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FedEx Rates

E

enharmonic

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I'm pretty sure that I'm being taken advantage of by my local FedEx terminal. Is there any reliable option for working out a deal with FedEx to get better rates for someone like me (or any other breeder) who ships packages on a very regular basis?

I'm tired of paying almost $100 to ship 1lb packages just a few states away. I need advice from experienced breeders on how to streamline my costs to help the success of my hobby/business.
 
Rates with FedEx are adjusted by volume.

Use the ShipYourReptiles.com site and you start at 20% off the FedEx rate right from the start. As you build volume, or bring initial volume to the table, the rates can improve from there.

With Pro Exotics, we were shipping about $30,000 a year. That 20% off rate at SYR corresponds with the discount we were seeing at that volume.
 
I haven't shipped in a 2-3 years, but I remember shipping being 50-60 dollars for a small box that fits a young ball python. Now I'm looking at 103 dollars for overnight? What happened?! 80 with the SYR discount, but wtf.
 
Rates have gone up each of the last 5 years (or more) at 3% per year, for both UPS and FedEx. Their rates for all services are at parity, to the penny.

One thing that has been painful is the fuel surcharges. Those are calculated with the rate, but do add some, and they are adjusted each week. With gas at $4 a gallon, that surcharge can be pretty steep. UPS and FedEx are at parity on the fuel surcharge as well, so there is no way around it, unfortunately.

As always try and use the smallest box that you can safely pack your animal in, so that you aren't affected (much) by dimensional weight as well.
 
A good account rep should be able to get decent discounts for you. I'm a small taters shipper, but my rate has been cheaper than/right at what any third party label supplier has been.

If you don't have your own account, one of the third party peeps is the way to go.

ETA - added a couple screenshots for the heck of it, based on my last shipment. 12x12x10 5 pound box is my standard, shipped to a hub.
 

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I use reptiles express and very happy with there customer service and prices. I've been using them for like 3yrs and 100percent satisfied
 
Shipping to the hub for customer pick up shaves off a few fees, as well. (It would be nice if SYR or RE allowed Standard Overnight for shipments going to hubs, as that knocks a chunk off the price without impacting service)
 
The FedEx live reptile shipping contract specifies Priority Overnight only, Standard Overnight is not allowed, but I understand what you are saying Harald.
 
In the end,the buyer pays for shipping if they want the reptile. We are all aware that prices keep going up and not much we can do about it.
I use SYR and love their customer service. Andy is the best.As are the rest of the crew. I just happen to talk to Andy all the time for my shipping.
 
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