shipping cost for businesses

this question is for those of you who ship a lot of coral. I was looking around and most people who sell coral online have a flat fee of $45 and I decided to go to the ups and fedex website and see what shipping is. I made a shipping estimate for a package that is 14'' x 11'' 8'' and is 3lbs. and declared at $200, and the shipping from florida to california is close to $120 for both UPS and FedEx with next day delivery. So I am wondering if the people we buy from are paying this much or do you get some kind of deal with them for being a business or shipping only with them. it just seems like a lot of money!

 

Volume! UPS and FedEx give large discounts for overnight shipments if you have some volume to ship. Just signing up for an account with FedEx will get you 20% discount I believe. Beyond that unless you ship on a regular basis they are going to stick it to you!

Oh and we loose money on almost every shipment. Once you factor in supplies and actual shipping cost (even with a good discount) it generally costs us more to ship a package than we collect in shipping charges. We choose to keep our shipping low and just chock it up to the cost of doing business.

 

I was thinking that there is no way that companies could cover the cost of shipping with $45.

 

Wheres Wonkavision when you need it?

 

haha!

 

Don't forget Insulated Boxes, Heat Packets, and even bags. It all adds up. That's why most places have a minimum order. We have shipped our share of $100 and more packages.

4 Acropora colonies typically weigh about 16-20 pounds packaged up

I think the boxes alone with heat packets and no coral is about 3.