Question for sellers-do you replace eggs for bad hatches-when and why?

[bishopschickens]

the only time I offer a free batch of eggs is if my eggs are destroyed being shipped which to date has not happend "knock on wood" I deal with high dollar eggs "BCM, Wheaten Marans, BLRW ect" so you get the common email of eggs damaged and when I ask to see photos ive had people use eggs that were not what I sent or they dont respond. I remember one person a year ago off here and said there barred rock eggs were crushed and when I asked to see photos they sent me a photo of crushed white eggs. Besides the USPS not taking care of the eggs I dont refund.

Brandon

 

[Birch Run Farm]

Brandon,

Perhaps sellers should mark each egg before it goes in the box for authenticity?

 

[bishopschickens]

oh I do i use a pencil and mark the name of the breeds. I was just giving an example on the barred rocks as they lay a brown egg and the person took a pic of large white eggs. Almost looked as thought they were store bought.

Brandon

 

[steffpeck]

I can't even imagine asking the seller to replace eggs if I had a bad hatch. It is not the seller's fault if my incubating process goes bad. You just know that with shipped eggs, the chances of a bad hatch are very possible.

 

[Mrs. Turbo]

I always cave in and send replacement eggs for a bad hatch. Not making any money that way so we moved on to chicks only.

 

[Clay In Iowa]

Quote:
I have to agree you can't fix an incubation problem with good packaging.

I don't think McSpin would be so willing to ship free replacements if his customers repeatedly put those fish in 140 degree water or put fresh water fish in a salt water tank.

I used to keep and breed Discus (that's meaningful to McSpin). Keeping a fish tank clean and the water fresh is easy compared to hatching for your average person. What happens to the eggs after they arrive safe and sound in a customers home can make all the difference.

 

[gaeamama]

That person said he won't guarantee a hatch, but that the eggs arrive unbroken.

 

[CountryMom]

As a customer I feel it is a wonderful thing if it is offered. In fact, I have reordered from one lady who I had a bad hatch on because she offered replacements. I ordered other breeds along with it so it wouldn't be a complete loss on her part either. However, that being said, I have had hatches that completely failed and didn't request or expect them to be replaced. Funny thing about the one and only box I had that arrived with most eggs smashed (thanks to the PO) I actually got one egg to hatch! LOL It is just too much out of your control to always offer replacements. And if they did hatch like 3 or 4 I wouldn't be willing to replace if I was the seller. Seems they did pretty well all things considered. Good customer service is wonderful, but remember you can't please everyone all the time.

 

[McSpin]

Quote:
I said that I would not guarantee a particular hatch rate. I would guarantee unbroken eggs on arrival. It is my opinion that the customer should be able to expect that at the minimum. If you want to blame the post office for broken eggs, then many customers will be angry. The better solution is to come up with a packaging method that insures they won't break 95%+ of the time. That way, the few you have to re-ship is no big deal. It can be done. I think some are just too lazy to care to improve how they pack the eggs (not referring to anyone in particular).

I don't guarantee my customers will be able to keep their new fish alive for a particular length of time. However, if they arrive looking like they might die, I stand behind them 100% with the cost of re-shipping on me. Obviously a broken egg isn't going to hatch and better packaging might have prevented it.

If people are unhappy with a 30-40% hatch rate on eggs, it's because they don't know what to expect. That is the fault of the seller in my opinion. Eggs should not be shipped without the person knowing that a very low hate rate is very possible. Among other things, let them know that live chicks may be a better option if they don't have a good incubator and the experience to use it correctly.

The trouble is, people want to sell their eggs without warning the customer of the probable pitfalls. I say, lose a few customers (they'll probably be unhappy with your competition when their eggs don't hatch) and deal with the ones who make a well informed decision when buying your eggs.

I know the concept of losing money on a sale is foreign to most people - especially hobbyists, but this is how many people make a lot of money. The willingness to lose money now and then, can bring a lot more business to your door.

 

[WiseChicks]

I'm going to weigh in here as someone who has never shipped eggs (yet), but has bought an amazing number of them this spring.

Yes, in the end, eggs are definitely a "Buyer Beware" item. There are many things that can affect hatchability, from the age and nutritional state of the layers, to the postal handling, incubating, humidity, etc. etc.

I have had hatches that were great, and hatches that were dissapointing, and a very few where I didn't get a single chick; which are the most dissapointing of all. My son and I obsess while hatching, constantly checking the temp, etc. It is funny... I don't think either of us realizes that we walk past the bator all the time and yell out current temp and humidity level, as a normal part of our walking through the house routine.

I have my postman put ALL boxes inside my house, eggs or not..... there is even a large permanent sign on the door, telling them it is unlocked and boxes need to be put inside, thereby eliminating the "cold" factor.

The only time I would ever even question the eggs is when a large number start to develop and then they all die prior to full maturity. Even then, I will generally only let a seller know as an "FYI" that I got an entire batch of eggs that failed to develop to term. I have never 'expected' replacement eggs; however, when I get 12+ eggs, and not a one hatches I think the seller should know. I will also try and let the seller know when/why they didn't hatch (broken air cell, 7 day and dead, 14 day and dead, etc.) I've had a few sellers offer to sell me more, and at that point, I've generally declined, especially on the really expensive eggs. I don't ever mind paying shipping, because that is only right, but if I've already dropped $50 - $75 and not one has made it to hatchability, I will try and find another seller of the same breed. I have also always chatted with other folks who bought at the same time to see if they had similar or dissimilar results. That will also weigh in to my decission on whether I will purchase more eggs from that breeder or will try another instead.

As to wrapping and boxing, I have been AMAZED at the variations that I've encountered. Most are very good, but some are outrageous. I had one who wrapped each egg in a small piece of foam, and then placed all of the wrapped eggs, loose, on a larger sheet of bubble wrap and pulled the corners together and taped it (like a laundry bundle!) Then that was placed AT THE BOTTOM of the box, and peanuts were dumped on top. The eggs that were on the bottom of the box were shattered, the eggs that were toward the top of the bundle were better, but out of 12 eggs, 6 were smashed, and the box did not appear to have had rough handling. On the opposite side of the spectrum, I got a box in the mail recently that was ripped open, the Post Office had put the contents back inside and taped it shut and stamped the box "Damaged when arrived at H------ Post Office". I figured that I was gonna open up a box of egg soup, and not so much as one egg had a crack in it, and only one aircell was broken! So, we'll see what actually makes it to hatchability. on that group.

By and large, I think that the sellers on BYC are an honest, reputable lot. I would much rather take my chances at BYC that on eBay or Eggbid, although I have bought from both of those sites as well.

My 2 cents.