VermiCo
PO Box 2334
VermiCo seeks reputable earthworm growers willing to drop-ship Eisenia
fetida redworms to VermiCo's customers. Growers do not send worms to
VermiCo in Oregon. Rather, VermiCo will email selected growers, on an as-needed
basis, and pay for worms and shipping. Growers usually ship worms within
their own states, or to nearby states. This saves on transportation costs
and delivery time. Please read through this entire Policy Statement.
It explains in detail all aspects of our policy.
Once you have read through the entire Statement, you will know exactly
how to proceed. When you, as a grower, are ready to ship worms, simply notify VermiCo.
[Instructions for contacting us and shipping one pound of worms for our
inspection are explained below.] We have as our first obligation, to buy
worms from those we have started in the business.
[We also give preference to growers who buy our videos and books at
wholesale to sell them to their customers at retail.
More about this below.] However, we also regularly place orders
with growers we have not started. We offer a wholesale price of $5.00 per
pound and we pay for shipping to our customers. Orders are filled on an
as-needed basis. When we get an order from our customer, we will ask a
worm grower to ship worms (we try to provide as much lead lime as possible).
There are no contracts, obligations, or guarantees in terms of how much we will
buy over a month or year. VermiCo and its growers are all independent
parties, free to do business with anyone, and all parties are free to sell worms
at prices they determine. Thus, in our experience, we have found that many
growers are able to earn more than $5.00 per pound by selling their worms
locally. They create their own retail businesses. VermiCo offers to
pay $5.00 per pound to new and established growers who may be uncertain about
where or how they would sell their worms. Our international exposure along
with our continuous advertising and marketing efforts have led to a steadily
increasing customer base. New growers, who may have limited exposure, may
wish to partner with VermiCo in helping us fill orders. Responsibilities of Growers Once you notify VermiCo that you would like to be added to our GROWERS LIST, and
when you have been officially approved, we will begin by asking you to ship
small orders, perhaps of 1 or 2 pounds. You, as the worm shipper, must do
the following: Guarantee live delivery of worms to our customer; Make sure
that the total weight of the box is not more than double the weight of the live
earthworms; Make sure that the weight of worms shipped is the full weight
ordered (or slightly more), but not less. Also, you must put VermiCo as
the shipper (so customers who have ordered know what the shipment is.
Customers are expecting worms from VermiCo; this allows us to verify the order).
Worm shippers are asked to ship early in the week (Monday or Tuesday) to ensure
that the delivery is received by Thursday or Friday. Precautions also need
to be taken for extreme weather conditions, like extreme heat or cold. Again all
worm shippers are responsible for guaranteeing live delivery of worms to our
customers and shippers will be paid on this basis. VermiCo will verify that the customer received worms in live condition and
that the customer is satisfied with the weight and condition. VermiCo will
send a check for the worms and shipping (priority or ups ground) costs to the worm grower. VermiCo
is able to determine accurate shipping costs since we know the zip codes and
exact weight of the order. We expect the growers to use reasonable
judgment in shipping. The Post Office provides priority boxes free of charge that
ship well when a pound of worms is put inside a brown paper lunch sack and
stapled on top and inserted in the priority box.
We never recommend shipping more than 20#s of worms in one box..
(Soggy bedding in worm shipments leads to broken boxes, and adds excess weight
which means excessive shipping costs.) Trust Relationship It is important for both parties to realize that a trust relationship is
being established. VermiCo trusts the worm grower to satisfy VermiCo's
customer with a timely, satisfactory order. We also insist that the
customer is to remain VermiCo's customer, and we trust the worm grower NOT to
undersell to our customers or make any direct contact with them regarding any
products. This would violate the terms of our agreement. The worm
grower trusts that VermiCo will pay the grower for the worms and shipping, as
agreed. It is believed that this relationship is best built slowly, over
the course of time, with small orders proceeding up to large orders. Neither
party would feel comfortable with a very large order at the beginning. As
we see that our customers are receiving their orders, and as the worm grower
finds that they are receiving full payment for their efforts, the amount of
business for both parties may accelerate, but always depending upon demand. Getting Started [For Brand New Growers] How does it work? Those considering entering the worm-growing business
most often ask, "If I grow all these worms, where will I sell them?
Who's going to buy my worms? There are many possible answers to these
questions. VermiCo offers the following: Start With Knowledge We believe that knowledge is the most important asset for beginning a new
business. The book, Commercial Vermiculture was written in
order to answer questions about How To Build a Thriving Business in Redworms.
This book typically answers about 95% of questions about worm reproduction,
feedstocks, monitoring key process variables, packaging, shipping, worm
castings, marketing, and much more. Additionally, the bi-monthly newsletter Casting Call keeps
readers informed about what's going on in the world of vermiculture.
Interviews with experienced and knowledgeable worm growers, reports on books,
articles and conferences, as well as other important information about
composting, soil fertility and organic waste is presented every 60 days.
VermiCo strongly advises these two resources as a minimum for anyone considering
going into the business of worm growing. We offer many other fine books,
videos, CD Roms, seminars, and other products to expand one's knowledge even
further. But gaining knowledge of the entire process and continuing to stay
informed of developments is the best place to start. Your Comfort Level Secondly, we believe new growers should begin within their own comfort level.
Some want to begin raising a few pounds of worms slowly; others, who are
confident and want to grow quickly, may begin with a larger inventory of worms,
in the hope of selling them sooner. Multiplying Your Inventory Only each grower can decide at what point he/she wants to sell worms.
If you start with 20 pounds and they double in 3-4 months, will you begin
selling then, or do you wait for your 40 pounds to become 80? Do you want
the 80 pounds to double again to 160? The point is this: Once you
begin selling from your inventory, the rate of worm production begins to
decrease, because you are slowing the "doubling" process. Questions for You to Answer A frequently asked question is "I want to sell ___lbs. per month.
Will you buy them? Before asking this question, the new grower needs to
answer several questions. Where will you obtain feedstocks? As you
begin to sell worms, what is happening to your inventory? Will you be able
to sustain the growth rate you project? Will you have the volume of
feedstocks to supply to your worms? Will you have the harvesting capacity?
We have found that many potential worm growers make projections based upon
exaggerated claims made by others. Hopes are built up that millions of
worms will be quickly produced which leads to the (anxious) question, "If
I'm producing millions of worms every month, who will buy them?" What
is important to realize is that there are many factors involved. Worm
reproductivity rates are based on many variables, and optimum growth occurs
under optimum conditions. There are some worm growers who have found that demand
exceeds available supply (VermiCo has discovered that; we are not able to keep
up with the demand, and thus, use other worm growers to help us fill orders).
The marketplace is very wide and this industry is still in its infancy.
Markets include: Home vermicomposters who want to process kitchen scraps into
earthworm castings for their gardens; school programs (vermicomposting cafeteria
waste, in-class projects); processing institutional organic waste (military
bases, hospitals, prisons, etc.); and commercial vermiculture and
vermicomposting facilities. A large vermicomposting facility, processing
several tons of organic material a day, also produces castings in quantities
sold to soil blenders. Since they have contractual demands to supply
regular amounts of castings, frequent harvesting from worm beds results in a
loss of cocoons and juvenile worms. This means that large vermicomposting
sites do not achieve worm reproduction; their worm populations tend to remain
fairly steady. In order to start a large vermicomposting facility, tens of
thousands of pounds of worms are needed. Typically, vermiculture (worm
raising) farms cannot supply this demand. VermiCo, through its network of
growers, intends to position itself to meet what is expected to be a large
future demand for earthworms. Vermiculture, although it has been around in this country for a few
generations, has its brightest future in vermicomposting, that is, in processing
tons of organic material (waste management) and in the production of a
high-grade soil amendment (vermicompost, or worm castings). While the
technology exists, the industry is still so much in its infancy that there is
room for many to participate. We fully expect the demand to continue for a
long time to come, but we have not been blessed with a "crystal ball"
in order to "guarantee" anyone's success. VermiCo Does Not Offer Buy-Back Contracts Unfortunately, there are a few unscrupulous folks who supply misinformation,
false claims and exaggerations. VermiCo is often left in the position of
explaining what the reality is. For some, this means their "bubble
has burst." Others appreciate that we take the time to "tell it
like it is." VermiCo exists to help provide up-to-date, accurate
information about vermiculture and vermicomposting. We provide Eisenia
fetida earthworms, tools, and other products and services. In building
an independent network of growers, who are free to build their own businesses,
we offer an opportunity for growers to drop-ship to our customers. As a policy, we've chosen not to do
business according to the "contract" model, and we have not seen
"buy-back contracts" work to the advantage of the worm grower.
In fact, over the decades, there are more instances of failure and investors
losing money than there are instances of success. We have published a
number of stories about buy-back schemes in our subscription newsletter, Casting
Call. ("Pennsylvania Stops
Sales of Worm Buy-Back Contracts," in June 2001, p. 8; "Washington
Orders Vermiculture Business to Cease & Desist," in October, 2001, pp.
1-3; and "Ecology Farms: Multi-Million Dollar Worm Investment Scam Ends in
Bankruptcy," in December, 2000, pp1-5, 8.) "Ecology Farms: Multi-Million Dollar Worm Investment Scam Ends in Bankruptcy," is an extensive article that appears in the December, 2000 issue of Casting Call, our bi-monthly subscription newsletter. [This back issue appears in the set of back issues Vols I-V that are available on our website http://www.vermico.com] The high-profile southern California company sold buy-back contracts and bilked 250 investors of $8.5 million over a five-year period. The company principals took the money and ran. Whatever was left was sold through a bankruptcy proceeding. The pain of financial loss incurred by hundreds of investors who have been involved in this company and others like it, however, still lingers. We do not use contracts for the following reasons: 1. Many have used contracts as an inducement to get into the business.
By selling you a "guarantee" (with a lot of fine print and conditions
that may soon make the guarantee worthless) to "buy-back" worms, you
are required to put money up-front for this "service," which is
usually bogus. The contract can be determined to be null and void by the
buyer and the novice grower loses money. VermiCo steadfastly refuses to
use contracts so that we may not be associated with businesses of this nature. 2. Contracts imply a futures agreement (that is, a certain quantity of
earthworms will be ready for sale at a future date). Agreements of this
kind may be considered securities agreements and may need to be registered with
the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Lack of compliance may be an
illegal activity. 3. Contracts are a two-way street, obligating both parties. A new
grower may want a "contract" to have the security of a steady
marketplace. But a new grower may not be able to fulfill the terms of the
contract. Why would a buyer offer a contract to a new grower? (The new
grower has no experience, little knowledge, and may not have the resources to
cover his end of the contract.) If the new grower does not make good on
his end of the contract, but the worm buyer is counting on consistent
production, what is the penalty? If the worm buyer does not buy the worms
from new grower, what is the penalty? Who is going to enforce the terms of
the contract? Who is going to pay for the litigation? Why would two
parties, complete strangers to each other, put this much faith in each other and
call it a contract? Who is going to pay for the expense of drawing up this
"contract" in legal terms, acceptable to both parties? But the
main question is, "Why would any kind of contract be extended to a novice
grower, unless there was an amount the novice grower had to forfeit and that was
paid up front?" This would mean that the novice grower was putting
all his/her faith in the worm buyer. 4. The
states of Washington and Pennsylvania have issued cease and desist orders to
some contract sellers. http://www.dfi.wa.gov/sd/SDO-10-00.pdf VermiCo steadfastly refuses to engage in contracts because they have been
consistently misused over the years and have given the vermiculture industry a
"black eye." By refraining from these practices, we maintain
that it is better to build a slow, trusting relationship over the course of
time, where it provides a "win-win" outcome. For better or
worse, this is the way we have chosen to do business. We welcome the
opportunity to work with new associates and to add them to our list of
responsible worm growers. We stress that individuals should do all they
possibly can to educate themselves before they lay out hundreds and thousands of
their hard-earned dollars. For this reason, we've tried to make available
useful information in the form of books, videos, a subscription newsletter, CD-Roms,
and seminars. Our 2-day seminar, "Best Management Practices in
Vermicomposting," features a 420-page manual and numerous guest speakers.
It will be held this October in Portland Oregon. In October 2002, over 100
persons attended, many who wanted to do their "homework" before
deciding on investing in a buy-back contract.
In addition, many persons attended this seminar who were already involved
with a contract sales company. In their written evaluations they expressed high
praise for the information gained and valuable contacts made at the seminar. Frequently
Asked Questions &
Answers from Our Email: Question:
I am interested in obtaining additional information regarding Vermiculture as a
full time business, not as a backyard hobby. Referencing the information from
the internet regarding "Frequently Asked Questions" the statement,
"An unfortunate part of the expanding worm industry is the tendency of some
to hyperinflate economic expectations based upon exaggerated forecasts of both
worm reproductivity and the marketplace."
What is realistic? Is there
a potential to develop a business to generate income in excess of $100,000
annually? Yes.
We have achieved this level within three years and each year's sales have
increased over the previous year. However,
our success is not necessarily a guarantee of another's predicted success.
There are too many variables involved to try to predict how successful
one might become. There are many
individuals out there engaging in a wide variety of businesses relating to
vermiculture: publishing, retail sales of various products, earthworm growing
(vermiculture); production and sales of castings, etc.
Some are engaged in waste management.
Others focus on soil fertility. Question:
What are the start up costs, fixed costs, variable costs and how long will it
take to develop a thriving business to this level?
It is
impossible to answer your question adequately in a single email.
This is why we produce literature, newsletters, videos, and workshops: To provide information.
Our most popular selling book is titled Commercial Vermiculture: How
to Build a Thriving Business in Redworms.
Other informative material is found in the seven years of back issues of
our subscription newsletter Casting Call (42 back issues--1996-2003)--we also
have subscriptions-- and in the book: In Their Own Words: Interviews with
Vermiculture Experts. A helpful
video is #803 Wine Country Worms
with Jack Chambers, a commercial airline pilot who began a worm farm in Sonoma
California. Our October 10-11 Best
Management Practices in Vermicomposting Seminar will be held in Portland
Oregon. The 420+ page manual is
included with the seminar and is also available for sale to those who cannot
attend. Every experience is unique. Some
start on a shoestring. Others
invest hundreds of dollars. Still
others invest thousands. Some have
equipment on hand or can get it cheaply. Some build their own (bins, harvesters,
etc.) Others buy brand new stuff.
Some begin to sell their products right away.
With others it takes more time. For
every person we know, the experience is different.
There is no formula, but there are principles, guidelines, suggestions,
helpful hints, examples of success, examples of failure, stories, experiences,
lessons, advice, etc. These are
found in the products mentioned above. [Note:
We have a special turn-key program called QuickStart that
provides individuals with everything they need to start an Internet e-commerce
business. We provide all our
resources, such as contact information, etc.
We provide you with a website, catalog, newsletter, video and selected
products. We personally train you
and get you started with a merchant account so you can take credit card orders
from your own website sales. This
is "like a franchise" only you are totally independent and pay no
additional fees after the training program.
You obtain the benefit of our knowledge gained in the past seven years
and buy products wholesale from the same suppliers we do.
You may read about their experience on our web-page.
By the way, the price of this program will go up soon.
If you haven't already, and are interested in finding out more, check out
the QuickStart program on our website.] Question:
How does QuickStart differ from running a worm farm? Quick
Start
is something totally different from growing and selling worms. Hopefully, as you read the material we've posted on our
website, you can see that the Quick Start program means that you
can become equipped to do the things that VermiCo does. A Quick Start trainee will have his/her own
website, a merchant account (to accept credit cards) a catalog, inventory of
products and other features of an internet/catalog sales business.
You may even wish to "broker" worms by using associate growers
such as we do. After being in business for more than seven years, we offer
the experience and training to sell the books, videos, tools, bins, worms, and
other products and services that we do. In
effect, we are training Quick Start individuals to run an
independent, retail sales business like our own. That's why there is a considerable cost to this training
program. You are trained and
assisted to be "up and running" within a matter of a few weeks.
You become the beneficiary of knowledge that took us several years to
acquire. But Quick Start
is not the same thing as running a worm farm.
In fact, you never have to touch an earthworm, if you don't want to.
We strongly recommend that you do, in order to gain the necessary
experience, but it is conceivable that someone may operate a retail business
selling earthworm products and never physically come into contact with worms.
I only state this fact so that you can see that Quick Start
is not the same as operating a worm farm, in which case you would handle
earthworms, feedstock and castings daily. Much of the
material is presented to you in written form, so the time it takes depends on
you. After you've had time to
review the training manual, we cover everything else needed in one day of
training. Then, after this day of
training, there are other things for you to implement on your own.
We believe that it is possible to be fully functional in 2-4 weeks time,
taking orders from those who find your website and shipping product to your new
customers. The program training is
something we take responsibility for. But
the implementation of the training is something for which you must take
responsibility. It's a two-way street. But
ultimately, the rate of success will depend on how much one plans to devote to
building his or her business. We
provide everything we can think of to help get you started.
What you decide to do with that knowledge depends upon you.
We don't hold anything back. We're
available even after the "formal" training for questions. We don't just cut you loose and pat you on the back.
But you don't have to feel that someone is looking over your shoulder to
micromanage your business either. We
give you total freedom to run your own business as you see fit.
Q Actually,
the price will be going up soon. You
have to put it in perspective of other programs.
You could spend an enormous amount of money on various kinds of
franchises, and you would be forced to buy all your products from the franchisor.
The franchisor continues to make money on franchisees who have paid a lot
of money to get into the program. We
simply turn you over directly to the manufacturers of the products we sell.
You don't have to follow lock-step with our program as you would a
franchisor's program, yet you get the training of doing our business.
We have been in business for seven years and are
communicating the totality of what we have learned in that period so that the
trainee may know every aspect of our business and what has made us successful. The trainee will be equipped, in a relatively short period of
time, and will learn what has taken us years to learn, by trial and error.
We've made mistakes along the way and have made some good moves.
There is a considerable body of knowledge we have built up over time that
has brought us success. Our
business continues to grow every year, but each year we find that we have more
time and resources to pursue a wider variety of leisure interests.
We are being rewarded for the kind of business we have created.
This is a business that has become very dear to us.
We are not eager to make competitors.
By setting up someone to be just like us, by divulging all the details of
our business, we are, to a certain extent, allowing someone else to learn about
what we have become, and to even exceed our own success.
We're actually risking our own uniqueness, because we currently dominate
the field. I don't think you'll
find many businesses out there who will show you, step by step, how they have
succeeded and what mistakes to avoid. They
certainly wouldn't do this for free. I
think you would have to agree there must be some "price" for this body
of information. What a fair price
would be is certainly subject for discussion.
In our estimation, the price is considerably less than it cost us to
obtain that kind of knowledge. Plus,
we are creating a potential competitor, and one who can even exceed our success.
After evaluating the amount of content [and, by the way, products] that
are included in QuickStart, we will be raising the fee sometime in
the future. The plan, actually, is
to raise the fee after each trainee has taken the program.
This serves to increase the value of the program to the ones who have
already taken it. Question:
Before purchasing instructional information, I really would appreciate more
insight into the financial and investment expense before pursuing this any
further. I can
appreciate your concerns. Considerable
time, energy and money have been invested by us to produce newsletters, books,
videos, manuals and seminars. The
cost to produce just one copy of any product is far beyond what anyone
has ever paid for it. You might
think of a newspaper as an example: The
expense of putting together the information found in a 50-cent newspaper is
astronomical. We take for granted
the fact that information is expensive to put together but cheap to buy in a
packaged format. From our point of
view, we provide maximum value for the dollar spent.
I hope that after you have investigated the opportunities, you become
involved in vermicomposting! Question:
How many worms do you need to make a certain level of income? Earthworms
alone are not the complete story. Some
have focused so much on buying and selling earthworms that they have distorted
the larger picture. There is the
waste management side to this industry as well as the soil fertility side.
Then there are numerous peripheral items that can be sold.
In short, our own income does not depend solely on how many worms we
sell. We sell worms as one of many
commodities. The
real answer here is this: Explore the TOTALITY of this industry and then seek to
determine where you might narrow your focus.
Some raise earthworms, it's true. But
others make their living selling castings.
Some sell worm bins to individuals and through municipal sales.
There are other income-producing activities as well.
One of the keys to being successful in this industry is to expand your
focus beyond simply raising worms for re-sale. There are other related
activities that are potentially lucrative. Question:
What kind of capital expenditures are necessary to set up a large scale
operation? Where are the markets
for worms, castings, tea? These
are excellent questions, but frankly, impossible to answer in an email message.
Even if I tried to answer, the answer would be incomplete.
However, we've done some things to help form a comprehensive answer to
these important issues. First, we
offer a couple books that many have found helpful.
#100 In Their Own Words: Interviews with Vermiculture Experts, and
#101 "Commercial Vermiculture: How to Build a Thriving Business in Redworms
are two we recommend. Secondly,
there are 4 videos that show various size operations: #801 Large-Scale
Vermicomposting; #802 The Continuous Flow Reactor with Dr. Scott Subler; #903
Wine Country Worms with Jack Chambers; and #804 Food Waste Vermicomposting: The
Vermi-Organic Digester with Al Eggen. In
these books and videos, you'll get a better idea of what kinds of investment
must be made in various sizes of operations.
You'll learn more about markets for worms, castings and tea. And you'll also see some of the realities of the waste
management and soil fertility sides of our industry. We
also recommend the back issues of our subscription newsletter Casting Call
(42 issues, 1996-2003) and a current subscription.
Perhaps
the most informative tool we offer is the 2-day seminar, Best Management
Practices in Vermicomposting. The
next seminar will be held October 10-11 at the Portland Oregon Airport Shilo
Inn. We'll visit Dan Holcombe's
Continuous Flow Reactor and Organic Farm. In
addition to educators Kelly Slocum and Peter Bogdanov, our guest speakers
include Mr. Holcombe, noted author Mary Appelhof and castings expert Dr. Scott
Subler. Other speakers will be
announced in upcoming days. This will be an outstanding opportunity to meet
industry leaders and others who are either involved in projects or who are, like
you, beginning to investigate the opportunities in vermiculture. Please see click
here for details. OPPORTUNITY
TO SELL VERMICO PRODUCTS TO YOUR CUSTOMERS Here’s a chance to add profits to your
business without working any harder. Now, in addition to your existing product line, you can earn
40% or more on best-selling earthworm books and videos. Order a minimum of 10 or more copies of our books & videos listed below and take 40% off the retail price. You can sell these items at our suggested retail price or more if you wish. Our products are already being sold by Amazon.com, the world’s largest seller of books. Several worm farms in the US and Canada also re-sell our products.
¨
Four videos ($25 retail;
$15 wholesale)
Just call, email, or write us for details.
Prepayment required. Ten or
more items minimum order. We can
provide you with a camera-ready flyer for your customers—just add your own
contact information. We ship to
you, USPS media mail. AGREEMENT VermiCo is currently
purchasing redworms (Eisenia fetida) for $5.00 per pound. We are looking
for worm growers who will assist us in our drop ship program. Our first commitment in
buying redworms is to use growers who have purchased their initial inventory
from us. However, when these associates are not available, we will use the
services of other growers outside our network. VermiCo will pay $5.00 per
pound of live earthworms received by the customer, plus acceptable (priority or
ups ground) shipping
costs. The duties of our associates include: 1. Guarantee live
delivery of redworms. Shipments which are damaged, lost, or not delivered
alive are the responsibility of the shipper. 2. Earthworms are to be shipped with VermiCo's name and return address. No form of advertising, notices, or any material identifying the shipper
shall be shipped to VermiCo's customer. The customer pays VermiCo for the
merchandise and communicates directly with VermiCo. The only
responsibility of the shipper is to ship Eisenia fetida redworms.
Communication from shipper to VermiCo's customer will terminate the agreement. 3. Grower/shipper must supply earthworms, bedding, and all
packaging materials. Maximum weight
of each worm shipment may not exceed double the actual worm weight.
Shipping costs incurred by grower/shipper will be reimbursed by VermiCo
only up to double actual worm weight. Thus,
a 2-lb. worm order must weigh no more than 4 pounds, including worms, box and
bedding. If such package weighs more than double the worm weight,
grower/shipper will pay for extra shipping costs at his/her own expense. 4. VermiCo will pay $5.00 per lb. of live
earthworms received by the customer, plus actual shipping/freight paid by
shipper in accordance with VermiCo’s policy. When customer has
satisfactorily received the shipment of live earthworms and VermiCo receives the
receipt for shipping charges, VermiCo will immediately pay shipper for the worms
and freight charges. 5. VermiCo recommends US Priority Mail or UPS, depending upon
which is cheapest and weather conditions. VermiCo
can recommend which shipper to use. Earthworms should be shipped on a Monday in
order to get to the customer the same week. 6. Both shipper and
VermiCo are fully independent and may buy or sell redworms to any party for any
agreed upon price. VermiCo encourages its growers to pursue their own
retail sales. This agreement does not constitute a contract for future
delivery of any specified amount of worms. This agreement states only the
manner in which VermiCo will pay for redworms to be shipped by one of its
associate growers to one of VermiCo's customers. If you would like to be added
to our list of authorized grower associates, please fill out this form
and submit via email to VermiCo. In order to be placed on VermiCo’s list of preferred associate growers,
prospective grower/shippers must send one pound of Eisenia fetida
earthworms to VermiCo, PO Box 2334, Grants Pass, OR 97528 via US Priority Mail
(this should cost the 2# priority rate from your zone to ours).
We strongly recommend that you put this shipment in the mail on a Monday. Upon arrival, VermiCo will inspect the shipment for quality
of earthworms, accurate worm weight, and accurate postage.
Click here to view VermiCo's checklist. It is the responsibility of the grower/shipper to contact VermiCo via
email to receive an answer about the condition of the earthworm shipment.
VermiCo will not be responsible for any reimbursement of shipping costs
for this first one-pound order. The
grower must use sufficient packaging with a moisture barrier to maintain
earthworms in a moist condition inside the box, without allowing moisture to
degrade the cardboard box itself. VermiCo communicates with grower/shippers by written email correspondence
only. The reasons for this are
SPEED, ACCURACY, and COST EFFECTIVENESS. VermiCo does not use the services of growers who do not have
email. Generally speaking, VermiCo sends out orders for fulfillment to its growers via email on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. VermiCo will ask you to confirm receipt of the email and confirm again once the worms have shipped. These orders should be filled and shipped out by Monday. VermiCo tells its customers that worm orders are shipped on Mondays. We will try to give our growers as much advance warning as possible. We receive orders for worms 7 days a week, 365 days per year. We do our best to make our customers happy and we depend on the excellent service of our grower/shippers to fill orders promptly and accurately. |
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