[maddy]

The friends are clamoring for homegrown meat, and I'm happy to share. However, postage has become so expensive these days, it seems cost-prohibitive. In your experience, what is the best and cheapest way to ship frozen items?

 

[jassytoo]

If you are giving this meat to your friends I would say the cheapest way is to get them to pay the freight. Seems the least they can do for free meat. You need to get it there as quick as possible too, so packed in a cooler with dry ice and FedEx or UPs overnight maybe.

 

[highlands]

Shipping meat is horribly expensive. It can run $3 to $5 per pound easily. I would suggest finding local friends.

-Walter

 

[maddy]

I would suggest finding local friends.

Haha!

 

[unregistered353870]

Shipping meat is horribly expensive. It can run $3 to $5 per pound easily. I would suggest finding local friends.

-Walter

Second this. I looked into it years ago for direct to consumer sales and it just wasn't feasible for my business. I guess if it's just the novelty of them eating something their friend has raised it might be worth it, but I wouldn't think the meat itself will be monetarily worth it, as good as it probably is. Homemade jerky might be the way to go.

 

[Harry Chickpea]

Shipping for the individual or small business is a stopper. IF you can find a company that does significant shipping and get into their shipment stream you might stand a chance. I rarely ship anymore in my business, as it is much cheaper to have the warehouse of the printer I use ship direct and pay a small fee.

I absolutely agree that your "friends" have to pay the cost of shipping - including packaging and any trip to a depot.

 

[buffalocreek]

Are your "friends" clamoring for free meat?? Then let them pay market value for meat plus shipping.

 

[dlskidmore]

Shipping meat is horribly expensive. It can run $3 to $5 per pound easily. I would suggest finding local friends.

-Walter

My local raw dog food co-op had a great lead on really cheap emu in Texas, but by the time we looked into shipping it, it was going to cost 3x as much and we still had to drive 6 hours to get it from the depot.

 

[NorthwoodsMike]

Have your friends come visit, and tell them to trailer a chest freezer with small generator. Enjoy their visit and load up the freezer before they leave.

 

[am1too]

Are your "friends" clamoring for free meat?? Then let them pay market value for meat plus shipping.

They might not be friends anymore.

 

[highlands]

They might not be friends anymore.

*grin* They might not have been friends to start with...

 

[am1too]

*grin* They might not have been friends to start with...

That mistake is made often.

 

[dlskidmore]

Sometimes people just don't think about the details, don't realize how much money you put into feed and medical care, don't think about shipping costs. They think "oh, my friend has as much as they want, I'd like some too. I sent them Cookies for Christmas, maybe they can send me one of their chickens!" I get that kind of thing all the time with crafts. People don't realize how many hours went into the production...

Last time someone inquired about raw milk, I told them all the ways I was willing to help them keep their own milk goats/sheep. (I don't even milk my sheep, and if I did, I don't have a large enough operation to cover the costs of a licence-able dairy parlor.)