Is there any particular reason you only offer shipping through Fed-Ex,instead of USPS, or even UPS, which seem much cheaper?
Yes, we have 3 reasons: UPS is more expensive currently, and had a high rate of loss when we used them for the trial period of 3 mos. We almost went out of business during December of 2005, when we used USPS exclusively (Priority Mail w/Delivery Confirmation), during which time they lost 15% of our outbound, requiring us to send, at our cost, the orders a second time. FedEx has allowed us to maintain the same prices for more than one season at a time, and we’re still in business. 🙂 We do have a policy of shipping via USPS if the customer insists (Priority Mail w/ Delivery Confirmation only) but cannot guarantee delivery, so if it doesn’t arrive we are not at fault. The average cost on that is $5.00 for the Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope, plus the Delivery Confirmation ($.25) for a total of $5.25 for what will fit in an envelope. I understand the dilemma you face. I wish that the Post Office would do their job properly, but almost every week, as it is, we receive a phone call asking