Shipping Costs!!

[rowedder]

How do you all feel about the current shipping costs? I mean holy @#%^ ! FEDEX is just crazy! Here I am trying so hard to lower my prices and fighting with FEDEX to give us a break, I am so frustrated with them! Do all you sellers of discus have any problems with shipping as I do?

[yim11]

I don't ship fish, but I do a LOT of shipping...

The answer to your question depends on how you look at the shipping costs.

Are those YOUR shipping costs or the customers!? If you are quoting actual/reasonable S&H charges then your customers won't mind paying the cost - especially for a quality product.

Hope that helps,
-jim

[rowedder]

Jim,
These charges go to the customer. I am just trying to figure out if I have any options as to lower the cost of shipping.

[Greg Richardson]

Jim. The problem is with anyone that ships a product is the more the shipping costs go up in a lot of instances their sales get squeezed.

To say it's a quality product so the customer will pay it is not true all the time, especially now with costs going up across the board.

When one looks at buying fish the customer must consider the shipping costs.

That person calculates the total costs of fish and shipping then asks themselves is this a purchase I can afford at this time?

A lot of people don't give it a second thought their wallet is fat and if the cost has gone up oh well it's a sign of the times.

Others say I'm just going to need to hold off on that purchase with utilities, food, etc going up to afford it all for the hobby it is just to much at this time.

Anyone selling a product unless their clients has always been at the very top of the wealth chain is going to feel it.

[Midwest Discus]

The best option is still airport to airport but I know most people prefer door to door. I use DHL. The are the most reasonable but now it looks like DHL is going out of business. Fed Ex should where a mask when it comes to charging for overnight shipping. I purchased 6 large discus from a hatchery that refused to ship airport to airport. Fed Ex overnight for this approx 30lb box cost me $175!!!!!!!

[packerkid]

In effort of enlightening everyone,

"I don't understand it with gas prices .. As not a sponsor or anything like that , i have one thing to say.. With government giving out sooo much welfare now, why not pass a tax cut that makes it so that shipping discus is free "

:spit:

Robbie

[brewmaster15]

Here you go, some 2009 shipping.. heart ache...



http://ir.fedex.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=335334
2009 Rate Increase
FedEx Express will increase shipping rates by an average of 6.9% for U.S. and U.S. export services, effective January 5, 2009. The rate increase will be partially offset by adjusting the fuel price at which the fuel surcharge begins, reducing the fuel surcharge by two percentage points. Additional changes will be made to other FedEx Express surcharges, details of which can be found at www.fedex.com/us/2009rates (http://www.fedex.com/us/2009rates). The FedEx Ground rate and surcharge increases for 2009 will be announced later this year.


-al

[Porkchop]

I'm a driver for UPS and I never paid attention to charges until recently. It's amazing what people have to pay and I feel bad for all of you. This is one reason why I hesitate to buy fish. You are pretty much buying a couple fish just to have them sent over.


FYI...DHL is going out of business soon. They might stick around for International shipping only. Here in the Chicago land area they are getting rid of 800 drivers by Thanks Giving thanks to this horrible economy right now.