ChrisPchef
Non-member
My good friend from growing up has started up a tank and I told him I was going to ship him some corals. However I’ve spent all day going from USPS to FedEx to UPS.
To my dismay, after spending quite some time packaging everything up I visited USPS where I learned they no longer over night packages. I do not care about price.. I was told $120 for “express shipping” and the EARLIEST the package would arrive in North Carolina is this Saturday. I explained that was not going to work as everything would die by then.
I contacted FedEx and sure enough they do offer overnight shipping. When I arrived I explained I was shipping live Animals and was immediately rejected. They explained that animals are able to be shipped for live consumption and the example I was given is lobster. After speaking with 50 different employees on the phone and in store I was told I would need to create a FedEx account and create a shipping label through their website. Then arrange for my package to be picked up as it can not be shipped from their store.
I was given the same explanation at UPS, I asked the employee how companies are able to ship live corals everyday. Her explanation was “companies have licenses to sell this stuff. Similar to how you and I can’t sell alcohol, but vendors can because of licenses.”
Long story longer, I now have to go through the pain of returning all these corals to my tank and figure out my options. This simple favor has turned into a nightmarish chore.
What do you guys do when you are shipping corals? (Mind you this will be more or less a one time thing)
To my dismay, after spending quite some time packaging everything up I visited USPS where I learned they no longer over night packages. I do not care about price.. I was told $120 for “express shipping” and the EARLIEST the package would arrive in North Carolina is this Saturday. I explained that was not going to work as everything would die by then.
I contacted FedEx and sure enough they do offer overnight shipping. When I arrived I explained I was shipping live Animals and was immediately rejected. They explained that animals are able to be shipped for live consumption and the example I was given is lobster. After speaking with 50 different employees on the phone and in store I was told I would need to create a FedEx account and create a shipping label through their website. Then arrange for my package to be picked up as it can not be shipped from their store.
I was given the same explanation at UPS, I asked the employee how companies are able to ship live corals everyday. Her explanation was “companies have licenses to sell this stuff. Similar to how you and I can’t sell alcohol, but vendors can because of licenses.”
Long story longer, I now have to go through the pain of returning all these corals to my tank and figure out my options. This simple favor has turned into a nightmarish chore.
What do you guys do when you are shipping corals? (Mind you this will be more or less a one time thing)
