Why priority mail instead of regular for eggs?

[chickenpiedpiper]

One last bit of info, The post office also offers express mail, DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY! In every instance that I have used express, (not the overnight, but express) I have paid more, and it has gotten there the same time as or actually later than priority!!

Go figure!

I am fortunate to live in a small town, and our post mistress and delivery people are chicken and pheasant people, so when my eggs or chicks arrive, at the Post office, they call me right away so they dont wait for the next days delivery route. I had eggs arive friday morning, that were shipped after 3 pm on Wednesday. From California.

Go priority, worth every penny. Good Luck!

 

[greyhorsewoman]

You can purchase delivery confirmation regardless of how you ship (1st class/priority/parcel post).

However, as mentioned above, 1st class is only up to 13 oz. 1st class & priority get same handling in mail delivery.

Priority Mail varies from a flat rate envelope, to several different boxes, including 3 different flat rate boxes (or you can use your own). Rates will vary depending on weight, size of box, and DISTANCE, if not flat rate. It is not treated 'rougher' than any other mail.

Parcel post is NOT always cheaper than priority. However, it is secondary priority in shipping, so may take longer to be delivered.

Express Mail has a 'guaranteed' delivery time (though not necessarily overnight, depending on location). If it fails to be delivered, you can apply for refund of shipping cost.

 

[WalkingWolf]

Quote:
I always prefer that buyers who live very far from the seller search for a closer seller, even if it costs more. East coast to west coast should definatly use express. On the 2 occasions that I bought from the west coast I used express. Both shipments took 2 days, but cost $30, still reasonable considering I paid $75 for the eggs. I was not about to risk priority mail.

 

[speckledhen]

Actually, most of the packages I've sent to the West Coast do better than the ones closer! They mostly take 2 or 3 days.
Missouri always takes 3-4 days from here for some stupid reason, and once I sent eggs from within NC to a NC destination. Took 3 days! Should have gotten there overnight!
I don't think distance has much to do with it, when the P.O. is involved.

And once the buyer in California paid for express. Took 3 days! We got a refund of the $25 cost.

 

[Katy]

Quote:
Yes, egg viability will suffer.
By the time they were delivered, they'd likely be non-viable.
I would not consider shipping 7-day-old eggs even by Priority Mail.
I like folks buying eggs to get them in time to let them rest and still be ready to set well before they hit the 10-day-old.
Good luck!

Lisa

I agree with DDD....Personally I wouldn't buy eggs that I knew were going to be 7 days old already when they were shipped. I never send any out that are older than 2 or 3 days. Shipped eggs have enough issues without adding being old when shipped to the list.

 

[WalkingWolf]

I think the worst I have had was Washington state on a electronics shipment. It took over a week for priority to get there. Your right with the USPS you can never tell. And with the way they are cutting personnel I don't think it will get better. It usually takes 3 days most times for most shipments. With the cuts they take the shipments from the POs in the evening to a hub. From the hub it goes to the airport to another hub and then to the local PO for delivery. They do this even for local mail anymore, everything except for fragile goes through the auto sorters in the hubs.

 

[Akane]

The eggs will not go bad, or do you get more regulated temps with the priority mail?

Technically yes they will go bad. Rotten.. probably not although they are considered a perishable and if they go through temp extremes and take extra time to get there some might go rotten. They will go beyond the point they can hatch. After 7days from being laid the hatch rate goes down. Most prefer to set eggs within 10 days of laying. So if someone collects eggs for 4-5days. Sends them priority and they take 2-3days. Then they sit inside for 24hrs to settle and come up to room temp you are within the 10days. If you collect eggs for 4-5 days and send them regular mail they might not get there for a week plus. Now you have 14day old eggs. If those eggs were sitting around not being shaken up your hatch rate probably dropped by 1/4th depending on storage conditions. When 50% is a good shipping hatch rate losing 1/4th more of what would have hatched really has an impact. Then we have to take into a account the older an egg gets the larger the air sac gets. The larger the air sac when shipping the more likely it will get damaged. Now we have a higher chance of damaged eggs and our hatch rate just dropped again. Finally add in just the fact that the eggs are being sorted, shaken, carried, vibrated and tilted about on trucks, and go through however many more days of uncontrolled temperatures (those trucks and storage facilities get hot in summer and aren't heated in winter) and we pretty much just killed off all hatchable eggs. Your hatch rates from eggs sent regular mail will likely be 0 most of the time with the occasional chick unless you can collect everything your sending a day or 2 before you mail it and everything happens to go just right so the eggs get there quicker than average. Of course if you sent fresh collected eggs priority and they got there quicker than average the person would now have a chance at a really good hatch instead of a chance at a mediocre hatch.​

 

[pips&peeps]

You have gotten alot of good information about which service to pick, but I would strongly suggest never to ship eggs over 4 days old.

Low hatch rates is the surest way to shoot yourself in the foot while trying to build a hatching egg business.

 

[Akane]

Most people aren't building a business. Alot of people that sell eggs have just a few hens of an uncommon breed. I had a trio of black tailed white japanese bantams I was selling eggs from. It's common especially for bantam breeders to only have a couple pairs or trios. To get a dozen eggs then takes more than a few days. Generally though it doesn't really cost anymore to send a dozen than 6 so even if some of the eggs are slightly older the person isn't really losing out on much. I only ship eggs once a week at the beginning of the week anyway so I might as well collect all week and ship what I get. I just use flat rate priority boxes and charge the same irregardless of how many more eggs I collect and package.