Maybe Dumb Question

So I have a question. On all of the reptile shipping sites I've seen, yesterday was the last day you could ship your animal and still have it guaranteed to arrive live. Reason being of course, that winter's coming and it's getting cold.

But how come still many people are selling snakes in the classifieds? How can they send them without them getting too cold and dying? Isn't it too much of a risk?

I wanted to buy a snake in maybe a month from now but I'm too worried for its safety to buy one in the winter. How can anywhere ship it with a guarantee when it's cold? Do you think I could buy one safely anyway?

Yesterday was the last day before the holidays to ship ... most breeders do not ship past Wednesday due to the weekend & don't want the snake in a facility over the weekend, etc.

Some people will ship hub to hub, where you have to go to the FedEx hub and pick it up. Some will hold the snake till the weather warms, then ship.

Originally Posted by Kaine

But how come still many people are selling snakes in the classifieds? How can they send them without them getting too cold and dying? Isn't it too much of a risk?

I wanted to buy a snake in maybe a month from now but I'm too worried for its safety to buy one in the winter. How can anywhere ship it with a guarantee when it's cold? Do you think I could buy one safely anyway?

I would advise against having anything shipped when the weather gets cold, and it is too cold to ship now IMO.
Any reputable breeder will likely make you wait until conditions improve before they ship anyway; even if they have ads up now, and will sell now, they will wait for a good weather window to ship.
Here's an example of my experience with this:
A few years ago, I purchased a couple snakes in December. The breeder took a deposit to hold them. When conditions improved in February, I paid for them in full but they were not shipped until March when the weather was better for shipping. If you are buying from a good breeder, they will work something like this out with you for the safety of the animals. Be sure to check the BOI prior to setting up any "pay now ship later" deals to confirm the breeder is legit.
Hope this helps

I would never have anything shipped below 40 at the snakes current location, Memphis or the destination for any night time lows. If its too cold to ship, its not worth the risk on the animals life.

Temperatures aside, the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas are also insanely busy for the shippers. They bring on a lot of part time/seasonal staff to handle the increased workload. I'd rather not ship anything I cared about during this time if at all possible, and then of course January through March can be too cold to ship.

Sellers do continue to advertise though, and I'll spend the next few months either window shopping or putting deposits and payments on the animals that I want, in anticipation of the warmer weather come spring. I'm also not in the "I paid so I gotta have it now" camp if I purchase an animal in December; I can wait until it's safe to ship.

I will continue to put ads up until everything I have is sold, If it is too cold, I will wait till both parties low temps are good. Payment plans are the way to go!

Many choose not to ship during the cold months. They continue to advertise and will either hold the reptile, with a deposit (or full payment, of course), or give a payment plan, while waiting for warm temps, to arrive, in order to ship.

Still, there are others who will ship during the cold months.

I will ship, and guarantee live arrival, if the temps are above freezing and with the use of heat pack/s and very good/proper packaging. If temps are below freezing, I tend to go with one of the options I mentioned for those who will not ship during cold months.

Some people will ship hub to hub, where you have to go to the FedEx hub and pick it up. Some will hold the snake till the weather warms, then ship.

That is the way to go even during the warmer months in my opinion. It removes a lot of the risks for driver error and delays. I'm fortunate to have a Fed Ex Hub less than 2 miles from me and I use that option every time now. I can be waiting at their door at 9am when they open and I don't have to sit around waiting and stressing about a package delivery.