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ShipYourReptiles.com

Jadie.Glitch

Jadie.Glitch

:) colubridstudios.com :)
Did something happen with ShipYourReptiles.com? I went to get a quote and it's quoting me $102! The last shipment I made was only like $40-something...
 
That amount sounds ridiculously high! I heard they changed from UPS to FedEx, and maybe it has something to do with that, but FedEx shipment would never cost that much, even if you add on the cost of the packaging materials. Where are you planning to ship?
 
Just to get a rough estimate of what I might expect to have to pay for shipping (not that I've sold anything yet), I put in my zipcode in Washington, USA, and a New York, USA zipcode with the dimensions of a 12"x12"x12" box that weighs 1 pound. The price came up as $102.15 :/
 
That can't be right. I tried it and it said $81. If your zip code is really rural maybe it would cost more. If it's a smaller animal you could try a smaller package. The 7x7x6 box brought it down to $55.
 
Hmm, well that's good to know, although $81 still seems like a lot to me. I'll work with a different box; I was just thinking about what I have on hand :). Also, my zipcode is 99324 and the NY one I chose was 10108 (the only reason I know that is from the oooold Nickelodeon jingle by Stick Stickley. "Write to me: Stick Stickly, P.O. Box 963, New York City, New York State, 10108!") haha, lol
 
I don't know how the SYR site works, but when shipping directly with FedEx, you can save a little money (and make it safer for the snake) by getting your customer to pick up at FedEx. Then you don't have to pay extra for signature (it is automatic), rural or residential fees (not supposed to send to a home anyway), and the package will arrive early in the morning at their station whether you send it standard overnight or priority overnight. Maybe you can see some of those savings on SYR, too. If not, it is still worth doing for less stress and travel time for the animals.
 
Do you have a FedEx account yet? If not, getting one should save you some money. I went into my FedEx account profile and got a quote for shipping a one pound 7 X 7 X 6 inch box (which works just fine for most corn snakes) from your Washingon zip code to your New York zip code. Anyway, if I were to ship it "standard overnight", it would cost me $34.67, and "priority overnight" would be $38.93. Shipping materials will still cost you a few bucks more, but it's still fairly reasonable when shipped via your account. I have found that in order to save money you need to print your own labels from your account profile. If you just go to the FedEx location and fill out the hand-written shipping form, you end up paying regular price (even if you have an account), which would be $53.34 for "standard overnight" and $59.88 for "priority overnight" for that particular package. That's a big difference! The printed labels also look way nicer and more professional. Also, there is no reason to ship "First Overnight" or "Priority Overnight" if you are shipping "hold for pick-up" to the FedEx location, since it will not be going out on an earlier or later truck. A package shipped "standard overnight" to the shipping center will be available for them to pick up in the morning, just like the ones sent "first overnight" or "priority overnight," so you might as well save a few bucks and ship it "standard overnight" if they are going to be picking it up. Just my two cents....
 
wendhend said:
A package shipped "standard overnight" to the shipping center will be available for them to pick up in the morning, just like the ones sent "first overnight" or "priority overnight," so you might as well save a few bucks and ship it "standard overnight" if they are going to be picking it up. Just my two cents....
Click to expand...

I never thought of that! The vast majority of stuff I send out is to a FedEx staffed location, and held for pick up. I use Priority Overnight, but if I can save a few dollars, and still have the package there in the morning, I will try the Standard Overnight service instead. Thanks for the tip!

Also, I would think we can all expect increased shipping charges, no matter what service we choose. I got a letter from FedEx that basically said fuel price increases will be passed on to the customer.

Kathy
 
I keep a copy of my waiver in my purse, just in case!! See section B.
 

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I have a FedEx account, but I never finished the whole "getting reptile certified" thing because ShipYourReptiles.com popped up around the same time and I was able to ship out a package for only $40-something. Now, however, it seems it might be worth it to finish what I started with FedEx.

Thank you all for the tips/info!
 
Nanci said:
I keep a copy of my waiver in my purse, just in case!! See section B.
Click to expand...

Nanci, you are so organized! Thanks for posting that! I would probably have to dig through my file cabinet for a half an hour to find my FedEx contract. Anyway, I wasn't trying to steer anyone wrong with the "standard overnight" tip. It was given to me by another breeder, and I really didn't remember anything about it being in the contract that you had to go with "priority overnight." Looking at your contract copy and the clause about shipping "on days that will not require transit over a weekend or holiday," it looks like it was probably set up with animal safety in mind and the notion that you would ship them to other locations and need them to go out on an earlier truck, rather than anticipating that people would go with a "hold at location" option and not need to worry about them going on trucks. Oh well! Out of my money-saving ideas, the "standard overnight" one is probably actually the least effective anyway.

Back to box size..... it makes a huge difference. Just for fun, I went into my FedEx account and got a quote for Jadie Glitch's one pound package if it were to be shipped "priority overnight" from her Washington zipcode to the New York one in the 12 X 12 X 12 box as opposed to the smaller 7 X 7 X 6 box, and the difference is really significant. The bigger one-pound box would cost me $73.13 as opposed to the smaller one-pound box, which would only be $38.93 via "priority overnight." That is a HUGE difference if you can make the smaller box work. Bigger corns do fine in that box if they are in a snake bag, and there are ways to pack smaller corns more efficiently. Normally, you can get three regular 8-ounce hatchling delis into one of those smaller boxes, but I have also seen extra short delis, which allow you to pack four of them stacked up inside. With groups of the free nonfeeder hatchlings I give away, I have even packed them in individual knee-high stockings tied in a knot at the top, and it worked just fine.

Again, shipping from your account and printing your own label will also save a lot of money. Even if I did decide to go with that 12 X 12 X 12 box for a larger order, it would cost me $73.13 to send it "priority overnight" using my account, but a whopping $112.50 to send it without the account (or if I took it into FedEx and did the handwritten label). It's well worth it to have a FedEx account and to get your reptile shipper certification!
 
I'd heard the regular overnight as opposed to priority overnight thing from several people; I believe it is commonly done. Still, I know that _my_ contract specifies priority.

The small square boxes make me a little nervous. The FedEx lady commented, the last time I picked up a snake, that the small boxes don't stay upright and get buried under other boxes. Plus, I like a little more room to space out my heat or cold pack, and to hold a steadier temp. But I am super-conservative about shipping. But plenty of big breeders ship in the small boxes all the time with fine results, so, I'm sure it's just me worrying about my babies!
 
Sometimes it's hard to balance safety with what makes it economical. We'd all buy and sell a lot more snakes if shipping prices weren't so high!
 
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