Re: [Killietalk] Redirect -- Improving the AKA -- Shipping fish

["J. C." <hillbillynursery at yahoo_com>]

 Thanks David,

   You just add more proof of my arguement that we
need the F&E and the registry on AKA site full of
fish. I know I have not had any problems getting fish
through the mail. 

 If your problem is you do not want to be bothered
with shipping the fish then say so. You can put a
higher price on the fish to make up for your time
spent. Because if you have what I want and no one else
is listing it and I can afford it I would get them. I
know there is a killie I would gladly pay $50 a pair
for if I could find them and have the cash at the
time(which I normally have when shipping weather is
here).

 If you do not want to be bugged by phone calls just
use your email. I have one email for business only.
Wether it be bees or fish it goes to the same email
address. I only check this email regularly while
selling. The rest of the time I check it couple times
a week. Since it is a Gmail account it auto logs me in
and lets me know how many emails and from who and what
they are about(if I watch as it scrolls through them).


  There are ways to get arround all excuses.

                                     Later, John

--- "Koran, David HQ02"
<David_Koran at hq02.usace.army.mil> wrote:

> I have tried to use this forum to discover what are
> problems and perceived
> problems.  During the next few days I hope to read
> and analyze many of the
> posts that have been flying by but one issue that
> has bugged me endlessly is
> the lack of use of AKA sponsored media to list
> killifish availability to our
> members.  What I read, at least in my book, is a cop
> out.
> 
> Since I first joined the AKA over 30 years ago the
> cost of shipping fish,
> basic shipping, is still very small.  Attempting to
> use postage as an excuse
> for not shipping fish is the wrong excuse.  If you
> look way back when you
> would expect to pay $1.50 for a pair of fish for
> postage, then maybe add a
> quarter per pair after that.  However, check the
> prices on fish back then.
> Average killie prices were $3-$5 a pair.  So if you
> purchased say 3 pair of
> fish from someone, figure you spent about $15, maybe
> $12-13 on the fish and
> $2 on postage -- first class or priority mail at
> that.  If you shipped "air
> mail" it was more but you already knew that if you
> were shipping more than
> say 1500 miles the package usually went via air mail
> so you skipped the
> expense.  I seem to recall you could also purchase
> for less than $2 something
> like "Special Delivery" which supposedly expedited
> the shipment.
> 
> So lets move ahead 30 years for all of you
> tightwads.  $10 for a pair of
> killies is deemed cheap these days so you are
> looking at probably $30 for
> those same 3 pairs of killies.  So you should be
> looking at about $5 for 1st
> class or priority mail shipping.  I know I can still
> mail a box of fish for
> that amount.  Maybe you don't know how to ship fish
> or is it we have lost the
> art of shipping fish?
> 
> In the last 2 years I have shipped fish to Europe. 
> I have shipped small
> packages with at most 6 pairs per box.  These where
> boxes of 8" x 8" x 8"
> including insulation and I didn't use breathable
> bags.  No, not all fish made
> it but 90% or more usually did, even though most
> often they were in transit
> at least 5 days and maybe up to 8.  No heat packs
> used, no drugging, no pure
> oxygen, etc.  Killies are tough fish, stop treating
> them like you are
> shipping porcelain.  I was also able to ship most
> boxes for under $20 a box.
> 
> For fish shipped by normal 1st class postage, I
> don't think this process has
> changed in 30 years, we just perceive that it has
> gotten worse.
> 
> Now for a revolutionary concept--rent a P.O. Box at
> the post office.  I don't
> think my PO's are different than yours.  In my area
> they have sets of lockers
> in the box section.  If a package doesn't fit in
> your little box, meaning all
> fish boxes!!, they place them in a locker and put
> the key in your box.
> Hence, I have 24 hour access to shipments I receive
> and they are placed in
> the lockers after initial sorting -- and here's the
> best part, they are kept
> at climate controlled conditions!  True, that costs
> me $48 a year but I don't
> have fish sitting on my porch or in my mailbox at
> home when it is roasting or
> freezing outside.  That also means receiving fish
> sent 1st class with
> virtually no losses in over 10 years so I make up
> here for the box rental fee
> instead of paying for express mail.  It also helps
> that this is the main P.O.
> in the region and it handles zipcodes 01-09.
> 
> So, if I am able to debunk the argument that
> shipping fish costs too much,
> now why aren't they advertised for sale more often?
> 
> Dave K  


John Cox of Cumberland Killifish
 Honey Robber beekeeping and removal services
 
 Please join A Fishy World my new email group all
 about fish at AFishyWorld-subscribe at yahoogroups_com

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