Shipping questions

[meaganelise9]

I was wondering- Do you guys put any kind of "fragile" or "live insects" stickers on your packages? Is that necessary or beneficial? Also, when asked at the post office "is there anything liquid, fragile, perishable, or potentially hazardous?" how do you respond? Last time, I said "fragile" so the woman behind the counter responded by spinning the package around repeatedly, "so is it packed well??" I was like, "Well yes, but could you please not do that??" Arrgh. So in my experience, the only difference between telling them it's fragile or not is that my package somehow gets tossed around more than otherwise if I say it's fragile.. Jerk. That and maybe they put "fragile" labels on, though I guess I could do that myself, right? I asked for clarification of the meaning of "perishable" which could either mean that food could spoil or that a living thing could perish/die, but she said it referred to spoiling food items.

What do you guys typically do (if you even deal with people face-to-face)?

 

[Bryce08]

Honestly as bad as this is...from a few people that have worked there...see more "fragile" packages getting thrown/tossed around more than any...even though they are suppose to take better care of it.but if packed well should be fine through almost anything.

 

[CoolMantid]

Honestly as bad as this is...from a few people that have worked there...see more "fragile" packages getting thrown/tossed around more than any...even though they are suppose to take better care of it.but if packed well should be fine through almost anything.

He is exactly right! Put live animal stickers on instead. People will be careful if there is a live animal... I am doing that right now.

 

[GreenOasis]

Definitely put FRAGILE on the package, but DON'T put "live" on there unless you say something simple like "live feeder insects". It is technically not allowed to ship anything OTHER than live feeder insects through the US postal system. (And, mantids are often categorized as a "secondary crop destroyer" because they feed on honeybees as a "non-selective predator".) It is not allowed to ship ANY live animal/plant/seed or animal parts internationally. Just so you know. (Good luck with that one on the declarations forms if you ever have to ship overseas!)

 

[Chivalry]

I'd avoid "live insects" and yeah, rely on packing more than anything. I've put "Fragile" on mine, but who's to say if that matters to anyone. Likely some yes, some no.

Russ works for the postal service. He is a pretty careful and methodical mail carrier, but I imagine he'd say the majority of them are just looking to get their job done quickly, and maybe clerks and dock workers more so. There's no bonus for being nice to a Fragile package.

Insurance might cost a little more on a Priority package (but a lot less than Express), but if you're going Priority it might be worth it... because if they "break" an item, the postal service is responsible for it, a package that is insured might be more gently handled. Just a thought. I'll have to run that by him when he gets home.

 

[Psychobunny]

They dont pay any attention to anything you write on the box except the address.

I slap "fragile" all over my box, then they ask me; "is there anything fragile in it?" LOL

I tell them its fragile glass, and they proceed to turn it over and slam it down on their

scale right in front of me!!

 

[GreenOasis]

DON'T PUT LIVE ANIMAL STICKERS ON THERE, NINNY! The ONLY live stuff you can ship through the USPS is "live FEEDER insects". So, if you MUST put "live" on there, then put "LIVE FEEDER INSECTS"! Otherwise, they will refuse to accept your package, after a "grand inquiry" as to exactly WHAT you are shipping, and then they will inspect EVERY package you bring to them afterwards to make SURE you are not shipping live stuff!!! Trust me on this!

 

[GreenOasis]

Once, THEIR scale was off and they sent packages back to me, saying that MY weight was off...everytime I've dropped off packages after that, they've weighed EACH AND EVERY ONE, to make sure that I was paying the "right" amount! (Now, I have to estimate OVER the weight my scale does, to accomodate THEM...even though, the PO the next town over, MY scale matches THEIRS exactly!)

 

[minard734]

DON'T PUT LIVE ANIMAL STICKERS ON THERE, NINNY! The ONLY live stuff you can ship through the USPS is "live FEEDER insects". So, if you MUST put "live" on there, then put "LIVE FEEDER INSECTS"! Otherwise, they will refuse to accept your package, after a "grand inquiry" as to exactly WHAT you are shipping, and then they will inspect EVERY package you bring to them afterwards to make SURE you are not shipping live stuff!!! Trust me on this!

I don't even write fragile. That way I avoid trouble. Umm... and things turn out okay. Most insects can do fine when flipped a lil especially if you set things up a certain way....

 

[Chivalry]

Definitely put FRAGILE on the package, but DON'T put "live" on there unless you say something simple like "live feeder insects". It is technically not allowed to ship anything OTHER than live feeder insects through the US postal system.

Well, people do ship bees and such, but the postal service itself defers to other government organizations regarding the legality of shipping creatures.

Here's their official document on shipping live animals and plants. http://pe.usps.com/archive/pdf/dmmarchive0810/c022.pdf

 

[meaganelise9]

DON'T PUT LIVE ANIMAL STICKERS ON THERE, NINNY! The ONLY live stuff you can ship through the USPS is "live FEEDER insects". So, if you MUST put "live" on there, then put "LIVE FEEDER INSECTS"! Otherwise, they will refuse to accept your package, after a "grand inquiry" as to exactly WHAT you are shipping, and then they will inspect EVERY package you bring to them afterwards to make SURE you are not shipping live stuff!!! Trust me on this!

That's yet another thing I worried about- if I bring a package labeled in such a way that I get interrogated (though most of the postal workers around here are jaded enough that they totally don't care).

All good advice. Thanks, folks.

 

[meaganelise9]

Is there anywhere to buy "live feeder insects" or similar labels? I guess it'd be cheaper to make my own.

 

[hibiscusmile]

Been shipping for over 5 years now, put nothing on except "heat or cold pack inside", fragile means they will do best to destroy it.

 

[meaganelise9]

haha What is going through the minds of these employees...

 

[meaganelise9]

What about "this side up"?

 

[bobericc]

Best thing, is to glue or tape the enclosure to the box inside and to keep it well cushioned around it

 

[piroxi]

I have a question you may be can answer to me.

GreenOasis has written that

It is not allowed to ship ANY live animal/plant/seed or animal parts internationally.

I have tried to buy some ooths from people in this forum. And they always say, no only shipping inside US.

They exlained it that they got trouble with the customs.

Do they mean with an animal part an ooth?

Is there really a problem to send an ooth outside US?

Or do they mean with animal parts more parts of a dead animal to avoid for example communicable disease?

 

[CoolMantid]

I've seen many boxes that say "Live animal" or "Live inside" But I usually never write anything. They alwasy make conversation by asking "Whats in the box?" I sometimes reply saying a gift thats very expensive but yet the still shake it right in front of me. Then they say "Oh ya sounds expensize." and I'm thinking ######!

 

[Termite48]

In my limited experience with the P.O. (when compared to Rebecca and Cary and Yen) I have made friends with the clerks at the small P.O. from which I ship from time to time. Most of the clerks know that I ship live insects and even Mantids and they stamp the package fragile. They have also looked up the word mantid on the chart of prohibited goods for mailing and have satifsied themselves that it is ok. I have had very little trouble in the U.S. When shipping oothecae to foreign destinations, it is not advised to be clear at all as to what you are sending. When I received a certain Coleopteran larvae from Asia it was covered in the package with various used plastic items which were named on the customs paperwork as the contents.