Shipping Prices Question

[preswash]

I've received many overnight shipments of live fish for which I paid from $30-$50 for shipping. BUT when I try to ship fish continental US overnight I get quotes of $120-$160. Wattley ships anywhere in Florida overnight for $30. What am I doing wrong?

[Kirsten]

If you're trying to ship overnight, as an individual, yeah, you're going to get hit for a lot. But you can shop around with UPS, FedEx, USPS (hint, they'll be the cheapest, but a lot less reliable for super expedited services), to see their prices.

For hobbyists trying to sell fish, I generally recommend USPS Priority Mail. No, it's not guaranteed, but if you package the fish up well, you'll probably be okay.

Businesses who ship fish daily can often cut a deal with one or another carrier for lower rates. And as a business that ships fish daily, they see more of what can go wrong and are more often hurt by the odd mistake or delay. As individuals, we have lower risk. A 1/10 chance of a package getting delayed is unlikely to hurt us financially, but could put a huge dent in the profits of a business.

Also, as someone who used to work in an immigration office with FedEx Next Day Air petitions going out every single business day, it's great, but it's not perfect. Better to go with a more normal service if you can and just let the hooks do their work.

Edited April 23, 2021 by Kirsten

[preswash]

I sent 16 rams 2-3 day priority USPS on April the 14th ... this is the 23rd and they still aren't there. 16 beautiful healthy rams that ate like pigs and bred like rabbits ...Murdered by the USPS. But I was am accomplice because I trusted them to do what they agreed to do... I'll never do that again

[anewbie]

3 minutes ago, preswash said:

I sent 16 rams 2-3 day priority USPS on April the 14th ... this is the 23rd and they still aren't there. 16 beautiful healthy rams that ate like pigs and bred like rabbits ...Murdered by the USPS. But I was am accomplice because I trusted them to do what they agreed to do... I'll never do that again

Let us know how it turns out - back a few months i sent 15 mystery snails priority to someone and it only took 20 days. A lot has to do with where you are located and the recipient. priority used to be reliable but there were changes this year a few months before the election and everything went haywired. Of course covid-19 also contributed. My guess is the post office will get better in 6 to 12 months but until then there isn't much choice. I wanted to buy some rams from a breeder up in ny (only wanted  a female gold) and i had purchased before from him when he shipped priority but this time around he would only ship overnight. Well.... 63$ for shipping and $12 for a fish - i passed. Pity. There isn't really much of a good work around right now.

[Kirsten]

12 minutes ago, preswash said:

I sent 16 rams 2-3 day priority USPS on April the 14th ... this is the 23rd and they still aren't there. 16 beautiful healthy rams that ate like pigs and bred like rabbits ...Murdered by the USPS. But I was am accomplice because I trusted them to do what they agreed to do... I'll never do that again

Ugh, that's awful. Sorry to hear it!

[Fishdude]

Oh poor Rams...that's rough. I think a lot of the economy is delayed and slow because of a lack of staffing and I'm sure that's hit the postal service as well.

[madmark285]

I am curious if  companies like Amazon are to blame. With such huge volumes, they can negotiate lower prices and shipping companies look for high profit margin from us poor individuals. 

Same with me, I wanted to buy some fish for $40, shipping was $80. 

[lefty o]

its business rates. you dont do volume, so the shippers put the screws to you. as far as im told concerning amazon, amazon pays 70 cents to ship each package through usps. really make you wonder why a stamp for a simple envelope costs as much as it does when they can ship a 70# box for pennies more.