kebechet Report post Posted February 23, 2010 In the four years since our last price increase, we have tried our best to weather escalations in our operational expenses without having to raise our prices again, but we can’t anymore. The cost of manufacturing materials, including packaging, labels, bottles, and the components themselves have gone up by an average of 10-30% over the past few years, as have in-house costs such as rent and utilities. Black Phoenix is a family. We strive to pay fair wages to our employees, which include cost of living pay increases and health benefits. Health insurance for our employees has gone up 10% every year since its inception, and in order to provide for our employees as best we can, we gave them the opportunity to add a dental plan. We have not raised our prices since August 3, 2006, and have made every effort to keep the price of our products as low as possible while maintaining diversity and our high standard of quality. We have also done our best to absorb the USPS postal increases. The last time we adjusted our shipping prices was in June of 2007, and there have been three USPS postage hikes since then: May 2008, May 2009, and January 2010. Regrettably, we have to adjust our shipping prices. This is our new shipping grid, effective as of the Lunacy update on February 26, 2010 -- Domestic shipping rates for the US are as follows: Orders totaling up to $150.00: $7.50 …up to $300.00: $12.00 …up to $500.00: $14.00 The International Flat Rate shipping fee is $14.00 for all orders up to 20 bottles (or 240 imps); the rate jumps to $29.00 on orders containing more that 20 items that won’t entirely fit in the Flat Rate box. Shipping is free for all orders that exceed $500. For Canadian orders, $12.00 will cover shipments up to 20 items; the price is $21.00 for shipping over 20 items. For orders to Russia and Poland, please email us for a freight quote. One 5ml = 1 item Twelve imps = 1 item Black Phoenix Trading Post is also forced to adjust their shipping rates: Orders weighing up to 1 lbs: $7.50 Orders weighing up to 2 lbs: $10.00 Orders weighing up to 4 lbs: $15.50 Orders weighing up to 6 lbs: $19.00 Orders weighing up to 7 lbs: $22.50 7 lbs + : $30.50 Shipping is free for all orders that exceed $500.00. The following prices will be in effect as of the Lunacy update on March 28, 2010: General Catalogue 5ml: $17.50 Carnaval Diabolique 5ml: $22.50 The Salon 5ml: $28.00 Panaceas 5ml: $28.00 Neil Gaiman series: $26.00 Hellboy series:$26.00 The District: $26.00 Sachs & Violens (Hero Initiative scents): $26.00 Gris Grimly series: $21.00 Dark Delicacies blends will continue vary by series. Price based on components. Single Imp's Ear: $4.00 6 pack of Imp's Ears: $22.00 The price for limited edition oils may vary, but will average $19.50 - $24.00 per 5ml, depending on the cost to manufacture. At this time, we are left with no choice but to bump our prices slightly. I truly hope you see the difficulty of our position; this is the last thing that we want to do. With all my heart, I hope you understand that we don’t have a choice in this. We’re not raising prices because we want to make more money; we’re doing this because we have to in order to keep the business solvent. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites