Man I really hate having to defend myself because some people don't know how a for profit business works. Then there are others who feel only they have the right to earn money and the rest of should rot in hell for trying to put food on the table.
Let's break this down. The bags here cost me $4.27 per bag pre tax. Add 6% sales tax and we get $4.52. The sell the bags for $10 each which leaves a difference of $5.48 per bag.
Now let's break it down and see what we have left. The boxes they are shipped in cost $.93 each. That leaves us at $4.55 per bag. The shipping to get a bundle of 25 boxes to my door costs me $14. That means we need to add another $.56 cents to the cost. Now we're at $3.99 left net profit per bag. Now packing the bag. A 21 cubic foot bag of environmentally friendly packing peanuts costs me $9 per bag. Shipping is another $10 because of an oversized product. Each box of sand probably contains 2 cubic feet of these peanuts adding another $.90 to each bag of sand. That leaves us at $3.09
Now let's assume, before factoring in any of the other costs that you ordered three bags at $10 and the shipping was $32 per bag. That gives us a total of $126. I have just made a cool $9.27. But wait, you paid me via your credit card. Now I run it and must pay 3.0% on your order, maybe more depending on which card you used. 3% of $126 is $3.78 which means I made myself $5.49 total. Hmmm a supersized big mac meal here costs $5.50 after taxes. Maybe my wife, son and I can split it.
That's still not breaking it down to what it really costs me. The last of the sand could only be located at a Depot over an hour away. They had 50 bags. I drive two hours round trip to load my 93 geo prizm with 14 bags a time which is all I believe I can safely haul with my son in the car. This means I made 4 trips = 8 hours. An entire work day for those with a 9-5. Gas here is $1.59 per gallon for 87 octane. I can assure you I am getting less than peak mpg with a 9 year old car dragging 700lbs of sand, 30lbs of son, and 230lbs of me across the state at 70 miles an hour.
I'm really sorry that I have to be this way. I apologize profusely. I'm just tired of people calling me a ripoff without thinking what actually goes into it. CVE could you please tell me what is so bad about trying to earn an honest living? As a matter of fact, I bet I am losing on the sand. 8 hours of my day is worth way more that $10 a bag alone, nevermind a few bucks before breaking it down all the way.
If this was such a money making scheme I'm surprised you haven't jumped on the bandwagon to make your millions off the backs of the poor fish people by selling southdown sand for $10 a bag. Why don't you do it you say? What's that? Oh, you don't have the time. No problem.
Badpacket, I appreciate your effort. Thank for everything. Unfortunately you can see it's like talking to a wall though. The people who feel it's worth it will buy it. Those who don't won't be forced to buy it. BTW, if your girlfriend has a FedEc account number and gets a discount for shipping I can use that to give you a break on the shipping.
Sorry folks.
JP