RIP little shrimpies - a mail order tale

[Kuhlifan]

Leave it to a few bad apples in the shipping industry to make everyone look bad. Since I can't find cherry shrimp around here, I decided to get some shipped to me. The box arrived, well packed and cushioned, in a breather bag with a heat pack.

Every shrimp was dead. Only two were actually still (mostly) in one piece. I was crushed. Actually, they were crushed, I was sick.

Note: the seller did a fine job. I can't imagine what they must have done with that box to cause such a mess.

 

[cellodaisy]

I'm sorry.

 

[jackiomy]

That is awful. I am so sorry.

 

[bettabrat]

You can probably thank the USPS...I will step away from the soap box I spend way to much time on. I am sorry this happened to you maybe they got overheated? Most likely USPS and their way of "sticking it to the man"

 

[Kashta]

Not that I'm real keen on defending the USPS because they do get pretty rough with our packages, those shrimp look to be adult size. And adults are always very difficult to ship. That's why most sellers ship them still unsexed as juveniles.

I'm sorry, too. A real tragedy for those poor little things. You must have been terribly saddened and disappointed. Hope you find more soon from another seller.

 

[Kuhlifan]

They did appear to be juveniles. It's a very small cup. They were very tiny.

They may have gotten too warm, there was a heat pack and the water was toasty when I got the box.

I guess when the box is square and ball-sized they must shoot baskets with it during break or something.

 

[Sounguru]

Question was the bag insulated from the heat pack or sitting right on top?

First time I sent shrimp I didn't insulate the bag from the heat pack and cooked the shrimp.

 

[msjinkzd]

What a shame

 

[Kashta]

I've received packages before where the heat pack melted the styrofoam peanuts into the cardboard. Those were just plants, luckily, which were still okay. But those heat packs can be terribly unreliable.

 

[bettabrat]

Can I ask how many days they were actually in the mail?

After taking a second glance they do appear to have a "cooked" appearance like you see in the grocery stores with pre-packaged pre-cooked shrimp. I have ordered online before and have had nothing but positive experiences so far, the first batch of shrimp I got the heatpack was packed ON TOP of the packaging and the shrimp faired fine, water wasn't hot nor cold. I got a second batch from another seller who packaged the heatpack on the BOTTOM, I might add mine were quite toasty when I got them but not cooked, they only spent 3 days in the mail though...I can only imagine what happened if it would have been another day. I know the damage has already been done, and I am sorry that this happened to you. Sometimes I think fragile, live fish, and perishable draws more attention than necessary but not always.