Shipping discussions

[twgrosmick]

I couldn't remember how thick it was, but i knew it had to be present in every box.

Yeah I wasn't aware of that until recently. I have gotten boxes from so many different people and it was about 50/50 whether they had insulation or not in them. Just ordered a few shipping boxes through reptilesexpress so I won't have to worry about it :-)

[ConcinusMan]

I just use "ready post" boxes from the post office. Usually 12X12X12. They're $2.50 and it costs about a dollar to insulate them myself.

[Robyn@TRR]

You're kidding right? I used to work for FedEx transferring the packages from plane to truck and visa-versa. They treat the packages the same, regardless of the "fragile" or "live" labels and I gotta tell you, they are far from gentle. Packages get thrown, dropped, slammed on the floor, etc. every day. Quite often, packages bust open and we would have to re-tape them. They don't care about careful handling. Moving them swiftly is all they care about. And yeah, there's even a-holes that will treat a package worse if it says "LIVE" anything on it.

This is absolutely correct. There is NOTHING you can write on the box that gets you "preferred" treatment. No one is going to deliver your box on a goose down pillow.

But that's ok.

You can ship reptiles because they do well in the shipping process. You can't ship puppies the same way, because they don't. The reptile packaging protects the animals from the inevitable jostling, tumbling and conveyer belt madness that they WILL be subject to. And if the animal is packaged properly, it will be fine.

A FedEx handler or driver handles a thousand (or ten thousand) packages a day. They want to get their job done quickly and efficiently.

What you really want is NO special attention. Let the proper packaging do its job. Just get the package to the destination on time, that is the only goal. CM is correct, raising eyebrows with big red garish labeling that says "BE CAREFUL OF MY SNAKE!" is only going to attract negative attention, and reptile phobic attention. You ARE required by federal law (the Lacey Act) to properly label the outside of your box, and we cover that in our Get Help section, but it doesn't have to be in giant red letters, and again, nothing you write on the box is going to get you more "prefered" handling.

If you have appropriate expectations of the shipping process, you give yourself the best chance of success. Time spent worrying about "Fragile" or "Be Careful" labeling is better spent on ensuring the animal is properly protected inside the box, it is taped up well, address is 100% complete, includes unit or apartment numbers, the stuff that really matters : )

When you do YOUR part properly, the booking and packaging, and let FedEx do their part, the transport, your package will be delivered safely and on time 99.99% of the time.

[Robyn@TRR]

I just use "ready post" boxes from the post office. Usually 12X12X12. They're $2.50 and it costs about a dollar to insulate them myself.

FedEx (and UPS) charge either actual weight (what a box weighs on the scale) or dimensional weight, whichever is higher. Dim weight is calculated by HxWxL, divided by 166. The dim weight on that 12x12x12 box would be 11 pounds (!!). Even if it has baby snakes, or lightweight garters, and actually weighs less than 2 pounds, if you are shipping it FedEx or UPS, you will be charged at the 11 pound rate, which is monumentally higher than the 2 pound rate.

It is always wise to use the smallest box that you can. Our 12x9x6 box is the most popular for us, and dims at 4 pounds. If you could fit your shipment in the 12x9x6 box, you would be paying for a 4 pound box, which is much less expensive than an 11 pound box.

A 12x12x12 box that weighs 2 pounds would bill at 11 pounds. The same size box that weighs 7 pounds would still bill at 11 pounds. The same size box that weighs 12 pounds would bill at 12 pounds, as actual weight is now higher than dimensional weight. Make sense?

CM, I don't know what box dims and weights you have used to run quotes at SYR, but knowing "tricks" like using the smallest box you can safely pack will help bring down the shipping rate, every time.

[guidofatherof5]

I use FedEx 8X8X9 crush rated boxes for shipping my snakes. They always charge actual weight by the pound. 1 lb.1 oz is charged as a 2 lb box.

[ConcinusMan]

The reptile packaging protects the animals from the inevitable jostling, tumbling and conveyer belt madness that they WILL be subject to. And if the animal is packaged properly, it will be fine.

Which is pretty much what I said but it turned into an argument. My only point was that if you don't package properly, escapes, injuries, and even death can result. "Noob" shippers tend to put their snakes in containers that are too big. Ideally, they should fit rather tightly. It's not supposed to be roomy. If there's enough room that the snake smacks against the inside of the container when you shake it, it's too big.

I use FedEx 8X8X9 crush rated boxes for shipping my snakes. They always charge actual weight by the pound. 1 lb.1 oz is charged as a 2 lb box.

With USPS, any box with a maximum side length of 18'' goes by weight, rounded to the nearest ounce. (doesn't apply to flat rate boxes) You're not getting charged 2lbs when your package only weighs 1.1 or 1.6lbs. I think most shipping companies also have maximum dimensions before they start charging by "dimensional weight". You really get screwed if you go past that size, particularly if your package is rather light.

[guidofatherof5]

The proper crush rated box is very important.

[Robyn@TRR]

I use FedEx 8X8X9 crush rated boxes for shipping my snakes. They always charge actual weight by the pound. 1 lb.1 oz is charged as a 2 lb box.

That box dims at 4 pounds. I guarantee you they bill you at 4 pounds. When you enter the info on the SYR site, or at the FedEx site, or at a FedEx desk, you enter the dimensions. The system automatically calculates at whichever rate is higher, actual or dim. Actual weights, like "1.3" ARE rounded UP (always up : ) and that "2 pounds" is then carried over to the label, but when it comes to the rate, it will bill at the 4 pound rate, if you have entered the dimensions.

Try running a couple quotes at FedEx.com.

Your 8x8x9 box at 1.1 pounds, get the rate, which will be as a "4 pound box".

Now enter a 4x4x4 box (which dims under 1 pound) at 1.1 pounds and see the rate. That will bill as a "2 pound box".

Now enter the same 4x4x4 box but at 4 pounds, you should see the same rate as your 8x8x9 at 1.1 pounds.

The system can be difficult to understand at times. It is also difficult to book a package at both UPS.com and FedEx.com and get the same result. They have different check boxes, phrasing, and settings. But their rates are the absolute SAME, at parity, down the the penny. But I think the convoluted nature of the system plays into confusing folks looking to compare, or find the right rate.

[Robyn@TRR]

Which is pretty much what I said but it turned into an argument. My only point was that if you don't package properly, escapes, injuries, and even death can result. "Noob" shippers tend to put their snakes in containers that are too big. Ideally, they should fit rather tightly. It's not supposed to be roomy. If there's enough room that the snake smacks against the inside of the container when you shake it, it's too big.



With USPS, any box with a maximum side length of 18'' goes by weight, rounded to the nearest ounce. (doesn't apply to flat rate boxes) You're not getting charged 2lbs when your package only weighs 1.1 or 1.6lbs. I think most shipping companies also have maximum dimensions before they start charging by "dimensional weight". You really get screwed if you go past that size, particularly if your package is rather light.

I must have missed the "argument", I was confirming what you said about packaging and handling.

The whole point of dimensional weight is to get a higher rate for the packages that don't weigh much. Perhaps you are confusing dim charges with Oversize charges, which is a different fee that does indeed kick in after a package exceeds a set size on the large end.

But they do indeed charge according to dimensional weight for all air packages. Starting at 1 pound.

[ConcinusMan]

But their rates are the absolute SAME, at parity, down the the penny.

Say what? That's never been the case with any package I've ever mailed. Take it to them, and FedEX always wants more than UPS.