Might it be because the competition offers more bang for the buck? I'm not gonna name the competitors, but back when I looked at it, the competition offered at least larger quantity for the same price, or the same amount for much cheaper. They also send the packages once per month instead of twice per month, leading to less S&H. Whether it is free S&H or not someone's paying for the S&H; in the end, that someone is the customer.