Check out the coral I am getting.

gflat65 · Jul 29, 2008

Who is shipping for free or for $20 overnight, Fed Ex? I may have to check out some stores:). I've seen a few sites with free shipping over $300 or so, but none that are outright free. When I've shipped stuff (I don't trade much in zoas, so I can't use USPS for anything-don't trust USPS for anything living anyway), the quote usually ends up being somewhere between $60-120, depending on where it is going. I had an item on ebay sell for $25 (5# rock with an 8" monti cap) with a flat fee of $40 (I was hoping the coral price would help ofset costs). Shipping actually cost me $65 for that one, so I was out my time and packaging with nothing to show for it...

oceanparadise1 · Jul 29, 2008

mr.coral is free, theres another place here that charges 21 flat rate over night

salt newbie01 · Jul 29, 2008

If they are shipping fed ex overnight for $21 then they have loaded money in their corals. Or they are just losing money.

oceanparadise1 · Jul 29, 2008

well there corals are cheaper then most peoples so idk

gooch · Jul 30, 2008

Seriously, three years ago I couldn't ship corals for under $40. Styro's run anywhere from $8-$12 each alone. Heck I have had corals shipped from Milwaukee to Green Bay on my account and it was close to $50 for priority overnight. In the same state.

Like I said in a previous thread. I tried sending something(12x12x12 inch box) two day air from Wisconsin to Oregon and the shipping was $114 with my Fed Ex discount. If vendors are getting a better rate than that please let me know. The inflated shipping costs are killing my small business and I highly doubt there is any store making money on shipping. Stores that are offering discounted shipping or free shipping are absorbing it into the cost of the corals/livestock and banking on you purchasing a larger volume. I am sure just about any vendor out there will discount or offer to include shipping if the order was large enough. Some run specials and may lose money or break even hoping you will place a large order or order multiple times. Some small businesses have percs. I know it cost a LFS more for stuff in the midwest than it does a store in say LA. The LA store can go right to many of the wholesalers and avoid shipping charges all together. A LFS in my home town was telling me they are paying anywhere from $5-$8 per coral to have them shipped to them from California. May not sound like a lot but it adds up.

Big Box vendors get some real good shipping rates but even they are getting pinched. Just look at how much corals and fish have increased over the last couple years.

Nate82 · Jul 30, 2008

petsolutions.com has a flat $30 and great prices Dr Fosters and Smith is similar maybe they get great deals with shipping companies because of high volume but idk like on that ebay auction... i couldn't see paying more to get the coral to me than the price of the coral

Nate82 · Jul 30, 2008

petsolutions.com has a flat $30 and great prices Dr Fosters and Smith is similar maybe they get great deals with shipping companies because of high volume but idk like on that ebay auction... i couldn't see paying more to get the coral to me than the price of the coral i guess i'm not really blaming anyone just saying i'm too cheap to pay that

gooch · Jul 30, 2008

I am gonna guess a place like Pet Solutions is having your order shipped directly from a wholesaler. They probably incur no shipping charges and don't even handle the livestock. I know with the exception of the divers den most items from F&S are shipped from a wholesaler and never touched by a F&S employee. It is easier to inflate the cost of a coral or fish to give a shipping break when all you do is broker the deal. A lot of that stuff comes into the country and then shipped to the customer direct the next day or even same day at times. Also easier to give a good price when you don't have to handle anything.

Now I would buy from divers den in a heartbeat. I have been there and it is a class act. But if I was going to just buy coral based on cost alone I think I would get out of the hobby all together. Those box deals and specials are greeat for newbies that just want to fill up a tank. But I like to be selective and for that you can't beat the stuff a lot of the smaller vendors including the ones here offer. Shipping costs are not something they control so I never fault them on it. But I also ran a small online shop years ago so I know what the little guys have to go through just to make ends meat.

Volume discounts definately are a bonus for big business, but the individual care you get from smaller vendors is equally worth the added cost for me. I have never had a problem with anything I ordered from F&S and I don't anticipate I ever will. But I like to patronize everyone I can. I just need to get my tank started back up again. But like everyone else it seems. Gas prices have taken away most of my fun stuff.

coral88 · Jul 30, 2008

Gooch

Do you have any pic of the coral your getting or got other than the link on first page?

oceanparadise1 · Jul 30, 2008

coral, hows that scolly doing?

coral88 · Jul 30, 2008

I posted pic where I said I would on the auction ending soon thread
Ask where I posted the pic :)

oceanparadise1 · Jul 30, 2008

ha ik i didnt ask for a pic lol i asked hows it doing today lol

gooch · Jul 30, 2008

No, I don't have any pics of it. Two of the colonies are being kept in my LFS display tank until I am ready for them as well as a couple favias and scolymias. They have a 375 gallon display tank that was at one time going to be my show tank but it never got set up. I sold it to them cheap. The red one is still being kept by the store I purchased it from until I get the tank running as well. He is also holding my acans and a few other corals as well.

I will probably start setting up this tank in a couple of weeks and hopefully start adding stuff around the end of september. Been just to busy with life to set the thing up.

oceanparadise1 · Jul 30, 2008

man i cant wait to see ur favais those are one of my fav corals

coral88 · Jul 30, 2008

Don't forget the progress shots. You know we like pics :iconbiggrin:

oceanparadise1 · Jul 30, 2008

pics are our friends :):):)

gooch · Jul 30, 2008

The favias I got are blah. I actually told the LFS they are at they could sell them if someone wanted them. The scolies too. The real cool stuff is all at my buddies shop. Mostly tiny frags. I think I have about twenty acan and micro frags and a couple other things there. I also have some aussie elegance frags and colonies at the LFS. Those are my centerpiece corals believe it or not. The symphyllia's are real nice but I have always loved the elegance coral.