Ship Your Reptiles is now Fedex Certified.

[Hypnotic Exotic]

The rumor I heard on why SYR got shut down is some moron shipped a False Water Cobra and UPS has a strict no venomous snake rule, regardless of how venomous. If this is incorrect, then someone please correct me. Getting Fedex certified is super easy but there is a reason for it which is what's already been mentioned, you have to demonstrate that you know what you're doing. Going this route, you now don't and all it's going to take is one idiot and this will be over. If UPS is not going to accept any new accounts, then all it takes is for Fedex to shut this down due to some careless people and we can pretty much say goodbye to the hobby as we know it. I'd much rather individuals be required to get certified and held individually responsible than this option.

[ShortStack]

I have a question about being certified individually.. Once you demonstrate you know how in order to have the certification, is there any way that they check periodically on your shipments to make sure you're following protocol? Because simply "demonstrating" it once doesn't mean it will happen every time. Someone could do it simply to get the certification, and then say to heck with it.

[Robyn@SYR]

The rumor I heard on why SYR got shut down is some moron shipped a False Water Cobra.

Your rumor is only kinda true. Yes, someone shipped a false water cobra, yes, UPS freaked out about it. But that didn't get anything shut down. That part is not accurate.

That incident became part of an ongoing discussion, along with an unlabeled dry ice shipper (against policy) and a small mammal that got shipped (also against policy). Those are definite trouble spots. Those are the three unique trouble spots, of 50,000+ shipments, that we had to address.

They definitely raised issues. But folks ship crazy stuff with UPS and FedEx on their own every day, from every Kinko's and UPS Store. Drugs(!!) liquor, guns, fireworks, all kinds of crazy contraband. They do it with more frequency on their own, WITHOUT SYR, than our users do WITH SYR. Statistically, our users are extremely safe shippers, responsible shippers, and educated shippers. We have NEVER had any kind of crazy contraband shipped.

But those three issues together didn't cause a shut down either. It is a larger issue, including the third party issue, including overall snake phobia, including internal UPS communication issues. There is no sense in pointing fingers and placing individual blame, I want to move forward. The UPS conversation was long and drawn out, over many many months, with both sides trying to find a workable resolution. In the end, it is easier for them to say no, then yes.

Shoot, our FedEx conversation has taken 10 months, and we are close, but still not live : )

And regarding False Water Cobra shipper...

Mildly venomous, common pet trade animal, I was ignorant, I didn't know, come on I ship 35 packages a week, blah blah blah, he still got his account canceled immediately, and hasn't been back.

If you hear a "rumor" and wonder if it is true, if you need clarification on a confusing issue, ASK ME. You can email me directly, or give me a call.

Thanks!

[ShortStack]

They do it with more frequency on their own, WITHOUT SYR, than our users do WITH SYR. Statistically, our users are extremely safe shippers, responsible shippers, and educated shippers. We have NEVER had any kind of crazy contraband shipped.

Robyn, like I said in an earlier post, I don't know much of anything about shipping reptiles. From what I've read though, it sounds like yall are really TRYING to provide a good service to those that do this as a hobby or business. I really hope it works out. Never know, I may need something like this in a far, far future Good luck!

[anatess]

The rumor I heard on why SYR got shut down is some moron shipped a False Water Cobra and UPS has a strict no venomous snake rule, regardless of how venomous. If this is incorrect, then someone please correct me. Getting Fedex certified is super easy but there is a reason for it which is what's already been mentioned, you have to demonstrate that you know what you're doing. Going this route, you now don't and all it's going to take is one idiot and this will be over. If UPS is not going to accept any new accounts, then all it takes is for Fedex to shut this down due to some careless people and we can pretty much say goodbye to the hobby as we know it. I'd much rather individuals be required to get certified and held individually responsible than this option.

Think of the logic in your statement. You say that because you have a fedex cert protects you from the idiot next door with his own cert... So that if the idiot proves he knows how to package a snake by shipping the trial box then puts a cobra in a box and Fedex shuts him down, they wouldn't shut YOU down with your own cert, right? Coz it is an individual cert, you said.

That is the exact same as SYR in play. If some idiot ships a cobra through SYR (or sends a flimsy package, or contraband or rats, etc) and Fedex finds out about it, they will shut down SYR. Not you or everybody else with their individual cert! Fedex is a business. They will not refuse the thousands of shipments from the reptile industry just because one business - SYR - fails to protect their contractual agreement. The losers are the good SYR members who are now out of their shipping method... But then they can always apply for their individual cert if they need to.

No losers really. Just a positive exploration into the world of convenient shipping for some of us small-timers.

[Skiploder]

Its not just about shipping "Cobras".

FedEx has always been particularly picky about HOW snakes are shipped. The whole process of getting certified is FedEx's way to make sure that this person knows precisely HOW to safely ship a reptile and under which conditions.

What gets me is how FedEx now seems to show 2 completely different sides. On one side they are so very particular to make sure that EVERY person that ships a snake, knows precisely how to do it, and had to go through this certification process to prove it.

On the other, they will now allow 3rd party shipping. Knowing full well that the shipper will ship whichever way they choose to. Neither SYR nor FedEx will be able to make sure the shipper knows (or cares) to do it the proper way.

Why this discrepancy ?

If Fedex didn't worry about being so particular about it anymore, then why wouldn't they just allow anyone to ship under their own account, certified or not ? Do they think SYR holds some power over how the shipper will ship ? Will they hold them responsible for anything going wrong and is that the reason why they are fine with it?

Have they simply decided not to be so strict about it ? If that is so, then yes, its a great thing.

Trust me, I DO hope this will work out, it would be a huge plus for our hobby.

But I can also understand that some people are concerned, there is a lot at stake here.

Fed Ex isn't that particular. They routinely allow reptiles to be shipped to residential addresses and without the proper labeling on the box.

Over the years I've received many snakes and I can count on one hand the number of breeders/shippers/etc. that use Fed Ex and properly abide by their business to business requirements and their labeling protocol.

Yes, it's easy to get Fed Ex certified and yes SYR could potentially introduce a few bad apples into the mix, but has anyone ever thought about this:

Part of the SYR model is selling the proper shipping supplies, advocating proper labeling and educating the shipper on how to safely pack the animals. I could also use the argument that SYR may very well have an overall positive effect as it seems that the odds are that most people who use them will get a decent education in proper shipping. Time will tell, but all of this hair-rending and moaning about how this MAY be bad for the hobby are getting tiring.

I'm more concerned about the idiots who continue to ship without a certification, or who have one and don't know all the rules. When's the last time you received a reptile from Fed Ex at your residence? When's the last time the shipper clearly marked the package in due accordance?

In the end, I hope that Fed Ex doesn't pull a UPS and overact if there are issues. I also hope that if something goes wrong that it Fed Ex has the good sense to see the big picture - that live reptile shipping is profitable for them and that incidences seem to be the exception - not the rule.

[MarkieJ]

I've been closely following this issue in various forums and there is one thing that is particularly sticking in my craw... the people that are adamantly against SYR that have resorted to name calling. As a hobbyist breeder with a small collection, SYR is a very nice option to have, and is something that I would look into in the future. I take offense to being referred to as lazy, stupid, lazy, a nucklehead, and lazy if I were to use SYR and not get Fed-Ex certified. If you refuse to buy from someone using SYR... I can also choose to refuse to buy from you, if you resort to name calling.

[Powerspythons]

I'm really starting to dislike this topic cause its making me feel like such a flip-flopper(and I HATE being a flip-flopper!!)...first I was for it, then I was against it cause of all the negative aspects that flew out of the woodwork, then I was for it again, and now I dont even know where I am!!! GAHHH!!!!

[purplemuffin]

Hmm.. Here's my view... There are irresponsible people out there..the people who ship cobras, mammals, etc. They do it all the time with or without any big label on their package.. In fact, most people doing something illegal/against the rules would actually AVOID having their package marked that there is indeed an animal in there. Try to make it look as innocent as any other package sent through the mail that day. I've seen this happen before, I've seen youtube videos of people explaining how to word labels on packages to get them sent fast without 'drawing suspicion'..

And if they are gonna do it I think they are going to do it. I don't think any of the people who shipped improperly with SYR were encouraged to ship simply because suddenly Ship Your Reptiles was an option. If SYR wasn't involved with the UPS, they would have probably still shipped those things anyway. It would have been just another statistic.. Among the thousands of packages. It just happened to be someone who used SYR!

At least most people who use this site use it to keep their pets safe.. This is a program that has saved a lot of reptile lives. My friend had to rescue her snakes from a (very bad owner) friend... But she was moving. Since she isn't a business she didn't have the time to get certified, so she got involved with SYR and sent them to her new home. That was the only time she ever needed to ship, and she wanted to learn how to do it the right way! That's why I like this website.. We aren't all breeders.. I feel like this website is understandable enough to people who are new to the hobby.. Maybe who don't even know of the whole herp community, who want to know how they can safely move their pets with them, if driving isn't an option. They want to learn how to do it right, so this is a place where they can without having to worry about being a 'business' and all the trouble that goes into the whole process!


I dunno. I don't think it is a bad thing. I think Fedex has the possibility of overreacting.. But I don't think SYR would be RESPONSIBLE for it! If I'm making sense? It's a bit late and I'm tired. Trying to explain. Like.. The people who go to this website.. (IN GENERAL as there are exceptions..) use it because they want to ship their animal safely and correctly and follow the rules. People aren't going to see this as an excuse to go out there and ship their vipers..

Besides if you are just going to be lazy..why would you go to the trouble of signing up for the website and dealing with all the extra waiting? The whole thing is a waste of time if you aren't going to follow the instructions.. It seems like most of the lazy shippers would just feel it isn't worth it I guess haha!

And of course there are always exceptions! Some people are weird. It's just like the people going to the most expensive colleges ever just to go party it up and fail. You aren't paying for your education, you're paying for the option to be educated! Similar circumstance I guess, lol.

I say this is a dangerous gamble yeah.. But wait and see. We can't know what will happen until it happens. But again I don't think that SYR being involved in Fedex is going to make all the crazy people out there suddenly jump on 'their chance' to go out and ship all their vipers and rats and junk! Not like they are sitting around waiting for it!

[Wh00h0069]

Its not just about shipping "Cobras".

FedEx has always been particularly picky about HOW snakes are shipped. The whole process of getting certified is FedEx's way to make sure that this person knows precisely HOW to safely ship a reptile and under which conditions.

What gets me is how FedEx now seems to show 2 completely different sides. On one side they are so very particular to make sure that EVERY person that ships a snake, knows precisely how to do it, and had to go through this certification process to prove it.

On the other, they will now allow 3rd party shipping. Knowing full well that the shipper will ship whichever way they choose to. Neither SYR nor FedEx will be able to make sure the shipper knows (or cares) to do it the proper way.

Why this discrepancy ?

If Fedex didn't worry about being so particular about it anymore, then why wouldn't they just allow anyone to ship under their own account, certified or not ? Do they think SYR holds some power over how the shipper will ship ? Will they hold them responsible for anything going wrong and is that the reason why they are fine with it?

Have they simply decided not to be so strict about it ? If that is so, then yes, its a great thing.

Trust me, I DO hope this will work out, it would be a huge plus for our hobby.

But I can also understand that some people are concerned, there is a lot at stake here.

Two million dollars sounds like a pretty good reason for FedEx to reconsider.