Fed ex getting more expensive

[ghosthousecorns]

This came up on another forum, I thought it'd be nice to find out what people here think as well.
Fed ex rates have gone up with the price of gas. I think it will no longer be possible to ship for $35 - $50. I had 2 shipments last year cost more than $80. But, I am not sure if anybody would even buy from me if I charged what it actually costs for shipping. I do prefer local sales, but it is getting to the point where it is no longer worth it to ship just a single snake unless it's an expensive one. I don't want to cut any corners, so any snake I ship is going to be shipped priority overnight in an insulated box with heat or cold pack as needed. The shipping supplies also add up. Is there any way to keep prices lower without compromising the safety of the animal in transit, or should I just concentrate on doing local sales and only ship if it's worth my while (as in a group purchase where I actually do more than break even?) I can't see raising my shipping costs unless everyone else does it too!

 

[susang]

That is too bad, I know the shipping has stopped me from buying at least oe snake. I wanted an African House Snake, Dean led me to a great guy. He had an adult female/proven. The shipping was more then the snake and he didn't have anything else I was interested in. This will be difficult for smaller breeders I would think.

 

[ghosthousecorns]

I guess there are no good answers.. I agree it hurts the small breeder more than the big one. But I was really hoping somebody would have some kind of advice for me. I know the fed ex charges for residential delivery, so maybe if I had all shipments held at fed ex location for pickup it would cost less, but that would be an inconvenience for the recipient.

 

[susang]

I wouldn't find it an inconvenience to pick it up from a business. For a few reasons: one being privacy, if it is less expensive and I could have it sent to my sis's office and creep her out until I get there:uhoh:.

 

[ghosthousecorns]

lol!
Legally fed ex is only supposed to ship reptiles if it's from business to business, but since most snake breeders run the business out of their homes they get you for the residential delivery even if you put a business name down. I was just wondering if there was any way to make the packages lighter or smaller, or something. I think I am just going to have to sell the 'singles' locally, wholesale the cheaper stuff and only ship groups and higher end stuff. I can see how it's worth losing a bit on a package here and there if you do a lot of shipping, but for those of us who ship fewer snakes it's a lose/lose proposition. Either you charge more (and risk that your customer goes somewhere else that costs less) or you eat the shipping charges. Unless I am completely missing something here :shrugs:

 

[Chris Olson]

I just got a quote on fedex.com for a 7x7x7, 1 lb package for a 10:30am delivery from South Carolina to Idaho for $50. That's about 2400 miles. I don't think that's too much. Many breeders now are charging 60-65 for shipping a single hatchling, no matter the distance or actual cost. I don't think it will hurt smaller breeders much to raise their shipping prices. Personally, if I want the snake, I will pay the shipping unless it's obviously inflated.

Chris

 

[ghosthousecorns]

Do you pay beforehand or put an account # on the airbill? Maybe my whole problem is that I put my account number and it's always more than I thought it would be. I also have noticed that even if I am just shipping a small snake it always seems to weigh more than 1 pound. I've been using the small boxes from superior enterprise which I think are larger than 7 X 7 X 7, and with the shredded newspaper and heat pack in there it just weighs more. I just hate to use home made boxes or skimp on heat/cold packs...Heat packs are lighter, but the cold packs I have are 1/2 pound.

 

[KJUN]

> Legally fed ex is only supposed to ship reptiles if it's from business to business,

It's not a legal thing - it's a contract/waiver thing. You don't violate the Lacey Act on interstate commerce in live harmless reptiles JUST because it goes to a home address.

Anyway, big breeders get supplies in quantity and almost always get a larger quantity discount on shipping than small breeders. Thew best way to save on cost is to (1) have it go "Hold for pick-up" or to a business address, (2) NEVER drop it off anywhere except at a FedEx staffed office (places like Kinkos add a significant charge above the FedEx fee), and (3) print the shipping labels out online since this usually saves most breeders 10% or so.

Of course, the above are ways to do it without increasing risks. Smaller boxes are WAY more dangerous, so don't go smaller than safety says. Same thing for weight. Usually those shipping boxes you can buy (like the ones from Superior Enterprises) saves you more in shipping than they cost IF you compare them to the ones some people get free from work with the super thick insulation on the inside (medical shipments, meat, other frozen items, etc.)

 

[ghosthousecorns]

> Legally fed ex is only supposed to ship reptiles if it's from business to business,

It's not a legal thing - it's a contract/waiver thing. You don't violate the Lacey Act on interstate commerce in live harmless reptiles JUST because it goes to a home address.

Anyway, big breeders get supplies in quantity and almost always get a larger quantity discount on shipping than small breeders. Thew best way to save on cost is to (1) have it go "Hold for pick-up" or to a business address, (2) NEVER drop it off anywhere except at a FedEx staffed office (places like Kinkos add a significant charge above the FedEx fee), and (3) print the shipping labels out online since this usually saves most breeders 10% or so.

Of course, the above are ways to do it without increasing risks. Smaller boxes are WAY more dangerous, so don't go smaller than safety says. Same thing for weight. Usually those shipping boxes you can buy (like the ones from Superior Enterprises) saves you more in shipping than they cost IF you compare them to the ones some people get free from work with the super thick insulation on the inside (medical shipments, meat, other frozen items, etc.)

Interesting... thank you Chris and KJUN!

 

[Dale]

Insulated box, heat pack, 2 adult ball pythons at 11.5 lbs ran $95 for overnight as of this week. (not including shipping supplies).

 

[KJUN]

Insulated box, heat pack, 2 adult ball pythons at 11.5 lbs ran $95 for overnight as of this week. (not including shipping supplies).

Rhetorical questions: The mass got you, BUT where did it come from (state), where did it go (state), did it go to a resedential address, and where did you drop it off (Kinkos-style place or FedEx staffed distribution office)?

All of these things could result in literally a doubling of the price. I was shipping snakes to a friend for $46-47 and his return costs to me - same box and weight - was closer to $85. I dropped them off at a main office, and he did not. PLUS, I was picking them up at a FedEx office, and his was going to a business address (which means his SHOULD have been cheaper to ME!).....

 

[ghosthousecorns]

I'm guessing what's getting me is dropping them off at Pak-n -mail down the street and sending them to residential addresses. I will have to look into where the closest fed-ex staffed place near me is. This is really helpful, thanks again!

 

[KJUN]

I'm guessing what's getting me is dropping them off at Pak-n -mail down the street a

Almost definitely. Go to FedEx.com and do the "estimate shipping costs" thing on the last 3 packages you sent...and see how it compares! THEN, subtract the 10% you would LIKELY have saved by printing out the label online.

KJ

 

[Susan]

Just an FYI, FedEx doesn't really care what the actual weight of the package is. They charge by the dimensional weight...ie: what they say a box of a certain size may weigh. Therefore, even if your box only weighs 1 pound, if that size can hold up to 5 pounds of stuff, they will charge you for 5 pounds.

Most of the time, when I get a shipping quote from FedEx, it has a problem when I give my account number, so a just get a rate without it. And my actual charges are pretty close to what I'm quoted. I offer my customers the option, if available, of Priority or Standard overnight as there is usually at least a $5 difference for just a few hours time difference in delivery. And I do add a few dollars to my shipping quotes for my supplies as it does add up. Plus, it covers me for when FedEx charges more than what I was quoted, which happens about 1/3 of the time. I'll probably be getting some smaller boxes this year for the really small orders as I only have 2 box sizes right now and shipping charges are a royal pain for the purchaser on the small orders, which I do alot of.

 

[KJUN]

Just an FYI, FedEx doesn't really care what the actual weight of the package is. They charge by the dimensional weight...ie: what they say a box of a certain size may weigh. Therefore, even if your box only weighs 1 pound, if that size can hold up to 5 pounds of stuff, they will charge you for 5 pounds.

That is slightly incorrect. They use the actual weight when it is greater than the dimensional weight. It is hard to exceed the dimensional weight when shipping hatchlings, but I have done it multiple times when shipping dense bodied adult snakes......lol. In this case, that box that COULD weight 5 lbs actually weights 7lbs, so they charge you extra since you get charged by the actual weight.

I use 3 box sizes, and I could save a lot of money going with a "tiny" box, but I won't do it. Too risky. Too bad I'm not a gambler since it would save me a lot of money.....lol. I get VERY irate when I get a $1500 snake shippd to me for $65 extra and it arrives in a 7x7x6 inch box. When that happens, I put that breeder on a "Never Buy" list. Too risky. That's just me, though. Of course, I've had breeders (some post here....lol) use a large box with no insulation and kill snakes during shipping, too. That's also bad.

While I got off on a tangent, I've also had people charge be $50 for shipping and then illegally use USPS Express. It is funny when those shippers get mad at ME for opening the box right there in front of the delivery lady so she can be a witness for the report I file later that day!

KJ

 

[ghosthousecorns]

I think it's really risky to try to save money any way that can put a snake in danger... Risky to the snake, risky to your reputation. I am still just starting out, so I have shipped maybe half a dozen packages so far, and there is NO way I would screw everything up by cutting corners with shipping. I have had a few packages sent to me I was not happy with. It really makes me mad when people put a snake's life in danger to save a few bucks. I want people who get my shipments to be happy- I've been on the other end opening the too small, non insulated, delivered late box and hoping to god the snake inside is still alive. The professionalism of the packing and shipping has a huge bearing on whether or not I buy from the person again. I hope this thread will be some help for any people who want to learn how to do it right ...


I found out the closest fed-ex staffed place to me is a fed-ex kinko's, I am going to send my next package from there and see if it makes a difference. I'm not sure how to find a fed ex distribution office, when I did the search on fed-ex.com for fed-ex staffed locations the kinkos came up as the closest one..

 

[KJUN]

I BELIEVE the Kinko's still add a surplus charge, but not AS much as some of the other places. I've never used one, though. Sorry. It's been almost a decade since I shipped with anything except FedEx FROM a distribution center. Sorry I don't know more about the Kinkos......

 

[ghosthousecorns]

I have a feeling I'd have to go all the way to Portland for an actual distibution office! All the ones I found here were kinko's style places. Oh well, I bet it will still be less than Pak-n-ship

 

[Joejr14]

I use 3 box sizes, and I could save a lot of money going with a "tiny" box, but I won't do it. Too risky. Too bad I'm not a gambler since it would save me a lot of money.....lol. I get VERY irate when I get a $1500 snake shippd to me for $65 extra and it arrives in a 7x7x6 inch box. When that happens, I put that breeder on a "Never Buy" list. Too risky. That's just me, though. Of course, I've had breeders (some post here....lol) use a large box with no insulation and kill snakes during shipping, too. That's also bad.
KJ

What exactly is wrong with a 7x7x6 box? I've shipped numerous hatchlings out in them this year and nobody has had any issues. If the seller chooses to send the hatchling out (regardless of cost) in that size box---what does it matter to you? I have a live arrival guarantee plus a 30 day health guarantee. So if a $1500 snake croaks because of my error, I'll pony up and re-imburse the buyer or send out a replacement.

Do you really think that if I didn't think a 7x7x6 box was safe for a single hatchling that I sold for $1500 that I'd actually ship the package out? Just what does a box that's 10x15x10 give you as far as an advantage? What, so you can have 8x12x8 worth of foam inside the box with a tiny cutout for a single deli cup? If you intelligently ship the animals based on conditions at the departure, sorting facility, and destination you're not going to have a problem. Use a heat pack when necessary and a cold pack when necessary. If you're concerned about the temps then have the package held at the location. It saves you a few bucks on top of the fact that it's safer.

I think it's really risky to try to save money any way that can put a snake in danger... Risky to the snake, risky to your reputation.

Exactly. It is. I don't however consider a 7x7x6 box to be risky if you package it correctly. Of course it's risky if you package 10 snakes into 5 deli cups and jam it into the box and then send it to Arizona in the middle of the summer with a cold pack. But again, you run into the same issues if you're an idiot and send out 1 hatchling in a huge box with no cold pack. Same issue.

Now with regards on how to save on shipping costs....

1) Don't use a bigger box then necessary.
2) Solo deli cups are great for temporarily raising hatchlings, but are much higher than some other brands. I used Fabri-Kal this year when I shipped hatchlings out. Cheaper deli cups and you can fit more into a box.
3) Contact your rep and make sure you have the 10% discount for online shipping. Print your labels off from FedEx.com.
4) Bear in mind that requiring the buyer to sign for the package is an additional cost.
5) When shipping a package and having it 'held at location', you can ship 'standard overnight' without any risk to the animals. The package gets to the dest sort facility the same time as a 'priority overnight' shipment does---they just go on different trucks once sorted. That normally saves 10% off the shipping cost as it is.

So basically use as small a box as you feel comfortable with and have it send via standard overnight to a fedex facility. You miss the residential delivery charge, the extra charge for priority overnight and you don't have to include the signature requirements.

 

[Joejr14]

Here's a good example of the run-down of charges....

Charges
Transportation Charge.......65.25
Fuel Surcharge........8.84
Residential Delivery.........2.20
Weekday Delivery............0.00
Automation Bonus Discount........-6.53
Delivery Area-Resi...................2.20
Adult Signature.....................3.50
Total Charges...................75.46



Keep in mind this was for 3 adults and 4 yearlings in an appropriate sized box.