T's abdomens rupture during shipping?

[Paradisehavona]

Hello, this is my second post on Arachnoboards. I recently placed an order, from who I will not say at the moment, but all the reviews were good and when I received the Ts both abdomens were ruptured and fluids were all over the inside of the containers.

I did not choose to overnight the shipment as the dealer and I had exchanged emails and I was only worried about death due to overheating/freezing as I had never experienced a DOA that was completely crushed (I have received a DOA sling before but it was fully intact.) As he was using heat packs, I expected everything to have a good chance of survival.

I am wondering exactly how this could have happened? At first glance everything looked packaged correctly until I got to the small deli cups themselves and there was minimal paper towel padding and there were small gaps between the paper towels allowing the T to possibly smash against the plastic cup. Also, I could see one T through the clear lid without even opening it as there was a gap between the makeshift paper towel lid and the paper towel inside the deli cup.

The dealer said that some Ts abdomens may burst after being fed and having swift atmospheric pressure changes. He also stated that he believes he adequately padded the containers, so since I am just getting back into the hobby after a long break I would like an objective opinion.

Any one have any thoughts on how slings abdomens could burst during shipping? Especially the two slings were in separate deli cups.

Thanks

 

[ratluvr76]

I'm definitely no expert, but those pics seem like maybe you're right and there wasn't enough padding. The first picture looks like it may have gotten smooshed when he put the lid on..? idk.

Hopefully someone with more experience with packing then I do can add more, or correct me if I'm wrong.

sorry this happened. poor little guys!

 

[Paradisehavona]

Thanks... I am still waiting to see what he says about my offer of replacing the two B. Smithis or two equal value slings or a refund. Yeah.... I honestly thought that one looked like it was crushed during packing because there were fluids that were almost on top of the paper towel lid

I am sad as this is my first online purchase in 10 years

 

[tonypace2009]

Several years back I received six spiders in a trade and all spiders arrived with busted abdamons. They were small slings and a 3\4 inch sling all were packed well .The box only showed slight damage on 3 different sides. My first thought was were they playing football with my package? I still distrust delivery service. The person I traded with nicely had there friend drop off replacements four hours away. A very good person. I hope things work out for you also.

 

[Paradisehavona]

I understand that completely as I worked in the delivery service myself and have thrown many a package as a young stupid teenager. I assumed if that was the case the small box would show some signs of damage, but there were none at all

I do hope things work out for me as well I definitely don't want to be out $55.00 at the start of my re-entry into the hobby.

Thanks.

 

[Beary Strange]

I'm going to agree with ratluvr, those don't look like jostling injuries, they look full on smashed. I would wonder if the seller did so when rolling the paper up, because that paper doesn't look like they were packed in the normal fashion. It looks as if the paper was rolled around them rather than them being inserted into a paper "cave".

 

[Poec54]

It's not uncommon. Packages get tossed/dropped and tarantulas need a lot of padding in the vial/cup to withstand that. They should be packed without much room, as the more the abdomen can move, the harder it can hit the sides. In doing this, there also has to be adequate ventilation; the spider can't be sealed too tight all the way around. There are excellent packers, Kelly Swift and Chad Campbell (Advan) are two of the best I've seen.

 

[JustSomeDude]

yea def looks like someone beat the hell out of the package. They look absolutely crushed! If the rest of the bodies didn't show similar injuries the atmospheric pressure theory might hold weight but in the cdi investigation I would feel comfortable to say that some punk ass decided to play kick ball with your b smithis. If it is a reputable dealer he will at the very least refund your money minus the shipping. However if he is a reputable source perhaps he will resend and eat the shipping costs himself. Either way keep us posted so we can put em on blast or praise! Sorry for your loss and welcome back to the trade I am sure things will work out for you in the future!

 

[Exoskeleton Invertebrates]

Here is a video of one of my packaging

 

[shawno821]

Welcome back to the hobby.Sorry you lost them. It looks like they were poorly packed. I pack the littlest ones in straws,that's how little room to move they should have for shipping.These might have been too big for straws,but you get the idea.

 

[cold blood]

Yeah this is most likely when ts are packed poorly...these ts were indeed packed very poorly. In the future, you should NEVER use anything but overnight during winter. 2 day shipping is fine, but only as long as shipping temps are perfect. With 2 day you are probably not going to get LAG.

 

[Tim Benzedrine]

Here is a video of one of my packaging

Man, that's some solid packing right there!

 

[Paradisehavona]

Thanks guys..... so what he said was that I can have $40 store credit (price of the Ts in credit), but I have to pay for the shipping again which was $15. I guess that is better than nothing although I do wish I stuck with Kelly Swift (from my homestate MS).

I literally went with this current dealer because he has 100% positive reviews from this site, and the total price for two B. Smithis shipped was about $5 dollars less than the nearest competitor lol. Yes, I am a poor college kid.

Thanks for the advice and opinions about my current situation.

 

[Exoskeleton Invertebrates]

Thanks guys..... so what he said was that I can have $40 store credit (price of the Ts in credit), but I have to pay for the shipping again which was $15. I guess that is better than nothing although I do wish I stuck with Kelly Swift (from my homestate MS).

I literally went with this current dealer because he has 100% positive reviews from this site, and the total price for two B. Smithis shipped was about $5 dollars less than the nearest competitor lol. Yes, I am a poor college kid.

Thanks for the advice and opinions about my current situation.

Next time when you order from someone I would read the fine prints of their term and condition. A store credit? That's absurd. If I felt that it was negligence on my part I would take full responsibility of taking care of my customer. Even if you paid for 2 day shipping with no LAG packaging a spider properly comes first when shipping, even the straw method it's a big "No". Once it is in the carriers hands the seller should not be held reliable for the handling of your package.

 

[Paradisehavona]

I guarantee I'll never be ordering from him again....

"Send me your zip and I can keep track of when the best time to ship would be. Also a very good suggestion is to have it sent Hold for Pickup at your nearest FedEx hub, that way it avoids the worst part of the trip when most exposure happens. I have 40 hr heat packs but you wanna guess 48 hrs to arrival on 2-day, so the hold for pickup would have you covered."

That statement above is what sent me over the edge. Throughout our 20 emails, that is what he told me leading me to believe that trauma related deaths were unheard of due to his shipping methods and the only real danger I had to concern myself with was temperature (besides losing/severely damaging the package during delivery which did not happen as the box has no obvious signs of damage).

Honestly the thing that is making me the most mad is he linked his Arachnoboard reviews to me before I made the purchase and every single one of them was a good review dating back 5 years.

I am honestly pretty bummed out as now I'll be paying $30 total for shipping ($15 for two separate orders) and I am in the process of telling him that he is going to receive his first bad review from me. Sad times..... What a bummer getting back into the hobby.

 

[Exoskeleton Invertebrates]

I guarantee I'll never be ordering from him again....

"Send me your zip and I can keep track of when the best time to ship would be. Also a very good suggestion is to have it sent Hold for Pickup at your nearest FedEx hub, that way it avoids the worst part of the trip when most exposure happens. I have 40 hr heat packs but you wanna guess 48 hrs to arrival on 2-day, so the hold for pickup would have you covered."

That statement above is what sent me over the edge. Throughout our 20 emails, that is what he told me leading me to believe that trauma related deaths were unheard of due to his shipping methods and the only real danger I had to concern myself with was temperature (besides losing/severely damaging the package during delivery which did not happen as the box has no obvious signs of damage).

Honestly the thing that is making me the most mad is he linked his Arachnoboard reviews to me before I made the purchase and every single one of them was a good review dating back 5 years.

I am honestly pretty bummed out as now I'll be paying $30 total for shipping ($15 for two separate orders) and I am in the process of telling him that he is going to receive his first bad review from me. Sad times..... What a bummer getting back into the hobby.

Hold for pick up is the best way for tarantula safety do to not being on a truck all day long in extreme weather condition. As for your spider not to worry I have you cover, pay for overnight shipping and I'll send you a spider at no cost to you.

 

[Paradisehavona]

I really wish I could afford overnight shipping man, I am living off school loans while I am a full-time student and the money I did have to play around with has already been used up. Thank you kindly for the offer though, as I am very grateful to know that others feel my pain of receiving DOA specimens

 

[Exoskeleton Invertebrates]

That's too bad that you lost a couple of spiders. Your luck will change.

 

[Paradisehavona]

Thanks..

 

[Exoskeleton Invertebrates]

Man, that's some solid packing right there!

Thank you! If you notice she did not pay for overnight LAG it was priority 2 day shipping. But I still packed the spiders properly. In the video you will also see that she only paid $5.00 for shipping and got freebies, what a deal.