lets talk about shipping

[surfn]

OK,
I will be quite honest, I am a coral shipping virgin/noob/newbie. I haven't given, but I did receive a shipment from LiveAquaria about 18months ago. So at least I've gotten to 3rd base :lol:

I have turned up a website from another forum that had some good info about shipping, this is VERY good information that I will most likely follow:
http://www.zoosrus.com/forums/showthread.php?s=ceba6288ba6b2932d52b5e6085c338c0&threadid=931

aside from this, i have some specific questions about the actual shipping process (i.e. USPS etc.)

can we all agree to ship by the same carrier? just to make everyone's experience the same. we dont want one person having a bad experience b/c someone used fedex :lol:

but anyways, i was curious about something, as i was at USPS the other day shipping something, and the person at the counter asked me "if i had any containers with liquid, breakable items, etc etc etc" the liquid thing caught me for a sec....

so when we ship these in there little baggies, which are in there thermos things, which are in a box, do we tell them there is a liquid in the package? or do we need to lie to get it shipped? what if its pretty obvious and you can hear the liquid sloshing around?

if anyone else has any suggestions/preferences, this would be a good time to talk about them.

i'd like there to be a standard shipping policy/method set for everyone in the trade if possible, to make everyone's experiences as similar as possible to rule out any "bad things" that may happen due to improper packaging etc.

also, if we all use USPS priority, is it one flat rate, or does it depend on where its being sent?

 

[ecotoxlady]

Heya! I've shipped quite a few trades with people and can honestly say the most cost effective route was with usps overnight. According to my local post office all overnight packages with them get shipped on FedEx planes. I've shipped packages on the same day with both carriers and the usps one arrived earlier! You should tell them that the package contains liquid, perishable and fragile items. When they've asked me what it is I've been honest and told them it was live coral without any retribution so I don't believe you would get in any trouble from telling them that. SInce I'm a little more liberable with the water in the bags than other people I usually have to ship in a large thermos or in a leakproof container like some that are sold at my local bed bath and beyond that are like tupperware containers that lock shut but spacious enough to fit three bags filled the way I like them without any problem. Anyway, the shipping ideas from zoosrus are very good :)

 

[surfn]

so how much is it to ship usps overnight? does it vary depending on where you ship it? and how big the box is? is there any way to predetermine how much it will be? i know usps has a site where you can plug in a zip code, type of shipping, and size of box and will give you an estimate on the cost.

twon8, did some shipping a while ago, and said that his local dollar general store had a bunch of plastic thermos' that worked very well.

i may get one of those stainless steel ones for thermos swaps, so at least i can get it back. :D

 

[ecotoxlady]

Yes, not sure what size the one twon8 used but most of the standard size thermos' are just too darn small for how I like to package my frags but that is my own personal preference. As far as cost for overnight usps I've found it averages about $22 to the west coast and Texas and maybe a little less to more local destinations. Very reasonable and I guess I'm pretty lucky because my post office has handled packages very well not damaging the boxes the way fedex has. UPS is great but their rates are frighteningly high. The only thing we would have to make sure with usps shipments is to waive the signature request because otherwise they will hold the package until they get a signature which can be bad news if you don't have a post office that is opened late. Of course if I got partnered up with someone relatively local to me like you surfn it would probably be easier for me to drive out and do the exchange in person than mail it because you live relatively close (about an hour to an hour and a half away) although we could certainly ship if you preferred.

 

[rmhuntley]

I've used USPS priority for thermos trades and been very happy w/ the results. I only ship on monday or tuesday using usps though.

 

[ecotoxlady]

Yes that's certainly wise if doing priority although I've had mixed experience with priority and GREAT experience with overnight but it should be a consensus for everyone or at least the trade partners :)

 

[surfn]

what kind of mixed experiences did you have with priority? please post any/all bad experiences.

i've heard random stories of fedex deliveries arriving, and to only open the box up and "someone" from fedex, already had previously gone into their package, opened all of the bags etc and let the water drain out. pretty horrifying if you ask me.

 

[ecotoxlady]

Well, some of my usps priority packages have gotten lost never to be found and damaged and also with temp fluxes I've had stuff arrive cooked or frozen and thus dead. I've also had packages where the water leaked out of the bag and with priority taking 2 to 3 days to arrive, the frag being damaged beyond salvaging because of the lack of water in the bag. With the overnight packages I've never had anything bad happen. They've always arrived on-time, no damage and no dead frags. That's my experience at least. I mean yes I have had some priority packages arrive just fine but especially with my premium stuff, I don't want to take the chance. As far as fedex is concerned, the biggest issue I've had with them is packages arriving damaged and them not accepting any liability for dead frags.

 

[surfn]

so it sounds like USPS over night is the best solution if its a "good frag", and then just regular less common frags go with USPS priority.

as far packing stuff into a thermos, which do you think is the better method...

1)put one frag in a small bag filled with water, then drop bags into thermos?

2)wrap 1 frag in very wet paper towels, place in bag with a little water, then place bag in thermos?

based on stuff i've heard, it seems like the frag bouncing around inside the bag of water, and against the sides of thermos can be somewhat rough on a frag.

what do you all think??

 

[ecotoxlady]

Hmmm, I've never received a frag with the paper towel method but the only detrimental thing I've heard about that method is that the frags seem predisposed to getting the white fungus when they are shipped that way. I use the frag in bag in water method (unless I'm only shipping one frag in which case putting the water directly in the thermos and the frag in there that way works too. I usually add too much water to fit everything in a one person thermos so I either use a large family sized thermos or another water tight container. I've had really good luck with shipping where the only problem I've ever had was when I used a heat pack that was too strong (in my defense I bought it from an online lfs and wrapped them in paper towels with only one heat pack per package) and some frags got overheated and died. Obviously the use of a heat pack is not at all necessary now and now the thought is that we may need an ice pack since in many places the temps are getting into the 90s.

 

[Azurel]

Shipping....

I have done this with 2 day and overnight....FedEx was used.


This is what I have done with good results....I go and buy a small thermos like the kind that looks like a Campbell's soup can. I take tank water and fill it up to about an inch from the top. I then place a frag at the bottom and put some plastic strips cut from old LFS bags, this takes up space inside the thermos. I then place another frag in on top of the plastic and then I add some more plastic strips to take up the rest of the open space. I screw the inner top on real tight.....Check for leaks if there are no leaks I screw back on the read top tape around that nice and tight so if there is a leak it don't leak out of the red top. I then put that into a foam cooler lined box tape it up and ship.....

 

[ecotoxlady]

I like the sounds of your method azurel. How do the frags at the bottom of the thermos get oxygen though? How many times have you shipped this way?

 

[ecotoxlady]

I like the sounds of your method azurel. How do the frags at the bottom of the thermos get oxygen though? How many times have you shipped this way?

 

[Azurel]

Well the zoanthids would get it the same way the ones on the top do they are free swimming if you like to think of it like that.....The plastic is to take up space and cusion the frags....I don't like wrap them up or nothing, just scrunch the plastic strips up nice and medium to lose so that the frag doesn't flop around and then I put some on top of it. The same thing for the frag on the top.....I then put some plastic on the frag on the top to stop it from smacking into the lid....I have done this 4 times now and all had been good. Only i time did the thermos leak...The box had 3 thermos's with 7 frags total....As far as I know all lived. It just seems easier then putting a bag in there.....To me anyway....

 

[Azurel]

Who pays shipping to whom? Do I pay to ship to me or to the person I ship to? That is the last question I have.

James

 

[MarvinsReef]

Shipping would be paid by the sender... I assumed we were shipping priority usps. $7.95

I personally individually bag all frags and put them in a thermos. I'll post some pics when I get home of what i use for shippping. I can fit two thermos's in one flat rate box. All together shipping should be less than $10.

yes, please let us newbies (first time shippers) get a lesson on thermosShipping101...

Marvin

 

[jessiesgrrl]

I do it a bit different, but it's worked so far? Tell me if I am just lucky LOL:

I get a Thermos from Walmart, half size for one frag. I fill a ziploc bag with water, about halfway, and seal it under water so there is no air in it. I wrap a rubberband ponytail style around the top after letting the frag settle into a corner of the baggie (Like I was going to ice a cake with it)so that the top is flush with the lid of the thermos. I close the thermos, and put it inside another ziploc baggie in case it leaks. I put that inside a styrofoam box if I have one, with a cold pack, and put it all in a carboard box and tape it shut.

Is that ok?
Laurie

 

[reefrookie76]

swap

I prefer to ship overnight with any coral that I ship,I have never tried the usps two day?I need to know what everyone wants to do for shipping?Im going to spend the 20 bucks or so to gurantee my swap pal gets his frags alive.I also need to know how many are we suppose to send and what the deadline for shipping is?

 

[Chris2222000]

http://blogs.frags.org/member.php?uid=3130

Explains shipping to the T, except I dont have pure O2.