Shipping. The cost of doing business.

Cobble Hill is a Canadian wholesale company creating high quality puzzles with quirky random cut pieces.  While our puzzles are enjoyed around the world, it's not always easy to find the puzzle that one wants.  Retailers have space constraints and they can rarely take every single image or they sell out faster than they can replenish.  

So, in 2014, we made a choice to offer online shopping and puzzles are shipped out of Brampton, Ontario. However, the goal has never been to drive traffic to our website. Our preference has always been for the consumer to purchase from our retailers. This is why from top to bottom on our website, one can find several different links to 'find a retailer'; this was very important to the owner, Dave Manga. We knew the website could also help retailers with brand recognition, and puzzlers are happy to find a puzzle that has eluded them in their neighbourhood store and online. 

But, in an effort not to compete with our valued retailers for business, we rarely ever do discounts or free shipping. However, we do quietly support our online shoppers by absorbing shipping costs on practically every order. We charge flat rates instead of live rates, which means we're eating anywhere from $1 to $25 dollars. The graphic below shows orders packed with three to five puzzles and an example of costs shipping within Ontario, and to the east (Nova Scotia) and west (Alberta); PEI and BC can cost even more. We don't make any money on shipping, but it's a cost of doing business.

Customer Freight Charge (red) versus Actual Freight Cost (yellow)

So while we don't actively offer discounts, we are trying to help curb expenses for the puzzler. In the United States, we aren't eligible for some of the cool discounts that the USPS offers, so we eat shipping costs there too. 

And lastly, we know puzzlers have been confused by our minimum purchase message because so many of us online shoppers are used to website offers of "free shipping with minimum purchase of $xx.xx". But check out our FAQs Section C6 "Where to Buy" as it explains why we now have a minimum purchase and that doesn't come with free shipping. 

Thank you for all your support over the years! We say this to our puzzlers, our retailers, and our distributors around the world! Your support of Cobble Hill puzzles has been amazing!!

Nominate Your Library

During the pandemic, we watched libraries adjust as they had to pivot how they provided services in their communities. More than a matter of not being able to check out books, the changes meant no more game nights, no borrowing of puzzles, no storytime, no author readings, and so much more.  But libraries are strong and hung on mightily! We are pleased to see our libraries still thriving and serving the people who adore them. 

That's why in April, we ran a Nominate Your Library contest inviting people to suggest their local library to win a puzzle prize from Cobble Hill. In Canada, Cochrane Library was the winner and in the United States it was Oil City Library, which had a few submissions from different people. We wanted to celebrate libraries because we know how important they are to the community. During Covid, libraries could no longer leave open puzzles out on tables for guests to complete, but many started providing puzzles for curbside pick-up. Being able to continue borrowing from the library was a blessing to so many, especially those on fixed incomes. When you're a voracious reader or puzzler, it may not be economical to always purchase books or puzzles, so having the library as an additional resource is essential to many households. 

With the Nominate Your Library contest, we found out that some libraries offer a lot more! Judith, the winner for Canada, who submitted Cochrane Library in Alberta, told us, "The library assistants at this library are the kindest, friendliest group of people you could meet! As well as books, they have a wonderful "Library Of Things" including garden equipment, power tools and, of course, jigsaw puzzles!" And Emily, who submitted Oil City Library told us that she is, "...so grateful for my library and all of the wonderful resources they provide to our community!" 

There are now a dozen new puzzles available for checkout at the Cochrane Public Library. We're still waiting for Oil City Library to make their puzzle picks, but they're excited about adding a new set of puzzles to their offerings!

Just a few of the puzzles that we sent to the library!

We want to thank all the puzzlers who submitted their library to us!  We look forward to running this contest again next year - so we hope that you'll all plan to vote for your library! Here is a list of the submitted libraries - some had multiple submissions from different people, which we loved seeing! 

Nominate Your Library Nominees for 2021

There are several different dates celebrating libraries, but we're asking you to mark your calendars for National Library Week on April 3-9, 2022.  We think the American Library Association does a great job of providing events and resources, so check them out! Canada has a library association too, but we think that Librarianship.ca does a great job of keeping current, so that's our recommendation for library resources. Thanks for supporting your local libraries and bookstores, wherever and whenever possible!