SYR vs. Reptiles Express: MAJOR price difference

If you live near a reptile shop or breeder that ships ask them to do it for you with their account and insurance, depending on the package it's the cheapest way I've found so far.

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Originally Posted by ChaosAffect

I did a test fit in a 6.5x6.5x6.5 box that I've got lying around. They all fit in there snugly with little room to spare. I figure with a 9x9x9 I'd have room for some newspaper and the heat or cold pack depending on temp.

The question here is do they need much empty space? They're not going to be packed in tight, but it will be a fairly snug fit.

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You want them to be fairly snug. The more room the bags have to slide around, the more potential they have for injury in transit. Just make sure none of the bags will come in direct contact with the heat/cold pack.

I've been using Reptiles Express since last August and they're definitely the best service.
No gimmicks, no catches, they're just cheaper.
The only hoop you have to jump through is getting the membership, which is just filling out the form and faxing it back to them. After that, you're all set and can ship at will.

Did you do the test fit with styro insulation?

Just in case you didn't already think of this, you'd be really surprised how much room you lose once you get insulation in there; I know I was. I just shipped 3 2012 hatchlings in rectangular delis and there was definitely no more room in the box and they were very snug.

It was a 9x12x6 I believe but since at that point it was slightly cold still (about 3 weeks ago) I used the 1" insulation. So lost 2" off the boxes height, and 4" total all around the inside perimeter

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/05/07/yneda6at.jpg

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Originally Posted by SquamishSerpents

Did you do the test fit with styro insulation?

Just in case you didn't already think of this, you'd be really surprised how much room you lose once you get insulation in there; I know I was. I just shipped 3 2012 hatchlings in rectangular delis and there was definitely no more room in the box and they were very snug.

It was a 9x12x6 I believe but since at that point it was slightly cold still (about 3 weeks ago) I used the 1" insulation. So lost 2" off the boxes height, and 4" total all around the inside perimeter

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/05/07/yneda6at.jpg

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Yeah, I calculated a 1.5" space loss with the styrofoam. I still wasn't happy with how snug it would be, though, so I went up a box size. (I canceled my SYR order. They were very cool about it. I do have to say, except for the massive price discrepancy their Customer Service is excellent.)

Quick rundown:
11x11x7 Insulated Box
Hot pack
Cold Pack
5x Cloth bag
Priority Overnight Shipping of materials to me
Priority Overnight Shipping of package to target
STILL more than $20 less than the price of SYR's shipping alone.

I got 3 snakes in a month ago. Total weight was roughly 900g total. The largest was over 600g and was in a bag. The other 2 were between 100-200g each. They were both in their own deli cups. Packed with heat and newspaper in a 12x9x6 box. I would say you can ship yours in the same size box and use snake bags. Fill the voids with newspaper shreds and a heat/cold pack as necessary. FedEx charges are based on dimensional weight. They charge what that size box should weigh, which is more than what the snakes weigh. Maximizing the space safely will save you money in the long run regardless of who you ship with.

I decided to go with an 11x11x7 Box. Shipping was just over $50.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SquamishSerpents

Did you do the test fit with styro insulation?
Just in case you didn't already think of this, you'd be really surprised how much room you lose once you get insulation in there; I know I was. I just shipped 3 2012 hatchlings in rectangular delis and there was definitely no more room in the box and they were very snug.

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I would recommend using snake bags when shipping multiple snakes in a smaller sized box. You really lose a lot of surface area when using containers.
However, if you're shipping for example a 1000gr snake and a 100gr snake, I would advise to bag up the bigger snake, but place the smaller snake in a secure container to prevent crushing by the bigger animal.

Hope this helps,
-Sam

Reptilesexpress is awesome! Debbie is top notch and their pricing kicks butt. I've used them for the past handful of orders I've shipped. I will stick with them. I have my own FedEx certification if there were every any snags but RE beats SYR handily. I had a small mix up on my last order and Debbie even called FedEx. Talk about customer service.

Regards,

B

I have a friend that uses RE and loves them. He told me about RE and pays $15-$20 less than what I pay through SYR. I have no idea why, and his shipping boxes are the same boxes I use with SYR (at least they appear the same). I've been wondering why the prices were so different myself, I really like SYR :sigh2: