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What would you do if you receive a snake through the USPS? "The Poll"

What would you do if you received a snake through the USPS?

  • Accept the package and consider buying from that individual again.

    Votes: 12 13.0%

  • Accept the package and never do business with that individual again

    Votes: 45 48.9%

  • Reject the package and never do business with the sender again.

    Votes: 2 2.2%

  • Reject the package and contact USPS disclosing the contents to see if you can speed-up the return.

    Votes: 7 7.6%

  • Accept the package and report the incident to the USPS.

    Votes: 26 28.3%
  • Total voters
    92
  • Poll closed .
The BoidSmith

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If I knew how to add a poll to the previous thread I would do it so bear with me this is a continuation of the other.

If you received a snake you ordered through the postal service (and you didn't know about it before hand). What would you do.
 
I would know about it beforehand because I would request a tracking number from UPS or FedEx and I would be explicitly clear that I will not accept a package sent USPS from the seller.....PERIOD!
 
Brett,

The problem is that there has been more than one instance where the seller stated he was going to ship through one of the carriers that the buyer accepted. He then sent the package through USPS with an e-mail along the lines "your package is on the way". When the buyer asked for the tracking number none was provided or a USPS tracking # was given. It's too late to put a stop to it as the snake is already on her way. Thanks for your vote!

Dan
 
you forgot an option. Accept the package AND report it.

That is what I would probably do. I know a lot of people are leery of that, as excepting a package can get you in hot water. For the sake of the animal, and to try and give the shipper their just desserts, I would do it. As soon as I found out, I would go to the PO and ask to talk to the postmaster. If they let me know before it arrived, say they sent an e-mail or called saying, "here is the tracking number, it's already sent" I would tell the postmaster that I ordered a snake, it's suppose to arrive tomorrow, and SPECIFICALLY requested it not be sent via USPS. I would bring copies of e-mails with me to "prove" my side of the story, and also to show that I informed the sender that the reason I was specifying no USPS, was that it is illegal. If the mailcarrier showed up at my door with a package, hopefully it would "click" that wait a minute this is probably the snakes I ordered, and I would quickly explain right on the spot the situation, and let them know that not accepting it may be a death sentence, and go from there. Hopefully, I would not catch any heat in that kind of situation.
 
reptilebreeder said:
, .....as excepting a package.......
Click to expand...
accepting a package.................
Also, I should state that....never ordering from them againwas part of the option. Would seem to go without saying, but as can be seen on any number of threads, people who's ethics, morals, and even outright disregard for the law in such instance, would still continue to buy from the person.
 
You are right, I included that other option.
 
Well heck....can I change my vote then? :ack2:

Actually, I think it should read, "Accept the package, report the incident to USPS, and never do business with that person again."
 
After John suggested that other option I was thinking about it for a while. To be perfectly honest I don't know if it would be my first choice. It probably wouldn't be so much the fact of getting in trouble if I did. Would making a big issue about it deter that person from doing it again? Will his local post office keep a watchful eye on him from then on? In all honesty, I highly doubt it. Would this make it to the news? Probably, I know it would at least in our community where any unusual happening makes it to the local paper (Heck! You show up in the papers if you get a speeding ticket!). Although it might give me personal satisfaction to do it, how would that affect the hobby as a whole?

Regards.
 
sting operation and investigation

of a shipper a few years ago. There was to no mentioning on the poll except other ?
It happened to me as a on going investigation of a person from another state as to shipping through the post office and the technicalities of the receiver ( me ! ) . The package was marked as " Christmas ornaments ". There was some strange looks going around by the postal employees as I was about to except the package but held off in that I told them that I never ordered any ornaments. A fish and game guy came out of the back and showed me his credentials of being the law enforcement of USA fish and game and of the regional agency.
It was clearly stated by him if I had excepted the package as and the name of the person was on the package as shipper and me as the receiver, it would of been a federal case on both. because of the fact that he was indeed under investigation and if proof was there as to me knowing the contents, i would of been in deep trouble. So you never know..........
 
That was a close call Mike! For USFWS to have been involved and scrutinizing this individual's shipping activities he probably had a history of shiping protected species.

Regards.
 
That is what I would probably do. I know a lot of people are leery of that, as excepting a package can get you in hot water. For the sake of the animal, and to try and give the shipper their just desserts, I would do it. As soon as I found out, I would go to the PO and ask to talk to the postmaster. If they let me know before it arrived, say they sent an e-mail or called saying, "here is the tracking number, it's already sent" I would tell the postmaster that I ordered a snake, it's suppose to arrive tomorrow, and SPECIFICALLY requested it not be sent via USPS. I would bring copies of e-mails with me to "prove" my side of the story, and also to show that I informed the sender that the reason I was specifying no USPS, was that it is illegal. If the mailcarrier showed up at my door with a package, hopefully it would "click" that wait a minute this is probably the snakes I ordered, and I would quickly explain right on the spot the situation, and let them know that not accepting it may be a death sentence, and go from there. Hopefully, I would not catch any heat in that kind of situation.
Click to expand...
Yep, what John Kellar said...
 
I don't know that you would have to report it locally. You can probably report it right to the Post Master General and not involve your local guys at all initially.

I don't know that I'd report it to the Post Office for only one reason. There are some guys out there that just don't know and IF I thought that was the case, honestly not knowing, and the chances of that are just about 1 in 100, THEN and only then, would I let it go. IF it happened again though, then I would report it and the reason why I did not do so previously.

I'd also, most likely, publicize it. The spotlight is a powerful tool to many and being in it for stupidity is not what most folks strive for.
 
Wilomn said:
I'd also, most likely, publicize it. The spotlight is a powerful tool to many and being in it for stupidity is not what most folks strive for.
Click to expand...

I agree that the spotlight is a powerful tool, but I wouldn't publicize it because I think snakes get enough bad press already and it just brings more disaproving looks to the reptile buisness.
 
tandy4000 said:
I agree that the spotlight is a powerful tool, but I wouldn't publicize it because I think snakes get enough bad press already and it just brings more disaproving looks to the reptile buisness.
Click to expand...
Excellent point. I meant, but did a terrible job of conveying, to publicize it in the reptile community. Let the BOI know, TRR and a few othe sites. I never even considered calling a reporter or anything like that.

Hmmmm, my view is narrower than I thought. Interesting....
 
i don't see how you COULDN'T handle it within the community because that's gonna hurt business without hurting your own rights or the snakes themselves.....reporting it to ANY agency is definitely gonna bring scrutiny upon yourself and your local laws, which is ALWAYS bad since common sense simply does not apply in that world.....

but letting EVERYONE in the community know that the person/company ships illegally will hurt business for them without hurting yourself........right now, it's not a large enough network for people to go to the authorities with it, but when the guys keeping large boids start getting real heat from lawmakers (give it 2 years and a few more deaths) they'll be able to add the numbers needed to give lawmakers a good fight and maybe sensible laws will come of it.......even lucrative permit systems for states and/or counties........but IMO, letting them know what's going on NOW is gonna hurt your own interests more than those of the shipper
 
international shipping through post office is OK.

BERLIN (July 26) - A German woman sparked panic at her local post office when a 5-foot albino python escaped from a packet she had mailed, police said Tuesday.



Dr. Darlyne A. Murawski, National Geographic / Getty Images
A 5-foot albino python, like the one above, escaped from a package in a post office in Germany. The snake's owner had labeled the package as ''glass.''

Talk About It: Post Thoughts


The 28-year-old woman, who had sold the snake over the Internet, stuffed it in a package labeled "attention -- glass" to be sent to its new owner.

"Staff accepted the package and put it in the back of the office -- they had no idea what it was," said police spokesman Andreas Blum. "All of a sudden, they noticed that it started moving around and then saw a big snake wriggling out of it."

One of the postal workers in the western city of Mechernich, who was familiar with snakes, wrestled with it and locked it into another container, while her colleagues ran away.

While it is not a crime to send snakes by post, the woman is being investigated for the improper treatment of animals.


07/26/06 08:09 ET
 
That's a whole other issue, the IATA rules for shipping live animals.

Regards
 
Like most people, I would be very upset! I always request a tracking number right away just as I should. If it came USPS, then the seller would have obviously lied about the tracking number. I would probably not report it to the USPS, but there would certianly be a nice thread in Fauna reguarding my experiance!
 
Personally I would accept the package, never do business with that person again AND report the shipment to the postal service.
Refusing the animal would be putting its life in jeopardy as much as the person sending it has and that is plain wrong, all laws aside. Unless you live in one of the major hub cities you cannot get a package over night through USPS and where I live it takes three days at best.
Given that my business partner works for the postal service I doubt I would have much hassle about receiving it nor any worries that they would take it away after I reported it.
 
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