eBirdseed.com Wild Bird Feeding Blog

As you all know, the costs of gas and diesel are simply going insane. In fact, the national average of diesel hovers around the $5.00/gallon mark. Well, we've certainly discussed this cost stuff before ("Buy in Bulk at eBirdseed.com", "Spring Cleanup, etc.", and "How to Afford Birdseed and Stay Warm Too, Parts 1" and 2). Obviously, it's outrageously expensive to grow/ship/store anything today, and the situation is only getting worse... Consider one of our special items below...

That's $97.42 delivered for 60 pounds of Nyjer, on sale, 5/12/08. And right now the cost of crude oil is $120/barrel USD... What happens when crude hits $150 or $200? What happens when diesel costs $7.50/gallon or $10.00/gallon? Until Americans are willing to tap their own natural resources (and build more oil refineries), the cost is going to continue to go up. (By way of explanation, look at China alone... The Chinese GDP climbs at a bewildering 12% - that equates to an ever-growing thirst for oil... And in a world where all of the "easy oil" has been consumed, the cost of petrol products is going to skyrocket.)

Look... We've got to get our act together ASAP... We're getting hammered by OPEC et al... (Oh, if this site wasn't rated "G"...) Onward! We've got to find a cheaper way to deliver seed to you folks. Truth be told, when I was hired by eBirdseed.com, lowering seed-delivery costs was a priority, and that priority certainly hasn't diminished one bit. And after a ton of research, the only solution I can find is the one that was obvious in the first place - that of bulk shipping. So here's the deal... We can cut seed delivery costs by shipping in bulk. But we're talking about 1,000 lbs or more... A few thoughts...

• We can do nothing, and eBirdseed.com will continue to do its very best to fend off the rises in prices for birdseed. Note: We're only human!
• We can simply feed the birds less, (or stop feeding them entirely) and let them suffer the consequences. (Personally, I think this is an awful idea seeing how humankind has gone to such extraordinary lengths to foul up the very environment that birds need to survive.)
• We can actually get together with our neighbors and local community, and buy in bulk. But how would that work? Well, one solution might be that we create a forum or message board. (Here's an example of a boat-building forum: Instant Boats Message Board.) We could use our message board to let friends, neighbors, relatives, co-workers, fellow birders, etc. communicate and congregate. These sorts of forums are surprisingly effective. (Just check out your local "FreeCycle" site and watch the action.) Once enough people local to your area are involved, a large cheap purchase can be made, and someone with a rodent-proof shed or garage can act as the "Seed Purser".

Waiting by the "Comment" button and the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

References

eBirdseed.com bird cam