Do you make customers pay shipping/handling/box fee?

I was just perusing some old threads and read a comment how a member thought it was almost unheard of to charge a box fee. He either pays for it or charges it into the snake/whatever your selling prices. It is part of "having an online business" as he said.

I don't know, seems a little crazy. I mean if your selling a snake for $500 sure a $5 box with styrofoam etc. might be no biggie. In reality not everyone is selling a snake for that much. He also said that he normally fronts the shipping if it is over $50. Again, John Smith selling a snake for $50 is more than likely not going to forgo this practice for much longer if he plans on staying in business.

Now I mostly deal in insects(mealworms, supers, etc.) so shipping isn't as much as a snake would be. With that being said shouldn't the price of "shipping and handling" be somewhere? I mean if it costs $5 a box to correctly ship out a snake or 5k mealworms I'm certainly not going to eat $5 per order! If anything it is part of "having an online business". We're not talking about 40 cents in peanuts to ship out a book, a couple bucks an order adds up. Regardless if it is an extra few bucks in the shipping price or it is built into the animal price more than not the seller isn't going to eat it. It just makes no sense to me.

It is like the sellers who charge a set $40 or $50 to ship out a snake. It doesn't exactly cost that much every time and certainly the box price and handling and whatever else is accounted for in the price. If I charge a set $10 for shipping I might lose some when it is shipped 9 states away, but 80 miles from me it might be lower than $10.

The member acted as if he had never paid a box fee and that it wad bad business practice. I'm sure one way or another he has paid for a box whether he knows it or not.

Thoughts?

Honestly i believ the one selling the item should absorb the cost. With that said i do believe if your using lets say a phase 22 panel then a small cost for that is ok since they are a bit pricy then if they return it they get a refund on the money. styrofoam is not that expensive hell if i have something shipped to me i reuse most of the packing material. I know some think that they should charge the customer i dont think so.

It depends on the order and the customer. If a good customer of mine bought say 2500.00 worth of animals then the shipping would be Free. Normally the cost of the shipping supply's is figured into the price of the snake. It's why snakes at shows can be priced a little more affordably.

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It is like the sellers who charge a set $40 or $50 to ship out a snake. It doesn't exactly cost that much every time and certainly the box price and handling and whatever else is accounted for in the price. If I charge a set $10 for shipping I might lose some when it is shipped 9 states away, but 80 miles from me it might be lower than $10.

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No but in some cases the shipper will as a way to help the customer out eat any difference so if shipping is $80.00 the seller eats 30.00 of that to give you a $50.00 flat shipping. So if the snake is say $150.00 and you pay 200.00 shipped break it down like this.

$200.00 - $50.00 = $150.00 - $35.00 for shipping balance (things like requesting a signature or delivering to a residence cost extra) - $20.00 for labor and shipping supplies and misc. = $95.00, Now subtract the cost of bedding and feeding fi the snake is 6 months old and it ate for say 5 months that's roughly 20 rats at say .95 each roughly $20.00 = $75.00 minus say $10.00 for bedding and misc cleaning supplies so now your $150.00 snake nets the breeder $65.00 which basically means that the breeder made 10.83 cents a month of that snake.

So like I said when it comes to shipping once the purchase exceeds a certain dollar value its much easier for the breeder to eat the shipping. Everybody does it different paying a "Box Fee" isn't something I feel like I should pass on to my customer cause it not their choice as to which one I use..

But that's just me at some point the price of the animal has to help recoup the cost of doing business..

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It is like the sellers who charge a set $40 or $50 to ship out a snake. It doesn't exactly cost that much every time and certainly the box price and handling and whatever else is accounted for in the price.

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You are right it actually cost much more :rolleyes:

I charge a flat rate of $45, usually the shipping label alone run me at least $55/$75 for a 12x9x6 box this does not include packaging at least $5 and gas to go to the hub $7, I absorb on average $22 to $30 of the real shipping cost.

Is shipping the cost of doing business and should be included? Why would it, other companies charge for shipping also don't they?

I offer a flat rate shipping, some may require the exact shipping amount for their animal and some may offer free shipping, bottom line you dictate how your business should be ran, not the customer not the competition.

Be smart about your business and don't be too rigid, sometimes it is a case by case thing, should you offer free shipping for an animal that's $100 probably not unless you want to lose money but don't you think that someone that spend a few thousands would not appreciate free shipping even if it only save $80?

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Originally Posted by moghue

Honestly i believ the one selling the item should absorb the cost. With that said i do believe if your using lets say a phase 22 panel then a small cost for that is ok since they are a bit pricy then if they return it they get a refund on the money. styrofoam is not that expensive hell if i have something shipped to me i reuse most of the packing material. I know some think that they should charge the customer i dont think so.

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Those panels aren't cheap. Certainly they should either pay for it or return it. I agree the seller should "absorb"the cost too. By absorb I mean it should be built into the price or into shipping. I don't think it is unheard of to expect to pay for shiping. I mean how else am I supposed to ship it to you safely with the contents still alive? It is an expense that isn't free on my part just like feeding the snakes.

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Originally Posted by Freakie_frog

It depends on the order and the customer. If a good customer of mine bought say 2500.00 worth of animals then the shipping would be Free. Normally the cost of the shipping supply's is figured into the price of the snake. It's why snakes at shows can be priced a little more affordably.



No but in some cases the shipper will as a way to help the customer out eat any difference so if shipping is $80.00 the seller eats 30.00 of that to give you a $50.00 flat shipping. So if the snake is say $150.00 and you pay 200.00 shipped break it down like this.

$200.00 - $50.00 = $150.00 - $35.00 for shipping balance (things like requesting a signature or delivering to a residence cost extra) - $20.00 for labor and shipping supplies and misc. = $95.00, Now subtract the cost of bedding and feeding fi the snake is 6 months old and it ate for say 5 months that's roughly 20 rats at say .95 each roughly $20.00 = $75.00 minus say $10.00 for bedding and misc cleaning supplies so now your $150.00 snake nets the breeder $65.00 which basically means that the breeder made 10.83 cents a month of that snake.

So like I said when it comes to shipping once the purchase exceeds a certain dollar value its much easier for the breeder to eat the shipping. Everybody does it different paying a "Box Fee" isn't something I feel like I should pass on to my customer cause it not their choice as to which one I use..

But that's just me at some point the price of the animal has to help recoup the cost of doing business..

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I agree if I sell 500 mealworms or 5k mealworms the 5k shipment doesn't become 10x more expensive. I can pay for shipping and still come out in the green quite easily. In reality every customer doesn't order $2500 in snake or $500 or $50 in mealworms. You can state "Anything over x price will include free shipping", but the smaller orders need to have all expenses worked into the price or shipping. Assuming we are talking about an actual business here. Not Joe Smith selling 2 clutches a year at $30 a pop.

Maybe I see it differently. I agree you don't need to tack on an extra "box fee". It is just that if you order a snake from someone they have to ship to you. That means having a box filled with all the necessary requirements and actually packing up said snake or feeder in my scenario. Time is money. Handling, box requirements, these things aren't free and should be built into the price is all I'm trying to get at.

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Originally Posted by packer43064

Time is money. Handling, box requirements, these things aren't free and should be built into the price is all I'm trying to get at.

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Then people would complain that your animals were to expensive it's a balancing act. :sarcasm: I can't build $100.00 worth of over head into a $75.00 Pastel no one would buy them. At that point even if you paid all the shipping I'd still be losing money. LOL

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Originally Posted by Deborah

You are right it actually cost much more :rolleyes:

I charge a flat rate of $45, usually the shipping label alone run me at least $55/$75 for a 12x9x6 box this does not include packaging at least $5 and gas to go to the hub $7, I absorb on average $22 to $30 of the real shipping cost.

Is shipping the cost of doing business and should be included? Why would it, other companies charge for shipping also don't they?

I offer a flat rate shipping, some may require the exact shipping amount for their animal and some may offer free shipping, bottom line you dictate how your business should be ran, not the customer not the competition.

Be smart about your business and don't be too rigid, sometimes it is a case by case thing, should you offer free shipping for an animal that's $100 probably not unless you want to lose money but don't you think that someone that spend a few thousands would not appreciate free shipping even if it only save $80?

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Shipping is on the house if they order a couple of grand imo!

Thanks for the opinion. Completely agree.

I never said you shouldnt pay for shipping and i dont think the OP was saying that either. What i dont think i should have to pay for and that the seller should absorb is the shipping material. thats part of doing buisness. I have shipped items out and only charge actual shipping cost. I know a lot of people feel they should be compensated for running around getting the supplies and thier time, unfortuanatly thats part of selling anything. i have looked around and a lot of people have a flat shipping rate no charge for boxes packing material etc.

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Originally Posted by Freakie_frog

Then people would complain that your animals were to expensive it's a balancing act. :sarcasm: I can't build $100.00 worth of over head into a $75.00 Pastel no one would buy them. At that point even if you paid all the shipping I'd still be losing money. LOL

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Well, no one would buy it and have it shipped across the country, unless it were a truly stellar example of the pastel morph. Sell the common single-gene babies locally. OTOH if you're selling higher-priced critters, or multiples, then shipping costs get easier to absorb.

The animal is the product be sold. Which to me means unless i am going to retrieve it from the buyer i absolutely am responsible for the shipping. When i pay shipping i see it as a very convenient way of getting the product safely and expediently to my door step. I feel the only time a seller should be responsible for shipping cost is if the buyer was not allowed to pick up or make other arrangements to retrieve the animal on their time. We might not like the cost but its a live animal we are dealing with not a replaceable electronic device or piece of clothing, etc. Also very few businesses practice free shipping and even then there is usually a subscription so i fail to see how this is common business practice.

As mentioned, its a balancing act.
I am not shipping as of yet and honestly don't know if I will.

I dont think any one selling should ship for free the customer def should pay for shipping. What i dont think the customer should have to pay for is the supplies to ship the animal. I have sold a few items and shipped them out and i never charge for supplies to me that is the sellers responsibilty, plus i would only charge exact shipping cost. I have even refunded shipping cost if shipping was cheaper then i qouted.

Shipping and Handeling are always buyers problem. If they dont want to pay then they should find local.
I dont order much online because I hate ups and most places use them.

We eat the shipping, materials, and labor cost here. Expect to give animals away for free or take a loss when your starting up. This is true of all business ventures, you have to take hits for a while and build up a very solid reputation of both your character and your product before you will start seeing profits.

For animals over 1k I've always had free shipping. I expect to pay around 50/60 when buying a snake online though. Getting free shipping with expensive orders is just a nice little bonus I appreciate. I'm going to be doing the same when I start breeding

40$ flat no matter how much you order is what im used to paying and i find that perfectly fair now im not gonna pay 40$ per snake thats insane when they only ship in 1 box just separate bags or deli cups

I've always been of the opinion that the buyer pays exact shipping cost by what ever method, syr, reptiles express ect. The boxes and general supplies that should be absorbed by the seller, basically the general consensus so far! All orders over 200 get flat rate of 50 unless it's an adult animal!!


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I think it's up to the seller to decide if he/she pays for shipping/materials.

If you want to sell your snakes and then charge the customer additional fees for a box and materials and also for the shipping, do it.

If you want to charge a flat fee, do it.

If you want to offer free shipping, do it.

The only thing I object to is when anyone says it's "wrong" for a seller to do business the way they want to do it(short of scamming, lying, etc).

IF it's up front that you will pay the shipping AND for the box etc, then why would the customer object? They knew already they'd be paying that extra. If you only want to buy snakes from people who offer free shipping, then find sellers that offer free shipping. Seems simple to me.

I don't remember paying a box fee, nor have I charged anyone for one, but I usually use boxes from the vet(insulated awesome boxes for free!) so the boxes didn't cost me. If I did buy boxes and styro, I just figured it was part of business costs. But if I wanted to buy a snake and the seller charged me for box etc, that's fine too.

When you have a business, you do have to figure in ALL the expenses, including shipping supplies. Whether you charge per box, or raise the prices to cover those extras, is up to you.

We just price ~$50-$60 shipping into our sales. Sometimes you'll eat $10, but it all averages out in the long run.

I find that giving a bottom dollar "shipping included" price gives no question as to what the animal will cost to get to someone's door.

How often do you not pay shipping when ordering something online? Usually any free shipping is for ground and only on super light or expensive items. It costs a lot of money for next day air for almost everything. The fee for next day air on a CD for my father was 20 dollars. For a damned cd. So yes I expect to pay for shipping. Charge for actual shipping separately and work the 8 dollars for boxing stuff into the snake.