need to pick a few peoples brains about shipping costs

[vohnholley]

I have a serious question for all the users of this site.. Why is it that there are sellers who charge almost 3 times what the post office charges for shipping? I will give you a example. the normal cost of flat rate shipping priority costs anywhere from 5 to 6 dollars a box(I hit six because i sent 2 lbs and a half to another user) So why is it that some people charge anywhere from 12 to 15 dollars for shipping priority? In my opinion, A few dollars more and you can have you package sent overnight..
The reason for my concern is, thee are several people that sell on AB that i would would love to purchase from but their shipping cost is so so high that i ust take my money elsewhere on here. I just dont see paying more in shipping than the actual cost of whats in the package.

 

[whitewolf]

Here a USPS priority medium flat rate box is $10 plus an extra dollar something for a signature. Express ends up costing me at least $26.50. Fed-Ex and UPS are more. I assume the price varies on where you are. Also a lot of people use Tupperware, deli-cups, newspapers, heat/cold packs, foam insulation, and paper towels. I always assumed the added cost is they are just trying to recoup some of what they spent to pack them and understanable. The foam is like 12 dollars at lows. Just a guess though.

 

[Noexcuse4you]

Maybe they're adding in the cost of an insulated box and a heatpack.

 

[vohnholley]

thats unbelieveable!!! the number 3 boxes that i use are priced according to weight.

 

[Noexcuse4you]

thats unbelieveable!!! the number 3 boxes that i use are priced according to weight.

I don't really know what to tell you. I mean, if I had a choice between someone using a shipping method that's cheap but could possibly damage a T or pay a little more for a reliable shipping method, then I'd go with the latter. You might want to try and complain to the person doing the shipping rather than to the entire message board.

 

[Xian]

USPS priority boxes ship anywhere in the U.S. for about $10.00US.(Up to 70#) Many people will increase the price to include packing material, heat packs, their time, etc.

 

[Xian]

I don't really know what to tell you. I mean, if I had a choice between someone using a shipping method that's cheap but could possibly damage a T or pay a little more for a reliable shipping method, then I'd go with the latter.

I totally agree, there is no substitute for overnite shipping.

 

[DansDragons]

i have never paid more than $4.95 to ship priority unless the box was over 2lbs.

 

[vohnholley]

Hey I really want to thank everyone who responded and allowed me to hear your opinions. I really want to purchase outside of the normal people i purchase from.(which are well known ppl on AB who charge $10 or less to ship) I more than like likely with just stick with the people who are reasonable with prices and shipping costs. Btw, you cant ship anything here with a heat pack at this time of the year!!!!

 

[jayefbe]

The packaging gets pretty pricy (vials, insulated boxes, heat packs if needed). It's fine if you're selling a hundred or more bucks worth of stuff on one go, but with T's that's no guarantee. Most people are probably making orders of ~$50 or less. I think the higher shipping costs have this in mind. It's a guarantee that a dealer won't lose his shirt by selling a ton of slings in vials that cost nearly as much as the T itself.

 

[codykrr]

no..i belive some people are just being rude. i have literally turned down deals because of this very reason. priority shippingis the way to go. especially for Ts. why? well for one when you ship "express" its is only tossed around that much more to get it there faster. when in some places like me is the same amount of time to get a priority shipment in. so why have your T mishandled for nothing?

for instance ive bought from people in seattle washington. i told them i would not pay for express so they decided to cover the rest andpay for it. well it didnt arrive for 3 days(overnight is not avalible in my area) so the next time i ordered from him. we decided to ship priority and guess what. it was here in 2 days..imagine that. also this was in the dead of winter. (26F)

i know many people who work in USPS and they know i have Ts shipped to me. they also say to have it shipped priority. bcause its handled alot better andnot so rushed. as for shipping materials. thats just bogus. if you want to sell something then do it at cost. i mean a 4 foot by 8 pieces of styrofoam is 2 bucks. heat packs are less than a dollar a piece. and paper towels are cheap enough. so i dont want to be charged extra for somthing thats either almost pure profit or 50% profit anyway.

i know of a few people who literally charge more for priority because "they want to discourage people from using it" when if i pay for priority thats a chance"I" take. to me its just another way for the "money hungry hobbiest" to fill there pockets.

 

[Noexcuse4you]

so i dont want to be charged extra for somthing thats either almost pure profit or 50% profit anyway.

LOL. What you're buying is pure profit to whom from which you are buying your T's. It costs peanuts to get T's to mate, create a sac, and get slings from them. Does this mean that slings should be free? One could argue, yes. However, what motivation does it give to the person doing the breeding to continue to do so?

Anyway, part of my point is that the money is being recuperated somewhere, whether its being rolled into the cost of the T or tacked onto the shipping cost. So you can either pay $45 for a sling and pay $10 for shipping, or pay $50 and pay $5 for shipping. Either way, the dealer is getting his money.

 

[jayefbe]

no..i belive some people are just being rude. i have literally turned down deals because of this very reason. priority shippingis the way to go. especially for Ts. why? well for one when you ship "express" its is only tossed around that much more to get it there faster. when in some places like me is the same amount of time to get a priority shipment in. so why have your T mishandled for nothing?

for instance ive bought from people in seattle washington. i told them i would not pay for express so they decided to cover the rest andpay for it. well it didnt arrive for 3 days(overnight is not avalible in my area) so the next time i ordered from him. we decided to ship priority and guess what. it was here in 2 days..imagine that. also this was in the dead of winter. (26F)

i know many people who work in USPS and they know i have Ts shipped to me. they also say to have it shipped priority. bcause its handled alot better andnot so rushed. as for shipping materials. thats just bogus. if you want to sell something then do it at cost. i mean a 4 foot by 8 pieces of styrofoam is 2 bucks. heat packs are less than a dollar a piece. and paper towels are cheap enough. so i dont want to be charged extra for somthing thats either almost pure profit or 50% profit anyway.

i know of a few people who literally charge more for priority because "they want to discourage people from using it" when if i pay for priority thats a chance"I" take. to me its just another way for the "money hungry hobbiest" to fill there pockets.

How much are you talking here? I've seen priority range from 8-12 bucks. Depending on the size of the package, priority is generally between 5-10 bucks. A heat pack is about a buck. Box and styrofoam would be another couple bucks. I think $10 bucks for a priority package is perfectly acceptable. I can definitely see circumstances where a lot of customers making small purchases would severely cut into a dealer's profit. It would be nice to pay the exact cost of shipping and packaging, but would need to be calculated for each order and would be prohibitively time consuming for most dealers.

Now, if I were being quoted something like $15 for priority I'd be expecting a giant box with heat pack and the best packing ever.

I do agree with you on priority over express. It just doesn't make sense to spend 25 bucks for shipping on less than $100 worth of T's. I've had T's sent overnight, but I've never had any deaths with priority and it takes 2 days to get to me no matter where it's shipped from. If a T is shipped properly, I think it can last a LOT longer than 2 days in the mail.

 

[codykrr]

true. but id rather hink im paying more for a spider, than to know im getting ripped off on shipping cost. and i wasnt mainly refering to breeding and selling of slings. for instance, if i sold you my B. smithi for 100 bucks. id loose my ass. why because i gave 90 for her, plusive had her for a year, and that adds up for housing cost, feeding roaches(which are free but there food isnt) and not to mention if i held on to her for another 2 years, i could make more than i have in her in sling sales if i bred her.

so id rather pay more for a T that is expensive for a reason(I.E. time, care, feeding, breeding potential loss) that to pay more for shipping. now if they keep it a secret that i got ripped on shipping and included that into the T cost. fine. as long as i dont find out.

but to be so blunt and say "im charging more to discourage people from using priority shipping" is just ignorant. and a great way for me to say screw you, deal is off. especially when they contact me wanting to sell me the slings....yeah i would have probly bought all 5 but not if you want to be rude like that. you know?

 

[evicton]

no..i belive some people are just being rude. i have literally turned down deals because of this very reason. priority shippingis the way to go. especially for Ts. why? well for one when you ship "express" its is only tossed around that much more to get it there faster. when in some places like me is the same amount of time to get a priority shipment in. so why have your T mishandled for nothing?

for instance ive bought from people in seattle washington. i told them i would not pay for express so they decided to cover the rest andpay for it. well it didnt arrive for 3 days(overnight is not avalible in my area) so the next time i ordered from him. we decided to ship priority and guess what. it was here in 2 days..imagine that. also this was in the dead of winter. (26F)

i know many people who work in USPS and they know i have Ts shipped to me. they also say to have it shipped priority. bcause its handled alot better andnot so rushed. as for shipping materials. thats just bogus. if you want to sell something then do it at cost. i mean a 4 foot by 8 pieces of styrofoam is 2 bucks. heat packs are less than a dollar a piece. and paper towels are cheap enough. so i dont want to be charged extra for somthing thats either almost pure profit or 50% profit anyway.

i know of a few people who literally charge more for priority because "they want to discourage people from using it" when if i pay for priority thats a chance"I" take. to me its just another way for the "money hungry hobbiest" to fill there pockets.

This is so true, and I'm sure its that way for alot of people in states where express is not overnight delivery. Living in PA I recieve a priority package from CA (2 days on the 4 shipments from this year) in the same time as I do an express shipment from Ohio. To force me to pay express or inflated priority costs (to discourge it) is just a flat out insult. This package will not get to me any faster, the tracking will become useless because the post office will update it as attempted even though it never leaves the post office (if they decide to update it at all).

I won't pay for express by principle, if the dealer is so concerned about the safety of the Ts they will allow me to choose another carrier who actually offers overnight delivery to me. I'd rather pay 40-50 dollars and get actual overnight delivery then pay 25 and get priority service at 2.5x the cost. Since may I've ordered some 50+ T's this year, only the first package was shipped express after that nightmare I've had all my packages shipped priority with the exception of some that came fedex/ups.

 

[codykrr]

How much are you talking here? I've seen priority range from 8-12 bucks. Depending on the size of the package, priority is generally between 5-10 bucks. A heat pack is about a buck. Box and styrofoam would be another couple bucks. I think $10 bucks for a priority package is perfectly acceptable. I can definitely see circumstances where a lot of customers making small purchases would severely cut into a dealer's profit. It would be nice to pay the exact cost of shipping and packaging, but would need to be calculated for each order and would be prohibitively time consuming for most dealers.

Now, if I were being quoted something like $15 for priority I'd be expecting a giant box with heat pack and the best packing ever.

I do agree with you on priority over express. It just doesn't make sense to spend 25 bucks for shipping on less than $100 worth of T's. I've had T's sent overnight, but I've never had any deaths with priority and it takes 2 days to get to me no matter where it's shipped from. If a T is shipped properly, I think it can last a LOT longer than 2 days in the mail.

ok first he was wanting to charge me 15 for priority(when he even said it was acually 4.95 to ship it) but he wanted to discourage people from choosing priority.

second. i have shipped many Ts. and it doesnt cost anything for a box(there free) a 4X8 foot sheet of foam is 2 bucks and a heat pack(when needed, is 1 dollar. and a deli cup is usually 4 bucks for 100 with lids.) so you figure. the person selling is already making money regardless. so why should the consumer pay for his packing? i dont charge people for my packing. that just goes on my reputation as a good packager. which then leads to more sales which leads to yet more profit. now ill pay 10 for priority. but thats the most. period. and it wouldnt matter to me if i had 10 dollars or 1000 dollars worth of Ts. im still going to have them shipped priority. just because they get thrown around alot less. and thats a fact.

 

[codykrr]

This is so true, and I'm sure its that way for alot of people in states where express is not overnight delivery. Living in PA I recieve a priority package from CA (2 days on the 4 shipments from this year) in the same time as I do an express shipment from Ohio. To force me to pay express or inflated priority costs (to discourge it) is just a flat out insult. This package will not get to me any faster, the tracking will become useless because the post office will update it as attempted even though it never leaves the post office (if they decide to update it at all).

I won't pay for express by principle, if the dealer is so concerned about the safety of the Ts they will allow me to choose another carrier who actually offers overnight delivery to me. I'd rather pay 40-50 dollars and get actual overnight delivery then pay 25 and get priority service at 2.5x the cost. Since may I've ordered some 50+ T's this year, only the first package was shipped express after that nightmare I've had all my packages shipped priority with the exception of some that came fedex/ups.

exactly! thanks for understanding my delima... couldnt have said it better myself!
:clap: :clap: :clap:

 

[evicton]

Figured I'd state this before its said cause it always comes up 'your getting LAG with express'. For anyone who lives in a state where express is not overnight delivery that LAG is null and void the second that box goes in the hands of a post office employee because that package can arrive at my post office at 10 am the next day, its gonna sit right where they threw it till 9 am the day after.

 

[codykrr]

man another good point i forgot to mention.

now im sure that getting express benifits some(where overnight delivery is avalible) but to people like me and eviction(where it isnt) you are throwing hard earned money away that could be used for more Ts. not sure if its because i live in a podunk town or not but even shipped from missouri(where im from) it isnt overnight!:wall:

i had a package shipped express once wth a tracking number. when i trracked it (the next day) it said it had arrived in marshfield , missouri(where i live) the night before. so i called up to the post office and they told me they didnt have it. when i said there track and confirm said it was they then proceeded to tell me they did have it and i couldnt get it untill the next day:? voiding my LAG anyway. so whats really the point?

 

[jayefbe]

I would do express for a large order, but that's only due to the LAG.

Also, when shipping reptiles, the seller generally guarantees live arrival even if it takes longer than 24 hours and even in times of carrier error. The tarantula hobby is the only one I've seen people's LAG become void if the carrier screws up. I don't think that should be on the purchaser, and is a risk that any seller needs to take. Until the package is in the hands of the buyer, it is the seller's responsibility IMO.