Why does Zazzle split my order between two different printers?

[AnnArky]

I'm so curious about this. I usually order about 20-50 greeting cards in an order. Every single time, most of them will be printed and shipped from one printer, and then about 1-6 of them will be shipped from a different printer, often on the other side of the country. All the cards are the same in terms of size, paper type, and finish, etc. If I were ordering hundreds or thousands, I would think, well, that printer is maybe at it's limit and it has to be split up. But when I order 20 cards, one printer prints 18 of them, and a different printer prints 2. And then they each have to pay shipping. Why?

[DM]

Just a guess, but you answered your own question: "they each have to pay shipping." I've never bought bulk cards (or any cards) from here, so I had no idea such a thing was happening. However, I am not surprised. I'm sure someone else will be along with a more positive explanation of why that happens.

[AnnArky]

Thanks for your response. Wouldn't them each having to pay shipping be a reason *not* to do this?

[DM]

You had to pay double the shipping costs on a single order, right? That means Zazzle made twice as much money in the "shipping fees" column. There is no reason for them to correct it, because they are making extra money from it. Zazzle, like any business, wants as much money as they can get. Again, someone else will have a different explanation. Mine is based on cynicism and general bitterness, so take that into consideration.

[AnnArky]

Ah, I see. No, I have Zazzle Plus so I don't pay any shipping. Also, even if that weren't the case, I don't think that's how they configure shipping charges. It would still be Zazzle (or the printer) paying the extra shipping cost out of their pocket.

[Fiorenzo]

If you customize your greeting cards differently, you'll get them split into separate products within your order. Each product will be processed separately, so you may get a batch of cards from printer X and another one from printer Y. If all your cards are customized once and ordered at a specific quantity, the print will be done in one run and you'll get the cards from the same place and with the same shipment. This is not just Zazzle-related, it may also happen in other e-commerce stores with diversified manufacturing and shipping centers. Not sure, how Zazzle handles the shipping costs in such cases, but since on Z they are product- rather than order-related, I wouldn't be surprised if you would have to pay additional shipping costs for each batch of (differently customized) cards.