Ship Your Reptiles is now Fedex Certified.

[Definitions]

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

[Robyn@SYR]

Thanks. Mos Def

[anatess]

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...

[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.

[adamjeffery]

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

[Robyn@SYR]

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.

[mainbutter]

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.

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.

[anatess]

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.

[Twisted Reptiles]

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.

[ShortStack]

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