How can I ship chams affordably?

[Lovereps]

Now that it is getting cooler nationwide I'm planning to sell some of my 7 month old captive bred Jackson's.
My primary interest is in finding them loving homes, so I don't want to sell them to pet stores.
Obviously, I'm going to have to fight off the nerves and ship some of them.
SYR seems to be the only option.
I'm not sure how to size the boxes so that the chams are safe and so the buyers won't be paying more than they have to due to unnecessarily oversized boxes.
It's an issue that concerns me so much and any advice that you with cham shipping experience will share here or via PM or email, will be greatly appreciated!

 

[jannb]

I used SYR and got my supplies and everything there. For my baby veileds I used the 7x7x6 and little paper bags. You might find my older thread helpful.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/shipping-babies-tell-me-how-do-41072/

 

[Lovereps]

Thanks for the reply and the link!

 

[Panthergirl11]

I use Reptiles Express but I'm sure its the same deal.

 

[Panthergirl11]

Actually Reptiles Express is cheaper. I just quoted the same shipment that I booked today from Reptiles Express on Ship your reptiles and REx is 50.30 and SYR is 66.36.

 

[Lovereps]

That's quite a difference.
May I ask how you determine which size box to use.
Too big a box just wastes money.
Too small a box endangers the cham.
So how do you determine what is neither over nor undersized?

 

[laurie]

The box size is determined by the container the Cham is packed in. I use deli cups. I could ship one of your jacksons in a 6 x 6 x 6 box. Deli cup with paper around the cup and a cryropack to keep the Cham cool in this weather.

 

[Lovereps]

Thanks, Laurie.
I would have thought that 6x6x6 was much too small.

 

[jannb]

Thanks, Laurie.
I would have thought that 6x6x6 was much too small.

You want them to have a kind of small fit so there's not allot of room to slide around in there. I also find that bags and much softer on them if they are tossed around a bit instead of hitting up against a stiff deli cup.

 

[Seiryu]

Hey Kate.

The 6x6x6 is fine for one cham, especially a jacksons. Most times, going to the bigger box doesnt cost any extra. I know when I first started looking a 1 or 2 lb box of the 7x7x7 and the 12x9x6 were the same cost. If you go bigger, just make sure to have plenty of newspaper in the box so the cups don't move around.

Good luck with the shipping!

 

[Lovereps]

Jann, that's very good to know.
I had thought the opposite.
My reasoning was that if the box got crushed to any degree, the cham would be safer with some extra room.

 

[Lovereps]

The 6x6x6 is fine for one cham, especially a jacksons. Most times, going to the bigger box doesnt cost any extra. I know when I first started looking a 1 or 2 lb box of the 7x7x7 and the 12x9x6 were the same cost. Good luck with the shipping!

Seiryu
Two 6x6x6 OKs from experienced shippers is making me feel less anxious about that size box.
Looking at the quotes it looks like it's about $11 more for the 12x9x6 than the 6x6x6, which isn't as drastic a difference as I'd thought.
I must have made a mistake when I looked at the prices before because the prices were much higher--and I'm sure that FedEx didn't lower their rates.

Scott thanks so much for the coupon code and for letting me know that you've been pleased with the SYR service.

 

[junglefries]

Be careful when quoting prices. This weekend, it went from $62 on Sunday, to $67 on Monday, to $72 on Tuesday. Had I not paid attention, would have lost ten dollars. Then, Wednesday, price fell back down. Fluctuates. Using SYR, for same box to same destination.

 

[reptoman]

The pre printed boxes from Reptiles express with the live reptile in red are 7x7. I have used these for several years with great results I recommend them as well. Great customer service. Laurie's rec with the kryopak is spot on. They dont get as cold as regular frozen gel packs and they keep a lower temp for longer. I have done my own tests in 110F temps on the porch in full sun a few years back and was amazed at how much different the cryopak was vs the gel pack.

 

[Lovereps]

Junglefries, thank you very much for that!
Perhaps I may not have completely lost my mind.

The prices I looked at today were significantly lower than I had recalled.
I know that airline fares fluctuate but not shipping prices.

It would be awful to quote someone for shipping and then actually have to pay far more, particularly since my chams aren't expensive.
$10 is far from an insignificant difference.

 

[Lovereps]

The pre printed boxes from Reptiles express with the live reptile in red are 7x7. I have used these for several years with great results I recommend them as well. Great customer service. Laurie's rec with the kryopak is spot on. They dont get as cold as regular frozen gel packs and they keep a lower temp for longer. I have done my own tests in 110F temps on the porch in full sun a few years back and was amazed at how much different the cryopak was vs the gel pack.

More great info!
Reptoman, I'll be shipping Jackson's, so they need to not overheat.
I'm feeling far more calm about shipping, now that you kind folks have shared your knowledge with me.

 

[reptoman]

More great info!
Reptoman, I'll be shipping Jackson's, so they need to not overheat.
I'm feeling far more calm about shipping, now that you kind folks have shared your knowledge with me.

They also need to not get too cold which is why Kryopaks are exactly what you need. Please let me know if you have any problems. I am happy to help.

[email protected]

 

[junglefries]

I am curious about Reptiles Express. Would be thankful to anyone who had used SYR in the past for a long time, then converted to RE. Please PM me if you did this and explain pros and cons. Thanks in advance.

 

[Panthergirl11]

What I like about RE is when I quote a shipping rate, when I go to book it the rate never changes. I was quoting for the 7x7 reptile express box. And I have received good customer service.