A shipping update we all should know

[barabootom]

I prefer to follow the rules as well. Does anyone know what the penalties are for mailing tarantulas USPS? Is it a slap on the wrist or is it a $5000 fine?

 

[John Apple]

could be one or the other at the very least your inverts will most likely be frozen for evidence in a civil or criminal matter...but that is if they push it

 

[barabootom]

could be one or the other at the very least your inverts will most likely be frozen for evidence in a civil or criminal matter...but that is if they push it

Wonderful!! I guess I'd better hang around the swaps more and avoid shipping Ts. What other options are there? Is it actually legal to ship with UPS or FED EX?

 

[Skullptor]

I prefer to follow the rules as well. Does anyone know what the penalties are for mailing tarantulas USPS? Is it a slap on the wrist or is it a $5000 fine?

careful who you ask this to. I ship blood on a regular basis. Let me tell you that most people you talk to whether it be USPS, FEDEX, or UPS will act like they know what they are talking about when they are just guessing. I can't tell you how many times I was given wrong info by lazy people on the phone.

When I got my account at FEDEX I had to request a new sales agent because the one that was assigned to me was completely ignorant of shipping procedures. She didn't know the difference between import and export. I got all kinds of mis-information from her. In fact the only thing she did was call me up to talk about her family Every question I asked her she had to go check and then came back with wrong info. My point is don't ask one person and take it as policy. The first person I asked about shipping blood said NO, can't do it, it's a hazard. Then I did research and found out that this person assumed her answer and I found it to be NOT TRUE! I was shipping animal blood and this lazy person read something out of sending human blood specimen procedure. And she gave up after reading 2 lines and I read it and now I ship blood legally all the time. When I confronted her with this, of course her answer is the fedex manual was wrong....what a bimbo!
Bottom line is before you claim to be a rule follower, make sure it is, in fact a rule.

 

[barabootom]

Bottom line is before you claim to be a rule follower, make sure it is, in fact a rule.

Very good point. I'm more concerned with the penalties. I know the T's I have are completely harmless, but I would hate to pay a big fine becuase I broke some rule. The government usually doesn't accept ignorant as a viable excuse, if gov officials decide to come down on you they will, so it's best to pay attention. Does anyone on the boards work at the post office and can shed some light on the subject? I think it would be better to ship with a non-governmental entity like UPS or Fed Ex.

 

[xhexdx]

If you are shipping USPS here is something you all should know
I had a box going out today and it was refused. The reason being is they do not ship spiders at ALL

Page 951
section 8.5 line b. [states and this is a direct written quote]
all poisenous animals except scorpions mailed for medical purposes or for the manufacture of antivenom; all poisenous insects; all poisenous reptiles; and all types of snakes, turtles, and spiders.


this is out of the domestic mail manual updated 7-15-07
I am a totally honest person and I tell them everytime I ship live 'harmless' inverts. Been doing it for years. What shall I do next time ...lie out my teeth not gonna happen. So now I use fed-ex or ups.
this one time the person behind the counter decided to look it up after I had left the post office . Two hours later I get the call to come and get my package. I received a refund and walked out rather pissed off with the grinning mail person behind the counter feeling like she won a big prize.

The thing that gets me is if this is in fact a direct quote, that the idiots can't even spell 'poisonous' correctly.

I don't tell them what I ship, and I love Eric's reply best. Print the label and drop it in the box.

 

[WyvernsLair]

Wonderful!! I guess I'd better hang around the swaps more and avoid shipping Ts. What other options are there? Is it actually legal to ship with UPS or FED EX?

It is PERFECTLY LEGAL to ship them via UPS or FedEx.. HOWEVER, it is against (prohibited) their respective business regulations to do so. They are not the USPS (gvt. run) therefore "legal" has nothing to do with a situation like this as it would with the USPS.

 

[reptist]

shipping

It is not illegal to ship T's or scorps, it is against the regs of USPS, fed-x, UPS and DHL to ship tarantulas, UPS once opened one of my pkges at random, called me and had me come pick them up, no fines or even a stern talking to, just "sorry but we cannot ship T's or scorps, try fed-x" the only way you would have a legal prob would be if you lied about what was in the box, then your looking at mail fraud, and contrary to popular belief USPS is not run by the US goverment... "The USPS is often mistaken for a government-owned corporation (e.g. Amtrak), but as noted above is legally defined as an "independent establishment of the executive branch of the Government of the United States," as per the supervisor at the main hub here in Phoenix, as long as you do not lie there will prob be no probs other than, as with john and myself, your shipment being refused and having to go pick it up, it is a horrible rule and was made by the uneducated or naieve but you find them everywhere so what to do but what needs to be done, PEACE, B.

 

[B-fish]

I have the same kind of problem.. I went the the usps office today and talked to the lady she said no reptiles besides cold blooded could be shipped, and then she also said that scorpions can't be shipped unless there doing research on the place you are mailing to. Then 5 minutes later she says they can't ship snakes, but snakes are cold blooded reptiles i thought they could ship them..the lady was pulling all the bull from her butt. So i went to the other usps office and shipped there . The girl also considers tarantulas as reptiles :/

 

[John Apple]

The thing that gets me is if this is in fact a direct quote, that the idiots can't even spell 'poisonous' correctly.

I don't tell them what I ship, and I love Eric's reply best. Print the label and drop it in the box.

Yes it is in fact a direct quote as pull from the page xeroxed for me...the mis-spelling error could be mine

 

[jb7741]

I didn't find any cut and dry rules except DHL and FedEx. It seems if you call and ask then USP or USPS shouldn't be a problem. Only FedEx and DHL made it a point to say no venomous creatures.




Fed Ex:
If approved by FedEx, we may accept non-venomous reptiles, amphibians, live/tropical fish and beneficial insects on an exception basis under the following conditions:
1. Shipments must be from a business to a business (from a breeder to a pet store, for example).
2. The shipper must have its packaging tested and pre-approved by FedEx Packaging Design and Development for the type of animal being shipped. Call 1.800.633.7019 for assistance. It is the responsibility of the shipper to adequately package shipments for all temperature extremes and handling conditions.

UPS:
PROHIBITED OR RESTRICTED ARTICLES (See notes 1-5)SECTION 1: PROPERTY OF EXTRAORDINARY VALUE:The following property will not be accepted for shipment nor as premiums accompanying other articles:
Bank Bills Notes
Currency, other than coin Art works and objects of art, including but not limited to original paintings, drawings, etchings, watercolors, tapestries, or sculptures
Deeds Postage Stamps
Drafts Precious Stones
Jewelry, other than costume or novelty jewelry Revenue Stamps
Letters, with or without stamps affixed Valuable Papers of any kind
Museum Exhibits or Articles of Antiquity Other inherently fragile or unique items, including but notlimited to prototypes, etc.

DHL:
Live Animals
(Limited to non-venomous, frogs, insects, lizards, tortoises, sea life,
and worms). Domestic (USA) transportation only under certain
conditions. Not permitted to be sent outside the U.S.

USPS:
Perishable Items
Some items require special packaging or special permission to be mailed. Call 1·800·ASK·USPS or visit your Post Office to find out how to mail these items:
Live animals