Shipping cost

[RogueDiscus]

I've been around for a while. Sold/shipped some fry. also a few young adults. A true hobby business. The best shipping I recently could offer a customer from Fed Ex was at least 3 times what Kenny charges. Any ideas how to do this better?

[Ryan]

Kenny, like most fish sellers who use shipping services in volume, get discounted rates as negotiated with a FedEx account manager. To do this, you must have a business account. In my case, I also had to have my package pass their requirements. I had to pack a test box and send it to their packaging testing facility. They do a battery of tests (vibrating the box, shaking it, dropping it from 30', etc.) then open to see if your packaging remained intact. If you get a pass, they send you a form which you in turn give to your account manager.

The discounts are based on your shipping volume. I've seen them offer anywhere from 20 - 50% off the standard table rates. Unfortunately the higher end of this rate doesn't get handed to anyone. You not only have to ship in volume but also be a long-time account holder in good standing. New accounts are not eligible for the deeper discounts.

UPS offers something similar. They don't require the package testing, but you still must have a business account and get assigned a representative. This representative will go over their bulk shipping discounts. For us to get a 40% discount we had to ship a couple thousand dollars worth of packages a month...

[RogueDiscus]

So, I just ticked someone off by quoting FedEx and UPS overnight prices of $165 plus a bit for my box, for a 14" x 12" x 15" box for 2, 6" fish, at 12 lb. from Oregon to Michigan. Maybe a bit heavy, but a gallon of water weighs over 8 lb. Any better ideas?

[rickztahone]

So, I just ticked someone off by quoting FedEx and UPS overnight prices of $165 plus a bit for my box, for a 14" x 12" x 15" box for 2, 6" fish, at 12 lb. from Oregon to Michigan. Maybe a bit heavy, but a gallon of water weighs over 8 lb. Any better ideas?

Do you plan on shipping in heavy volumes? If so, then doing as Ryan suggests is going to be your only option.

[RogueDiscus]

No, I'm just a hobbyist with occasional fish to sell. They may just end up in the freezer instead.

[rickztahone]

No, I'm just a hobbyist with occasional fish to sell. They may just end up in the freezer instead.

I suggest building up a good reputation locally.

As a hobbyist, you have to be prepared to do certain things, and breeding and having nowhere to place the fry/juvies should have been part of your original plan.

Now that you are at this crossroad, I suggest stepping back and figuring out if this is something you want to pursue if you have no means of selling these discus.

I hope I don't sound out of line here with you but it isn't very responsible to breed something and dispose of it because you couldn't sell it. Culling I do understand, but simply not having the space could have been avoided and still can be.

Again, I hope I am not coming on as judgemental here, but just have a plan on what you will do if X amount of things go wrong. It is always best to plan for the worst thing that can happen than planning for the best thing.

[RogueDiscus]

Forgive me for getting ticked before. They won't go in the freezer. These are not fish I have bred. I haven't been breeding for a while for various reasons. They were bought from a sponsor and I've had them for some time. I had decided to try to cut back and sell a few of the adults I have so I could use the resources I have to again do some small scale breeding. I have had success selling my fry in the past, but they're smaller and you can get more in a box, etc. So, I understand where you are coming from, but I don't think that's quite the situation.

[Ryan]

Actually, it's likely that it won't matter how much a gallon of water weighs. That's because both FedEx and UPS ship by dimensional weight for their overnight/express services. So for instance, UPS says a 19x15 box weighs a minimum of 21 pounds. The actual box could weigh 2 pounds but they will charge you the minimum dimensional weight of 21. That's one of the reasons rates are so high. The smaller the box, the cheaper the rate. Unfortunately it's almost impossible to ship discus, especially large ones, in a small box. When you do a detailed quote on FedEx's website, you'll see the note that says dimensional weight applies.

There's nothing you can do about this really. USPS is cheaper but at your own risk. You could also call Delta DASH Cargo and get a quote from them on that size box. Then you'd have to drop them off at Delta and the customer would have to pick their nearest airport with a Delta Cargo facility. I've shipped them for $100 - 130 through Delta and it's same-day which is better for the fish. They don't require you to have anything special to ship.

[LizStreithorst]

Check USPS Express. Sometimes it arrives overnight depending on where you live and the buyer lives. But remember, there is more risk shipping USPS than FedEX and if the fish arrive late and dead you will have to suffer the loss and refund the buyer's money.

[DonMD]

You might try shipyouraquatics.com, someone suggested that to me. I think it's a FedEx service that's already been negotiated; you and the company split the cost savings, so it's less that what you would pay alone, but more than a large volume shipper would pay. I haven't tried it yet, but I might.

[Northwoods Discus]

Hey Don, I just looked at that site you suggested. I have a group of vertical line tiger stripe terks a little over an inch now. Will be offering for sale in about 30 days. This looks like a possibility. Anyone have any first hand experience with the company?

[dprais1]

it seems like the same basic set up as 'shipyourreptiles' in fact it looks exactly the same. Fauna, a reptile forum, seems to give it good marks but I have no personal experience.

[CliffsDiscus]

I shipped before with Delta Dash, the requirements are that you have to be a KNOWN SHIPPER, the FAA would send out someone to inspect your operation,
don't know if this has changed.

Cliff

[Ryan]

I shipped before with Delta Dash, the requirements are that you have to be a KNOWN SHIPPER, the FAA would send out someone to inspect your operation,
don't know if this has changed.

Cliff

Not if you just ship them cargo through Delta Dash.

[CliffsDiscus]

Not if you just ship them cargo through Delta Dash.


Well, Delta won't even take them thru cargo in San Francisco, which really ticked me off.

[Loosir]

60$ minimum but may not be that bad.
http://www.deltacargo.com/Portals/2/Documents/rateSheets/specialty/liveAnimals/ava_live_tropical_fish.pdf87911