Shipping Magnifica's and Gigantea's across the states.

Reefahholic

Reefahholic

New member
I would like to start shipping some of my Nems to local reefers who are unable to find some of these rare gems, or can't get a decent deal at the LFS/ find one in good health.

Who is the best company to ship with? What should I be paying shipping overnight? If I ship live animals, is there anything I need to know or will I get in trouble?

Are there certain rules that apply to shipping animals in water?

Example: Boxing material, tape, bags, etc..

Please let me know, I don't want to get in trouble not having a license if needed.




If anybody has experience with this, please give me the tips to keep the animals safe.

Examples:

Heat/Cold packs...

Weather conditions..

Best time or day of week...
 
Reef,

I don't have all of the answers you're looking for, but can offer a little advice here.

I would think UPS would be the best choice, anytime I order anything live/next day it always seems to come UPS from a multitude of different companies. I don't know exactly why, I just know they do.

I would call your local UPS store and find out the cut off for UPS Red shipments. I know the cutoff here for UPS Red is 4pm. So if it were me, I would get to the UPS shipping station as close to 3:45 as possible. So ideally say you live 10 mins away, bag Nem @ 3:30, place in cooler and seal, head to store.

The one I received from DD yesterday was Quad-bagged inside a cooler. That cooler was sealed with packing tape along all seems. That was then placed inside a box which was taped. There were definitely some kind of packs inside, but I couldn't tell what they were other then they definitely weren't just regular cold packs.

Hope that helps some.
 
Do you have a LFS near you? I have one that has offered to ship on my behalf. I would pay them a small fee and they take care of the rest -- they provide the bags, oxygen, box, heat/cold packs, pack everything for me, then ship it out. I haven't taken them up on the offer yet.

You mentioned local reefers -- rather than ship I would suggest they make the drive instead. even if an hour away. I personally would not ship either a mag or gig -- too much can go wrong too quickly. I've picked up gigs before and by the time I got home, not even 30 minutes later, their mesenterial filaments were already hanging out.
 
Amoo said:
Reef,

I don't have all of the answers you're looking for, but can offer a little advice here.

I would think UPS would be the best choice, anytime I order anything live/next day it always seems to come UPS from a multitude of different companies. I don't know exactly why, I just know they do.

I would call your local UPS store and find out the cut off for UPS Red shipments. I know the cutoff here for UPS Red is 4pm. So if it were me, I would get to the UPS shipping station as close to 3:45 as possible. So ideally say you live 10 mins away, bag Nem @ 3:30, place in cooler and seal, head to store.

The one I received from DD yesterday was Quad-bagged inside a cooler. That cooler was sealed with packing tape along all seems. That was then placed inside a box which was taped. There were definitely some kind of packs inside, but I couldn't tell what they were other then they definitely weren't just regular cold packs.

Hope that helps some.
Click to expand...

Yes, good info! Thanks for your reply.
 
D-Nak said:
Do you have a LFS near you? I have one that has offered to ship on my behalf. I would pay them a small fee and they take care of the rest -- they provide the bags, oxygen, box, heat/cold packs, pack everything for me, then ship it out. I haven't taken them up on the offer yet.

You mentioned local reefers -- rather than ship I would suggest they make the drive instead. even if an hour away. I personally would not ship either a mag or gig -- too much can go wrong too quickly. I've picked up gigs before and by the time I got home, not even 30 minutes later, their mesenterial filaments were already hanging out.
Click to expand...

Yeah I have a couple LFS I may be able to get with.

I said local reefers, but meant distant reefers. :-)

It will be tough keeping them in good health for sure.
 
I can't really help you on shipping advice, but put me on your list if you'll be mag dealing soon. :) My mag could use a friend and i've been trying to source one that's of a different origin/color.
 
Well guys, I've got bad news. I just got off the phone with UPS and here is what I found out.

1. Shipping cost is determined by speed, size, weight, and destination. Which we all know.

2. If it ships to a city it's cheaper than a residential/rural area.

3. First of the week is the best time to ship. (Mon-Wed)

4. Large companies like Dr. Foster & Smith or BRS get huge discount due to volume of shipments.

5. I got a quote for overnight from Texas to Florida (14x14x14 cube/box), and it was about $200! :-(



Doesn't look like I'll be shipping any anemones unless you guys can help me figure out how to cut down cost. Problem is that they have to be shipped overnight.

I don't even think that an LFS could help me out because it would probably be a burden because most do not ship out. They only receive. Not to mention if they did ship out, I would have to wait until they got ready.
 
Reefahholic said:
Doesn't look like I'll be shipping any anemones unless you guys can help me figure out how to cut down cost. Problem is that they have to be shipped overnight.

I don't even think that an LFS could help me out because it would probably be a burden because most do not ship out. They only receive. Not to mention if they did ship out, I would have to wait until they got ready.
Click to expand...

Hopefully a LFS close to you has a website and/or a strong online presence, such as an eBay store. These stores typically ship frequently and can definitely help you out. As I mentioned, there is a LFS who will do exactly what you're asking. You will pay a small fee, but in exchange you get to use the LFS shipping account, which typically means a cheaper cost to ship than had you gone to UPS on your own. Doesn't hurt to ask! Either that or you can sell the nems to the LFS and have them deal with interested parties who need the nems shipped to them.
 
Reefahholic said:
Really??!

How much does it typically cost to ship overnight for you?

Say the 12x12x12 box.
Click to expand...

for a 12x12x12 weighing 10lbs from Chicago to League City, TX it is $81.07 (retail $101.34)

For the same package from Chicago to St. Louis it is $40.82 (Retail $51.03) BUT from Chicago to St. Louis is 1 business day ground, so the package ships next day for $8.42 (Retail $9.36).

Always check the ground shipping time first because FedEx has a pretty wide 1 day range.
 
SkullV said:
for a 12x12x12 weighing 10lbs from Chicago to League City, TX it is $81.07 (retail $101.34)

For the same package from Chicago to St. Louis it is $40.82 (Retail $51.03) BUT from Chicago to St. Louis is 1 business day ground, so the package ships next day for $8.42 (Retail $9.36).

Always check the ground shipping time first because FedEx has a pretty wide 1 day range.
Click to expand...


Nice!!!

I think we can do that. Not too bad!

Really appreciate ur reply bother!

Thank you. :-)
 
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