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Ask HN: Cheapest way to buy a Raspberry Pi Zero ( with shipping)

4 points by offtop5 6y ago

So I'm seeing a lot of places to buy the PI zero , but it ends up being like $5 to ship a $5 product. Amazon gets around this by hiking the price by $5 or so and offering free shipping. Aside from visiting a physical retailer, are there any options to get one without paying for such expensive shipping.

tzs 6y ago
Can you find a good use for more than one? If so, you might try buying several at once. That same $5 shipping would probably cover half a dozen of them at least. If you really only have a use for one, you could try to buy from some place that sells other things you also need for your project. Case, camera, power supply, sensors, etc., which if ordered together should not raise shipping much if at all.
- giantg2 6y ago
  I'm not sure if it changed, but they would only let you purchase one at a time so they don't get sold out. I thought it was a stipulation by the manufacturer to ensure more even distribution.
- offtop5 6y ago
  It's weird, every place I see selling this stuff treats the shipping for the pi as a standalone thing. As and it cost $5 to shift this $5 part, and then even if you spend another $40 that just increases the overall shipping price.
  - imhoguy 6y ago
    Shipping also covers cost of packaging. If you order 1 pc they need tiny box with some protective wrapping, the different one for 10, 20 pcs. Sometimes some extra filler is needed. Product margin is none to cover such costs unless you buy like 1000s in bulk.
shoo 6y ago
maybe my intuition isn't calibrated right, but $10 for a computer including shipping sounds cheap to me how much does it cost to actually provide that shipping? what would a fair price for it be?
imhoguy 6y ago
Try to find a used one on your local classifieds portal.
schappim 6y ago
Go to https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/raspberry-pi-zero https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/raspberry-pi-zero . Authorised resellers (I work for one). Official resellers are required to sell the Zero at a price that is equal to $5USD + taxes.

4 points by offtop5 6y ago

tzs 6y ago

Can you find a good use for more than one? If so, you might try buying several at once. That same $5 shipping would probably cover half a dozen of them at least. If you really only have a use for one, you could try to buy from some place that sells other things you also need for your project. Case, camera, power supply, sensors, etc., which if ordered together should not raise shipping much if at all.

giantg2 6y ago
I'm not sure if it changed, but they would only let you purchase one at a time so they don't get sold out. I thought it was a stipulation by the manufacturer to ensure more even distribution.
offtop5 6y ago
It's weird, every place I see selling this stuff treats the shipping for the pi as a standalone thing. As and it cost $5 to shift this $5 part, and then even if you spend another $40 that just increases the overall shipping price.
- imhoguy 6y ago
  Shipping also covers cost of packaging. If you order 1 pc they need tiny box with some protective wrapping, the different one for 10, 20 pcs. Sometimes some extra filler is needed. Product margin is none to cover such costs unless you buy like 1000s in bulk.

shoo 6y ago

maybe my intuition isn't calibrated right, but $10 for a computer including shipping sounds cheap to me how much does it cost to actually provide that shipping? what would a fair price for it be?

imhoguy 6y ago

Try to find a used one on your local classifieds portal.

schappim 6y ago

Go to https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/raspberry-pi-zero https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/raspberry-pi-zero . Authorised resellers (I work for one). Official resellers are required to sell the Zero at a price that is equal to $5USD + taxes.