MPC Shipping

[kitchwitch]

I just need to vent about MPC shipping for a second. I understand that shipping is expensive and I understand that they send their chicks out in special little boxes but are these special little boxes lined with gold? Are they going to cook me dinner and make love to me afterward? I went to order 10 new chicks and shipping is $36! If I order another 5 chicks then they'll be shipped priority for only $28. I've had 25 chicks shipped to me from Texas for $15!
I'm honestly starting to think they might be skimming something off their shipping charges. Correct me if I'm wrong please, but I find it strange that I could order chicks to be shipped priority to me from anywhere in the country and that shipping charge usually tops out at about $15-17 and yet with MPC it's $28? They're in Connecticut, not Siberia!

Sorry, just needed to vent.

 

[featherz]

it's because if you order less than 25 they are shipped EXPRESS, not priority. I did this last year, but this year I have learned to order 25 and just sell the extras. However, in MPC's defense, the express shipped chicks arrived the next day in perfect shape. No deaths or any problems!

 

[Mak]

Yep, they are expensive. But, for me, it's worth it because I can order as few as 4 chicks shipped up here. Can't do that with a lot of places and I don't have room for a huge number of chickens on my property. Even buying at the local stores doesn't work, because according to some weird law, they have to sell in dozen lots. I can't go in and buy a few. I'm adding a few this spring and will probably go with MPC again because of the low order minimum.

 

[Hound]

Quote:
They charge double for Priority. Compare to other hatcheries/drop shippers. It's usually cheaper to go directly to the source, ie Meyer in this case.

 

[kitchwitch]

I was having an issue with the local stores because if I want select breeds, it has to be the breeds that are available to them and then I must order 15 of each breed.

So I figured I just order from MPC but I'm not spending more on shipping than on the actual birds. I'd buy 15 if their priority shipping wasn't almost DOUBLE what other hatcheries charge for priority shipping. I think I might just buy an incubator and hatch eggs.

 

[featherz]

This year I'm ordering from Meyer and skipping the middle man anyways.

 

[Mak]

For what I want to order, Meyer would charge me $42 in shipping. Not any cheaper than MPC, who'd charge $35 for the same order.

 

[Arcnadius]

MPC says they ship with a heat pack to keep small batches of chicks warm during shipping. I also ordered a small number from them (9) but knew what they were going to sock me for shipping so I was prepared for the total. I'd love to order 15-25 chicks from other hatcheries, but I'm new so I wanted to start small.