Category: Updates

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Free Shipping | The Great Dilemma

Shipping freedom was one of the foundations The Coconut Oil Shop built on. Recently, it has become clear to us that customers need to be aware of the costs involved for small orders. Those costs have struck, and continue to strike blows that endanger our free shipping and our three-prong shipping approach.

  • No extra charges for Rural Delivery (RD)
  • The North Island and other islands all had the same shipping charges
  • Free shipping for all

That was a long time ago. We started with NZPost untracked and slow tracked mail. Then we obtained a CourierPost account and that increased our freight charges significantly, but all items could be accounted for, and we didn’t get parcels stolen!

We do have a range of couriers for heavier items. However, in recent times 90% or more of our mail goes through NZPost, and is fully tracked.

The Shotover Shipping Rule

Eventually, the cost of free shipping for low-value items outweighed the benefits to us. So we introduced the $9 shipping rate for low cart totals. (You can place whatever you like in the cart for delivery in New Zealand, but until the total hits the correct amount, there is a $9 freight fee charged.)

The freight costs, as you will be aware, kept on rising. So what do we do? We asked ourselves.

Do we introduce a minimum item number for one of our product lines?

Some online retail outlets require you to buy two or more of some items so that you maximise the benefits of offering those products. It also encourages you to fill up your cart with a higher total shopping cart value.

It was decided that, in fact, that is what we were going to do. So when a customer called up to enquire about that particular item, I announced, soon you’ll not be able to buy only one.

Sacrafice Free Shipping or Minimum Order?

The above decision would have meant we sacrificed the opportunity for customers to buy only one 1L glass jar of Coconut Oil. So instead of one jar, customers would have to order 2, even if they or their friend or family didn’t require it just yet.

We discussed this dilemma with that customer who called us on the phone. They bought two, and said, “I certainly will enjoy the extra jar all the more, internally and externally!!”

While we were on the phone we were surprised to hear just how much free shipping minimum orders are. The shopping cart total amount for some popular online shops is higher than ours. We heard that other health product companies have a minimum order value to qualify for free freight – ranging from $69 to $120.

Introducing Shotover Shipping changes

We said all that to say, there is a new minimum shopping cart total you need to attract free shipping in New Zealand. You can buy only one of anything you like. But if the minimum order is $59.99 or less, you will pay the $9 Shotover Shipping charge.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Thank you for your concern

Coconut Oil Shop customers have been calling to make orders and asking us about how we are getting on. We appreciate that greatly!

Neil Smith. We’re still smiling, and doing our best to make you smile.

We have been able to keep trading, thankfully.

When I was a child, I distinctly remember standing in front of the piano and thinking, I wanted to sell things over the mail. The business that inspired me at the time was LV Martin. It’s such an awesome way to do business. But it does require a lot of time and attention, just like a bricks and mortar shop with retail space, etc.

About rising costs

Freight costs are rising. We are having to review some of our prices on lower-cost items. For example, the cost of the 500g of Creamed Coconut. We hadn’t put the price up for a long time. So we did that. There is little use in us sending things without any profit.

Over the years it became increasingly hard for us to buy Coconut Water. The suppliers were being given stock with a very short use-by date. So we don’t do that anymore. We don’t sell Coconut Water because it can’t be done with a profit margin.

About new products

In recent times we have been able to add new lines of business, such as MCT oil. Our oil is fractionated Coconut Oil. That has been a good move for everyone.

In summary, we have been able to keep trading, but not without your support. We appreciate it. Thank you for choosing to support a New Zealand family over a large retail chain.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Coconut Oil Shop Online Technology Changes

Camp Coconut and Technology Changes

Technology changes and unfortunately, so must you and I

Here are 7 points to make life easier for you, well, we hope so, anyway.
We promote our “Camp Coconut” membership, here at Coconut Oil Shop. We have done so for years.
Well, you guessed it.
Shopping Cart technology has changed, and it is not fully compatible with the Members area.
As a result, we have adopted the “My Account“ approach to shopping. We have used “My Account” in our other sites, and now it is here at Coconut Oil Shop too.
Technology Changes
If you are a Membership area user, you will be used to seeing this area, when you login.
You can no longer reorder using this membership area. It is still there, and so are all your records. But…
Technology Changes
These days, you need this new fangled “My Account” login now for ease of shopping.

Have things gone wrong when you used your password?

I had an email from a long term customer, and Camp Coconut member.
It went something like this:
“Can I use my own password? I don’t know what I am doing wrong as I have bought coconut oil before.”
The answer I gave sounds something like this.
1. I just adjusted the menu for people who login using Camp Coconut, so that you can see what I am talking about next. (“My Account”).
2. Using the old shopping cart data, associated with your email address, youremail@sample.com, I see you have bought 1L of Ancient Wisdom in the past.
Before that, you bought 2 x 1L of White Gold.
3. In point 1. I make mention of the Members area, “Camp Coconut”. So, the membership account associated with your email address, youremail@sample.com is a Camp Coconut membership.
Through it, you can see what I just described. I looked up the shop records, and you will see it in the Members area, when you log in with that email address. But technology has changed, and I have had to create an alternative “My Account” area.
4. The “My Account” lets you quickly reorder, using the new shopping cart technology.
5. Why didn’t we get rid of the old technology? Because if we did, we’d never know what you bought 5 years ago! Quite possibly, neither would you.
6. You can register for that My Account area, but it has be using a different email address. Or you can ask me to delete the old email off the members area.
7. Please tell me if you would like to have me replace your, youremail@sample.com email at Membership, so that you can use that with the “My Account” area.
I am sure you see, that we didn’t whip that email up in 2 minutes. It was nice to be able to obtain some real life feedback from a customer who has been with us for many, many years.
So please feel free use the My Account page for yourself.
Posted on by — Leave a comment

2018 May 22 special offer

Special offer for May 22, 2018

Coconut Oil Shop has been hard at work reworking content on some more of the pages to streamline the order process at the website, www.CoconutOilShop.co.nz.

So, to celebrate another big push to simplify the content at the website we’re giving away packets of dry goods for bank deposit orders.

How long will this celebration last? Just today.
Every bank deposit received before midnight today for in-stock product (not Ancient Wisdom, except 100ml) will receive a packet of dry goods, and you can choose which one, from the range above.
Is there a code? Just mention Bank Deposit Tuesday in the email informing us of your deposit.
Feel free to order with bank deposit.
Cast your thoughts to your pantry now. We look forward to hearing about your bank deposits. Thanks in advance.
Here is our Bank Deposit instructions page. www.coconutoilshop.co.nz/bank-deposit/
Posted on by — Leave a comment

2018 May – Remember the 7th special offer

Remember the 7th

Remember The 7th, special offer, May 2018

Today only $20 off bank-deposits for orders $100+, before 8pm.

How does the Remember The Seventh $20 discount offer work?

Today only, you can make a bank deposit for an order worth $100 or more, before 8pm, we’ll take $20 off, with a coupon code.

(We’ll even do it without a coupon code if you email us).
Payment can be arranged using the bank details on our website:

Shy Sheep Limited 12-3147-0321590-00 (ASB Bank) or

Shy Sheep Limited 38-9012-0621542-00 (Kiwi Bank)

Feel free to order with bank deposit, by email only.
– – – – – –
Remember the 7th
If you decide to use the website, you may choose the “bank Deposit” option as well.

Check it out. We look forward to hearing about your bank deposits. Thanks in advance.

Now a little about how it might work:

“Remember The 7th” in action

We received an email soon after announced this offer, it said:

“I have just made a payment online to your account number  12-3147-0321590-00 (ASB Bank).
 
White Gold 4 litre Pail. $128.70
Remember the 7th Discount of $20.00.”
So please make your way to the shop, today, and discover more about our special offer tonight. Some of our avid email readers have already taken action on this offer, today.
The fastest way to make it happen is to email us, and make a bank deposit.
Posted on by — Leave a comment

Sore throats! How Coconut Oil may help.

Beat Sore Throats. How Virgin Coconut Oil may drive sore throats away!

Coconut Oil | Virgin Coconut Oil

The internet is full of claims about the health benefits of Virgin Coconut Oil. We won’t go over them here. But we will say this. Our family has successfully used Virgin Coconut Oil to drive away sore throats with ease. That is our personal experience, and we’d like to invite you to consider the options for yourself.

  • Place Virgin Coconut Oil on your throat and leave it here
  • Use it for cooking (it is saturated fat, just like butter)
  • Use it for Oil Pulling (Oil Swishing)
  • Oil Pulling with a drop of your Essential Oil (one you can use in your mouth)

How do you do Oil Pulling?

We have published a post on the topic of Oil Pulling before. It is also mentioned in booklets we’ve published.

Virgin Coconut Oil – Oil Pulling

The process of placing Virgin Coconut Oil in your mouth. It will melt there.  Hold it there for a time, at the front of your mouth. Then start to swish it around in your mouth, then hold it for a while, etc.
 
Some people can last but a few moments. Others make it last a while.
The goal is continuous swishing in one or more sessions for up to 15-20 minutes. It does not have to be one time in that period only.
 
You spit it out, without swallowing it.
 
That is the process.

What can you expect to feel in your mouth?

Eventually, you can expect phlegm to break loose from the back of your throat, and this is to be welcomed. Brave souls keep swishing… others spit out and start over.

Keep up the process of doing oil pulling several times a day, or twice a day, whatever suits. But it has worked in providing symptomatic relief to sore throats for us, and it may do so for you.

Where can you buy Virgin Coconut Oil from in New Zealand?

Coconut Oil Shop sells, Virgin Coconut Oil. https://www.coconutoilshop.co.nz/order-coconut-oil/

Who wrote this short article?

Neil Smith loves to talk about the benefits of Coconut wholefoods.
Neil Smith, The Coconut Oil Shop Team

Neil Smith, The Coconut Oil Shop Team

If you are new to Virgin Coconut Oil, grab our free guide!

There is a lot of articles and information out there on Coconut Oil and how unique it is.

But where do you begin?

We’ve put together a short, informative guide you can download, called Coconut Oil Basics. Grab your free guide, and as a special bonus, we’ll send you an email each week highlighting some interesting pages in our site.

On this website, we have over 100 pages of useful information on our website, and this guide and the emails will help you unlock it.

Posted on by — 1 Comment

FDA Did Make Saturated Fat Reversal

FDA Did Make Saturated Fat Reversal

FDA decide to ban “artery-clogging” trans fat on Tuesday June 16th, 2015, USA time.
Since the 1950s, the world of public health has been fighting a losing battle against clogged arteries. Why? Many in the health community have woken up to the fact that some commonly eaten foods are dangerous, and finally the USA’s public health watch dog, the FDA have admitted trans fats are included in that list as well. Coconut Oil Shop posted that this day may soon come, in May 2015.

Linked to this important decision that trans fats are dangerous is the concept that saturated fats are not safe.

Grey-Line1

Washington Post journalist Brady Dennis reported the Federal Drug Administration have made a landmark decision to declare trans fats, found in many processed foods are in fact dangerous. This decision is based on human artery examinations, and other research.

The Saturated Fat Reversal – Partially Hydrogenated Oils banned

Partially Hydrogenated Oils (PHOs) are the culprit for artery clogging, according to the research of a 100 year old scientist Fred Kummerow. Professor Kummerow has faced what we called “a lonely battle” from 1950. Professor Kummerow’s medical research appeared to agree with a trend found in statistics. That trend was the rapid rise in heart disease from 1910, when margarine became popular.

In 1968 common sense got a break, the US government agreed to make food manufacturers reduce the products creating Partially Hydrogenated Oils. We commonly call these trans fats. The USA’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) started recording a reduction in heart disease after that.

With the June 16, 2015 decision from the FDA in the USA, we can safely say, “At last long last: a trans fat ban” – University of Illinois. Here we have definitive action from one of the most influential government public health organisations in the western world.

But read the statement from 100 years of life experience, by Professor Kummerow on this matter.

“I don’t consider is a triumph, I know what it was like for the industry, to do what they did. I’m not hear glowing that this was done. I’m just hoping that it’ll happen.”

Fred Kummerow - faced down the FDA and initiated a saturated fat reversalWords from 100 year old Professor Fred A Kummerow. Born in German, 1914, October 4.

Photo source: spacedoc.com/fred-kummerow-bio

Now it’s up to the food industry world wide to take the next step, and the Coconut Oil Shop would love to extend our hand to food manufacturers willing to try Coconut Oil in their recipes, anywhere in the world, (subject to satisfactory trading terms).

Who posted this short article?

Neil Smith loves to talk about the benefits of Coconut wholefoods.Neil Smith, The Coconut Oil Shop Team

If you are new to Virgin Coconut Oil, grab our free guide!

There is a lot of articles and information out there on Coconut Oil and how unique it is.

But where do you begin?

We’ve put together a short, informative guide you can download, called Coconut Oil Basics. Grab your free guide, and as a special bonus, we’ll send you an email each week highlighting some interesting pages in our site.

On this website, we have over 100 pages of useful information on our website, and this guide, and the emails will help you unlock it.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Lower North Island is Washed Out

Lower North Island is Washed Out with Floods and More Snow for South Island Predicted

Watch Out for further delivery delays if it snows in rural Canterbury and Christchurch city on Monday 22nd of June.

As of 6:30pm Saturday night, 20th June 2015, Central North Island is disrupting delivery of all lower North Island orders. Central Westland (South Island) is delaying all Westland orders. And the rural South Island is on ice. On the one hand we’d like to say, welcome to winter, 2015!

On the other hand we know every rural community, and families in some urban areas are having the peace and quiet of a day to day routine ripped to shreds right now. We are not exception. But we’ve been treated lightly so far. We only had 20 hours without power and running water.

Grey-Line1

A couple of days ago, on Thursday we posted that Rural South Island is snowed in. Now we have to report that large swathes of  rural North Island roads are awash in flooding. But wait, there’s more…

If there is severe snow on Monday, and no rain, some of your parcels may arrive as late as Friday 26th of June, some may arrive the next week starting 29th June. Whenever possible we will continue to deliver the parcels to the Christchurch Airport if CourierPost does not come to the gate.

This happened in June 2012 too.

We posted an update a day later and this is what we said back then. We noted the regional Postal service had shut down. This is a possibility this coming week as well. It may, or or may note affect TOLL and CourierPost as well.

Then we posted again on the 9th of June 2012, urging people to realise the length of the postal delays, and to be aware of that they need to count six days after the day we dispatch their order, not the day they place their order.

Back to 2015. All orders from 4pm Wednesday 17th June 2015 to 4pm Friday 2015 have been sent and are already scanned at CourierPost, if not delivered already. Neil drove to the Airport to safely deposit them for you all.

We wish you all to stay safe, dry, warm, and well oiled!

Posted on by — 1 Comment

Rural South Island is snowed in

Rural South Island is snowed in once again!

Your orders won’t be sent for a few days.

Even the Auckland sent orders on 18th June 2015 for some reason or another did not get picked up.

Expect things to be back on normal delivery times by Wednesday 24th June. Sorry we can’t help. But hopefully North Island orders of 4L, 10L, and 20L White Gold will not be delayed tomorrow.

Our children in the snow
June 7th 2012!

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Pumpkin Scones with Virgin Coconut Oil

Surprisingly fluffy scones

Pumpkin Scones with Sea Breeze from Tonga Coconut Oil
Pumpkin Scones with Sea Breeze from Tonga Virgin Coconut Oil

Pumpkin Scones with Coconut Oil - surprisingly fluffy and rose well

The scones were surprisingly fluffy and rose well

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of Coconut Sugar
6 cups flour
12 tea spoons raising powder (or baking powder)
2-3 cups mashed pumpkin
1 1/4 cups Virgin Coconut Oil
1 tea spoon salt
2 cups milk

Serves 12-15 people, so you may like to halve or quarter the recipe.

Method: normal scone instructions. (see this page for more information about baking with VCO).

I can say the recipe did not taste like coconuts, and we used a little bit of Coconut Sugar to bring out the flavour of pumpkin, but not enough to make the scones taste sweet.

 

We’ve been working on the navigation for the NZ Coconut Oil Shop products page. We’ve also been gearing up to improve the Australian offerings as well. We’d be really pleased if you took note of the menu under the big image up the top of the site (at the time of writing). What it says depends on if you are logged into Camp Coconut or not (see right hand column).

If you are logged in, you’ll find a handy link to the resources page, and the recipes archive (which is regrettably a little out of date). You may also find your way to the baking with Coconut Oil FAQ page.

If you are not logged in, you still get to see the growing resources page.  :  ) So either way, we invite you to enjoy your updates, and branch out into the “resources” page when you get a chance.

Who wrote this short article?

Neil Smith loves to talk about the benefits of Coconut wholefoods.Neil Smith, The Coconut Oil Shop Team

For recipe archives become a day-camper! Join us at Camp Coconut!

If you want some more recipe ideas on how to make healthy goodies with Coconut Oil, then you’ll need to join well over 500 others who login to the free learning area at Camp Coconut! www.coconutoilshop.co.nz/camp-coconut

You should join us here at Camp Coconut!

Join Now It's Free!