Ship Your Reptiles is now Fedex Certified.

I just received an email from SYR. It appears they are now fedex certified. Im assuming this means shipping snakes through them is now an option. This is a good thing for a lot of people. I am already fed ex certified but it wont hurt to get the SYR discount.

Would you mind posting the email? I'm a member of SYR and haven't received any such email.

When I go to their shipping quote page, I receive this message:

"A note to our valued customers

WE ARE CURRENTLY WORKING THROUGH TECHNICAL ISSUES.
WE WILL RESUME SHIPPING SERVICES AS SOON AS WE CAN."

"Great news for our reptile shipping customers





To our valued customers,

We have great news! After building our service and shipping more than 50,000 packages with UPS, we are now finalizing a stronger partnership with FedEx -- specifically as a third-party reptile shipper.

ShipYourReptiles.com

ShipYourReptiles.com is now an official FedEx-certified live reptile shipper. We are in the final stages of re-activating our reptile shipping service.

ShipYourReptiles.com customers can ship live reptiles, including snakes, to businesses or residences.
Because we are FedEx live certified, you don't have to be.
Thanks to our customer support team, you'll continue to get the same level of customer service as a million-dollar shipper.
With FedEx Priority Overnight service, you'll enjoy guaranteed 10:30 a.m. arrival to most addresses.
You'll get a great rate!
ShipYourAquatics.com

We are working on re-instating aquatics shipping services. While we work on this, you can still buy aquatics shipping supplies.

ShipYourBicycles.com and ShipYourRC.com

ShipYourBicycles.com and ShipYourRC.com will be offline while we work on re-activating their shipping services.

ShipYourReptiles.com is certified to ship live reptiles, including snakes, to businesses and residences using FedEx Priority Overnight service. We are very excited about our FedEx partnership, and we hope to add more services in the future.

We will contact you when ShipYourReptiles.com is fully operational.

Thanks for your support,

-- Robyn@AllProShipping.com



© 2011 AllProShipping.com. All rights reserved. UPS and the UPS brandmark are trademarks that are used with permission by the owner, United Parcel Service of America, Inc. All rights reserved.

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wow, thanks for posting this!

I recieved the same e-mail this morning :gj:

I get the same message, still no date when we can ship right?

This has been a lot of work, and a lot of time. We have been in talks with FedEx for nearly a year, since before we lost snake shipping with UPS. Super top secret James Bond talks.

After a year and a half of shipping with UPS, they finally decided to walk away from it. There were a number of contributing issues. There is definitely phobia over snakes, but there are also third party shipping issues, and the trouble of existing "outside the box" of a normal account. Lots of folks at UPS loved and supported us, and some did not.

We STILL HAVE OUR UPS accounts, all of them. We still ship everyday, contrary to others' insistence. I would be happy to provide proof of current UPS accounts and shipments, if someone so needs it : )

We just can't book shipments through the SYR site with UPS.

We are in the final days of tech issues for the conversion to FedEx. There are a ton of small details and loose ends associated with accounts, shipping histories, generating labels, all of that internal stuff. We need to get that all wrapped up, get a few days of testing done, then I will send out an email 1-2 days before we are ready to throw the switch. We are looking at days, a week, not months. It is coming soon.

And to touch on some key issues with FedEx...

FedEx has a specific approval board of VPs that approve business models outside of the normal box. Unusual cases go through that board for approval. UPS has nothing like that at all. We have specific approval from that board. Third party online reptile shipping. SPECIFICALLY. And we got residential delivery as well. SPECIFICALLY.

There is also a FedEx Live Animal Desk, and they have been tremendously supportive as well.

With the normal certification process, there is a Business to Business shipping/delivery requirement. SYR is specifically intended to help the reptile hobbyist ship live reptiles (including non-venomous snakes) safely and effectively. Those hobbyists are often home based. In accordance with the model we presented, backed up with our history and 50k+ safe shipments, they are giving us the ability to ship to residential addresses. As a responsible SYR shipper, you will not be required to have individual FedEd certification.

For those with doubt, verification is going to be on FedEx's side. They are wrapping up now with the language for our account notes, and that language will appear on our account for FedEx employees to log onto and verify for themselves. Any FedEx employee will be able to pull up these reference notes and verify the third party snake/reptile shipping to a business or residence. We are looking to push this reference cue onto the shipping label as well.

There are some restrictions to our relaunch. We can only relaunch the SYR site. We can't go live with Aquatics, Bikes or RC. Only reptiles. And we can only offer Priority Overnight on the site. No second or third day delivery, no Ground shipping. They are offering live reptile shipping support, and the only way to safely and responsibly ship live reptiles is by Priority Overnight, with a 10:30am delivery (to most addresses).

FedEx has been terrific. It has taken a long time, because we are an unusual case, but SYR provides a valuable service to the reptile hobbyist and we execute it very well. 99% of the reptile community is super supportive, and we deeply appreciate that.

Again, I will send out an email 1-2 days before we go live. In the meantime I am happy to answer questions at Robyn@ShipYourReptiles.com.

Amazing!!!

Best of luck and I hope it all gets worked out. Call me a naysayer but I'll believe it all when there is proof in front of us. Sorry, just been entirely too much he said/she said about all of this third party reptile shipping.

I'll continue to rely on my Fedex Certification for now, but...if you can get better rates (I'm sure) and everything is legit, then its worth looking into for sure.

Best of luck and I hope all of your hard work pays off.

Worst thing to happen to the industry as FedEx is our main resort of shipping since SYR ruined it with UPS.

If this gets the green light and they mess this up say good bye to reptile shipping for good.

I vote NO on this and have contacted my Rep to stop this service.

I will never use their service again since the beginning hiccups.

Ill stick with my Fedex Cert

That's really good news :):gj:

My only concern is a few jack turds will do something stupid and not only ruin it for SYR, but for all of us that got FedEx certified on our own. Then we'll have to pay a super expensive hazardous fee or get banned outright.

Only takes one idiot to ship a venomous snake that gets out or something else like that. I personally would rather have people have to go through their own certification process.

Oh well, I'd love nothing more than to be proven wrong though.

I'll be sticking with my FedEx certification.

FedEx will not ever for any reason allow third party shipping. :colbert: This is what I've heard from many people at FedEx. My rep at FedEx even knew about the Reptster crap when I signed up for my certification and she said FedEx would be closing down any providers like them ASAP.

There was a new service (DFS) that opened up just a few months ago and they have already been closed down.

GET CERTIFIED WITH FEDEX PEOPLE. It's easy and FREE. :gj:

I don't really feel all that great about this. Sure, it will be super for anyone that hasn't went through the trouble to get certified.

Although it IS easy to get certified, it does take a bit of effort. But there is a good reason for this. Through this EFFORT you prove to FedEx that you know HOW to ship a reptile properly and safely. That it will be packed the way it should be. That you understand what it takes. Then, and only then, will you get certified.

Now, with "third party" shipping through SYR "anyone" can ship a snake, as long as they are registered with SYR. Now, one would "assume" that said person knows how to properly ship a reptile, or at least learns it from the info at SYR. However, one can also assume that they'll just print out their label, slap it on the box, pack however they see fit, and off it goes. They don't have to worry about loosing their certification. Its not theirs to loose.

And how does SYR make SURE their customers will follow procedure ? They can't, obviously.

There are always some people that will ruin it for the rest. Making it so easy to "legally" ship reptiles to anyone that pays for the label, will sooner or later go south. It only takes a couple of incidents with improperly packed snakes getting out of boxes, or people requesting refunds from Fedex for DOA snakes that were improperly shipped.

Fedex would quickly decide that this isn't worth their time (something UPS figured out already)

If that were to happen I fear not only would SYR be shut down, but Fedex would say goodbye to all snake shipping.

So while this seems like a cool and easy solution for those that don't want to bother getting certified, it might end up biting us all in the behind.

Not meaning to be a negative Nellie, its just that we are quickly running out of ALL shipping options, if Fedex were to go, we'd be in quite a bind...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RichsBallPythons

Worst thing to happen to the industry as FedEx is our main resort of shipping since SYR ruined it with UPS.

If this gets the green light and they mess this up say good bye to reptile shipping for good.

I vote NO on this and have contacted my Rep to stop this service.

I will never use their service again since the beginning hiccups.

Ill stick with my Fedex Cert

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I wasn't aware the SYR was the reason UPS stopped letting us ship snakes. Now that I think about it, its not good news at all. I would hate for our only form of shipping reptiles to be ruined. Thanks for letting us know. I will also let my rep know that I feel negatively about this tomorrow. I rather keep shipping through fedex than save a few bucks.

From reading all your comments I'm now fully against this happening..I was originally all for it because I thought it might once again make it easier to ship(I know getting certified is easy but for some lazy ignorant ppl it might not be..:rolleye2:) and maybe, possibly, hopefully other companies like ups would see it going well and get back on with the reptile shipping industry, but now that I have been made aware of all the negative things that could happen(I'm naturally more of an optimist so I didnt think negative about it at first), I'm very uneasy about this whole ordeal...I guess all we can do is pray that some dumb fool doesnt mess it all up for everyone. I for one do not plan on ever using SYR and will be getting certified for myself as soon as I have snakes to ship!

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Originally Posted by jball1125

I wasn't aware the SYR was the reason UPS stopped letting us ship snakes. Now that I think about it, its not good news at all. I would hate for our only form of shipping reptiles to be ruined. Thanks for letting us know. I will also let my rep know that I feel negatively about this tomorrow. I rather keep shipping through fedex than save a few bucks.

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SYR is not the reason UPS "stopped shipping snakes". That is utter bs! All these online speculators know absolutely NOTHING about the situation.

We had nothing to do with ReptilesExpress being shut down. Let them answer their own questions, do their own thing.

YOU couldn't ships snakes BEFORE with UPS. YOU can't now. But you can still ship reptiles, as always. Nothing functional has changed with UPS for the individual UPS user. Nothing at all. They haven't gotten out of reptile shipping, they didn't stop their standard live shipping service.

Some breeders CAN ship snakes with UPS. Today. Any number of well known breeders. Pro Exotics is one of them. ALL of our accounts are still live and active, used everyday, including the SYR account. We ship Pro Exotics snakes each and every week (weather permitting). We were allowed to ship snake through the SYR site for the period that we offered it.

Snake shipping was not the reason we can't offer UPS online shipping through the site, it is a combination of issues, most notably third party shipping. In the end, they just weren't comfortable with the model.

The model with FedEx is specifically a third party, online, SYR model. With snake shipping. Posting a "wagging finger" icon does not make it not so. We are bringing $2 million in UPS shipping to FedEx through SYR and I have to rely on a finger wagging dude online to set my policy? It actually doesn't work that way.

We have 50,000+ successful shipments in a year and a half, and I can count "trouble" issues on my 10 fingers, perhaps one hand if I really think about it. Less than one percent of one percent, of trouble issues.

Ignorant people will ship reptiles and contraband REGARDLESS. We work hard to educate shippers and give them the tools, confidence, service and support they need to ship safely and responsibly. Our "trouble" percentile is less than the standard UPS and FedEx "trouble" percentile.

There are FEWER problems with SYR users than with other FedEx or UPS shippers. We have an excellent track record, and we provide a necessary service to hobbyists that need to ship their reptiles safely.

The sky is not falling, the world has not ended, and some of you guys are completely off base as to whose accounts were "pulled" and who caused "problems". I don't know about Copycat Service Jones, apparently they posted that their accounts were pulled, and assumed that ours were too. But it is not true, we used those accounts today.

Paranoia, speculation and negativity don't make things true.

It is discouraging to work so hard to bring a service like this to the industry and have negative speculators take another hobbyist from "Awesome!" to "I'm now fully against this happening." in just 10 minutes. Really? Really?

If you want answers, please ask questions. If you want insight, I am the one that knows. ReptilesExpress Freddy has NO IDEA what is going on with our UPS or FedEx accounts.

We are doing good work over here, and we have an excellent track record. The site will be live soon, FedEx will be doing the account verification and clarification for you that have doubts, and tons of new reptile hobbyists will ship their live reptiles safely and responsibly.

Well now I dont know what to think...I'm going to gather more intel on this obviously complicated topic and then keep my decision private...:oops:

how does SYR work? I mean do you send them the snake? o what.. I'm confused.

Once we go live you can watch, and judge, the success of others. You will also be able to verify, for yourself, the legitimacy of our site and account. Not with something we send you, but from FedEx employees directly. Soon. Soon.

well this is great news. Congrats SYR I shall use you in the future!!

Thanks. Mos Def :D

I am 100% with Robyn on this one.

Yes, it is free and relatively pain-free to get Fedex Certified. But, for us non-business folks who are trading one to two snakes per year like 8-year-olds trading pokemon cards, it's just not a cozy thing to have to declare ourselves a business. This is where SYR comes in handy. Also, if there's any way we can band our accounts together to get mega-shipping-discounts, then SYR also comes in handy.

There is NO difference between some bonehead shipping a cobra through SYR and shipping said cobra via their own personal Fedex Cert on the effect it will have on other individual accounts shipping reptiles via Fedex. If Fedex gets a knee-jerk reaction to safeguard their employees from a venomous snake, all our accounts will be pulled regardless of whether the cobra got shipped via SYR or somebody's own Cert.

So yeah, you guys. Here's one company who is trying to provide a great service to our community and you shoot them down with your pessimism... good job.

Robyn, THANK YOU for your hard work. I got my SYR account, I just haven't been able to use it yet... I shipped my one and only snake trade of the year right after SYR stopped shipping snakes! Looking forward to finally being able to use it! Well, that is, if I'm even going into breeding this year...

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.

robyn,
are you able to say just yet if your going to offer a discount greater than the one we get on our own when having a fedex account?
are prices comparable to what they were when syr used ups?
thanks
adam jeffery

We will offer a great rate along with great service.

Both UPS and FedEx had a 5% increase for 2011, and they remain at parity on rates.

The SYR rate will be similar to what it was, respectively.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Robyn@SYR

Once we go live you can watch, and judge, the success of others. You will also be able to verify, for yourself, the legitimacy of our site and account. Not with something we send you, but from FedEx employees directly. Soon. Soon.

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This.

We haven't even seen the FedEx service via SYR in action yet, so I'm completely reserving my judgement.

There is room in the economy for someone to make the shipping of live reptiles easier and safer for all involved. The herpetoculture hobby, and the ball python segment in particular, is dependent upon attracting more people to foster growth. Without that, the hobby will implode upon itself. Making shipping simple, safe, and economical will make the prospect of taking up the hobby a more viable option for many more people who might otherwise not consider it.

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Originally Posted by zina10

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.

---

I don't see a discrepancy. It's all in the point of liability. Basically, what SYR is doing is taking all the risk of it's membership being idiots.

So, yes, you go through Fedex certification to prove to Fedex that you can ship a snake properly. But, that still doesn't guarantee that you don't just slap a snake in a flimsy box and be done with it. So, if you mess up, Fedex takes away your account.

Same with SYR. Fedex gives SYR the responsibility for proper shipment. If any of its members mess up, Fedex takes away the SYR account.

Doesn't have anything to do with everybody else shipping properly under their own Fedex account.

I agree with the others in the 'wait and see' approach, however I also agree with those who have reservations and a fear of what it could do to our ability to ship in general if something were to go horribly wrong.

This is not to say it would be the fault of SYR at all, not in the least. But there are any number of instances in ours and other industries that show where a few bad decisions by others can ruin it for the masses.

Going through the Fedex Certification process, while it was a wild goose chase at times, was reassuring. They know our business, we are accountable for our packages, and they are confident that we know how to provide appropriate packaging for our animals. If we don't hold up our end of the agreement, they pull our waiver. As others have pointed out, this isn't the case with third party shipping and the possibility that someone will use this privilege inappropriately due to either a lack of concern or a lack of education, does increase.

If someone went horribly wrong with SYR and Fedex, be it injury or whatever, could Fedex cease snake shipping altogether? Of course they could. Would they? That's another one of those wait and see and hope we never find out scenarios I suppose.

Robyn, I think we all recognize the hard work and dedication you guys have obviously put into this. If it works out, successfully, of course it is nothing but a huge benefit to the reptile community. I think it is only fair though that you recognize the our fears as well though. The possibility of having our last leg swept out from under us by something out of our control is not a pleasant thought. For breeders like ourselves, if we cannot ship, we cannot sell. Game over.

I don't know much of anything about shipping, but either way, there is always a way some idiot can mess it up for everyone. Even having to "prove' to FedEx you know how to ship a snake with your own certification doesn't mean anything. Anyone can do it to get certified and then do a slacker job afterwards. The same with using a 3rd party. I understand being leery of someone messing it up and everyone losing their certification. But, I also think that they deserve the benefit of the doubt that this will help the people involved, not hurt. No one knows why the UPS situation ended except those involved, and I'm sure a lot of rumors and crap got stirred from those who didn't know anything about what happened.

I hope this proves those that are unsure of what to think or are against it wrong, and this is a great thing for the community. If by chance it doesn't work out like that, then I hope the outcomes aren't too bad of a blow to those who not only breed as a hobby, but as a way to make their living. For some, being able to ship their snakes is their livlihood and it sounds like SYR only wants to help make that possible, not have it taken away. Good luck :)

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.

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.

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Originally Posted by Hypnotic Exotic

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

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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!

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Originally Posted by Robyn@SYR

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.

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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!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 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.

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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.

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Originally Posted by zina10

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.

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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.

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.

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!!:mad:)...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!!!! :taz::rolleye2::taz:

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! :rolleyes: 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! :P

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Originally Posted by zina10

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.

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

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Originally Posted by 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.

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No, they don't, but at least they know that you know how to properly ship the snakes.

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Originally Posted by Wh00h0069

No, they don't, but at least they know that you know how to properly ship the snakes.

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Right, which makes sense. I'm just saying that simply being individually certified doesn't necessarily mean someone will follow the rules any more than someone going through SYR. Either way, people will find a way to do what they want and possibly mess it up for everyone. I was just making sure that was how it worked before I totally replied because I didn't want to be wrong in how the process went, since I don't know anything about it.

Being particular about details is a part of my job, and nature :D

Just to be CLEAR---

"Cobra" is NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT synonymous with "False Water Cobra"!!!!

Nobody EVER EVER EVER shipped a cobra with SYR : )

A false water cobra is "false", it is a water snake that MIMICS a cobra's neck to ward off predation. It is NOT a cobra, not at all.

A false water cobra is an inexpensive pet trade snake.

But to someone outside of the reptile world (and even to many inside) all they hear is the "cobra" part. Even in this thread, folks keep posting about shipping cobras.

THAT NEVER HAPPENED with SYR. And for us, that is a very important distinction :D

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Originally Posted by Robyn@SYR

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!

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Thanks for clearing this up. To be clear, I wasn't trying to further a rumor, I just wanted to know. I also don't mean to be an ass, I just have concerns like many here being that Fedex is now our only option. While we're on the subject of mildly venomous, what's the deal with hognose snakes? I can't seem to get a good answer on whether these are permitted or if people are just shipping them without specific permission. I don't deal with them right now but I've considered them.

Has this gone through yet? Can SYR ship snakes yet? Has anyone done it? Is it going well? UPDATE US!!

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Originally Posted by Powerspythons

Has this gone through yet? Can SYR ship snakes yet? Has anyone done it? Is it going well? UPDATE US!!

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ShipYourReptiles's website has this posted on their main page, "We are back! After shipping more than 50,000 packages with UPS, we have completed our transition to FedEx. We are now ready to take care of all your non-venomous reptile shipping needs."

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Originally Posted by Powerspythons

Has this gone through yet? Can SYR ship snakes yet? Has anyone done it? Is it going well? UPDATE US!!

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Yes, they are shipping snakes again.

We shipped an order to a customer last week through SYR. Everything went as smooth as silk and we will be using them again.