For livestock, who is your preferred shipper?

[Daniel@R2R]

I know that no delivery service is perfect...but some definitely seem to be better than others. Lately I've started to wonder if that's more dependent on regional offices than national though. In some parts of the country, FedEx has been supreme, but in others USPS (or maybe in your area it's UPS?). What do you guys think?

When shipping (or receiving) livestock who do you prefer to use and why?

 

[Bryson.bobby]

Always wondered the same thing.

 

[SPR1968]

Royal Mail!

 

[TheHarold]

I like USPS overnight. Ive shipped maybe 20 times using them, and half the time get a full refund for them being 30 minutes to an hour late. Kind of a funny reason to like them, but hey, its cheap

 

[EMeyer]

USPS is my favorite when you can get away with it. e.g. zoas don't need overnight shipping.

For overnight I slightly prefer FedEx, because they are more reliable in my experience.

But TheHarold raised an important point too -- I have found that USPS is more ready to give refunds if the package arrives late. After the absurd rates the shipping companies charge, I consider it our sacred duty to make them refund every cent when a delivery is late.

 

[anthonys51]

yes i had a overnight package miss a connecting flight and it took 2 days to get the zoas to a location. not 1 of the 12 shipped died. it was nice, i got a full refund.
free shipping is great

 

[Cell]

Both are very reliable for me. I feel like FedEx has a superior tracking system though.

 

[saltyhog]

I think it's very much regional. UPS is great in our city, FedEx is "ok" and USPS is terrible. Friends that live just an hour away have much better luck with FedEx. Never had a big problem with either of the big two but I have no faith in USPS.

 

[tehmadreefer]

No company is really better than the other, just depends on the workers they hire as to if they care about their job or not.

 

[rkpetersen]

For me, they're all about the same.
Almost all deliveries are completed as scheduled.
Very rare problems experienced with all of them.

 

[vetteguy53081]

UPS has failed me 5X this year and does not give one bit of crap. I have requested FEDEX or no ship.
FEDEX has been 2 for 2 thus far

 

[HB AL]

I rarely order livestock online as I have 2 lfs's close to home. With that said I did order 2 separate orders earlier this year of battleboxes from battlecorals.com and both came with fedex delivery by 1030am and both times they came between 30 and 60 minutes before the 1030 guaranteed time. So my vote is fedex.

 

[TomTee]

Hand down UsPS

 

[EMeyer]

Both are very reliable for me. I feel like FedEx has a superior tracking system though.

Absolutely. USPS tracking is laughable. I ship multiple packages at once; typically only about half of them actually get updated tracking info as they travel. I swear the workers only scan half the boxes.

I always tell my customers to ignore the USPS tracking until it says out for delivery.

 

[Dan I]

FedEx is on point. Never had one issue with them regarding reef deliveries.

 

[Daniel@R2R]

In Virginia, FedEx was king when I lived there, but out here in Cali, they're 0 for 5 deliveries to my apartment. I don't have that issue with anyone else.

 

[Ebslinger]

My Private Jet... J/K to poor for that.

 

[ZoWhat]

I'm holding out for the Amazon Drone to drop my fish directly into my tank

 

[mfinn]

I like FedEx for a couple reasons.
One it's very easy to call ( usually by 7am ) and have them hold my package for pickup.
Even the ones that get shipped with a later delivery time like noon.
I can get over to the facility at 9am and have my corals/fish acclimating by 9:20.
At UPS they really frown on having packages held for pickup. It's always a hassle and I've even had them load it on the truck, even though I called to have them hold it.
USPS doesn't do overnight shipping in my area.

 

[DMG Reef]

In my area, FedEx wins hands down. They've never let me down. Now UPS on the other hand has lost my packages twice (thankfully both were dry goods). But on a shipment of live animals, I was supposed to get it on a Friday. There was a delay due to weather (not their fault of course). But it arrived at their local facility on Saturday. I begged them to let me come pick it up so the animals wouldn't die. After much back and forth, they said "no". They'd bring it to my house on Monday morning. They brought me the dead animals as promised. Ugh!