Out of all my tortoises, I have had I think 13 of them shipped to me. Where I live, if it wasn't for shipping, I just plain and simple wouldn't be able to have them. There isn't a petstore for 50 miles, and they don't carry tortoises. Other than Kevin, I don't even know of anyone that breeds them, and he is a LONG ways away from me.
I would prefer to hand pick them all, but I just don't have that luxury. And it does stink that I am limited on some of the things I can get because people won't ship. Tortoises are shipped all the time and do just fine. I hear very very few horror stories that come from the actual shipping itself. Most of the bad experiences people have are because of what Jacqui said - you get the tortoise and it is sick or not as described. That in itself has absolutely nothing to do with the shipping itself, but the integrity of the seller.
I think the pros of shipping outweigh the cons. However, it is up to each person to decide what is best for their business. For me personally, I will never buy an Aldabra from you, not because they aren't great tortoises at a great price, which they are, but because I would have to literally drive almost 2,000 miles round trip. It would be cheaper for me to pay a higher purchase price plus $50 shipping to someone else. That isn't meant as any sort of insult, it just is what it is.
If I end up down there for some other reason, because I do have family there, that would be another story, but I haven't been there in 15 years, so it really isn't likely.
I would prefer to hand pick them all, but I just don't have that luxury. And it does stink that I am limited on some of the things I can get because people won't ship. Tortoises are shipped all the time and do just fine. I hear very very few horror stories that come from the actual shipping itself. Most of the bad experiences people have are because of what Jacqui said - you get the tortoise and it is sick or not as described. That in itself has absolutely nothing to do with the shipping itself, but the integrity of the seller.
I think the pros of shipping outweigh the cons. However, it is up to each person to decide what is best for their business. For me personally, I will never buy an Aldabra from you, not because they aren't great tortoises at a great price, which they are, but because I would have to literally drive almost 2,000 miles round trip. It would be cheaper for me to pay a higher purchase price plus $50 shipping to someone else. That isn't meant as any sort of insult, it just is what it is.
If I end up down there for some other reason, because I do have family there, that would be another story, but I haven't been there in 15 years, so it really isn't likely.