where can i buy these?

[Robyn@SYR]

Reptilebasics way overcharge for shipping. I wouldn't order from them but that's just me being biased.

I went to order a 1 oz pump and the shipping was like $9. I was like WHAT? Are you serious? Shipping at most on that thing should be $2-3. That just totally pushed me away from ever doing business with them.

RBI is a high quality business, offering high quality products. But you won't do business with them? That sure seems short sighted.

Have you run sample shipping costs? Have you tried to come up with a shipping rate that works for all zip codes, across the country, with reliable delivery and trackable progress?

What method are you going to use to get $2 shipping? Is it time travel to the 1970's, cause that would be about right. You can't just put a stamp on a pump bottle and drop it in the mail. Reliable shipping methods like FedEx and UPS charge a 1 pound minimum, they don't give a break because the bottle is "tiny". And $9 is about right for actual shipping costs and packaging costs that cover 90% of the country's addresses.

Shipping costs go up each year, for sure. They are really affected by fuel costs the last few years, which have skyrocketed. But it is just the reality. RBI isn't being a "bad guy" and for as hard as Rich works, and the products and service he provides, he is absolutely worth your business.

[got_ballz]

I would just save all the headaches and make my own

[bcr229]

I would just save all the headaches and make my own

Search Lowes for the MacCourt 26"x20" HDPE mortar mixing tubs, they're $6 and cutting a hole with a hacksaw or dremel should be easy. If you read the reviews people use them for almost everything except mixing cement. I found two sizes in the store, this was the small one, the bigger would probably work for my female BCI when she's full grown.

[Reptilebasics]

I try to take this with a sense of humor but it gets old and I am cranky this week-

Some simple facts:
1. I can not ship a feather across the street for less than $9 to a residential address via UPS or Fedex anymore. Commercial addresses are a whole different thing but not too many of my customers live in a warehouse. And before you get on the USPS horse, go check it out. You are in good shape with them UNTIL you get to about 2-3 lbs or the mid sized flat rate (which is close to $11 and will not fit a lg hide). They aint as cheap as they used to be. Small flat rate box and boxes east of the Mississippi line under 3 lbs work out pretty well. Now if I could get reliable mail pickup I would have it made!
2. One way or another you are paying for shipping everywhere. I have often considered just raising the prices of everything and doing $5 flat shipping. Seems easy enough and I doubt many would notice. But thats just not how I like to do it. Others will offer you a low shipping and good pricing and then hit you real hard on some items. Nothing wrong with that, it all math's out in the end but again, not the way I prefer to do it.
3. I now have a 6.99 flat rate ground shipping. Guess what! Some times it costs me $5.25 USPS and other times the lowest price I can get for an item is $10. Had a customer order 15 rat cages last night with 6.99 shipping. Cost me about $40. After crunching thousands of transactions I figured out that I come out about even in the 6.75 - 7.25 range. No price increase due to the shipping. Works for me. Still not happy??
4. We now have quite a few dealers selling many of our products, like hides, nation wide so that it is more convenient for you to walk in to an LLL near you and get the one hide and not pay any shipping! Some of you seem to think that is an insult to your dignity or something? How about just take advantage of it with a smile?

On top of all of that my costs for freight inbound have gone up dramatically yet I have managed, in part through strategies like this, to NOT raise any price in quite some time. Might seem real simple behind your keyboard to tell other people what it ought to cost, until you have to get it, warehouse it, sell it, box it and ship it.

Just my .02 worth.

[Kodieh]

For boa's, I would look at concrete mixing tubs at a hardware store. Pick up a soldering iron or recip saw and cut an off set entrance.

As for RBI, they'd have my sole business when they have what I need. It's better than bean farm charging 10-11whatever to ship 13 clips out.

[MrLang]

Order them from RBI. Rich is great and the kind of person you feel good about giving your money to. Order enough stuff and it'll still cost the same shipping and you'll feel better about the cost. EX: order 9 of those big hides and the shipping might be 9 bucks but it's only a buck a pop if you look at it that way. You'll not find them in retail stores for less than that.


The largest size doesn't fit sideways in a 41 qt tub and would probably fit a 6 foot dum but it would be a very tight fit. I think a lot of people use deep substrate and let them bury since that's their natural instinct anyway? I am not up on dum care so don't shoot me for that if I'm wrong.

You could also attempt to make them out of the mixing tub or some other opaque/solid tupperware type of deal.

[Shann]

I actually just bought two of these hides from RBI for my bci and I was satisfied with the whole experience. They were shipped well, efficiently, and the feedback as a customer was great. In fact, after this order, I am inclined to order from them next time I need something like this.

[brogdawg]

I just bought 5 of the large size hide boxes from RBI last week, and as with all my orders from them I received them in a very timely manner (shipping was $6.99 as Rich stated above which I think is completely fair).

Only thing with the large hides (13.25" wide) is they don't fit completely flush sideways in a 41qt sterilite tub. This is easily remedied by shaving off a bit of plastic on the lip of each side, I used a band saw but any small saw or dremel will do. However, they do fit sideways perfectly in a 28qt sterilite tub.

[DooLittle]

Reptilebasics way overcharge for shipping. I wouldn't order from them but that's just me being biased.

I went to order a 1 oz pump and the shipping was like $9. I was like WHAT? Are you serious? Shipping at most on that thing should be $2-3. That just totally pushed me away from ever doing business with them.

Neal, you must never deal with shipping things. I do at work all the time. There are minimum charges, and everything involved in a package getting from point a to point b, plane fuel, man hours, etc., costs money. More than $2-$3. $10-$15 seems to be the average minimum I see for anything, for a 1# or under package going ground.

Op, Reptile Basics has those awesome hides. Rich is wonderful to do business with. I have purchased alot from him in the past, and will continue to do business with him. His customer service is top notch!

[Marrissa]

I've bought hides from RB twice and radiant heat panels to be shipped to animals plastics twice. Love the products and shipping isn't bad at all.