How do YOU ship mantids?

[MrZorak]

I will be sending my first mantids out in a week or two. I am curious how everyone ships because honestly looking at all the dimensions and packaging online makes my head spin on the USPS website. What I am wondering in particular is - 

- What size packages do you use for what amount of mantids? Are you putting smaller boxes into large envelopes? 

- USPS express right now seems to be only using envelopes. What have people been doing who need to sell larger amounts of mantids like 10? I am really curious which boxes and envelopes in particular people are using. 

- What is the smallest deli cup you would put 5 or so L2 ghost nymphs into? 8oz? 16oz? 32? 

- How and with what do you pack yours with? I will refer to Yen Saw's guide on this, but I am curious what everyone else does. 

 

[MantisGirl13]

I use boxes, since it's harder for them to be crushed. I use whatever size fits everything that needs to go in the box. You don't have to use the boxes from USPS, you can use any box that works. 

For L2 ghosts, an 8 oz cup would be perfectly fine for five as long as they are well fed. I'd put excelsior in the cup, or at least line the sides with paper towel. 

If there's extra room in the box, just fill it with paper or bubble wrap, whatever you have on hand. Ghosts are hardy and can handle being knocked around a bit. 

There's no real science to packing boxes, just whatever works. Good luck!

- MantisGirl13 

 

[Grapple_Apple]

Pete, would you still like me to write up what we discussed earlier here?

 

[MrZorak]

Pete, would you still like me to write up what we discussed earlier here?

If you would like to repost it here for others to see - sure! 

 

[MrZorak]

I use boxes, since it's harder for them to be crushed. I use whatever size fits everything that needs to go in the box. You don't have to use the boxes from USPS, you can use any box that works. 

For L2 ghosts, an 8 oz cup would be perfectly fine for five as long as they are well fed. I'd put excelsior in the cup, or at least line the sides with paper towel. 

If there's extra room in the box, just fill it with paper or bubble wrap, whatever you have on hand. Ghosts are hardy and can handle being knocked around a bit. 

There's no real science to packing boxes, just whatever works. Good luck!

- MantisGirl13 

Thank you for the advice. I guess part of me is just anxious that someone will receive dead mantids from me. I am looking into buying custom boxes,  I am realizing the weight will never be super crazy nor the size to the shipping so I could probably just set my own shipping prices knowing that it may technically be a little more or less, but I don't mind a dollar or two of shipping eating into the selling price tbh. 

 

[MantisGirl13]

Don't worry about DOAs, especially with ghosts. I've shipped dozens and dozens of packages, many of them ghosts, and only had a few DOAs. A tip is to put one extra nymph in, so that if there is a DOA, they aren't losing anything, and of there isn't, they get an extra nymph. Shipping is really nothing to stress about.

- MantisGirl13