ArtieKendall
New Member
Will's videos have helped me decide to set up an off-grid all-in-one system that looks easy enough for a beginner like me. But now I'm thinking I shouldn't be messing with electricity if I'm too dumb to figure out shipping costs.
I like the EG4 3000EHV 48V inverter, and in his video, Will advised getting an EG4 battery with it, even though it costs a little more, since the EG4 products are pre-configured to work well together. I went to the Signature Solar website, and the prices were doable for me. So I put the inverter in the cart, then I thought I would check the shipping cost. It was just $27 for UPS standard delivery, so not too bad.
Then I added the battery (EG4-LL 48V100AH), and the only choice for shipping was Standard Freight at $811!
(They also offered in-store pickup, but they're in Texas and I'm in Seattle, so...)
I took off the inverter, so just the battery was in the cart. Now there was an Economy Freight option for $505. Standard Freight was still $811.
So what's going on? Why would an inverter that costs $27 to ship by itself, and is apparently free to ship when going standard freight with the battery, not be shippable with economy freight and add $300 to the shipping? I mean, I can make them separate orders so I get the $27 shipping for the inverter, but it must be more work for them to make them separate shipments.
And even with economy freight, is $500 really what it costs to ship a 100-pound battery within the US? I would think that space in the truck, rather than weight, would be more important, and the space it takes up is about the same as a Costco Toilet Paper package. And you can get free shipping buying a 100-pound portable solar battery like Bluetti or Ecoflow from Amazon or Walmart. Of course they cost more, which is why I wanted to go the component route, but they don't cost that much more if you save $800 in shipping.
So am I doing something wrong, or is there something wrong with the website (they're closed till Monday, or I would just call them), or does it really cost over $500 to ship a battery?
I like the EG4 3000EHV 48V inverter, and in his video, Will advised getting an EG4 battery with it, even though it costs a little more, since the EG4 products are pre-configured to work well together. I went to the Signature Solar website, and the prices were doable for me. So I put the inverter in the cart, then I thought I would check the shipping cost. It was just $27 for UPS standard delivery, so not too bad.
Then I added the battery (EG4-LL 48V100AH), and the only choice for shipping was Standard Freight at $811!
(They also offered in-store pickup, but they're in Texas and I'm in Seattle, so...)
I took off the inverter, so just the battery was in the cart. Now there was an Economy Freight option for $505. Standard Freight was still $811.
So what's going on? Why would an inverter that costs $27 to ship by itself, and is apparently free to ship when going standard freight with the battery, not be shippable with economy freight and add $300 to the shipping? I mean, I can make them separate orders so I get the $27 shipping for the inverter, but it must be more work for them to make them separate shipments.
And even with economy freight, is $500 really what it costs to ship a 100-pound battery within the US? I would think that space in the truck, rather than weight, would be more important, and the space it takes up is about the same as a Costco Toilet Paper package. And you can get free shipping buying a 100-pound portable solar battery like Bluetti or Ecoflow from Amazon or Walmart. Of course they cost more, which is why I wanted to go the component route, but they don't cost that much more if you save $800 in shipping.
So am I doing something wrong, or is there something wrong with the website (they're closed till Monday, or I would just call them), or does it really cost over $500 to ship a battery?
