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Shipping Chocolate & Confections:


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Who are your favorite suppliers for small quantities of insulated shipping containers? I expect to have a few Mother's Day orders that will need to be shipped, and want to make sure they get to their recipients intact.

Any other strategies for shipping chocolate now that the weather is getting warmer? Or just shipping in general, for that matter?

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Who are your favorite suppliers for small quantities of insulated shipping containers?  I expect to have a few Mother's Day orders that will need to be shipped, and want to make sure they get to their recipients intact.

Any other strategies for shipping chocolate now that the weather is getting warmer?  Or just shipping in general, for that matter?

Contact Will Thomas at Polar Tech Industries. 1-800-423-2749. Good prices on small quantities of shippers. They also sell ice brix. Be aware that you will probably have to ship overnight, the cost from Ann Arbor to say Texas or San Diego might be $50.

Mark

www.roseconfections.com

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I have a baker that works for me and she ships frozen gluten free items in packaging made by RNC Inc... in Georgia . It is the same company that Norman Love uses

"Chocolate has no calories....

Chocolate is food for the soul, The soul has no weight, therefore no calories" so said a customer, a lovely southern woman, after consuming chocolate indulgence

SWEET KARMA DESSERTS

www.sweetkarmadesserts.com

550 East Meadow Ave. East meadow, NY 11554

516-794-4478

Brian Fishman

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  • 3 weeks later...

You can get these insulated shipping containers for free from your nearby University biology / chemistry department. Our one lab alone received ~3 a week in various sizes, usually small ones (interior around 6 inches cubed). Some have recycling programs that involve shipping these boxes back to the manufacturer. Most do not though. You'll be doing them a favor by picking them up.

To be clear: They are lidded styrofoam containers inside a tightly paired cardboard box.

Science ones are used to ship temperature chemicals and reagents. The chemicals themselves don't come in contact with the container.

I find them very useful!

flavor floozy

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I have a baker that works for me and she ships frozen gluten free items in packaging made by RNC Inc... in Georgia . It is the same company that Norman Love uses

Who's RNC Inc? I tried to google them and did NOT get a box or shipping supply place. I did find a lot of Republican party sites. Do they have a site?

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Does one have to use overnight shipping or would 2-day delivery work out just as well? I'm wondering about the feasibility of freezing the chocolates prior to shipping and including a frozen gel pack. With an inch or so of insulation wouldn't that last long enough? The savings would be significant for a hypothetical 1'x1'x1' 3lb box:

For me to ship from Michigan to Maryland it would cost $58 overnight or $25 for 2-day by FedEx. For three business days the charge drops to $20.

For an even better deal USPS will overnight it for $24.50 or 2-day for $6.40.

That's a pretty large savings.

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Does one have to use overnight shipping or would 2-day delivery work out just as well?  I'm wondering about the feasibility of freezing the chocolates prior to shipping and including a frozen gel pack.  With an inch or so of insulation wouldn't that last long enough?  The savings would be significant for a hypothetical 1'x1'x1' 3lb box:

For me to ship from Michigan to Maryland it would cost $58 overnight or $25 for 2-day by FedEx.  For three business days the charge drops to $20.

For an even better deal USPS will overnight it for $24.50 or 2-day for $6.40.

That's a pretty large savings.

I have always sent chocolates overnite this time of year, but I am also interested in responses. It would also depend upon the temp in Maryland. You should probably do some trials of the thawing process at your end so you can include instructions how to bring up to room temp. Also so you will have an idea how cold or frozen they will be at the destination. Let us know what you find out.

The USPS cost is in line with what most chocolatiers charge for shipping.

Mark

Edited by mrose (log)

Mark

www.roseconfections.com

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  • 2 weeks later...
Does one have to use overnight shipping or would 2-day delivery work out just as well?  I'm wondering about the feasibility of freezing the chocolates prior to shipping and including a frozen gel pack.  With an inch or so of insulation wouldn't that last long enough?  The savings would be significant for a hypothetical 1'x1'x1' 3lb box:

For me to ship from Michigan to Maryland it would cost $58 overnight or $25 for 2-day by FedEx.  For three business days the charge drops to $20.

For an even better deal USPS will overnight it for $24.50 or 2-day for $6.40.

That's a pretty large savings.

I have always sent chocolates overnite this time of year, but I am also interested in responses. It would also depend upon the temp in Maryland. You should probably do some trials of the thawing process at your end so you can include instructions how to bring up to room temp. Also so you will have an idea how cold or frozen they will be at the destination. Let us know what you find out.

The USPS cost is in line with what most chocolatiers charge for shipping.

Mark

I've got a mind to try an experiment to determine how long a particular shipper/gel pack combination will keep chocolates from getting too warm, but there is one variable that I'm not sure of. How warm is the outside temperature? I imagine that the building would be cooler than a truck but I have no idea what either would be. Any guesses as to what I should set the outside temperature to? I was thinking of running the experiment in my garage since it's typically pretty warm.

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I have always sent chocolates overnite this time of year, but I am also interested in responses. It would also depend upon the temp in Maryland. You should probably do some trials of the thawing process at your end so you can include instructions how to bring up to room temp. Also so you will have an idea how cold or frozen they will be at the destination. Let us know what you find out.

The USPS cost is in line with what most chocolatiers charge for shipping.

Mark

I've got a mind to try an experiment to determine how long a particular shipper/gel pack combination will keep chocolates from getting too warm, but there is one variable that I'm not sure of. How warm is the outside temperature? I imagine that the building would be cooler than a truck but I have no idea what either would be. Any guesses as to what I should set the outside temperature to? I was thinking of running the experiment in my garage since it's typically pretty warm.

Edited by mrose (log)

Mark

www.roseconfections.com

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Why don't you leave in your garage for 1 day, then put in your car(to simulate a truck for how many days) then in garage for another day. This should give idea of an UPS shipment.

Mark

Right now I'm shooting for a two day shipping schedule, but if it turns out that I can get a configuration to last three days reliably it could shave off a couple more dollars shipping. The big difference appears to be between overnight and two days.

I'm going to wire a temperature probe inside the box and tape one to the outside and run a continuous recording. I found instructions on how to wire up a pair of thermistors to the game port of a PC along with a program to record and display the results. With that setup I can determine exactly when the temperature inside the shipper rises to the point that the chocolates would be damaged. If it fails in eight or twelve hours I won't have to wait two or three days to find out and I'll have an idea how much more cooling I have to add to get it to pass. If it keeps cool I can extend the experiment to the failure point without having to open the box to check.

Recording both temperatures will give me the outside temperature and the continuous differential. I could run a test on my guess of expected outside temps and also on the worst case.

Does anyone have a good idea for something with the same heat retention characteristics to take the place of a pound or two of expensive chocolate? I plan on freezing the chocolates along with the gel pack to extend the shipping time so I would like something that acts like chocolate without the cost.

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You might want to give Chocosphere a call. He does this for a living and has always been very friendly and helpful. He's shipped very fragile chocolates to me through Phoenix (100 F+) and they've always arrived in perfect condition. His # 1-877-992-4626.

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Why don't you leave in your garage for 1 day, then put in your car(to simulate a truck for how many days) then in garage for another day. This should give idea of an UPS shipment.

Mark

Right now I'm shooting for a two day shipping schedule, but if it turns out that I can get a configuration to last three days reliably it could shave off a couple more dollars shipping. The big difference appears to be between overnight and two days.

I'm going to wire a temperature probe inside the box and tape one to the outside and run a continuous recording. I found instructions on how to wire up a pair of thermistors to the game port of a PC along with a program to record and display the results. With that setup I can determine exactly when the temperature inside the shipper rises to the point that the chocolates would be damaged. If it fails in eight or twelve hours I won't have to wait two or three days to find out and I'll have an idea how much more cooling I have to add to get it to pass. If it keeps cool I can extend the experiment to the failure point without having to open the box to check.

Recording both temperatures will give me the outside temperature and the continuous differential. I could run a test on my guess of expected outside temps and also on the worst case.

Does anyone have a good idea for something with the same heat retention characteristics to take the place of a pound or two of expensive chocolate? I plan on freezing the chocolates along with the gel pack to extend the shipping time so I would like something that acts like chocolate without the cost.

Why not get some Russell Stover, cheap enough. The quality of chcolate should not affect the experiment.

Mark

www.roseconfections.com

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I did some experimentation last year in the hot garage. I'll link to it here.

Never did get around to the dry ice experiments.

I sent some chocolates to Germany 2 weeks ago, I didn't bother to put any ice packs in, because the delivery time is 10 to 14 days. I haven't heard if they made it or what condition they were in yet. It was really an experiment to see what would happen.

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I sent some chocolates to Germany 2 weeks ago, I didn't bother to put any ice packs in, because the delivery time is 10 to 14 days.  I haven't heard if they made it or what condition they were in yet.  It was really an experiment to see what would happen.

A couple of months ago I sent some chocolates to Germany via USPS International Priority which, as I recall, was supposed to take about 5 days (6-10 according to the web site). In reality, not to be confused with info on their web site, it took about 17 days. Caveat Emptor.

John DePaula
formerly of DePaula Confections
Hand-crafted artisanal chocolates & gourmet confections - …Because Pleasure Matters…
--------------------
When asked “What are the secrets of good cooking? Escoffier replied, “There are three: butter, butter and butter.”

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I sent some chocolates to Germany 2 weeks ago, I didn't bother to put any ice packs in, because the delivery time is 10 to 14 days.  I haven't heard if they made it or what condition they were in yet.  It was really an experiment to see what would happen.

A couple of months ago I sent some chocolates to Germany via USPS International Priority which, as I recall, was supposed to take about 5 days (6-10 according to the web site). In reality, not to be confused with info on their web site, it took about 17 days. Caveat Emptor.

Is International Priority one of the services where you get your money back if they fail to meet their standards? It seems everytime I ask the post office that (after it takes way too long for something to arrive) they somehow wiggle out of it. Only time I've ever got money back from the post office was when a package never arrived. (In retrospect it probably got lifted by US customs due to the mysterious white powder in bags - baby formula)

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John,

I sent a package to London a couple of years ago. I alos used USPS priority and it took just under 3 WEEKS. So much for preservative free, fresh chocolates!

No refund from the Postal Service either.

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I sent some chocolates to Germany 2 weeks ago, I didn't bother to put any ice packs in, because the delivery time is 10 to 14 days.  I haven't heard if they made it or what condition they were in yet.  It was really an experiment to see what would happen.

A couple of months ago I sent some chocolates to Germany via USPS International Priority which, as I recall, was supposed to take about 5 days (6-10 according to the web site). In reality, not to be confused with info on their web site, it took about 17 days. Caveat Emptor.

Is International Priority one of the services where you get your money back if they fail to meet their standards? It seems everytime I ask the post office that (after it takes way too long for something to arrive) they somehow wiggle out of it. Only time I've ever got money back from the post office was when a package never arrived. (In retrospect it probably got lifted by US customs due to the mysterious white powder in bags - baby formula)

:laugh::laugh::laugh: Are you kidding??? There are no guarantees with USPS. Even their 'Express' overnight (to most locations) mail takes 2-3 days to reach rural locations. Still, it's about all one can reasonably afford since UPS / FedEx et. al. cost me about twice as much, but if you absolutely positively have to have it there on time...

John DePaula
formerly of DePaula Confections
Hand-crafted artisanal chocolates & gourmet confections - …Because Pleasure Matters…
--------------------
When asked “What are the secrets of good cooking? Escoffier replied, “There are three: butter, butter and butter.”

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The chocolates I shipped to Germany arrived after about 3 weeks. Apparently it was 30 degrees C there when they arrived and the post office was not air conditioned.

The chocolates were fine!!! Don't know the chances that it would happen again, but it was interesting to see.

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  • 4 months later...

I've recently started my Artisan chocolate company and have local wholesale accounts and some national ones. For the first few months I've been paying the shipping and then billing the client. I'm curious how others handle shipping to wholesale clients. Do you normally bill the shipping in addition to the product cost or combine both items into one cost? Thanks for any help. This is for wholesale accounts only....retail will pay the shipping.

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I've recently started my Artisan chocolate company and have local wholesale accounts and some national ones.  For the first few months I've been paying the shipping and then billing the client.  I'm curious how others handle shipping to wholesale clients.  Do you normally bill the shipping in addition to the product cost or combine both items into one cost?  Thanks for any help.  This is for wholesale accounts only....retail will pay the shipping.

Hello!

I would try to get their fedex # or something, so that it becomes very clear cut. I wouldn't merge the costs together, but keep them apart, at least that is what we are thinking about doing. I think that having to cover the shipping, isn't fair, since they are probably paying you net 30 or 45....

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  • 1 year later...

We are getting a few orders that need to be shipped. In the cooler months, this isn't a problem, but summer is fast heating up. I have cold packs and require 2 day shipping at the most. I am looking for an inexpensive insulated shipping carton. Anyone have a good, cheap idea? I have Googled, but $7 is about the cheapest I have found, and that is still too much.

Ruth Kendrick

Chocolot
Artisan Chocolates and Toffees
www.chocolot.com

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We are getting a few orders that need to be shipped.  In the cooler months, this isn't a problem, but summer is fast heating up.  I have cold packs and require 2 day shipping at the most.  I am looking for an inexpensive insulated shipping carton.  Anyone have a good, cheap idea?  I have Googled, but $7 is about the cheapest I have found, and that is still too much.

I suggest you contact Clay Gordon at claygordon@thechocolatelife.com. Let him know I sent you and he'll have some good suggestions.

Jeff

Jeffrey Stern

www.jeffreygstern.com

http://bit.ly/cKwUL4

http://destination-ecuador.net

cocoapodman at gmail dot com

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