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Steps To Become Fedex Certified!!!

I appreciate everyone's help! This is turning out to be more expensive than I thought just getting the box, insulation, deli cups/bags, heat/cold packs, styrofoam peanuts, etc. I am waiting on heat packs to get here before I ship the test box but everything else is ready to go including application. I havent contacted a rep as it is the weekend not to mention I have been working nonstop the last 20+ days. How do they know I am authorized when I walk in a Fed Ex location in a few months with a box that clearly states on the label "Live Harmless Reptiles"? Will they just look me up or ask for an account number and it pop up that I am certified on their screen? I talked to some people at FedEx Kinko's today and they have never heard of the reptile thing of course so I am assuming it is going to be that way everywhere.
 
Heath,

You don't need the heat packs to become certified. They are only going to test the strength of the box. Once you become certified they will have you in the system. Remember you have to open an account with FedEx before sending the box (maybe you have it already). If there's a FedEx drop mail-box in your area it might be easier to wait for the pick-up truck right there than leaving a package with snakes at Kinko's! :) The pick-up hours are written on top of the mailbox.

Good luck!
 
Ready to ship Monday!

I have an account and have my box all set up for shipping minus the heat pack. I went to Kinko's today and got an 11x11x11 FedEx corrugated box with a maximum weight capacity of 30 pounds, used 3 quarter inch styrofoam to insulate, and put my account number in the box along with the tied bag and a rubber snake Wife's idea :) I am going to tape it all up and send it off Monday morning to the testing facility and hopefully meet their standards. I am thinking of adding a few fragile stickers I have here at the house to the outer box but dont know if it really matters. If it were not for this thread things would never have happened for me and I am sure thousands of others. Heath
 
I signed up for my acct. The first step. Now all I need to do is to talk to a rep and send out the package. Anyone want to show me a photo of their test package??? :) A box, Styrofoam liner, (do I need peanuts or will newspaper do?), do I have to use deli cups or can I use a snake bag? When I tape it up should I put holes in it for ventilation? You said heat packs don't matter. Am I missing anything?
 
akaangela said:
I signed up for my acct. The first step. Now all I need to do is to talk to a rep and send out the package. Anyone want to show me a photo of their test package??? :) A box, Styrofoam liner, (do I need peanuts or will newspaper do?), do I have to use deli cups or can I use a snake bag? When I tape it up should I put holes in it for ventilation? You said heat packs don't matter. Am I missing anything?
Click to expand...

As far as what I have learned here you do not need any holes, the liner is a must as is the peanuts and deli cups or a snake bag either one or both will work. I dont know about the newspaper thing but no you do not need to send the heat packs with the test box.
 
akaangela said:
dose it matter how big a box you send???
Click to expand...
Well of course the size of your what you're shipping is going to determine what size box you are going to use. As long as you send it in a corrugated box that is well insulated and meets the pressure standards (I believe its 30 pounds), you'll be in great shape! Hope this helps!

Matt
 
To answer your question Angela,

early on(when the waivers first became available), a FedEx rep stated to several of the first people signing up for the waivers that they needed to test every size box that they planned to use. When I signed up and sent my package in, I asked the question too. I was told that if I was using the same box in different sizes it wasn't necessary. I sent in the smaller of the sizes I use. Now, that is just what I was told. I use a variety of sizes and it hasn't been asked of me by FedEx if I had them all tested.
 
so there is not a legal company that ship live animal around the unite states this is hard for the animal breeders ...y can they form a company that can ship live animals..
 
Kinko's?

I just went and sent out my test box today at 3pm. I called 1-800-633-7019 and picked option 5. They gave me their account number for the box you need to check bill recipient on FedEx US Airbill. 2 Day Express and its all free.
Only problem I am seeing so far is noone in the building knew anything about this new policy and insisted that if I bring the real deal into their office they would send me right back out the door and to the airport. If I were going to spend the 20 bux plus on fuel to the airport every time I have a shipment that would just add 20 to the shipping and most people are not going to pay that. Anyone had this problem?
 
cobravenom said:
.
Only problem I am seeing so far is noone in the building knew anything about this new policy and insisted that if I bring the real deal into their office they would send me right back out the door and to the airport.
Click to expand...

Once you are done you will have a copy of the contract from FedEx legal signed by you and your sales rep. Bring that into the kinkos, show it to them, ask to speak to a manager if needed. If the manager still tells you he won't accept your packages call your rep.
 
cobravenom said:
I just went and sent out my test box today at 3pm. I called 1-800-633-7019 and picked option 5. They gave me their account number for the box you need to check bill recipient on FedEx US Airbill. 2 Day Express and its all free.
Only problem I am seeing so far is noone in the building knew anything about this new policy and insisted that if I bring the real deal into their office they would send me right back out the door and to the airport. If I were going to spend the 20 bux plus on fuel to the airport every time I have a shipment that would just add 20 to the shipping and most people are not going to pay that. Anyone had this problem?
Click to expand...

We usually delivered the packages personally to a FedEx pick-up mailbox. When the truck showed up (same hour every day) we hand delivered it. Never a problem. I'm not sure if FedEx will pick-up packages from your home, you may want to find out; Airborne Express used to do it.

Regards :)
 
The BoidSmith said:
We usually delivered the packages personally to a FedEx pick-up mailbox. When the truck showed up (same hour every day) we hand delivered it. Never a problem. I'm not sure if FedEx will pick-up packages from your home, you may want to find out; Airborne Express used to do it.

Regards :)
Click to expand...

So all I have to do is fill out my information online, print it out, and tape it to the box? The bar code will be on the label and I leave that out so it can be scanned and they will put the other sticker on there with the destination at their main hub later that day. If this was all there was to it I would not have asked so many questions. Thank you for all the help!
 
cobravenom said:
So all I have to do is fill out my information online, print it out, and tape it to the box? The bar code will be on the label and I leave that out so it can be scanned and they will put the other sticker on there with the destination at their main hub later that day. If this was all there was to it I would not have asked so many questions. Thank you for all the help!
Click to expand...

The way we've done it in the past is fill the slip ourselves (just to avoid any mistakes) and hand it to the FedEx driver together with the box. He/she will then verify if everything is filled out OK and give you your copy. Nothing more to it.

Good luck! :)
 
Heath,

Your screen name (cobravenom) had me thinking for a while; you are not planning on shipping any hots, right?

Regards.
 
I promised my wife when I met her over 3.5 years ago I would not handle hots any longer. I work with kingsnakes, ringnecks, rough earths, browns, and western worms right now. In a few years I will be working with burmese pythons again I hope as I lost two this year to RI's and electric being out for 3 days in a snow storm. I appreciate all the help!
 
Got in contact with my FedEx account rep Deborah Stein out of Dallas and she is great. Overnighted my papers to me and I will fax them off Tuesday to be officially certified. She answered all of my questions and is very enthusiastic about the whole process. She also mentioned that snakes are simple compared to the fish, crayfish, and other things shipped by the thousands by a science teacher she deals with on a regular basis. Good luck to everyone!
 
Waiver of Liability For Reptile and Amphibian Domestic Shipments

I just sent this to my rep and this was her reply

Letter J in the Waiver of Liability For Reptile and Amphibian Domestic Shipments states no residential deliveries are allowed. I will be shipping to residential but they are other breeders as I am and run their business out of their home so I am assuming this is fine.

"I just spoke with a senior rep about this. They cannot be shipped to a residential address, they have to be shipped to a licensed vendor, and we only allow shipping from vendor to vendor. However, one workaround is if the breeders have a spouse that works at a school, pet store, etc, use that address as the ship to. And to add this, the snakes cannot be held at a Kinkos as they cant be responsible for live animals."

Anyone else having this problem?
 
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