Re: Fed Ex

[Dave Gomberg <gomberg@wcf.com>]

At 07:16 PM 10/22/98 -0400, you wrote:
>Alysoun McLaughlin wrote:
>> A few months ago, we tried to ship fish via Fed Ex, and the package was
>> refused.
>> This thread confused me, so I called Fed Ex.  I was told that because the
>> cargo areas of their airplanes are not pressurized, company policy
expressly
>> forbids the shipping of live animals, with the exception of lobsters.
>Fed Ex in Canada, and UPS, refused the accept fish. 

Well, I spent a ton of time on the phone with FedEx, talking finally to the
Live Animals Desk and the Packaging Lab (which certifies that packaging is
adequate).  Here is what I found out:

You cannot send pets.  You can send LIVE FISH FOR HUMAN COMSUMPTION.  Page
77 of the service guide says so.

They told me the FedEx police will not actually come around to make sure
you really ate the fish.  I am pretty sure one problem is they don't want
to deal with the loss of someone's darling pet poochie.

The packaging lab said mark the package LIVE FISH PERISHABLE (I would
recommend LIVE PLANTS PERISHABLE KEEP AT ROOM TEMPERATURE instead so you
don't get into the fish brouhaha).   They want a minimum of 1.5" foam
insulation (inside a cardboard box), double bagging (preferably 4 mil), and
enough absorptive material that if the bag breaks it will catch the water
so other packages are not harmed.   Seems reasonable enough to me.

If you ship fish a LOT, like David Soares does, you can actually get
permission to ship tropical fish, but you need to work with your FedEx
salesman.  

--
Dave Gomberg, San Francisco            mailto:gomberg@wcf.com
http://www.wcf.com/wcf
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