• Responding to email notices you receive.
    **************************************************
    In short, DON'T! Email notices are to ONLY alert you of a reply to your private message or your ad on this site. Replying to the email just wastes your time as it goes NOWHERE, and probably pisses off the person you thought you replied to when they think you just ignored them. So instead of complaining to me about your messages not being replied to from this site via email, please READ that email notice that plainly states what you need to do in order to reply to who you are trying to converse with.

  • IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!! About the Google Adsense ads being displayed

    =====================
    Posted 08/15/2025
    =====================


    Yeah, I know. They are a pain in the butt. But they pay the bills to keep my server running. Just a fact of life, I am afraid.

    Want to get rid of them? Simple. Just become a Contributor level member or above and they will be gone. -> Please click HERE."

    Is that too much for me to ask of you to keep this site running? Well, sorry about that. I too wish I could get everything for free. But alas.....

    =====================
    Addendum: 01/10/2026
    =====================


    Google Adsense ad revenue for December, 2025 was just $30 over the cost of the lease for the server running this site. So, in effect, the money providing the incentive for me to continue running this site is coming SOLELY from the paid memberships and sponsorships here. Which honestly ain't much....

Fed Ex Inquiry

C

carl3

New member
Joined
Apr 9, 2003
Messages
91
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Age
50
Location
USA
I have been certified to ship live harmless reptiles via Fed Ex for over 3 years now. I have shipped dozens of times and have not had any problems until recently.

I shipped a package from NJ to NV. It weighed just under 3 lbs. FedEx audited the packaged & listed the actual weight at 7 lbs. I was charged over $85 for priority overnight to ship two black rat snakes, one of which was a hatchling. I called FedEx customer service and received a very ignorant service rep who argued with me & tried telling me it was illegal & against their policies to ship reptiles. I eventually hung-up.

Anyway, I know gas prices are higher than ever BUT is anyone else getting overcharged outrageous, unreasonable amounts for shipping through FedEx?

Frustrated,
Jason Carl
 
I recently checked the price on a package that before was at the most $55 for priority overnight and now they were charging $68. I thought it was an error and was going to call tomorrow but it seems they must have really upped thier prices. This should really hurt sales as most people aren't going to want to pay those prices for corns, beardeds, leos, cresteds etc... The shipping is getting to the point where it is twice what the animal costs.
 
Shipping through all means is going up up up. You can thank the gas prices for that.

I've learned that even if you are quoted a price the price is usually higher when you get to the shipping depot. This is not just for fedex but for most means of shipping (airline, ground....etc). Whatever they quote you add on another 25-100% and that will be the actual price.

Corey
 
The days of shipping a couple of coubrids overnight for $35 are long gone. A few years back Fed-Ex started charging based on "Dimensional Weight". Now they have started charging a sur charge because of the price of gas. Most overnight deliveries, up to 3 pounds, or using a box that could hold up to 3 pounds, are going to be $60-$70. This is and already has resulted in lost sales for me. It's cheaper for customers to get their first corn or ball at their local pet store. Hopefully, more buyers will wait for a local show and make their purchases there to save the cost of shipping.
Shipping is part of the cost of doing business online. Fed-Ex has proven to be the most reliable service for me. They offer the best and near real time tracking. They do screw up but most of the time they have offered a refund or partial refund when a package is late. I've never been able to get a refund from UPS, even when they were a full day late with the delivery. I'll continue to use Fed-Ex but the current prices, use of dimensional weight, and sur charges for gas suck.
John Quinones
John Q Reptiles
 
Well, they also electronically measure the boxes at the hub. Know how we normally have those boxes that are like 7.25" inches on a side that we report as 7"? Well, MANY more of them are getting bumped up to 8" for billing purposes. This isn't anything new - it is just that they are getting BETTER - and more proactive - about accurately billing you for the size box you are shipping. yep, I've seen an increase in price because they scan the boxes at a different size than I do. Sure, it sucks that they round up, but this isn't a NEW policy to the best of my knowledge.

The best option is to use slightly undersized boxes. Try to squeeze you box so that they are 6.9" instead of 7.1 inches.
 
I'm getting whacked 80-100$ by UPS for next day by 10:30 AM using a 12 cube box that weighs 3-5 pounds.
If the weather is real good, I can ship standard overnight (by 3 PM) in small box with much less insulation for ~55$ but that perfect weather window is a rarity.
In my experience, all dimensions and weights are rounded up to the next whole number with any carrier.
Jeff
 
I recently called FedEx and complained about inconsistent billing on my shipments.. They measured my shipping box 3 different ways on 3 different shipments.. Called and wanted an explanation, they looked up each individual tracking # and then refunded the differences.. Was told lasers scan the boxes and like mentioned above sometimes the box will swell and they round up.. Ive been shipping w/ FedEx for 3 seasons now and never an issue til now & been using the same shipping boxes for longer then that.. Almost all of my shipments are billed dimensionally so that's how i charge depending on what box ill need to use to ship their purchase.. Run their zip code, add the fuel surcharge and the delivery fee and that's what ill quote.. Hope this helps, feel free to contact me if u have any other questions..

Steve Winkler
www.SteveWinklerreptiles.com
 
I called FedEx customer service and received a very ignorant service rep who argued with me & tried telling me it was illegal & against their policies to ship reptiles. I eventually hung-up.
Click to expand...
I have to laugh at this because I just took a package to Fedex tonight, the same location that I have shipped and received many reptiles from, and 3 different employees there told me they don't accept live animals. One said that if I crossed out "Live Harmless Reptiles" maybe it could get through. Finally after calling someone, then looking on their own web site, they decided they could take them (and the web site specifically said it must be marked "live harmless reptiles" .....
 
Back
Top