Ok, I ordered some small peacock cichlids from a reputable breeder online. I paid $35.00 for overnite shipping. When I emailed the seller for the tracking number he gave it to me and when i went to track it with the US postal service it said that my package was delivering to a "two day" location. Not only this, it said that my package would not be delivered to my house but would be held at the post office in Wilmington, NC. Problem with this is there are like 6 post offices here and they could not tell me which one it would be delivered too. The package was mailed yesterday at 4:50 pm, and is scheduled to deliver by tommorow by 5:00 pm. And the USPS tracking system is not good. It is only updated once daily in the evening. This is pretty bad. What are the chances that my fish will still be alive after this crazy journey. I would have not ordered these fish if I knew this was going to be the situation.
Shipping Fish
- Thread starter graysilm
- Start date
they'll probably be fine but it doesn't sound like the place where you purchased them has a handle on 'how' to ship fish. if it were me, i'd get the package and open it up right there in the PO to insure that the fish are in fact, alive. if not, show/tell the people at the PO so you'll have recourse to the shipper.
If your fish were packed properly then they will be fine. I have received fish in 2-3 days through Priority mail with no problems. Just got some new halfbeaks today in fact. The tracking system is terrible though, it doesn't give me any information except that a label has been created. The first time it happened I thought it was just a mistake, but this is the second package in a row that I haven't been able to track. The fish are all fine though.
I will *never* have USPS handle livestock. Or UPS, for that matter. I've had both screw things up terribly! UPS delivered some stuff to my house in the early AM and drove off with my VERY expensive ball python still in the truck. Man I was PO'd! I chased that truck down the street on foot. Luckily he stopped. All he said was, "oops!"
I'll only ever trust FedEx with overnight delivery, and all my deliveries are specified before 10am. They usually get here between 8 and 8:30am.
I'd rather pay a little more if it means getting my animals alive.
Roan
I'll only ever trust FedEx with overnight delivery, and all my deliveries are specified before 10am. They usually get here between 8 and 8:30am.
I'd rather pay a little more if it means getting my animals alive.
Roan
Same as RA. I found a great supplier in Florida that ships everything Fedex next day to my door. So far all shipments have been flawless.
Mark
Mark
I hope they arrive in good shape grayslim!
I have had much better luck with USPS than I have with Fedex. One time I had some fish come through Fedex and it was a nightmare. Overnight ended up being 2 days. They didn't deliver the package and I had to wait for hours while they unloaded the trucks and finally found my package. The fish were ok though.
I've received many shipments through USPS Priority and only had DOAs once. They were gauranteed though, so I didn't lose out.
I have had much better luck with USPS than I have with Fedex. One time I had some fish come through Fedex and it was a nightmare. Overnight ended up being 2 days. They didn't deliver the package and I had to wait for hours while they unloaded the trucks and finally found my package. The fish were ok though.
I've received many shipments through USPS Priority and only had DOAs once. They were gauranteed though, so I didn't lose out.
An interesting shipping fact - The USPS Office of Inspector General usually uses FedEx because they're more dependable and have better tracking.
