174 replies to this topic

[William. T]

Any sneak peeks or demonstrations at the nano nests? I can't access your dive, for some reason.

[drtrmiller]

Not sure what problems you're having with the public file directory.

 

I'll show off the design when it's a bit further along.

Edited by drtrmiller, June 13 2015 - 10:59 PM.

[drtrmiller]

I'm announcing a new "Camel" beige housing color, with themes available for shipping.  It's a natural, off-white housing, that is a good compromise between white and grey.

 

 

Camel, Desert Theme - Buy Now on Amazon.com

 

 

Camel, Woodlands Theme - Buy Now on Amazon.com

Edited by drtrmiller, June 18 2015 - 11:59 AM.

[Ants4fun]

Awesome $35! Definitely going to be buying some soon. Do you plan on offering lone nests on amazon for a while?

[drtrmiller]

Yes.  The nests, foraging areas, and compatible accessories will be offered separately on Amazon.com for the forseeable future.

 

Partnership with Amazon Details:

 

 

byFormica is transitioning away from merchant-fulfilled goods to Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA)

• For customers within the United States
  • For items fulfilled by Amazon, Amazon will ship the products to the customer and also handle any customer service questions and returns
  • Items fulfilled by Amazon are also eligible for free 2-day delivery for Prime customers
  • Orders $35.00 or more are eligible for free standard shipping for everyone else
  • A new Amazon "Small and Light" program offers all customers free shipping with no minimum purchase for small and light products, typically priced under $10, which is perfect for fulfilling small replacement parts orders, accessories, and more
  • Amazon now offers free exchanges/replacements for FBA products that arrive damaged or defective, which was previously only available for products sold by Amazon.com
• For customers outside the United States
  • Amazon offers fast and competitively-priced international shipping options
  • byFormica is partnering with UPS to export goods to Amazon in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands, where customers will enjoy inexpensive or free shipping on goods that arrive in days, not weeks
  • Local customer service and easy returns and replacements

Edited by drtrmiller, June 18 2015 - 1:46 PM.

[Lamarr]

I would like to buy one of these from Amazon since the price is very reasonable and no annoying shipping costs. It seems like a worthwhile purchase.

Is it still possible to buy custom ordered (aesthetic stuff) GroTube XL from Amazon? Also, is the GroTube XL sold on the Amazon the latest model (same as one on ByFormica website)?

 

I tried to look for further information but I couldn't find one, is the glass or acrylic on GroTube XL removable for easy cleaning of the nest?

Edited by Lamarr, June 23 2015 - 10:46 PM.

[drtrmiller]

Yes, they are the exact same.  The handmade interior themes are pre-installed in each one, and they come ready to use.  It is the latest model, version 2.1.

 

Some units are available with free Prime 2-day shipping from Amazon, just look for the Prime badge.  More colors were checked in to Amazon's fulfillment center today, and all should be eligible for Prime soon.

 

When the GlassBox foraging areas have been manufactured, you'll be able to buy those on Amazon with Prime shipping, as well.  I'm doing what I can to get the cost lower—but we'll have to wait until after they've been manufactured for me to know whether that is possible.

 

If I can't find a way to decrease the cost and the prices stay the same, here is the expected price list:

 

Price List: 

Hardware kit (to build your own with your 3D printer): $10.00

Nano Nest: $10.00

Standard Nest: $35.00

Small (3 inch) Foraging Area: $40.00

Medium (5 inch) Foraging Area: $55.00

Large (8 inch) Foraging Area: $105.00

Extra Large (12 inch) Foraging Area: $145.00

[Lamarr]

Thanks for the fast response.
 

Is Nano nest the petri dish type nest? Will it also be on the Amazon?

 

Also, I edited this part into the last reply

 

I tried to look for further information but I couldn't find one, is the glass or acrylic on GroTube XL removable for easy cleaning of the nest?

Edited by Lamarr, June 23 2015 - 10:56 PM.

[drtrmiller]

The Nano will be a tiny, tiny thing, with the same holes as the Standard, so it connects to the GlassBox foraging areas.  It is expected to have a 20% capacity compared to the Standard Nest—just enough for a queen and a few nanitics.  The hydration system is more "set it and forget it," as well, similar to a test tube.

 

I can't really get Nano finished until these boxes are manufactured and everything is on Amazon so I can focus on more research projects.

 

Eventually all these nests and everything will tie into the official GlassBox ecosystem, and there will be higher capacity nests that can be connected together seamlessly—but all those new products are quite far into the future—6-12 months from now.

Edited by drtrmiller, June 23 2015 - 11:01 PM.

[Barristan]

Hi,

 

The world's first double lid allows Fluon to be placed on the lower, open lid, while the upper lid acts as an optional physical barrier.

I don't think that it's the world's first formicarium with that lid design. Some ant keepers have built glass formicarium with this type of lid design since years. Also a large european ant trader has this type of Arenas in his offering for years. First he just glued a glass frame on top of a regular glass tank now he sells them as separate lids.

[drtrmiller]

I think you may be confusing "world's first" made with "world's first" distributed, the latter of which was my intent. This is the first internationally distributed product of its kind. I don't doubt that someone, somewhere, has had the same great idea—but they didn't make that idea accessible to an audience of over 1 billion people, did they?

 

When everything is finished, stock will be held in U.S., Canada, U.K., Germany, Italy, France, Spain, and the Netherlands, and shipped to dozens of countries worldwide.

Edited by drtrmiller, June 24 2015 - 10:54 AM.

[Barristan]

That's correct you can only buy these formicariums within Europe. So I misunderstood this sentence and I'm sorry for that.

[Lamarr]

Is the EcoNest section in the public file directory Nano Nests in development?

[drtrmiller]

Yes, but there is a lot of work still to be done.  There is no guarantee the files in that directory will be the final product.

[PTAntFan]

Hi Terry,

 

Thought I'd share some feedback on the Amazon relationship.

1. Today I ordered a GroTube XL and asked for delivery tomorrow in exchange for $3.99.  Amazon took the money and sent me an email saying it would be delivered Monday.  I got on chat support to ask what was going on and got poor answers, but ultimately they refunded the $3.99.  So, the feedback is that I have never had this happen with any other vendor in all the time I've been a Prime subscriber since its inception.
2. On the reviews for the GroTube XL, multiple people highlight that the package comes with the GlassBox Arena.  I'm not sure how you want to address that, but I can see new customers ordering, not getting the GlassBox, then finding out how much GlassBox costs and then being a bit dissatisfied.

[drtrmiller]

 

Amazon Seller Central has been down for the past few hours.  I can't even log into my account right now to see any orders.

 

Amazon handles all FBA orders.  My relationship with Amazon is no different than any other seller, and as you know, most transactions go smoothly.  I know other customers have ordered with one-day shipping in the past few days and received the items the next day.  Any customer service issues with Amazon are handled by contacting Amazon.  The reason I use Amazon is because they are the most customer-centric company—they will always treat you right.  And if they don't, just let me know, and I'll do what I can to resolve the issue.

 

 

I'll tell you what I think is happening—Amazon usually uses the US Postal Service for Saturday and Sunday delivery for items going across the country.  The item you ordered is probably in Baltimore, MD, and they are probably unable to ship it today.  Since Amazon's fulfillment network can't get from MD to CA in one day, they'll use UPS to ship the order via Next Day Air Saver, which will arrive on Monday.  When you order on Amazon, you will see the estimated or guaranteed commitment date on the checkout page—One Day Shipping is the shipping method Amazon uses—not necessarily the commitment time.  Amazon will ship with One Day Shipping on Friday, but UPS won't deliver until Monday.  A few GroTubes ship from California—and so those may have been eligible for earlier delivery.  Without access to my seller account, it's difficult to know what inventory is in what fulfillment center.

 

Really, Amazon should eliminate the "One-Day" and "Two-Day" shipping labels and just use "Get it by [Date]," if they want to eliminate shipping time confusion for customers.

 

With regard to your second point, the reviews you see are likely for earlier products in the same GroTube family.  The item title is "GroTube XL Formicarium for Ants (nest only)," and the pictures only show the nest.  When the GlassBox Arena is available, it will have its own product page.  And to be clear, one thing I'm working on right now is decreasing the cost of the boxes.  IF successful (big "if"), I'll refund the difference to all the customers who have already reserved theirs.  I'm doing what I can to make the product as affordable and accessible as possible—there are just many things to consider with a custom, high-quality product like this.

Edited by drtrmiller, June 25 2015 - 1:47 PM.

[Herdo]

Hey drtmiller.  What is the diameter of the smaller nest entrance hole?  I believe you said the bigger hole is 1/2 correct?

[drtrmiller]

5 mm.

[Herdo]

Hey thanks for the fast reply.  I didn't even realize you had replied.

Edited by Herdo, June 26 2015 - 10:00 AM.

[drtrmiller]

Yes, it's kind of a non-standard size.  One is .5 inch, the other is 5 mm.  In a future version months or so from now, I may make the smaller hole bigger, like 1/4 inch.