Australian mum outraged by expensive Kmart delivery fee on online-only soft play set

A mom was in disbelief after being charged $91 shipping on a popular $139 Kmart toy.

The woman wanted to buy the softplay tunnel set, which is only available on the Kmart website, but was shocked when she saw the huge delivery costs.

Items over $65 usually ship for free, adding to her frustration.

Has anyone successfully purchased the Soft Play Tunnel Set from Kmart? When I try, it says it costs $91.38 shipping!’ wrote the mother in a message to the Markdown Addicts Australia Facebook page.

Shoppers were outraged by the high cost of delivery and said they had been charged even higher shipping costs.

“Delivery for this cost me $138, a $1 less than the actual product, so frustrating,” said one woman.

“We were trying to get a bike delivered and he wanted $100,” added another.

‘For that price you might as well buy a better set at Catch of the Day. Slightly more expensive but free delivery and better value for money,’ suggested a third.

“$52.70 to Port Melbourne, maybe it’s based on how far I am from their warehouse,” a fourth surmised.

Some pointed out that bulky items can cost more to deliver and one said to try the Click and Collect if it’s available.

The woman wanted to buy a $139 softplay tunnel set (pictured), which is only for sale on the Kmart website and is exempt from free delivery usually given on orders over $65

‘I had the same thing when I bought their soft play mat, I had to pay shipping costs even though it was part of a large order. To save money, try Click and Collect if there’s a store near you,” she said.

“I believe you could also potentially have it delivered to a target for Click and Collect if one is nearby.”

One group member said she only incurred a $10 delivery charge for the gray version of the tunnel set, while another said she found the individual pieces at her nearest Kmart.

“I wanted this set too, but for a $52 delivery, so I went to the store and bought individual pieces, but there were no tunnel pieces,” she explained.

“Our local Kmart did have some stackable/squishy pillowy things that are meant for similar playing/crafting cards etc. But I doubt it would have a slide attached,” another woman added.

‘They were sold individually and not in bright colours. Maybe you can save on shipping costs if you have a shop nearby.’

The mother pointed out that the individual pieces available in the store are 4 inches shorter than those in the set she wanted to order.

“Stair and triangle available in the store are smaller with a height of 21 cm, while the set is 32 cm high,” she said.

The Daily Mail Australia has contacted Kmart for comment.

The Kmart website states that large orders will incur additional charges and that bulky items are not eligible for free shipping because carriers’ delivery charges are higher.

‘A large order is about the size of a bookshelf or storage unit. If your order is larger than this size, we will add a cost per volumetric kilogram to our standard delivery charges,” the site reads.

These charges are based on your location and vary from state to state, in line with our courier charges. Large items, such as outdoor play equipment, furniture, strollers and bicycles will likely incur additional costs.”