To much shipping?

[ihatter]

tbs wants $80 shipping to send a mantis to my house in boston MA. Is it just me or is the excessive?

[traveller7]

I am sure there a hassle factor in there somewhere, but you can easily head to fedex or ups.com and put in the zipcodes for priority overnight shipping to your local. Add $10 for a cooler box and ice pack.

Ironically, if you buy $80 in gulf live rock you would likely get a mantis. I have gotten mantis in 4/5 orders.

Good luck in your search.

[brekurboy1]

ugh . . . just wait until my lfs finds another mantis I can ship it to you for $6+overnight shipping (~$36). ugh . . . tbs and i don;t get along.

[liverock]

Originally posted by ihatter
tbs wants $80 shipping to send a mantis to my house in boston MA. Is it just me or is the excessive?

Hey Guy

As we discussed over emails, what fed ex charges us is their minimum charge for our box up too 20 pounds, priority overnight.

They not only charge for weight but by dimensions also, our boxes are 17x17x10, and the charge for priority overnight, up to 20 pounds anywhere in the US is $80......we have nothing to do with what they charge, but we also will not send animals any other way than priority overnight fed ex as that ensures live arrival everytime. We do not ship UPS, Airborn, or any other carrier as nobody doeas as good a job getting it there, overnight.

Thus shipping one animal, or 5 pounds of rock is not economical....and with the airlines to the airport is the same way, they have a minimum 100 pound charge, usually $40-$60 anywhere in the US and Alaska.....

Hope this clears some of the shipping issues....

Thanks
Richard TBS

[Hwarang]

That's retarded

1. Find a shipper that calculates on WEIGHT x DISTANCE

2. You refuse to find a smaller box for a mantis shrimp? 17x17x10? LOL!

3. "We do not ship UPS, Airborn, or any other carrier as nobody does as good a job getting it there, overnight."
- purely a matter of opinion

.....

It seems to me that you are simply unwilling to find an economical way to ship small livestock. Which is understandable, since you are primarily a LR company.

But I think if you were smart, you'd find a way to make it economical. Because you could cash in. The mantis fetish is BOOMING right now, and do you know what? Many ppl I know acquire mantids that originate from your rock. I suppose you'd have to be selling the things like hotcakes to "rake in" some cash, but whatever ... I see demand, and I see lack of response from the ornamental fish trade industry.

[white_queen]

Hwarang, Good point! Because right nnow many people who WANT a mantis hang out on the boards waiting for someone to get a shipment of LR in with an hitchhiker and then if they are the first to hollar "I want it" they get it for FREE + mayb $10 in shipping costs. The downside is having to wait (as I have been) for a month now.

Perhaps if I knew I could get one shipped to my door for $20 or so I'd have bought one from....someone.

Very good point. There is defiantely a demand, but refusing to make the adjustments necessary to economically MEET that demand means that the LR companies loose out becuase they are giving them away for free, and their customers come out on top when they have three or four people asking them for their hitchiking mantis.

Things that make you go HMMMM........

Angela <><

[Hwarang]

Well my post was a little abrasive. I should elucidate ...

When I said "understandable, because you are primarily a LR company" ... I mean that in the sense that does McDonalds want to sell clothing too? Nope, they're only interested in burgers. So maybe TBS and other LR companies simply don't wanna go there (stomatopods). In fact, it should be noted that shipping livestock has a different set of caveats and overhead than shipping LR...

But I see opportunity for LR farmers, and especially TBS.

[liverock]

Originally posted by Hwarang
Well my post was a little abrasive. I should elucidate ...

When I said "understandable, because you are primarily a LR company" ... I mean that in the sense that does McDonalds want to sell clothing too? Nope, they're only interested in burgers. So maybe TBS and other LR companies simply don't wanna go there (stomatopods). In fact, it should be noted that shipping livestock has a different set of caveats and overhead than shipping LR...

But I see opportunity for LR farmers, and especially TBS.

[liverock]

Originally posted by Hwarang
Well my post was a little abrasive. I should elucidate ...

When I said "understandable, because you are primarily a LR company" ... I mean that in the sense that does McDonalds want to sell clothing too? Nope, they're only interested in burgers. So maybe TBS and other LR companies simply don't wanna go there (stomatopods). In fact, it should be noted that shipping livestock has a different set of caveats and overhead than shipping LR...

But I see opportunity for LR farmers, and especially TBS.




Good insight..

We use an industry/airline/fedex approved shipping box. We buy 500 at a time. They are 17x17x10 with a heavy duty cardboard and a Styrofoam liner and lid, to withstand shipping and temp considerations. There is no other box available in the industry here that meets airline/fed ex criteria for shipping.

We do not set the shipping charges, we abide by the rules the carriers have for shipping live animals.

Sure it would be nice to stick a mantis shrimp into a cigar box and ship it out.....but what good would that do? The box get squished, temperature get to hot and the animal arrives dead, what good does that do anybody?

And it is easy to say, "well if I could get one shipped to my door for $20..." is a pipe dream, all shippers have minimum shipping rates.....even if I ship an EMPTY box of ours the fed ex charge is the same as if it does not weigh much they go by dimensional weight......and 17x17x10 comes out to $80. If the same box weighs up too 20 pounds it is $80.....same with the airlines, ship one pound $60 or ship up too 100 pounds...$60...

It cost $20 to fed ex a letter priority overnight....think about it...

I ship mantis shrimp all the time, up too 20 per box and they arrive alive and in good temp zone....there simply is no other way to do it cost effectively for single animals.....other than picking them up at our shop...

Hope this clears up some shipping issues...

Richard TBS