Shipping options

[Nahph1]

I seen more and more people offering a USPS Express option at about 1/2 the price of normal overnight shipping. Does anyone know how long the express shipping takes? Is it safe to ship geckos this way? I noticed that some revoke all guarntees with this option.

 

[Mel&Keith]

There are MANY exclusions to the USPS Express delivery guarantee. Usually you must drop the package off at the main post office and most destinations will not receive an early morning guarantee (some are not even guaranteed for the following day). The last package I shipped using Express mail (not animals) didn't even come with tracking. Personally, I would never ship anything live or perishable through USPS or accept any animals shipped that way.

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

I agree. Very few breeders ship with USPS because they are not reliable, cannot actually guarantee next day delivery, and their tracking system is pretty worthless. Like Mel and Keith above, I would never consider using USPS for shipping, nor would I purchase a gecko from anyone that uses USPS as their only carrier option... especially this time of year when it is so cold, and the package could take 3 days to arrive (even if you pay for next day delivery!)

 

[Nahph1]

i didnt think so

Thanks for the replys (and moving this to the correct area) I didnt think it sounded like a good idea for shipping live reptiles and I also would not use it. I bet it's because alot of people complain about the prices for shipping and the sellers feel their losing sales. It's still no reason to compromise the safety of the animal.

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

Lots of people think sellers are padding the shipping costs, but in reality most actually lose money in shipping costs. With the price of fuel sky rocketing, the carriers now charge dimensional weight, which means that they charge for what a particular sized box should weigh, or it's actual weight... whichever is greater.

Whn people complain about shipping costs, I simply ask them to to on the UPS Rate Calculation website and put their zip code and mine (94531), and see how much a 4 lb. box costs to ship Next Day Air.

They usually see that I am under-charging the actual shiiping costs!

 

[Mel&Keith]

Shipping has gone up a LOT this year. That shipping calculator is pretty accurate. Shipping a regular size box from Houston to Marcia in CA would be $80. We ship FedEx but that sounds about right. I've noticed that the fuel surcharges have more than doubled in the last 3 months.

 

[eyelids]

I wonder what EMS rates would be through USPS? EMS or 'Express Mail Service' is extremely fast and has a good tracking system... I regularly get packages (not animals) from Japan via EMS and they arrive in 2-3 days as opposed to 2-12 weeks through most other options... I have a hunch it'd be more expensive than UPS or FedEx, but it may be another option...

EDIT: LOL... You guys were talking about EMS... Dooooohhhh!