Reptile & Amphibian Forums

You always want to be careful when shipping or receiving reptiles through any of the carriers but this time of year you may want to arrange for things to take place after the holiday. This year as always I mention in my ads I stop shipping on the 10th. Yesterday I sent off my last package of 2008, wouldn't you know it.... it got lost.
The carrier was telling me and my customer 2 very different stories and luckily for us it had a happy ending. I have been very fortunate with shipping and receieving snakes but keep in mind that for the next few weeks the amount of packages carriers are shipping goes through the roof. Just wanted to mention this to everyone as many people including myself think of treating themsleves to a personal gift and wait til the end of the year "sales".
Wait a little longer and save yourself the headaches and worry.
Tom Stevens
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TomsSnakes.com

n/p
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Arrrggg!
It's like Shalom, but for pirates.
- iCarly

Wish this post was up yesterday! I just sent two leapard gekos to my brother in Florida yeserday and when I checked the tracking number today there is no evidence of the package!!! I don't do lizards but man I don't want them to freeze and die either.

I am sorry to hear that. The carrier I use has been very good to me but this close to Xmas I think we all need to think twice. I had very few incidents where I had to call them for help but when I did they made it clear they made an effort to help and so far I have a perfect record on deliveries making it.
Though I am a hot head and flip out a lot, when dealing with this situation being calm and patient may make a big difference on how they handle the situation. Good luck with everything
Tom Stevens
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TomsSnakes.com

Joe if they freeze and die tell your brother to send them to me
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"You look like a guy caught smugling reptiles in his pants" John McCain to David Letterman
Doug L

I almost fell out of my chair laughing Doug. But yes, I will do that. You will be cutting small pieces from those two monsters. My daughters day care did not want them any longer and asked if I would take them. They are like Gila Monsters!! Big.

Something else to consider at any time of the year is the exact route your pkg. will to take to get to its ultimate destination.
As an example... you may ship something from central Florida to south Florida....all good it seems in cooler weather,right? Well that pkg. (depending on carrier or flights) may take a route through Tennessee or points much farther north than you expected. Even if for only a few hours, it could make a big difference in how you might pack.
Try and get with your agent and see if you can get exact routes for any given shipment. It can take a little time, but it may save some li'l ones.
:Mark
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Surrender Dorothy!

crimsonking.piczo.com/

You know it! Crazy as it seems this is often the case....packages travelling several states out of the way before reaching their destination. When I began shipping I used a different carrier than I use now and they had 3 expensive packages get delayed in transit and thought they all made it all customers were pissed and I was not happy with the way they handled it.
The thing is some people will swear one company is very efficient while others may disagree to the point where they pass on a sale becuase I can not ship the way they want.
We need to keep in mind that any company willing to ship snakes legally is an ally that we should be lenient with if things go wrong. After all, they have always been hesitant to let us do our thing and yet they do if you go through the right channels... so if they make a mistake we should not crucify them over it.... then they very well may tell our industry to take a hike ya know?
Tom Stevens
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TomsSnakes.com

An update on the geko situation. Well, they arrived yesterday no worse for the wear and are set up in a tank and eating well. The postal service did not scan the box until it reached Florida. Hope they know they had me pulling my hair out. Good ending though.