[SpaceLord]

Is it stupid to treat Freshwater plant the same as exotic expensive salt reef animals in terms of overnight shipping requirements ?

There are a couple of online stores such as Petco, liveaquaria.com (from Dr. Foster&smith) and Thatfishplace which place plant cuttings in as high if not higher category as exotic salt water fish in terms as shipping requirements. Petco will sell reef fish but not even sell freshwater plants on their website.

You are forced to either spend $45 of this type of super overnight shipping or spend like $175 to get free shipping( a lot of money to spend on just plants)

While I agree this is needed for the live exotic delicate salt water fish and coral, I do not think that some kind of cutting of a plant which is probably considered an weed or invasive species because its so hard to kill should require that overnight $45 delivery.

I would be willing to risk a few dollars to have some hardy freshwater plants shipped ground with my normal shipment vs a $45 requirement for overnight in order to get my money back if something goes wrong. Its like saying you have to spend $45 to insure a $3 plant.

Do you guys think its kind of stupid to place the same shipping requirements on freshwater plants as they do for some exotic $600 reef fish?

Thanks.

 

[Raymond S.]

Turn around and walk the other way...
Plants getting set on the side and dieing while waiting for someone to notice them
being out of place or getting caught in temperatures they can't stand likely kills
quite a few plants each year in the mail. Places like Doctor's simply don't want the
problems associated with this. I send plants absolutely free to members on here
when I decide to get rid of them. I don't have a replacement for it and neither do I want to refund the postage. So I just send it for free. If it dies...oh well.
If the post office screws up...oh well. Either way I don't have to replace anything.
But stores like Doctors choose to handle it in a different way which insures they don't
get burned. Works for them apparently. If you don't want to pay it just don't.
Get plants from people on here or elsewhere.
What I think is dumb is someone who actually pays that much to get a couple of
plants delivered. If lots of plants are being bought, I'd pay it to help insure the
plants I bought actually made it. Face it, there is a much better selection of plants right here than on Doctor's anyway.

 

[PlantedRich]

If we all start making a list of stupid, we may need to get a bigger internet. I try not to get excited about what a business decides. I just move on to the next business. Tried flying anywhere lately?

 

[jeffkrol]

Hmm, last I looked liveaquaria (based in Chicago) and Arizona Aquatics don't need overnight shipping. 2-3 day works though still not cheap.
Got really great plants from LiveAquaria (though granted IL is only 1 state away).
Second day is $15.99 on is $18.99
There are state restriction on some plants as well..

Problem comes w/ "livestock"...

 

[thedood]

I just shipped 2 pounds of plants to a member using priority ground, 3 days from the mid-west to the west coast. This is 2 pounds of plants, 4 quart freezer bags full and a 5th which had some mass. I'm not worried about them at all lol. You can get good deals all over tpt I wouldnt waste my time buying plants at 45 bucks just for shipping.

 

[SpaceLord]

Turn around and walk the other way...
Plants getting set on the side and dieing while waiting for someone to notice them
being out of place or getting caught in temperatures they can't stand likely kills
quite a few plants each year in the mail. Places like Doctor's simply don't want the
problems associated with this. I send plants absolutely free to members on here
when I decide to get rid of them. I don't have a replacement for it and neither do I want to refund the postage. So I just send it for free. If it dies...oh well.
If the post office screws up...oh well. Either way I don't have to replace anything.
But stores like Doctors choose to handle it in a different way which insures they don't
get burned. Works for them apparently. If you don't want to pay it just don't.
Get plants from people on here or elsewhere.
What I think is dumb is someone who actually pays that much to get a couple of
plants delivered. If lots of plants are being bought, I'd pay it to help insure the
plants I bought actually made it. Face it, there is a much better selection of plants right here than on Doctor's anyway.

For example, I placed an order for over $100 from one of those stores( physical good) and they a plant I wanted for like $3 which I could not find at Petco, petsupermarket or a local owned placed around here.

I added it to my cart then stopped it when I found out it would cost $45 to ship. I would gladly risk losing the $3 and waiving my right to refund/return rather than pay $45 for the same overnight shipping reserved for their exotic salt water fish.

I think these stores would stand to make a fortune is they allowed a people to add a freshwater plant to their order with the understanding that the guarantee only applies to overnight shipment and they will be assuming the risk for the plants.

Right now plants are probably never ordered unless someone has some big order of salt water fish to go along with it and they are wondering why no one ever seems to order plants from them.

I am under the impression that other people also feel the same as I do in which they would like to order a few dollars of plants and have them shipped with their regular order vs paying $45 on shipping alone for the plant order.

Losing $3-$6 on a plant order is not as bad as a guaranteed loss of $45 for shipping.

Thanks.

 

[SpaceLord]

If we all start making a list of stupid, we may need to get a bigger internet. I try not to get excited about what a business decides. I just move on to the next business. Tried flying anywhere lately?

Well, they probably set policy for livestock when they are looking at some expensive $500 exotic fish or even in the thousands however they are not considering shipping some $2 plant that grows like a weed.

Petco won't even sell those plants which they sell in a plastic bag out of water on the shelf for weeks online. If the plant can live for weeks or a month, I am pretty sure it can live a few days in a ground shipping box.

They probably just think that plants are just a bad selling item online or something and it has nothing to do with a $175 minimum order threshold or a $45 mandatory shipping charge for overnight shipment.

 

[SpaceLord]

I just shipped 2 pounds of plants to a member using priority ground, 3 days from the mid-west to the west coast. This is 2 pounds of plants, 4 quart freezer bags full and a 5th which had some mass. I'm not worried about them at all lol. You can get good deals all over tpt I wouldnt waste my time buying plants at 45 bucks just for shipping.

My point is that you should not be required to. $18 shipping is a big obstacle too.

Some of that saltwater fish are in the thousands of dollars and caught in the wild whereas these plants are like weeds and you just get a cutting.

That fish place sells some plants for like $3 that Ebay members sell for over $10.

I am of the impression that customers should be allowed to order plants and have them shipped with their order as long as they are willing to take the risk of a dead plant. For a $45 shipping savings, I would risk that $3 plant.

This policy probably prevents them from selling 95% possible plant sales.

 

[thedood]

My point is that you should not be required to. $18 shipping is a big obstacle too.

Some of that saltwater fish are in the thousands of dollars and caught in the wild whereas these plants are like weeds and you just get a cutting.

That fish place sells some plants for like $3 that Ebay members sell for over $10.

I am of the impression that customers should be allowed to order plants and have them shipped with their order as long as they are willing to take the risk of a dead plant. For a $45 shipping savings, I would risk that $3 plant.

This policy probably prevents them from selling 95% possible plant sales.

My point is you dont have to. There are plenty of tpt members who will gladly ship you cuttings for a few bucks a plant (for common plants) and 5 to 7 for shipping. There is never a reason to spend 45 bucks for shipping of plants. I just shipped two pounds of plants and it costs 15 bucks to the west coast and will be there in 3 days. I am betting the plants will be just fine once placed in good water with some nutes and decent lighting.

Just my opinion but I would never consider it when i can get on here and find about anything.

 

[burr740]

I hope they all start charging $100

If you cant find the plant you want on sale here, from a hobbyist, you certainly arent gonna find it at Petco or DrFS

 

[thedood]

I hope they all start charging $100

If you cant find the plant you want on sale here, from a hobbyist, you certainly arent gonna find it at Petco or DrFS

I agree. Most folks who are spending that kind of money for shipping plants arent hanging on forums like tpt or they have more money than sense.

 

[SpaceLord]

I agree. Most folks who are spending that kind of money for shipping plants arent hanging on forums like tpt or they have more money than sense.

I don't think people are spending that money and hence I would imaging their online plant sales are not very good unless they catch the occasional customer who get closed to the $175 livestock mark by buying a bunch freshwater fish or expensive salt water fish who might also happen to have a planted aquarium.

I would bet they are losing over 95% of their possible sales because of this $45 shipping policy intended for exotic salt water creatures being applied to common weed plants.

 

[thedood]

I don't think people are spending that money and hence I would imaging their online plant sales are not very good unless they catch the occasional customer who get closed to the $175 livestock mark by buying a bunch freshwater fish or expensive salt water fish who might also happen to have a planted aquarium.

I would bet they are losing over 95% of their possible sales because of this $45 shipping policy intended for exotic salt water creatures being applied to common weed plants.

Thats whats great about capitalism. Their loss is a lucky tpt members gain.

 

[SpaceLord]

I hope they all start charging $100

If you cant find the plant you want on sale here, from a hobbyist, you certainly arent gonna find it at Petco or DrFS

Are you crazy????? No one will buy a plant with $100 shipping. That is insane, why would you hope for that?

 

[burr740]

Are you crazy????? No one will buy a plant with $100 shipping. That is insane, why would you hope for that?

Obviously that is my point.

You can find just about any plant in the hobby right here on TPT. Either by searching the For Sale board, or post a wanted to buy thread on the WTB/RAOK board.

There's absolutely no reason to sweat what Petco charges to ship a plant!

 

[thedood]

Obviously that is my point.

You can find just about any plant in the hobby right here on TPT. Either by searching the For Sale board, or post a wanted to buy thread on the WTB/RAOK board.

There's absolutely no reason to sweat what Petco charges to ship a plant!

Bingo!!

 

[roadmaster]

Have bought more than a few plant's from Aquariumplants.com usually a fairly large order.
Happily pay for two day arrival + cool pack+ Styrofoam box in warm weather.
Good folk's,good selection.

 

[SpaceLord]

Thats whats great about capitalism. Their loss is a lucky tpt members gain.

Ohhhh, you are looking at this from as a individual seller not from a plant buyer.

If I can get one of those big places to change their policy on requiring the same shipping as exotic fish and allowed to be included in normal ground shipping order it may cost a lot of business from sellers on here.

Perhaps if you were to offer me a bribe of some plants I could be persuade to drop my campaign of these big online stores to drop the $45 overnight shipping for plants. :grin2:


:wink2: Joking!

 

[OVT]

Any business has the right to charge whatever they want for whatever they want. You, as a consumer, have the right to spend your money any way you please. These are pretty obvious statements, at least to me.

I used to have a retail storefront with a Web presence. As a business owner I would grossly overprice specific items. On one hand, I want to give customers as broad of a choice as I can afford, be the "player" in my nitch, have a large footprint, and make the store look full and attractive. On the other hand, does it make sense for me to stock stuff that someone wants once a year, is a pain to pack and ship, and that I just might make $2 on? So, if someone just got to have it then let them pay through the nose. A rather common practice, I would say.

As a net seller of plants on TPT, I doubt anyone sane could afford to cover my real cost. The time and effort to grow the darn plants, collect them, clean them, pack and ship are just too time consuming. And then you get an occasional buyer who goes out of their way, seemingly just for fun, to find ways to make your life miserable. Maybe out of some 200 paid for plants shipments I did on TPT, 2 or 3 arrived cooked or frozen or whatnot. My fault, I made them all good one way or the other.

Majority of us sellers here have a simple choice: either trash the cuttings as there is just not enough room to keep them or sell/give/trade/RAOK them. Ever tried to keep 20 different plants alive, for which you have no space, for a week or so before somebody decides to spend $20 for them? Or go through the hassle of a RAOK when the "winner" is nowhere to be found for days? Or just give the plants away with the receiving party PM'ing you with problems because they forgot to pick them off their front for 3 days, in 100 heat?

This is my side of the story. Hopefully, it gives all of us something to think about.

 

[KingKoopa512]

LFS an amazon. Cheap shipping an handling were i get most of my plants

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