Fed Ex Shipping Certification Procedure

(I'm reposting this with tags so hopefully it will be easy for someone to search for in the future!)

1. Applied for account on-line. This involved giving them a credit card number, and them charging me $10. This took less than one day.

2. They gave me the name of my account rep the day I applied. I got through to his voice mail.

3. Account rep called me on my home phone, of course when I wasn't home, but he left his e-mail address and direct phone number. This took a couple days.

4. I e-mailed back, saying who I was, and what I was up to.

5. I looked at the instructions on the Fed Ex site for shipping reptiles, and copied their directions with my test package exactly. I printed out the test package form and sent it off. The person at the test package phone number told me to send it "Charge to recepient" and that there was no account number. The Fed Ex hub thought there should be an account number, but they took it anyway.

Test package form: http://tinyurl.com/nrpw5c

6. The test package passed, and the testing center e-mailed me the results. I sent it on Monday, I had the results Friday.

7. I contacted my rep with the results, and he has contacted the legal department, and that is as far as I am. That happened within an hour.

8. Two weeks later, my rep e-mailed me the liability waiver, which I signed and faxed back to him. The liability waiver basically states that they are not responsible for loss for any reason, and that you are not to expect them to be or try to file a claim, and that you must ship Express only and not over a weekend or holiday period.

9. Same day the rep faxed a copy of the packaging report and the waiver to the animal desk. They will then add my name and acct number to the list of
approved shippers.

10. Same day the rep sent a fully executed copy of the
waiver to their legal dept.

11. Same day the rep faxed me a fully executed copy
of the waiver for my records. This one has his signature and info too.

12. Same day, the rep e-mailed me to advise me that the Live Animal Desk had informed him that I was on the approved shipper list. Done!!

This is a great thread, Nanci!! I'm in process of getting this accomplished....where did you find the directions on packaging reptiles on fedex website? I have the application but wanted to read their directions exactly for the packaging. Also, did you pack a cool pack with yours? Thanks

I can't find the packaging reptiles page! I have it printed out, but no way can I find it. I tried photographing it but it didn't turn out nicely, but I guess I'll try again.

I put in a used heat pack, and on the form specified that I would use heat or cold, whichever was applicable. I also put in an invoice and a fake snake in the deli cup!

http://tinyurl.com/nbddh9

Scroll down to post #353, which has the Fed Ex Reptile Packaging PDF.

I still can't find it by searching Fed Ex's site...

PACKAGING SYSTEM
The following components are required when accepting a packaging system for live reptiles.
• Live reptile inside a primary container. If primary container is a plastic dish with a lid, the lid must be secured by the appropriate amount of additional closure (tape, rubber bands, staples, etc.) to prevent the lid from separating. “Snap-on-lids” alone are not sufficient and require additional closure. If primary container is a cloth bag, bag must be sealed (tight knot, plastic cable-tie, folded over and taped, etc.) for proper containment.
• Cloth bags used to contain reptile may not have holes, cutouts or tears.
• Void fill (foam peanuts, newspaper, shredded paper, etc.) placed on all sides of the primary container to cushion and secure the container from shifting inside of the package while in transit.
• Sturdy outer box (recommend a minimum burst strength rating of 200 lbs.) sealed with a minimum 2” wide pressure sensitive tape. Duct or electrical tape is not permitted.

Optional Additions:
• Heat/cold pack for thermal protection from outside temperature and humidity changes.
• Foam panels placed inside all six faces of box to enhance overall structural integrity of package and for additional insulation of contents. Appropriate thickness of foam should be used for different box sizes.

LABELING AND TAPING
• “(upwards arrows)” or “THIS SIDE UP” labels are recommended.
• “LIVEHARMLESSREPTILE” on two sides of the box.
• Place Airbill or POWERSHIP label on top of largest side.
• Recommend using the “H-taping method” on the top and bottom of the package as illustrated at upper left.

RESTRICTIONS
• FedEx boxes should not be used as the outer container.
• Shipments are restricted to Domestic U.S. locations via FedEx Express service only. Live animal shipments via FedEx Ground are strictly prohibited.

Good post. You're lucky it went so smoothly for you.

First time for me took about a month. Then they somehow "lost" my certification so I had to redo it. That time took 4 months right during the summer - I lost a lot of sales because I couldn't ship during that time.

It seems so easy but I'm sure it would still make my head spin.

I'll just settle for having snakes shipped to me only

I love how they now specify not to use FedEx boxes for the outer container. When I got certified, I had my package approved as an inner, insulated flat box, inside of the largest FedEx box. It worked really great, and I could fit about 6 deli cups inside, or even add a book if ordered together. And no dimensional weight! And I only had to buy one box, but got the use of 2! Of course, FedEx finally figured out that they were losing all of that dimensional weight they could get by forcing us to use the more typical boxes. I got to do it for a year or two before they caught on, and I had to increase my shipping rates to compensate. It was nice while it lasted, though!

Good info, Nanci. I advise bringing a copy of your waiver with you whenever you ship. There are a lot of Fedex employees that firmly believe they do not ship animals. If you find yourself without your waiver and they give you grief, tell them to look up your account in the "green-screen email." After they look at you like "how does she know about that," they will see that you have a reptile waiver on your account. I would also note....I've been told by a very nice lady at Fedex, that I shouldn't write "Live Harmless Reptiles," on the box because she has "seen things happen to them."

Chris

WOW...so much helpful information!! Thank you so much Nanci for writing all of this up!!! I was having trouble searching the Fedex site for some of the info and you are awesome!

Thanks for the info, I dread the day I have to do it.

Nanci, what type of account did you apply for? The only one I found says for "mid-large sized businesses."

Lauren, I don't remember being asked that question!

I filled out this:

http://tinyurl.com/l3b8cf

I don't think I had to choose a business type either.

I have one question, how do you get around the not mailing directly to a business? (I'm thinking that is a written rule that isn't followed but asking any way) Here is the link that I found about shipping, #20.

http://www.fedex.com/us/services/terms/us.html#liveanimals

Thanks

Either require the package to be held for pick-up or only shipping to a business. Many people here, probably most that would be interested in my babies, have home-based snake breeding businesses and are registered as such with the American Cornsnake Registry.

So far, FedEx has "looked the other way" for shipments to a home business, whether registered or not. But I do everything I can to discourage it, including offering a better guarantee and cheaper shipping when picked up at the FedEx office, or AT LEAST, when sent to a commercial business address (drivers usually do business deliveries first, then homes).

Remember, if any mistake is made by FedEx (wrong address delivery, getting lost, late delivery, or exposure to extreme temps), it is MOST likely to happen with the delivery driver, not on the way to the destination city. So avoid that last step whenever you can, and have it picked up at the FedEx office.

Preparatory to shipping my first snake in a couple weeks, I stopped by Fed Ex to make sure things would go smoothly. I love my Fed Ex ladies! "It's not our pink snake is it???" one asked!! (They remember being introduced to my little pink snake, Mingo, when she arrived. She won the hearts of everyone at my Fed Ex hub by being so cute and pretty and precious!!) No, not her, I assured them. I had my release of liability with me, and she looked me up in the computer, and I am indeed on The List. They made sure I knew not to ship after Wednesday! They told me that my package would be held inside until it was loaded on the truck at 6PM, so I could account for that in my heating plans. So- I feel very comfortable with my end of the shipping process!

Awesome thread, Nanci. I plan on doing this in the future and this will be a great help!

Another question with regards to the "business". If you have your home address listed as your facility when you register a "fictitious name", does it count as a business?

I can't help you with that Robbie, but I do have new information to add.

I shipped out my first snake last week. Everything went fine. When I dropped her off, I didn't have to pay. I guess I thought since they had my debit card on file, they would just charge that. But no, I got a bill in the mail today. FYI.