Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I recieve reptiles from all carriers just like everyone else on here right???? OK. all my delivery guys that bring one to me are really cool about it except one. We had a discussion today that it was against federal regulations to send animals of any kind through them, and if we all got caught doing it we could get in serious trouble...Now in this buisness we rely on these carriers to deliver for us, what if they were to start checking our packages and stickin their nose in all this????? Not to mention all of us getting into trouble if they were to find a harmless ball in there...The carrier today said they were likely to start crackin down on these packages that seemed mysterious...eeewwwwww! Please enlighten me on all this because this one guy has brought this up more than once, and i cant realy say what i want to say to him..I however dont use them to ship my animals but i do recieve through them......thanx

You're going to have to be more specific regarding what carrier you are talking about. Also, you can find a LOT of info on shipping and different carriers on the other site. If you don't know which one I'm talking about you can email me and I'll send it to you.

Laura

OK,,, ill be more specific,ups... this guy acts like it bothers him if he thinks theres a reptile in there...He seems just like one of those nerds ready to tell on the whole class in high school...lol

It is against UPS policy to ship snakes (lizards ok but not snakes). That doesn't make it a federal issue. It is against federal regulations to ship a snake thru the USPS. Fed Ex will ship snakes, but you have to go thru an approval process. Hope this helps.
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Tosha

8.15.0 Ball Python (Harry and Fluffy and currently un-named)
1.0.0 Angolan Python
0.2.0 Feline (Pippen and Pandora)
0.0.1 Dessert Tortoise (Pope)
2.2.1 Fish (1,2,3,4)
0.0.3 Lizards rescued from pool skimmer

I think the UPS guy was referring to the common practice of mislabeling being against federal regulations. This is correct. Merely stating "LIVE HARMLESS REPTILE" is still a violation (Lacey Act) unless three things are clearly marked on the outside of the shipping container -- scientific name, common name, and quantity.

Here's how my label reads:

HANDLE WITH CARE
Live Harmless Reptile
Scientific Name: Python regius
Common Name: Royal Python
Quantity: One (1)

So packages only labeled "HANDLE WITH CARE / THIS SIDE UP" can cost a fortune in fines...not to mention jail time.

Chris
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“The problem with the Ball Python market is the advertisement of true morphs versus pseudo-morphs. Many people are simply taking the Normal animals for Granite." – CJBianco

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Tosha

8.15.0 Ball Python (Harry and Fluffy and currently un-named)
1.0.0 Angolan Python
0.2.0 Feline (Pippen and Pandora)
0.0.1 Dessert Tortoise (Pope)
2.2.1 Fish (1,2,3,4)
0.0.3 Lizards rescued from pool skimmer

Well it's not against federal regulations for you to ship with UPS if you follow the Lacey act. But it *IS* against UPS policy to ship them without being an approved shipper. And let me tell you it is VERY hard in some areas to get that approval. We used to ship with UPS but they did open our packages and they did send someone to our house to warn us that we'd better not do it again and no matter how much we point out that people in other areas have approval, our area reps are adamant it is against company policy.

We currently ship our door-to-door packages via FedEx which has the same problems as above except that we finally did get past the wall of resistance and got approved. To get approved with FedEx you have to ship a sample package with some paperwork to their inspection facility where they will approve/reject your shipping method. Then you have to send a waiver to their legal department saying that FedEx isn't liable for any losses associated with your shipping. By the way, the waiver is non-specific so once you sign it, don't ship important non-reptile goods via FedEx or you may be out of luck should anything happen.

The USPS is a whole other kettle of fish, just don't use it for snakes (incoming or outgoing) ever. Like I said there is a LOT of info about this on the other site.

Hope this helps,
Laura

Since most people won't have a clue what this means. You must write exactly what animals are in the box when you ship with Fed Ex etc.. or the airlines.

I just shipped something and forgot to write it on there. When the package was lost, I thought the Feds had it. They will send you to jail for this, believe it or not. DON'T FORGET TO WRITE IT!!!!!

Oh NO, did I just admit to a federal crime? Let me restate that. I think I forgot to write the contents on the box. LOL.

Actually, that is the truth, and I was paranoid for 24 hours until the airline finally found it.

CJ's post about the Lacey act was posted after mine, but it's above mine, even though we both changed the heading. Now, I want full credit for being the first to clarify the Lacey act. LMAO

Listen to CJ though, he was a lot more specific.

2nd place is the first loser. LOL. Don't worry CJ, I'm not calling you a loser....just having some fun. I'm sure you were typing while I was posting. I hate that.

Thanx guys,,,I guess there are walls to deal with no matter whatwe get into... Thats life for ya..

"By the way, the waiver is non-specific so once you sign it, don't ship important non-reptile goods via FedEx or you may be out of luck should anything happen."

The waiver (which is account specific) ONLY applies to live reptile/amphibian shipments. In order to ship dry goods and supplies you need a separate account. This info came straight from Mr. Brown in the FedEx legal department.

Chris
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“The problem with the Ball Python market is the advertisement of true morphs versus pseudo-morphs. Many people are simply taking the Normal animals for Granite." – CJBianco

Who is the carrier?

Some you can ship through and some you cannot. I currently ship using a carrier that does allow reptiles, including snakes. This took a bit to get processed and approved though.
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Jay A. Martin
Jay Martin Reptiles

That's what I do. I ship from my work because it's cheaper and I can enter the package into the system and label it myself. I talked to a guy last year that used to work for FedEx. He said that packages labeled "FRAGILE" are just a target. The only packages they respect are the ones labeled "LIVE PLANTS - KEEP WARM - DO NOT STACK" That's how I label everything I ship now. I have never had a problem with any company when I ship. And I have never once disclosed what's in the box. Aside from the fact that it's only in their possession for no more than 18 hours, it's none of their business. Might not comply with their biased "company policy" but so what? If it gets to its destination on time and in good condition, why take the chance and actually tell them what's in it? I'd feel alot more uncomfortable letting them know rather than just keeping it to myself and the person receiving it. What if you get some snake hater that refuses to carry a snake on their truck and dumps it out on the side of the road or.....insert your own scenario here.

Hope the feds don't read your post.

Chris =)
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“The problem with the Ball Python market is the advertisement of true morphs versus pseudo-morphs. Many people are simply taking the Normal animals for Granite." – CJBianco

Ecactly what im thinking...see,, awhile back i got a ball that came in a box marked live,,,,it arrived very late in the day so when i recieved it i checked it right then to make sure it was alive....the ups guy freaked....but i only did this so if the snake was dead he would know about it...I realy dont think its their buisiness whats in the box either but since the box was marked live he already knew there was something....that was almost a year ago, but here recently this guy has been bringin this crap up everytime i get something snake or not....we dont need this crap when its their job to deliver a freakin box....

"we dont need this crap when its their job to deliver a freakin box..."

Yes...but understand that it is your job to be a responsible shipper/receiver. By refusing to legitimately and correctly label all packages, the shipper not only gambles with huge fines as well as jail time, he also places the receiver at equal risk. The Lacey Act prosecutes BOTH sender and receiver.

Chris
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“The problem with the Ball Python market is the advertisement of true morphs versus pseudo-morphs. Many people are simply taking the Normal animals for Granite." – CJBianco

This is enough to make my head ache.....fedx and dhl have no problem with it at all,,,they usually wanna see whats in there when they bring me somethin...when i ship out,, they ask whats in there and then they say we thought so, laugh and i sleep well....ya gotta think though, im out in the country,TN.. and these hicks out here aint into this kinda stuff.....lol

"we dont need this crap when its their job to deliver a freakin box..."

Of course, if the feds do decide to bust the sender...you may be quite happy with the delivery guy who decided NOT to deliver a freakin box. After all, that delivery guy just kept you out of jail.

Just a thought...

Chris
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“The problem with the Ball Python market is the advertisement of true morphs versus pseudo-morphs. Many people are simply taking the Normal animals for Granite." – CJBianco

There was ONE time I disclosed what was in the box. I used to use USPS all the time to ship snakes. This was about 4 years ago. I don't anymore. But this was when I was new to even the idea that you could ship a snake across the country and when I started doing it, I also received every snake I bought online through USPS too. I had no idea you can't do that.

Anyway, here's the story: I sold a male axanthic ball to a guy in Canada. Also the first and last time I dealt with an international sale. I took the snake to the post office to ship. Being so valuable, this time I got the insurance. I wrote "Axanthic male ball python" on the slip. Checked with the clerks to make sure it was OK to ship a snake because I just wanted to be sure. They called 3 other local post offices to check. After they got the APPROVAL from the other branches, my package was on its way. The guy claimed he didn't get his package because it was stuck in customs so I tried to track it down. After being passed around to many different people at the post office, none of which helped me or gave me any answer, I ended up speaking to the local Fish and Game office. About an hour later I had a knock on my door that I didn't answer. I had an agent calling me saying he wanted to talk to me. Coincidentally, I was about to be moving so I left a few days later and never did find out what he wanted to talk to me about.

The Canadian cancelled his checks after I had already deposited them and I ended up in debt because of it and out of a snake that I was only selling for $500 because I had lost my job and was about to get evicted from my apartment and needed money. On top of all that, I didn't even take the currency exchange into consideration and was getting ripped off anyway. Actually, I didn't know about it. I feel I was ripped off through the whole thing regardless of the post office issue. I think in all likelihood, he got the snake and cancelled the checks and intended to do this the entire time. I was 19 years old, new to shipping and even the whole online reptile trade. Prior to that, I got everything from pet stores. As a matter of fact, discovering Kingsnake a few months before this happened was really the start of it all, haha. So, lesson learned, I don't ship USPS anymore. But yes, I do ship and receive all my packages (about one a month on average) through FedEx or UPS and I never tell what's in it nor do I ever see on the packages I receive that the sender disclosed that information either. As far as the "FEDS" reading this, it makes me sick enough how much the government, or anyone for that matter, thinks they have the right to tell people how to live their lives. I absolutely refuse to worry about them trying to butt into our hobbies too. FOOK EM. If they wanna dig through thousands of packages a day trying to find my one a month, they're the ones with the problem... being so pathetically petty and bored.

All it takes is that snake getting restless in the box with the wrong person carrying in and the jig is up so to speak. Maybe not an issue if you are shipping babies, but if it's a 5 or 10 pound snake those boxes tend to wiggle around sometimes. If your box is labled "plants" and they are moving around in all probablity that package gets flagged, opened and you and your receiver are going to be on the loosing end. Yes you might have "always" had cool people dropping off or picking up your boxes (don't we all) but it just takes one somewhere on the shipping line to get you banned or worse.
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Tosha

8.15.0 Ball Python (Harry and Fluffy and currently un-named)
1.0.0 Angolan Python
0.2.0 Feline (Pippen and Pandora)
0.0.1 Dessert Tortoise (Pope)
2.2.1 Fish (1,2,3,4)
0.0.3 Lizards rescued from pool skimmer

Agreed. And there really is no good reason to avoid shipping legally. FedEx will approve the shipping of live non-venomous snakes. All it takes is a phone call, a test shipment (free shipping), a signature, and a little patience.

Plus you get a 10% discount on all online shipping with your new (free) live reptile/amphibian shipping account.

Shipping legally via FedEx is FREE, EASY, SAFE...and it SAVES MONEY!

Chris =)
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“The problem with the Ball Python market rests in the advertisement of true morphs versus pseudo-morphs. Many people are simply taking Normal animals for Granite." – CJBianco