]

Electroquids making their way across the sea now, sir.

[BorniteIdentity]

Errr.  Sent money.

[sporty-shite]

Cybercash despatched this morning.

[320touring]

Paid

[dozeydustman]

£sd sent

[Craig the Princess]

Paid by bank transfer, thank you.

[captain_70s]

You have been monied.

[billy_bunter]

What a f****ing nightmare. Went to logon to paypal around 2 today. Still cannot login. Asking me to upload a photo id. Will I heck as like. I'm off to the grumpy thread....

 

Paid

[Guest Hooli]

Groats, shillings & pence sent via the wonder of the t'interwebs.

[Eddie Honda]

What a f****ing nightmare. Went to logon to paypal around 2 today. Still cannot login. Asking me to upload a photo id. Will I heck as like. I'm off to the grumpy thread....

In a sort of similar computer-says-no trap with them as well. It's rejecting perfectly correct passwords.

[Matty]

Paid. Better be worth it for the amount of piss taking I've just had to take from my missus as she processed the PayPal payment!

[Eddie Honda]

Due to the wonderful* nature of Vistaprint's pricing structure. I've 5 of these calendars spare.

 

PM me if you wish to buy one before I head to the post office in the coming week.

[Eddie Honda]

A little bit about purchasing these things (for those that may be interested).

At the deadline I had 68 orders (plus one for myself) so 69.

First of all there is always a discount code. Nobody buys them at the "ECP retail" price of £18.44 for one. The discount codes vary though, but so far every year I've found the best one available at the time is a 50% one, so it starts at £9.21 ea. The unit price falls after 5, then 10, then stops at after 25.

If you look at the VP pricing structure whilst it appears the more you buy, the more you save, but this doesn't work on the basis of x+, it works out such that if you need say 50 one, you have to order 1 bundle at the 50 price and 1 at the more expensive individual price. So if I have exactly 50 orders the unit cost is one amount, but if I have to buy 51 the unit cost for everyone goes up a little...

So if I price up 68 calendars, the order could be made up by putting in the basket 1 x 50 @ £307.49, 1 x 10 @ £79.43 and 1 x 8 @ £63.54. (£450.46). It's not the best way to do it though as it turns out I'd could do it 1 x 50 and 3 x 6 for a total of £450.44 and save 2p. I need 69 (one of myself) or maybe a couple spare (I've never had them missing in the post, but I ALWAYS get someone asking after the event), so I check for quantities of 69, 70 and 71 (£458.71, £466.35, £474.29), but doing that bumps the per unit cost up. So sod it, I'll get 75 for £461.22.

But wait, if your head hasn't melted at that, there's more! They always like to tempt you with upsells, but I ignore all that. However from past experience, there's another pit waiting for the unwary. Once you have ordered you calendars, banged in your card details, reviewed the order and hit the purchase button, the sleekit fuckers throw you a further deal. Aye, I've ordered exactly what I've needed and you want to sell me some more calendars within the next ten minutes at 60% off with no extra shipping costs.

This year though, I was ready for it. I didn't order 50+25, because there was a chance the fuckers would be dangling a buy another 50 carrot which is hee-haw use to me, so I took the step of ordering 25 + 25 and kept my fingers crossed, because had it failed, I would of had another shipping charge for the deficit. Bingo! I seen them coming and as predicted they plonked a "buy another 25 at 60% off" into my lap. 75 for £430.48.

But the joy was short lived. Here's the price list (after 50% discount) from the order day:

1 £9.21
2 £18.44
3 £27.66
4 £36.88
5 £46.10
6 £47.65
7 £55.60
8 £63.54
9 £71.49
10 £79.43
25 £153.74
50 £307.49

And tonight's (again after 50% discount)

1 £8.99
2 £17.99
3 £26.99
4 £35.98
5 £44.98
6 £46.49
7 £54.24
8 £61.99
9 £69.74
10 £77.50
25 £149.99
50 £299.99

Er, aye. The list prices are up and down like a bloody yo-yo too. I could've saved* another £10.73

I say "saved" because as well as shooting a VP price that's a moving target, I'm shooting an GBP - EUR exchange rate target too. Plus while I don't mind sitting on a pile of GBP payments from you lot to finance my chod/Bezos/fleabay purchasing habit, I do get caught on the VISA exchange rate plus the bank's 2% conversion charge (I could probably squeeze this down a bit by UK bank card and feeding that via Transferwise).

On top of that there is the old chestnut of postage. If I send via Royal Mail the bulk saving is around £190-200 compared to trotting down to the local PO. Catch is I have to print them all off online and drive a 175 mile round trip to Newry to dump them at the sorting office. 3 hours and half a tank of pez is my donation to the cause.


tl;dr: This isn't a grumble. At the minute (70 sold) it's costs £6.39, about 30p for envelope/labels and £1.26/£1.64/£2.85/£3.85/£4.06 postage (depending on destination) leaving a surplus of approx 55p per calendar to go into the forum fund. (subject to change if anyone to buy a remaining calendar)

[Matty]

After reading all that fair play to you for bothering at all. Top man

[BorniteIdentity]

Thanks for steering this EH. Sounds like a monumental ball ache from where I’m sat. You’re a top man.

[Eddie Honda]

The only real ballache is getting the best price for things. Labelling was a pain in the hole a couple of years ago, but I think RM might have improved* their web software.

 

Knocking the calendar up from supplied pics and stuffing envelopes is a piece of piss.

[Guest Hooli]

Sounds like a right load of bollocks trying to sort the pricing there, thanks for your hard work sorting it Eddie.

[Eddie Honda]

To the uninitiated, it's a big hairy bawsack. It's just about navigable if you know all their tricks.

 

Back to business though, is there anyone still needing a perfect* gift for Chinese New Year? Get your Autoshite Feb to Jan Calendar NOW!

[puddlethumper]

Well done Eddie. After that summary, lost me  bit, I presume it's still the 

original price for two ? Not that bothered if it is a bit more to be honest.

There should be an award of some kind for 'above and beyond the call of shite'.

I propose Eddie should get one.

Will send dosh tomorrow.

[Guest Hooli]

There should be an award of some kind for 'above and beyond the call of shite'.

I propose Eddie should get one.

 

 

A free calendar?

[Eddie Honda]

I presume it's still the original price for two?

Correct. Any surplus goes back in the site funding meter. With floating costs I can never be too precise in working out the cost price, so have to slap a bit extra on so it doesn't run at a loss.

 

Still cheap compared to Aldilidee.

[Dan_ZTT]

I'll have one please will send you a pm Mr Honda

[Zelandeth]

Oh go on then. Was really trying to resist but am tired, grumpy and can't sleep. This is cheaper than rummaging around eBay for retail therapy.

 

Will drop you a PM.

[Eddie Honda]

Cheers shite-ists! We're down to the last TWO calendars...when they're gone, they're gone.

 

It's not showing up on the tracking yet, but it is down to arrive before 8pm tomorrow with FBD. Get those addresses and payments in!

[Eddie Honda]

12 people still to pay between them £137.34...

 

At least get your addresses in quick, even if you are waiting for pay day or whatever.

 

Cheers,

Rich.

[puddlethumper]

I has paideded by bank thing.

[Ohdearme]

Paid up - via PayPal