HELP!!!bp's lost in the mail what are the chances??

i was supposed to be receiving 2 bp's today, a bumble bee and super pastel both mia!! tracking stopped at 5 pm yesterday after noon at a sorting facility and then nothing after than, and no snakes today, the seller seems just as frantic as me but what are the odds if it shows up tom. they will still be alive?? all i can do is hope they aren't expossed to any extreme temps and he put a hole in the box for air. i just have a bad feeling this is about to be an expenesive disaster!! i've tried calling soooo many numbers to atleast find the package so i could maybe drive and get it or seller drive and reclaim it but they just can't find it!!! he shipped it usps too!!! idk why but i'm pretty sure that's illegal so there goes a claim wtf kind of bad luck is this!!! has this every happened to anybody else?? if so what was the outcome? thanks....

If he shipped snakes USPS - yes, that's illegal.

The tracking system of USPS is not reliable.

Who is the breeder, if you don't mind me asking?

Never had anything like that happen to me, Hope they show up for you!

There is never a good time for snakes to get lost in the mail, but the worst times are the dead of winter and height of summer. Temperature is the biggest killer of snakes in transit.

They can go without water and food for longer than you can, hopefully they'll find their way to you soon.

Had that happen to me, way back in the day. We shipped on a Thursday and the snake did not reach me on Friday due to bad weather in one of the shipping areas. The snake did not get to me until Monday morning. This was during the height of summer, 90 degree temps ALL weekend long... it was awful.

The snake reached me... and he was fine. Mad as all get out, and a little dehydrated, but fine. Packaging has to be considered... if the snakes were well packaged, they'll probably make it.

Hope it all works out for you.

i didn't order them from a store i ordered them from off the kingsnake classifieds. The shipping informed me that he put a couple of air holes in the box and cool, so hopefully they are good on oxygen, but then that means there's a hole in the cooler part as well. All i can hope is that it doesn't get too cold. The last scan was prossed at a sorting facility in VT. I called the facility and was told that it arrived there at 5:15 and all mail is then routed to memphis tn. via plane, and from there bouce from hub to hub untill it gets to me. just it didn't get to me and never was scanned un tn. hopefully it doesn't get too cold tonight where ever they are and i keep my fingers crossed. it's really still a cointoss in my opinion though way to many factors involved. i just hope it pops up on the tracking grid at some point tonight so i know where it is atleast and it shows up tom. if i have to wait until monday wow. i don't even know what i'm gonna do if a box of dead snakes arrives as i payed 1800 shipped :O:confused:

Couple of questions for you?

What do you mean by "in the mail", live reptiles should be shipped UPS or Fedex.

What is shipped Next Day Air?

What is the seller doing about this, have made him aware of this, has he been contacting the company used to ship your animal so they can locate where the animal is exactly?

What are his guarantees?

................................

It happened to me a few months back drop off an animal and next day when I check the tracking number to see where the animal was, the tracking number was not showing.

I immediately knew there was something wrong, I first contacted my customer (before he was even aware of the problem) to let him know that there was apparently a problem and that I was actively looking into this.

Turned out the snake never left the hub on my end, I retrieved it, kept him for a few days and ship him back out.

The seller is responsible if your snakes don't make it! He chose the shipping company and he shipped it!

IDK that any shipper will deliver on a Saturday unless the package was specifically sent for Saturday delivery. That's been my experience, anyway (unless these were, indeed shipped through USPS, which, again, is ILLEGAL).

This just feels strange to me. Any breeder worth his salt is not going to ship through USPS, and they aren't going to ship on a Thursday knowing that, if the package is lost, it won't be delivered until Monday.

This is why Big Gunns never likes to ship on Thursday. BG has had some lost before, all but one were OK. You need to watch out when you call though, if you say it's a snake they may stop it in it's tracks and confiscate it. This may have happened anyway.

There's not much you can do but hope for the best. You can keep calling, but don't say it's a snake if he's not a verified shipper with UPS.


As far as it being "illegal". As far as BG knows it's not "illegal"(depending on the laws for the species in that state), it's against UPS policy unless you're a verified shipper of reptiles though. For some reason, even if you are a "verified shipper" you can still have problems with both Fed X and UPS. You would think they'd straighten this out by now with their employees, but it seems they have not.:taz::taz:


Good luck.

There's the tang of the ocean floating about this thread. Well nigh fishy you might say.

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Originally Posted by Big Gunns

This is why Big Gunns never likes to ship on Thursday. BG has had some lost before, all but one were OK. You need to watch out when you call though, if you say it's a snake they may stop it in it's tracks and confiscate it. This may have happened anyway.

There's not much you can do but hope for the best. You can keep calling, but don't say it's a snake if he's not a verified shipper with UPS.


As far as it being "illegal". As far as BG knows it's not "illegal"(depending on the laws for the species in that state), it's against UPS policy unless you're a verified shipper of reptiles though. For some reason, even if you are a "verified shipper" you can still have problems with both Fed X and UPS. You would think they'd straighten this out by now with their employees, but it seems they have not.:taz::taz:


Good luck.

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Hey Big,

It was USPS not UPS.

Do you read these posts or just start mouthing off with no regard to the people posting.

Bill

oh yes, it was shipped via usps. I was told it was going out fedex on wed. I told him they never got here and he's frantically called as many numbers as i have, a lot of the ppl i talk to have allready talked to him and know the situation BUT can't find it. This is a disaster. As for getting my money back if they died wow i payed with 2 postal money orders so wtf. i just donn't even want to think about it cause it's gonna suck i'm sure i'm just hoping they arrive alive tom. ok

im sure they will be fine. you would be surprised with what these guys can handle. remember they are wild animals so they will fight to survive as long as they can. i had some show up late and it didnt look good at first but after i warmed um up they were fine. any later than tomorrow tho and i would be worried

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Originally Posted by Jessandyballs

Hey Big,

It was USPS not UPS.

Do you read these posts or just start mouthing off with no regard to the people posting.

Bill

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Until the post below yours - no where have I seen the OP confirm that it was sent through USPS - and I've seen many a member say that their animals came through the "mail" when in fact it was shipped UPS and Fedex.

Might want to take it down a notch or two before doing exactly what you just accused BG of doing.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Shiffy420

oh yes, it was shipped via usps. I was told it was going out fedex on wed. I told him they never got here and he's frantically called as many numbers as i have, a lot of the ppl i talk to have allready talked to him and know the situation BUT can't find it. This is a disaster. As for getting my money back if they died wow i payed with 2 postal money orders so wtf. i just donn't even want to think about it cause it's gonna suck i'm sure i'm just hoping they arrive alive tom. ok

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Just to clarify one more time - did they use the US Postal Service (US Mail) or did they ship via FedEx or UPS (brown)? Big difference between number 1 and the other two. You can also be in huge trouble violating the Lacey act if this guy shipped snakes through the USPS (government) vs. FedEx or UPS.

This post lists both USPS and FedEx

I had this happen when Fedex's plane broke down and it had to spend the night at their hub. The shipper had multiple snakes on that plane (insert movie joke here) and was on the phone with them all day ensuring that they were put in a climate controlled area. Snakes arrived fine. I was frantic as it was my first ever order and a high dollar one at that but it worked out okay.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jessandyballs

Hey Big,

It was USPS not UPS.

Do you read these posts or just start mouthing off with no regard to the people posting.

Bill

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What's up with the attitude someone peed in your cheerios. :rolleyes:

Until the post that was posted after yours the OP said in the mail which I asked to clarified since I have seen people before use in the mail even when refering to UPS and Fedex so until the OP actually answered and said USPS there was no certainty still none actually.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Shiffy420

oh yes, it was shipped via usps. I was told it was going out fedex on wed. I told him they never got here and he's frantically called as many numbers as i have, a lot of the ppl i talk to have allready talked to him and know the situation BUT can't find it. This is a disaster. As for getting my money back if they died wow i payed with 2 postal money orders so wtf. i just donn't even want to think about it cause it's gonna suck i'm sure i'm just hoping they arrive alive tom. ok

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So is it USPS or Fedex because your post is far from being clear here. :confused:

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Originally Posted by Shiffy420

he shipped it usps too!!!

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This was in the first post...but I'm not sure if that is "comfirmed" or not?

Anyway, did the postal people say anything about it being illegal? Do they know if someone discovered it and 'confiscated' them?

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Originally Posted by Deborah

What's up with the attitude someone peed in your cheerios. :rolleyes:

Until the post that was posted after yours the OP said in the mail which I asked to clarified since I have seen people before use in the mail even when refering to UPS and Fedex so until the OP actually answered and said USPS there was no certainty still none actually.


So is it USPS or Fedex because your post is far from being clear here. :confused:

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Ahem...give me back my brain!!!!!

And I think the OP meant that the seller said it was going to be fedex, but in the end actually used USPS?

Who the heck did you buy them from?

The problem is, IF it is a carrier error, you are going to get no relief from USPS because the seller should not have shipped them that way.

I would call the Post Office and make it clear you had no idea they shipped via USPS, tell them there are live animals in the box, and see what they can do.

I see this ending badly...

Dave

USPS doesn't provide in transit tracking like FedEx and UPS do - they show billed and delivered - and that's it. The fact that the OP lists being able to track where the package is, leads me to believe it was shipped FedEx or UPS.

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Originally Posted by rabernet

Ahem...give me back my brain!!!!!

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Yeah but I was slightly delayed answering to someone's PM :rolleyes:

If you use express mail you can do in transit tracking through USPS

I had this happen to me once. Turned out the shipper wrote an incorrect street number on the box. It was almost a week before I was able to pick up my snakes from the carrier. They were okay but I wouln't ever buy from that person again.

I'm really sorry--USPS isn't the most reliable service to use, particularly lately. I assume he sent it USPS overnight express, since you have a tracking number. If he labeled it as live animals, he probably listed them as lizards, or just 'reptiles' and told them it was lizards.

I hope that he used a heat pack--you may want to ask him. I would start NOW in asking the seller what he will do to refund you if the animals do not make it, since he used a shipping service that you did not approve (and one that is in fact, illegal, because it is illegal to ship animals without properly labeling the box with the species and number--and USPS would not accept a package with proper labeling, as they do not ship snakes).

If the animals arrive DOA, photograph them using a time/date stamp.

I suggest reporting this incident on Fauna's BOI, regardless of whether they make it or not. Someone shipping snakes via USPS is bad news--not just for the sake of the animals, but for the entire reptile industry and hobby. The last thing we need right now is more bad publicity from people sending snakes in improperly marked packaging.

I wish you luck--if they're in a properly insulated box, and they are sitting mainly indoors, they will probably be all right, so long as they do make it to you within a couple of days. Be ready for some special care--they will need to be warmed and rehydrated right away.

If they poked an air hole in the box and it went through the styrofoam, that does not bode well for shipping in cold weather.

Dave

I just looked this up:

Harmful Matter—General
Except as provided in this document, any article, composition, or material is nonmailable if it can kill or injure another or injure the mail or other property. Harmful matter includes, but is not limited to:

...

b. All poisonous animals except scorpions mailed for medical research purposes or for the manufacture of antivenom; all poisonous insects; all poisonous reptiles; and all types of snakes turtles, and spiders.

ok once again to clarify. the shipper told me that he ships reptiles all the time and uses fed ex solely w/ no problems. and that shipping was 60 but only to add 50 for an even 1800. I didn't know they were shipped usps untill the tracking number did not work for fed ex or ups. i even checked the number like 3 times before i even tried usps and it worked there. I figured nothing i could do at that point but hope they got here fine and they didn't :please:yet def. not worth all this headache though. I bout the pair off a post on the kingsnake classifieds. as far as confiscation goes i mean if they took the package i'd assume they would know they took it atleast vs keep telling me that it should just show up tom. and something could have happened to the scan tag or ppl are just forgeting to scan it. pretty much a worded way of saying idk it's lost.

Who is the seller?

Well if they confiscated it, the people answering the phone may not know? Or may lie?

But ovbiously if it really was USPS he/she had to have lied about it being snakes...or so it seems. That sucks big time.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Shiffy420

i was supposed to be receiving 2 bp's today, a bumble bee and super pastel both mia!! tracking stopped at 5 pm yesterday after noon at a sorting facility and then nothing after than, and no snakes today, the seller seems just as frantic as me but what are the odds if it shows up tom. they will still be alive?? all i can do is hope they aren't expossed to any extreme temps and he put a hole in the box for air. i just have a bad feeling this is about to be an expenesive disaster!! i've tried calling soooo many numbers to atleast find the package so i could maybe drive and get it or seller drive and reclaim it but they just can't find it!!! he shipped it usps too!!! idk why but i'm pretty sure that's illegal so there goes a claim wtf kind of bad luck is this!!! has this every happened to anybody else?? if so what was the outcome? thanks....

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Hi rabernet,

It appears to me it was in the original post, and was mentioned a time or two before his post about it being USPS....You have to read very carefully and I am sure it was an honest mistake on his part, but this guy goes around bullying up the site and I am tired of his unjustified remarks.

Regards,
Bill

Who did you buy them from?

that's crazy to even think they would just take 2 snakes. I've never even gotten anything snake or lizard that wasn't shipped via ship your reptiles.com. so if they confiscate it can i still get it? i mean for that much money i'll take a road trip. (if i'm not in jail or something) I just don't see how i could be charged w/ something i had no control over. it couldn't have been a bill or something to get lost in the mail it had to be the most expensive snakes i've bought so far for my collection.

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Originally Posted by Jessandyballs

Hi rabernet,

It appears to me it was in the original post, and was mentioned a time or two before his post about it being USPS....You have to read very carefully and I am sure it was an honest mistake on his part, but this guy goes around bullying up the site and I am tired of his unjustified remarks.

Regards,
Bill

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I used to be on bp.net all the time but have given up on it lately.... but once BG started posted I am addicted again. I find him ammusing and I do not see why everyone can't stand him BG is my hero!!!

if this isn't a reputable breeder you're dealing with...doesn't this sound like some sort of scam? 1800 seems like a LOT for a super pastel and a bumblebee...

and i'm even up in Canada, where the prices for BP morphs are MUCH higher priced

He just does not read the replies and it drives me nuts. He contradicts himself and goes on and on about posts that he misreads. I am sure he is a great guy, but get your facts straight. Than post away.

Bill

We all want to know who this guy is? He totally owes you every dime of your money back. Who would use USPS in the year 2009. I hate mailing a letter with the USPS.

Bill

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Originally Posted by Shiffy420

that's crazy to even think they would just take 2 snakes. I've never even gotten anything snake or lizard that wasn't shipped via ship your reptiles.com. so if they confiscate it can i still get it? i mean for that much money i'll take a road trip. (if i'm not in jail or something) I just don't see how i could be charged w/ something i had no control over. it couldn't have been a bill or something to get lost in the mail it had to be the most expensive snakes i've bought so far for my collection.

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Well its in their stuff that they don't ship snakes, so I'm assuming they would confiscate them if they found them, maybe contact the shipper. I'm not sure what that confiscating entails but they may euthanize...not sure what they would do really. I dont think you'd be in jail because of it, they know it didn't go to you and you didn't lie about what was being shipped.

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Originally Posted by katia

if this isn't a reputable breeder you're dealing with...doesn't this sound like some sort of scam? 1800 seems like a LOT for a super pastel and a bumblebee...

and i'm even up in Canada, where the prices for BP morphs are MUCH higher priced

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Hey,

I was thinking the same but I am assuming they where proven breeders.

Bill

oh good point, i hadn't thought of that, thanks! still seems a little fishy though...i certainly hope they turn up okay!

i got them off kingsnake forum from dan foley. they are so expensive because they are adults. i would have thought it was a scam if i didn't see any trancking info but it starts out received at the postoffice in the same city i addressed the MO. at 11 something yesterday, then the next scan says processed in sorting facility in another location in vt then says "package has left the facility" and that's it. but when i've talked to all the ppl at usps the shipping address is to my house. so he shipped me something guaranteed to be here by noon. and trust me i realize this is a LOT of money i've realized it allllllll day long and now even have a splitting headache. Guarantee or not imo is all void when he change the agreement and shipped usps making me commit a felony.

Again,

I don't want to seem like this is an OK situation. This breeder basically sent cash to this individual and he just totally messed up. Please keep us informed. It is never about money with me and snakes. It always about the snakes. I hate to mention that USPS is basically useless on the weekends, well again when I think about they are just useless. The government needs to sell it off and keep working on health care....

Bill

jess your dead on w/ that one. everybody's QUICK to say it's not there or no it left but nobody can say where it is, and all act like i'mbeing impatient by calling. and yes i am worried about the wellbeing of my new pets very very very much but wow that's still a lot of money hard to just forget it completely. i just hope i can post up here tom pics of some nice beautiful live additions.

I hope that your snakes get to you alive and well. I would deffently keep them QT and a littler warmer to makes sure no RI develope. I would also be filing a complaint about being shipped next day and then not delivered until X days later and that the reptiles health was put at risk, to both the seller and TO the shipper once ( if ) you get them alive, if dead I be calling both and filing some sort of claim and demanding your fund back from the breeder due to his screw up.

As posted before I post this on fauna's site in the BOI forum and see if this guy done so before, and it then possible contacting kingsnake with the info and links as this does sound like a possible breach of their rules ( not got an account so not sure)..

I also think it shoul alway s be about the snakes over money.

Hey,

I did want to mention that it appears Dan is a good guy. He just made a big mistake and there is no way he is not going to fully take care of you. You did nothing wrong and I can't believe Dan will not rectify this situation fully.

Regards and Good Luck,
Bill

Could the OP make a claim against USPS if they clearly state that snakes are unmailable materials?

oh i know, tha'ts why i didn't even want to say his name but seems everybody is asking and i didn''t want ppl to not answer my question of will they be ok because i woulndt answer there question. he was as frantic as i was and has been callin ppl all day too tryin to find the pair. (i know because some off the ppl i called allready knew everything and were quite rude sayying i allready told u it's not here and u need to call such and such. They just disapeared. And again iim worried about the wellbeing of my snakes.i've wanted a bumblebee sooooo bad and my dad just died a couple of months ago and i have a little money left after the funeral and such and was just like the hell w/ it i'm splurging and buying a bumblebee and wow

Did he ship it express mail at least or just regular mail? Express will have more tracking info and start with an E instead of just a number like delivery conformation. I would call your post office and see if they will hold it for pickup unless you get your mail really early. Find out what time it will get there and they might be able to give you more tracking info as well. They aren't going to confiscate it or anything, but may investigate the shipper as snakes are not mailable. Also no guarentee on live stuff so even if they arrive late or dead you get no refund on shipping costs on express. Hopefully they make it ok.