Best time to ship, and do i need heat/cooling packs

[TheDragonsReef]

Going to be sending out my first shipment. Im confident in my packaging skills since i ship alot of stuff at work. But as far as shipping live corals i know i want to have them in the box for as short of a time as possible. Should i bring it to ups/fedex right before closing or should i contact them and see when the best time would be? Im guessing they get flown out overnight so i wouldnt want to drop them off in the morning?

Also since its the middle of summer and going to cali from pa i wasnt planning on adding heat packs, should i add a cooler pack or just ship it without anything? Thanks in advance for any advice

 

[ChiCity]

yes, you’re gonna need an ice pack…
its almost august.

figure out your local cutoff time,
for me, it’s 3pm in downtown chicago

(use go.finiship)

 

[dvgyfresh]

Definitely need ice pack , warehouse have no AC in holding better to be colder than too hot

 

[jassermd]

Just got 2 boxes in yesterday... both had several ice packs and the temp at arrival was 78 and both sets of ice packs were warm. Depending on the box size and where you're shipping, you may need several. If shipping to the south, it's over 100 here in Dallas...
As for FedEx, if you're close to a major airport (DFW for me), you can find the one or 2 FedEx drop sites that are within a mile of the airport, which usually have a late drop off, usually 7p and as late as 9p. That will minimize box time and still get the package out for next day delivery. You may want to call to confirm the last drop off time...
Hope that helps!

 

[TheDragonsReef]

Thanks for the advice guys, do you have a type of ice pack that youd recommend for a small box with about 4 frags?

 

[jassermd]

The ones they used to ship my boxes were the gel type packs (Ice-Brix brand) that were 5"x3".

 

[TheDragonsReef]

The ones they used to ship my boxes were the gel type packs (Ice-Brix brand) that were 5"x3".

Thanks

 

[stephj03]

I would reccomend getting a shipping quote for a much bigger box than you plan to use. Spending $20-$30 more on a discounted label to Ship a thicker unibody foam (and as much water volume as you can ship) can make a huge difd.

I can tell you both TCK and ARC shipped to me during a heat wave this yr and the box was huge. The coral bags were approx 4"*12" filled. I would guess the box was 14"*14*12"


When I asked a very reputable hobbyist/vendor that ships a ton he told me cold packs aren't really rated for what we try to use them for vs heat packs.