Postage charges

[Binkei Huckaback]

I get that but t firstly I think the online boys have to make it possible to buy a couple of kilos of grain without paying as much in postage as tge grain cost, not least because they’re the ones who sunk the LHBSs and if most others can afford free postage over £65 I have no idea why people go with the sharks that hold out for more.

I think it's a little bit unfair to blame the online sellers completely for the demise of LHBS. I suspect the main factors for the demise of the local homebrew shop is mainly the number of customers in any given area. If there only got a hundred people willing to travel to your shop, that's your customer base. Without heavily promoting the hobby, that's your lot. An online shop can attract every homebrewer in the country. And some from overseas.

That said, every LHBS could have become a Malt Miller or Get 'Er Brewed. I've lived in London for nearly 25 years and with the exception of a chemist with a limited range and no knowledge of brewing or winemaking, only recently has there been (to my knowledge) anywhere you'd be able to buy ingredients from and I think that's a limited selection of ingredients from a taproom in East London. Even that might only be a collection point.

Growing up there was a shop in a nearby village that stocked a lot of ingredients and equipment. I bought some hops there on a trip to see family when I first started extract brewing, but they were branded Youngs, came in a clear plastic bag (I didn't know any better) and the guy who ran it was so rude and/or unhelpful I've never returned. When I've been anywhere that's been lucky enough to have a LBHS, I've always visited and generally bought something.

Unfortunately, people for a variety of reasons don't want to spend their money and in many cases expect something for nothing and don't mind losing access to people with knowledge as long as they don't have to spend any money.

For those bitching and moaning about a lack of free shipping, there's no such thing as free shipping. If you get it, you're paying for it somehow. Or suppliers are being shafted. Why do you think supermarkets are so cheap? Yes they buy in bulk, so can obviously negotiate better prices, but they can dictate their prices and cancel contracts at will. That's why sometimes that pint of milk, or pack of British bacon you bought at the weekend cost more to produce that you paid for it.

 

[Grealish]

For those bitching and moaning about a lack of free shipping, there's no such thing as free shipping. If you get it, you're paying for it somehow. Or suppliers are being shafted. Why do you think supermarkets are so cheap? Yes they buy in bulk, so can obviously negotiate better prices, but they can dictate their prices and cancel contracts at will. That's why sometimes that pint of milk, or pack of British bacon you bought at the weekend cost more to produce that you paid for it.

I think bitching is a very unhelpful term. I'm entitled to an opinion as you are. My point is that the charges preclude buying a couple of kilos of malt and I think there should be a way around that as plenty of other suppliers manage it.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

I agree totally for small quantity orders the delivery charge is disproportionate to the item cost. For example I need 5kg of Lager malt at GEB price £6.17 but a delivery cost of £6.75. I buy my grains mostly from the South Cheshire coop but id have to buy 25kg.

 

[Rodcx500z]

The best LHBS i have known was Leyland home brew in Lancashire, yes it;s closed now but Joe and his wife were great, it closed due to their age and covid on the first lockdown so they retired, i know they are missed by a lot of brewers

 

[VW911]

As I've pointed out before, it would cost a fortune to send a bag of relatively cheap coal weighing 20kg, but you could send a priceless diamond weighing only a few grams for a few pennies...

Value of the product doesn't come into shipping costs.

 

[Agentgonzo]

If you have a friendly local brewery, you can sometimes buy an odd sack of grain from them at cost prices (and without shipping). I used to buy a 25kg sack of pale malt this way until they got ****** about it when they changed management.

Now I buy in bulk once or twice a year and just accept that shipping costs are a pain. Once I have my base malts (normally 25kg of pale. 5kg wheat. 5kg pilsner and 5kg Munich) I get topups of specialty malt and hops/yeast more frequently. Some suppliers do postage for about £3 for under 1kg which is fair

Some of us don't (and never did) have the option of a LHBS (where "local" in very tenouos). My closest one is 45 minutes away, which means a "nip down to your LHBS" is an hour and a half round trip.

 

[Tanglefoot]

I found a LHBS near me, just some fella operating from his semi in a village.
Order online or by phone and pick up a couple of hours later.
Great for last minute brewing supplies, only does leaf hops though so adapting my methods to deal with them which has taken some getting used to.
Competitive prices too, plus I'd rather support a local business

https://www.stonehelm.co.uk/

 

[Grealish]

As I've pointed out before, it would cost a fortune to send a bag of relatively cheap coal weighing 20kg, but you could send a priceless diamond weighing only a few grams for a few pennies...

Value of the product doesn't come into shipping costs.

Takes me back to being able to buy 32 kilos of flour for £31 post free.

 

[Binkei Huckaback]

I think bitching is a very unhelpful term. I'm entitled to an opinion as you are. My point is that the charges preclude buying a couple of kilos of malt and I think there should be a way around that as plenty of other suppliers manage it.

But if it's not charged as P&P, you're paying for it somewhere else. And you're not purely paying for what it costs to transport from shop to customer, are you? Have you considered how much extra time, plastic, cardboard, packing tape, checking of paperwork and printing labels takes for 35 x 1kg bags of grain vs 1 x 25kg sack? While staff are baggin 25 x 1kg bags of grain, they can't do anything else and have to be paid somehow. It's like expecting an electrician to drive from Land's End to John O'Groats to fit one new 13 amp socket and expect not to be charged fuel, the time it takes to get there or overnight accomodation. Obviously, if you want 25 fitting, it'll be cheaper.

The best LHBS i have known was Leyland home brew in Lancashire, yes it;s closed now but Joe and his wife were great, it closed due to their age and covid on the first lockdown so they retired, i know they are missed by a lot of brewers

It seems to me that many of the shops I've visited have been owned by older people. Maybe another reason for the demise of many LBHS is retiring owners who own the property they're in, which means lower overheads and younger people knowing being a LHBS on the High Street is too expensive with not enough custom.