Postage profit !!

NikiP

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Apr 16, 2006
Messages
539
Packing can make all the difference.

Someone sent me a package several months ago that was awesome, minus one fairly major detail. Had the rest of the packing been sub par, one of the tarantulas definitely would have died. The box had newspaper & styrofoam, but there was a mistake made with the deli cups the two larger Ts were sent in. The package also had been seriously squished in transit.

I found one of my tarantulas sitting on top of the newspaper when I unpacked my box resembling a football :rolleyes: Thinner styrofoam or less newspaper would have resulted in multiple dead Ts i'm sure.
 

rustym3talh3ad

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 22, 2008
Messages
884
I believe Ryan (Talkenlate04) has a video out there or at least a thread on how to pack slings in straws and send them in padded envelopes. I'm pretty sure he's never had a DOA shipping with that method.
i personally use ryan's straw method, and due to weather+ priority shipping i still have had some DOA's. i love that method, and 98% of the time theres no problem, even if the package is in the mail for 4-5 days. but what if by chance, i woulda packed them a bit more securely, insulated the box better, put another cold pack in it...or waited for a cooler day to ship. would any of that have changed the outcome? it does make a difference to me, and what it all comes down to is that some people due to their shipping methods cant keep the price under $15/$30. and also as stated above there are times where i lose money on a shipping order becuz i undercharge the individual and i pack something to heavy then i have to take the cut.

the OP just needs to realize that we are paying for a service. if you sent someone to the store with $20 to buy beer for you right before the store closed and he drove with his car, got there in time, got your beer and made it back safely and the total of the beer was $18 are you gonna complain about the $2 when he just did that for you? if you answered yes to that question then you probably dont have many friends.
 

Scoolman

Arachnolord
Old Timer
Joined
Feb 9, 2010
Messages
612
That package had us both sweating.. Huh? {D
Yes it did. Darn USPS, I was so worried i was going to get dead slings. Aside from being a bit cold, heat packs don't last 5 days but the packaging held the heat fairly well, they pulled through just fine.

As for straws and padded envelopes, no thanks. I do not want a T pancake.
 

rustym3talh3ad

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 22, 2008
Messages
884
Yes it did. Darn USPS, I was so worried i was going to get dead slings. Aside from being a bit cold, heat packs don't last 5 days but the packaging held the heat fairly well, they pulled through just fine.

As for straws and padded envelopes, no thanks. I do not want a T pancake.
yeah, i still pack in Styrofoam insulated boxes with hot/cold packs but i use the straw method to make the contents of the package not only lighter but more compact. to me shipping a T is like the old Science project in school where you had to construct a container that would house a raw egg, and the teacher would get up on the roof of the school and literally THROW your package at the parking lot below. if your egg stayed intact you would pass the assignment. if it broke you had to write about how it went wrong in comparison to those who accomplished the task. my egg was good til he let the schools QB throw our boxes lol.
 

Mister Internet

Big Meanie Doo Doo Head :)
Arachnosupporter +
Joined
Aug 5, 2002
Messages
1,408
The fact that this thread exists means the universe failed somehow.

Schadbone, you could really use a couple Xanax right about now. Seriously. At this point, obviously you are new, and buying far more than you are selling, so of course you have a surplus of recyclable and (hopefully) high quality packing materials to use. This is not the case with everyone, and certainly not the case for someone that has "a system" and a standard of quality they adhere themselves to that means they create their own packaging. Seriously, if you're not spending $5-$8 on packing materials to ship most things, then you're not doing it right. If paying a couple extra bucks is really this gigantic of an issue for you, you have no business buying animals that require your care and resources for their survival. I would rather buy from a guy that charges a higher shipping cost who I know will pack them right, then pay $5 for Priority shipping and have them show up in a loose vial in a mylar envelope...

And comparing someone who tells you to simply order from another person that has prices you have less problems with to the type of people that operated DEATH CAMPS? You have GOT to be kidding me... that kind of statement makes it impossible to take you little rant seriously. I mean, come on... you REALLY think they're equivalent? I's not like you have some God-given RIGHT to only pay what you believe to be "fair shipping". Geez.
 

Mister Internet

Big Meanie Doo Doo Head :)
Arachnosupporter +
Joined
Aug 5, 2002
Messages
1,408
The fact that this thread exists means the universe failed somehow.

Schadbone, you could really use a couple Xanax right about now. Seriously. At this point, obviously you are new, and buying far more than you are selling, so of course you have a surplus of recyclable and (hopefully) high quality packing materials to use. This is not the case with everyone, and certainly not the case for someone that has "a system" and a standard of quality they adhere themselves to that means they create their own packaging. Seriously, if you're not spending $5-$8 on packing materials to ship most things, then you're not doing it right. If paying a couple extra bucks is really this gigantic of an issue for you, you have no business buying animals that require your care and resources for their survival. I would rather buy from a guy that charges a higher shipping cost who I know will pack them right, then pay $5 for Priority shipping and have them show up in a loose vial in a mylar envelope...

And comparing someone who tells you to simply order from another person that has prices you have less problems with to the type of people that operated DEATH CAMPS? You have GOT to be kidding me... that kind of statement makes it impossible to take you little rant seriously. I mean, come on... you REALLY think they're equivalent? I's not like you have some God-given RIGHT to only pay what you believe to be "fair shipping". Geez.
 

Fran

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Nov 8, 2007
Messages
1,533
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
That made it to my signature MR I
 

robc

Arachnoemperor
Old Timer
Joined
Nov 10, 2007
Messages
3,824
The fact that this thread exists means the universe failed somehow.

Schadbone, you could really use a couple Xanax right about now. Seriously. At this point, obviously you are new, and buying far more than you are selling, so of course you have a surplus of recyclable and (hopefully) high quality packing materials to use. This is not the case with everyone, and certainly not the case for someone that has "a system" and a standard of quality they adhere themselves to that means they create their own packaging. Seriously, if you're not spending $5-$8 on packing materials to ship most things, then you're not doing it right. If paying a couple extra bucks is really this gigantic of an issue for you, you have no business buying animals that require your care and resources for their survival. I would rather buy from a guy that charges a higher shipping cost who I know will pack them right, then pay $5 for Priority shipping and have them show up in a loose vial in a mylar envelope...

And comparing someone who tells you to simply order from another person that has prices you have less problems with to the type of people that operated DEATH CAMPS? You have GOT to be kidding me... that kind of statement makes it impossible to take you little rant seriously. I mean, come on... you REALLY think they're equivalent? I's not like you have some God-given RIGHT to only pay what you believe to be "fair shipping". Geez.
Well,there is no reason to post anymore, this post sums it up!
:clap:
 

endoflove

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 26, 2009
Messages
270
in not sure (havent read the whole thread) but when i ship even with 2 day it still cost me about $12 it may be just due to the weight but i make sure all the T's have the lowest chance of being hurt
 

joshuai

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 10, 2008
Messages
821
you know for PP fees there is a "gift" option that takes no money...:eek:
Ya but if your broke like me, you have to go the other way so you can print a shipping label! you cant with a gifted payment, unless you want to wait 3-5 days for the paypall money to go to my account!
 

Skullptor

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Feb 25, 2008
Messages
497
do a piss poor pack job, pack up a spider that you'd hate to get bad news about and send it to me, send it express. Ill pack up one of my slings and ill send it to you with my packing job, but ill send priority, which by standards of weight should be about the same. whoever's shows up DOA will have to pay for the other guys packing plus lose the money they put into their own pack job. i can guarantee that shipping a live animal with time and care for the packing job DOES make the difference between a satisfied - repeat customer and an irritated customer with a dead spider on their hands wondering why the jerk they ordered from would do such a thing to an animal. even when ive gotten a perfectly healthy spider and the packing is poor, i make note of it for the next time i go to order.
I'm pretty sure they both would be packaged with the same care and materials.
 

mcluskyisms

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Apr 16, 2009
Messages
843
Wow.....

This thread seems to have developed from a fair discussion into some kind of *edit* contest.....

:?
 

AbraCadaver

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Feb 6, 2009
Messages
296
The fact that this thread exists means the universe failed somehow.

Schadbone, you could really use a couple Xanax right about now. Seriously. At this point, obviously you are new, and buying far more than you are selling, so of course you have a surplus of recyclable and (hopefully) high quality packing materials to use. This is not the case with everyone, and certainly not the case for someone that has "a system" and a standard of quality they adhere themselves to that means they create their own packaging. Seriously, if you're not spending $5-$8 on packing materials to ship most things, then you're not doing it right. If paying a couple extra bucks is really this gigantic of an issue for you, you have no business buying animals that require your care and resources for their survival. I would rather buy from a guy that charges a higher shipping cost who I know will pack them right, then pay $5 for Priority shipping and have them show up in a loose vial in a mylar envelope...

And comparing someone who tells you to simply order from another person that has prices you have less problems with to the type of people that operated DEATH CAMPS? You have GOT to be kidding me... that kind of statement makes it impossible to take you little rant seriously. I mean, come on... you REALLY think they're equivalent? I's not like you have some God-given RIGHT to only pay what you believe to be "fair shipping". Geez.
YOU! my friend, are bloody brilliant.
 

QuantumGears

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 11, 2009
Messages
33
In my opinion, the cost is worth it. Its a live animal, and its welfare is at stake. If you're not willing to shell out a few extra bucks to make sure its safe, how are you going to take care of it, especially if something goes wrong? :confused:

I would also think that it would be better on the sellers end, and would prevent issues dealing with dead spiders; then the resulting bad review with the person not mentioning that they wanted crappy conditions because they wanted to save a few bucks.

Also, packing isn't an automated process. Theres a skill to it. That's worth a dollar or two extra in my opinion.
 

KenTheBugGuy

Arachnodemon
Old Timer
Joined
Apr 10, 2007
Messages
676
just cost

Shipping cost
$4 - I use real ice chest though no inserts so more expensive
$1 - heat pack
$1 - other shipping materials probably less but just estimate

Fedex shipping for my size boxes
usually between $13 and $17
overnight $26 to $38
Alaska they tack on $15 now....crazy

On a few shipments I end up loosing a few dollars especially when we have to use my slightly larger ice chest but its usually close to actual cost on my shipping. I hate the fact that I have to charge that much shipping for a 15 dollar tarantula. If I could I would drop my shipping prices cause then I would get more sales! :)
 

codykrr

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 22, 2008
Messages
3,112
^ I hear you ken. You pack very well like me. It adds up.

Speaking of. I really liked the little cooler you used for the M. robustum female. Any way I could get a website to purchase a few?
 

KenTheBugGuy

Arachnodemon
Old Timer
Joined
Apr 10, 2007
Messages
676
supplies

^ I hear you ken. You pack very well like me. It adds up.

Speaking of. I really liked the little cooler you used for the M. robustum female. Any way I could get a website to purchase a few?
east bay packing supplies I think is the name.
 
Top