Gotta love the USPS; I just got a package today that was shipped out parcel post 39 days ago. Fortunately it was driftwood, not livestock, but that's beyond ridiculous.
Goldfish maybe lost in transit?
- Thread starter bettabrat
- Start date
You are correct and I was told the same thing by the post office. When I called today :swear: they back peddled. Yes they were in seperate bags. Breather bags. Insulated box. No heat pack because the weather was warm, it's warm in FL etc. I think it was TOTALLY UNNECESSARY for it to take 5 F'N days in the mail. I mean seriously my mother sends me crap all the time regular old mail no priority, nothing just partial post and sends Saturday and I ALWAYS get it by Monday, Tuesday the LATEST. The woman I spoke to was also was kind enough to tell me even if I had insured it that it would have been WORTHLESS because you can't file a claim on live animals. I am still ticked.
Well, none of the sellers who ship fish USPS Priority Mail ever guarantee live arrival. It is risky. Most of the time, everything is fine.. but it's not the safest option. Everything else is just more expensive.
Could you tell me a little more about this? In case I ever ship again in the future?
docsold, it sounds like there were a couple things you might have done differently to improve their chances.
First of all, I only ever ship on Mondays or Tuesdays when it comes to fish. It's a reliable way to ensure quickest transit time for the fish. Shipping over the weekend can be iffy.
Secondly, I agree with David - using a dechlorinator/ammonia remover and pure oxygen in the bags is an excellent method if you have access to that. In the past, I have talked with my LFS and they let me stop at their place before sealing up the box. Open up the plastic bags one more time, let out the air and replace with pure oxygen from the LFS's canisters. Then seal up the box and head directly to the post office. It's much cheaper than buying your own oxygen canister and easier as well, since the LFS will sometimes help you finish packing up the fish.
Third, Never Ever Ever send fish priority mail. 2-3 days is the USPS estimate, but no guarantee. I have had "priority" packages arrive 7 days after their mail date. Express mail is always better.
Finally, you can claim losses on fish but the package must be labeled as such. Put "LIVE FISH" in giant letters on every side of the box, use UP/DOWN arrows, and affix a label near the "to" address reading:
PERISHABLE
Small Cold-Blooded Animals
DMM CO22.3.2
"PERISHABLE" should be in 22 point bold type, in red ink. The DMM number will refer the post office employees to their Rules and Regulations manual, right to the section that deals with shipping live fish. They will try to get out of giving you money back if they can, and if the package doesn't have their regulation label on it, they can do that.
Best of luck in the future!
First of all, I only ever ship on Mondays or Tuesdays when it comes to fish. It's a reliable way to ensure quickest transit time for the fish. Shipping over the weekend can be iffy.
Secondly, I agree with David - using a dechlorinator/ammonia remover and pure oxygen in the bags is an excellent method if you have access to that. In the past, I have talked with my LFS and they let me stop at their place before sealing up the box. Open up the plastic bags one more time, let out the air and replace with pure oxygen from the LFS's canisters. Then seal up the box and head directly to the post office. It's much cheaper than buying your own oxygen canister and easier as well, since the LFS will sometimes help you finish packing up the fish.
Third, Never Ever Ever send fish priority mail. 2-3 days is the USPS estimate, but no guarantee. I have had "priority" packages arrive 7 days after their mail date. Express mail is always better.
Finally, you can claim losses on fish but the package must be labeled as such. Put "LIVE FISH" in giant letters on every side of the box, use UP/DOWN arrows, and affix a label near the "to" address reading:
PERISHABLE
Small Cold-Blooded Animals
DMM CO22.3.2
"PERISHABLE" should be in 22 point bold type, in red ink. The DMM number will refer the post office employees to their Rules and Regulations manual, right to the section that deals with shipping live fish. They will try to get out of giving you money back if they can, and if the package doesn't have their regulation label on it, they can do that.
Best of luck in the future!
