worried about fish shipment

[cellodaisy]

I ordered some fish and they were to be mailed out yesterday via Express Mail for arrival today. The tracking number the seller gave me doesn't work online and when I called USPS (and finally got through to a real live person) they weren't able to find it either. I'm assuming there's just a typo in the number, but I haven't heard back from the seller to confirm the number or the ship-out date. I know not everyone checks their email a bajillion times a day and I'm probably worrying over nothing, but I've been obsessively checking the mailbox all day and I really wish I could find out SOMETHING from SOMEBODY. :nilly:

[lorindaleigh]

Who did you order it from?

[cellodaisy]

I'm not trying to get anyone in trouble, just wanted to vent some nervousness, so I'd rather not name names. The seller hasn't done anything wrong, I'm just being a worrywart.

[lorindaleigh]

Opps sry I didn't realize u ordered it from here. I was thinking that it was an ebay seller or another site. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't from the people that I got ripped off by.

[Star_Rider]

yeah.. usps tracing is not very accurate due to update times.

many times you won't see any tracking info till the package is delivered. and the tracking numbers are.. large.

[cellodaisy]

Opps sry I didn't realize u ordered it from here. I was thinking that it was an ebay seller or another site. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't from the people that I got ripped off by.

Not an AC member (at least, I haven't seen them around), but a reputable and respected seller and I have no reason to associate anything negative with them. Just need to do something with this nervous energy. I'm pretty sure I remember your thread and no, it's not the same folks.


yeah.. usps tracing is not very accurate due to update times.

many times you won't see any tracking info till the package is delivered. and the tracking numbers are.. large.

Yes, I keep reminding myself of that. I'm just so anxious to get these little guys into their quarantine tank, safe and sound. I seriously need to find a way to chill out. Not getting anything done at work today. Gagh!

[Mgamer20o0]

not everywhere is always next day too even with express

[toddnbecka]

Tracking numbers are only reliable to confirm delivery time and date, not always useful to check progress in transit. If the seller used paypal shipping to print the label the package may not have been sent out yet, or simply may not have been scanned properly at some point in the process.

[leeser28]

Don't be worried - it's sometimes a day before the info gets put into the USPS computer. Even when you go to the USPS website to track it has some kind of statement to that effect. I wouldn't worry yet.

[cellodaisy]

Still no fish and I'm getting cranky.

Sunday night (2/15): Sent payment (PayPal) with instructions to ship to my work address, not the address associated with my PayPal account, so that they wouldn't have to sit out in the cold.

Monday (2/16): Got an email saying they would ship out Wednesday because Monday was a holiday---I'm thinking "what's wrong with Tuesday?" but whatever.

Wednesday (2/18): No tracking info available. Sent an email asking for confirmation of ship-out date and address shipped to. No response.

Thursday (2/19): No tracking info available. Called USPS and waded through phone system to talk to a real person. They couldn't find the package either. Sent email in the early afternoon asking again for confirmation of ship-out date and address shipped to. Still no response.

Thursday night (late) (2/19): Finally saw tracking info indicating ship-out on Thursday, not Wednesday as promised. Sent another email asking yet again for confirmation of ship-out date and address shipped to. Finally got a response very late Thursday night saying "Can you relax... They should be there tomorrow.." Still has not answered my question of when they shipped out or what address they were shipped to.

These fish were not cheap (compared to other sources of the same species) and the communication has been, how you say, "lacking." They better be some pretty frickin' awesome fish. :mad2:

Grrrrrr.

[toddnbecka]

Gotta love the speed and efficiency of the USPS. I'm waiting on 2 packages. One was shipped parcel post from CA two weeks ago, the other was shipped priority from AZ last Tuesday. (I'm in MD, so they're basically travelling cross-country.) The priority mail package does have a delivery confirmation number, but tracking only states that a label was printed, no indication of when it was shipped or wil be delivered.
The price of postage keeps rising, the service gets slower, and they complain that the USPS is losing money...

[cellodaisy]

These were shipped Express. I wasn't given any shipping options and Express ain't cheap. I don't really have any quarrel with the USPS over this one (at least not yet), but I wish the seller would let me know what's going on. I don't think I'm asking for the moon here, just some information.

[toddnbecka]

How far does the package have to travel? If it's cross-country like CA to MD it may take 2 days to arrive. Go to the USPS page and enter both zip codes. If the package doesn't arrive by the guaranteed time the shipping cost can be claimed for refund. Bad weather (usually snowstorms) anywhere between the origin/destination can also slow the delivery time.

[mel_20_20]

How frustrating!! I'm sorry for your difficulties. Hope the fishies will be ok.

[cellodaisy]

How far does the package have to travel? If it's cross-country like CA to MD it may take 2 days to arrive. Go to the USPS page and enter both zip codes. If the package doesn't arrive by the guaranteed time the shipping cost can be claimed for refund. Bad weather (usually snowstorms) anywhere between the origin/destination can also slow the delivery time.

I checked and if they were shipped out yesterday they should arrive by 3pm today. Difficulty is, I don't know what address they were sent to. If they were sent to my home address (the one associated with my PayPal account) instead of the address I specified, they'll probably have to sit outside my door until I get home, in 20 degree weather, about 4 feet from a major road.


How frustrating!! I'm sorry for your difficulties. Hope the fishies will be ok.

I'm sure they'll be fine (unless they're left outside my house and get run over or were shipped without a heat pack). They're pretty hardy species and to be honest they probably would have been fine with just Priority shipping instead of Express. I'm not too worked up about having to wait for them, mostly just frustrated at the lack of communication.

[cellodaisy]

Just checked the status and there was a delivery attempt... at the wrong address.

I'll have to go pick it up at the post office, but I don't know WHICH post office (website just says it will be listed on the delivery attempt slip on the door) and they'll all be closed by the time I can get home from work. So I had to call my partner and interrupt his day to go chasing after my fish, which he is not interested in (not even a little bit). If he can't get to them, then they'll have to sit at the post office overnight and I'll have to spend my Saturday morning fetching them.

I am SO SICK of online orders going wrong! Gagh!

:swear: :mad2:

[msjinkzd]

For the future, you can edit the shipping address on paypal when you make a payment. This removes alot of the error involved with online shipping. Wish you all the best in getting your fish!

[cellodaisy]

For the future, you can edit the shipping address on paypal when you make a payment.

Yes, I just went poking around PayPal and figured out how to add another address, and I'll certainly do that in the future, but I'm still peeved because I put the correct address right in my notes so it was still in the payment information.

Just heard from my partner. He drove home and got the delivery attempt note and, fortunately, they're being held at our local post office. He'll go pick them up as soon as he... um... "acquires" my signature on the form. (Anyone asks, I totally signed that form. Totally in person. :lipssealedsmilie:)

I'm sure my mood will improve a great deal once the fish and I are both home and my work week is officially over. Just gotta get through a few more hours.

[jackiomy]

If your partner is like mine you better get ready to bake some cookies. :) Make sure and tell us as soon as you get the fish. My mailman locked my dogs on the front porch yesterday so she could drop a package on the steps. I was not happy with that and boy, did my dogs need to go out when I got home!

[msjinkzd]

glad to hear it sounds llike its going to work out :)

[toddnbecka]

It's almost always better after work is over for the weekend. Endler's are hardy fish, no worries about live arrival even w/out Express shipping.

[cellodaisy]

Well, the seller sent me a pretty snotty response to my most recent email, but I'm trying to let it go.

My partner was able to retrieve the package before the post office closed and the fish were well packaged and health. I've acclimated them to their tank and put them in. (No other inhabitants, so no QT necessary.) They are lovely and active.

I'm trying not to let the whole ordering process sour the fact that I have a bunch of beautiful new fish to enjoy.

[toddnbecka]

(Gazing into crystal ball) You'll get over the aggravation pretty quickly, but will enjoy the fish for quite some time... :thm:

[Mgamer20o0]

Yes, I just went poking around PayPal and figured out how to add another address, and I'll certainly do that in the future, but I'm still peeved because I put the correct address right in my notes so it was still in the payment information.

Just heard from my partner. He drove home and got the delivery attempt note and, fortunately, they're being held at our local post office. He'll go pick them up as soon as he... um... "acquires" my signature on the form. (Anyone asks, I totally signed that form. Totally in person. :lipssealedsmilie:)

I'm sure my mood will improve a great deal once the fish and I are both home and my work week is officially over. Just gotta get through a few more hours.
a lot of people just print the label from the address paypal gives them. cant be mad that you sent the wrong address. many people will even state they wont ship to any other address since often how fraud happens.

[Kashta]

I'm glad they got there safely, Cello. And all is well. A nice massage might smooth things over with that partner of yours, too. ;)

I got irritated with an online place a while back when I called up to see if the fish I'd ordered had shipped yet... because I needed to cancel the order. The guy on the phone checked it for me and said no... those fish had just arrived from the hatchery and hadn't been unboxed yet, much less parceled out for shipping. Great.. he cancelled the order and said my money would be refunded to my bank account within 3 days. Then sure enough, 4 hours later I got an email FEDEX Overnight Priority notice that they were shipped after all and due to arrive the next morning! I'll never buy anything from them again after that. It's just the wrong way to treat customers.

[PuppyFluffer]

I'm glad you have them and they are healthy!

What kind of fish are they?

[cellodaisy]

a lot of people just print the label from the address paypal gives them. cant be mad that you sent the wrong address. many people will even state they wont ship to any other address since often how fraud happens.

If that had been the only issue, I wouldn't have been upset. It was partly my fault for not knowing that I could have multiple addresses associated with my PayPal account.


I'm glad they got there safely, Cello. And all is well. A nice massage might smooth things over with that partner of yours, too. ;)

He accepted payment in Oreos. All's well. :)


I'm glad you have them and they are healthy!

What kind of fish are they?

They are Endlers. I lost one female in the first 24 hours, but the others are healthy so I think it was shipping stress. Just one fry seen so far, but I think it might have been a premature drop because it was solo and did not look well. I'm not worried, because with any luck I'll be overrun with them soon.

[rocker92]

we want pics!!!

[cellodaisy]

we want pics!!!
Haha... you got it. I took a few the night I got them in. I'll post as soon as I can. Might not be today, but I will. Thanks for the interest!

[PuppyFluffer]

Thanks for the update. glad you only lost one. PIctures would be nice.