FAQs

You must be available to hand your package to the driver. Your package will generally be picked up in a 3-hour window that you select when scheduling the pickup.

Your package may be exposed to extreme temperatures on exceptionally hot or cold days.

A $5 fee applies to every scheduled pickup, whether it is one box being picked up or dozens.

To schedule a FedEx driver pickup, email us at info@shipyourinverts.com or call 303-730-2125 x1. Staff from Ship Your Invertebrates will ask you some basic questions then set up your FedEx pickup for you.

NOTE: When you call to schedule a pickup, be sure to tell us which FedEx shipping service (Priority Overnight, 2Day, Express Saver, Ground or Home Delivery) you are using so we can make sure the right truck gets sent to your location.

You can ship non-venomous reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates, fish, and corals.

You can ship dry goods related to the animal industry, such as food, bedding, cages, and housing materials.

You cannot ship illegal drugs, batteries, liquor, aerosols, firearms and ammunition, fireworks, explosives, mammals (no dogs, no cats), birds, dry ice, nor venomous animals.

ShipYourInverts.com is approved for the shipping of live non-venomous inverts and supplies to and from business and residential addresses.

You must follow all shipyourinverts.com Shipping Standards.

You must also follow all FedEx rules and restrictions. For more details, see this section of the FedEx site:

FedEx Express Terms & Conditions

No, you cannot ship invertebrates or other animals to Hawaii. Hawaii has strict restrictions on live imports.

Some of these restrictions include:

• Absolutely no reptiles.

• Limited aquatic species.

• Limited plants.

Check the Hawaii Department of Agriculture's Importing Plants, Animals and Microorganisms to Hawaii pages for more info.

Yes.

However, because of the remoteness of some areas, Alaska has limited FedEx service. Some locations require one or more additional days for Priority Overnight shipping. Some locations that FedEx does not provide service for.

Anchorage, Eagle River, Chugiak, Kenai, Soldotna, and Homer have true overnight shipping, meaning that a shipment to a zip code within one of these cities will arrive in one business day.

For any other city, you need to make sure that Priority Overnight service is available before shipping. You can pre-determine the guaranteed delivery date and time by going to FedEx Rates & Transit Tool and entering the ZIP code you intend to ship to. By selecting “Get quick quote” you will know if additional time will be required to deliver your package or if FedEx Priority Overnight service is unavailable.

Find “Priority Overnight” under the “Services” column, and look to the left under the “Delivery Date/Time" column. If this states “delivery date unavailable” this means that FedEx does not provide overnight service for this zip code and your package should not be shipped through FedEx/Ship Your Invertebrates. If you run a Quick Quote at ShipYourInverts.com and the transit time for Priority Overnight is listed as “N/A” this also indicates that FedEx does not provide service to the zip code you are shipping to.

If you ship to a location in Alaska that is not serviced Overnight/Next Day by FedEx, this falls outside of shipyourinverts.com Terms of Service and SYI Insurance coverage will not be valid.

If you have any questions about whether FedEx services address you are shipping to, please contact Ship Your Invertebrates Customer Service at 303-730-2125 or info@shipyourinverts.com.

Yes, but not through shipyourinverts.com.

However, Puerto Rico has a very limited list of allowed species and there are multiple requirements beyond our typical booking procedures. A Puerto Rico shipment cannot be booked directly from our website.

Please contact us at 303-730-2125 or info@shipyourinverts.com to find out more and/or to make arrangements for your shipment.

No!

Using this site, you cannot ship any package containing dry ice.

Dry ice is classified as a hazardous material by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). It requires specialized packaging and identification that are not offered through shipyouinverts.com.

Yes.

The cargo areas FedEx uses to carry ShipYourInverts.com shipments are pressurized and their temperatures are kept between 55 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

FedEx Office (formerly known as Kinko's), Walgreens, or other 3rd Party FedEx locations are not authorized to deal with live animal shipments. Different locations may or may not enforce this policy, but more and more of them ARE enforcing this policy.

If you are turned away, use this search form at FedEx.com to search for a true FedEx Ship Center (aka "hub").

Or contact us at 303-730-2125. We will help you find another location, or we will schedule a FedEx driver to pick up your package from your location.

If you call or walk into a FedEx facility and ask if you can ship live animal, they will tell you no. This is correct in most cases.

It takes a special FedEx account to allow shipping of live invertebrates through the FedEx system. FedEx offers a live animal certification that you must pass in order to ship live animals.

Shipyourinverts.com has a specially created FedEx account that not only allows for the shipping of live reptiles, invertebrates, and amphibians but specifically allows for Ship Your Invertebrates third-party shipping of these live animals.

When you book a live invert shipment through the ShipYourInverts.com, you will be shipping under the shipyourinverts.com FedEx certification. When using the site, you agree to meet our Shipping Standards, including temperature parameters and packaging requirements (these meet FedEx standards).

In addition, ShipYourInverts.com allows for shipping to and from residential addresses (which is not allowed under the typical FedEx live animal account). ShipYourInverts.com offers an SYI Insurance. (Not offered through FedEx directly). Our Priority Overnight rate starts at 20% off the FedEx retail rates.

We do not recommend you require a signature for delivery of live animals, but this is your choice.

If the recipient is not available to accept the Signature Required package from the FedEx driver, the package will go back onto the truck for later delivery, most likely the following day.

With live animals, it is preferable to have the driver leave the package at the address — in a location that’s protected from weather, including extreme cold or heat.

NOTE: Be sure your customer/recipient is alert, ready, and watching for the imminent arrival of their package.

In general, no. Please plan your shipments around the FedEx Holiday Schedule.

FedEx observes these holidays:

• Memorial Day

• Independence Day

• Labor Day

• Thanksgiving

• Christmas

• New Year’s Eve

• New Year's Day

No.

Live reptile shipments must be shipped Priority Overnight Monday through Thursday only. An overnight shipment on Friday would not arrive until Monday.

That is not acceptable and not permitted.

To have your package held for pick up at a FedEx facility (FedEx Ship Center aka hub), use the Ship to a FedEx Facility option when you book your shipment. Type in your recipient's zip code, and the first address will be the recipient's closest hub.

Select the hub and the system will autofill the address.

Temp guidelines and standards.png

You must type in your recipient's full name as it appears on their government issued photo-ID and their phone number. Your recipient will need to show their ID and give the tracking number in order to pick up the package

Note: If your recipient gives you a FedEx address that does not show up in the dropdown menu, the given location is not a true FedEx Ship Center (hub).

Shipping a live package to a FedEx Office, FedEx OnSite (Walgreens), or any third-party Authorized FedEx location will most likely result in the package being refused by that location.

Shipping to any FedEx Office, FedEx OnSite, or any third-party Authorized FedEx location will void all SYI Insurance coverage.

You can also look up your nearest FedEx facility location here.

The first character in the routing code indicates which hub the package will be routed through. "X" indicates the package will be routed through the main hub in Memphis, TN. "N" indicates Indianapolis, IN. Packages staying within the state are indicated by a numeric character.

There are also smaller regional hubs- "A" is Ft. Worth, TX. "W" is Oakland, CA. "Q" is one of the Los Angeles area hubs. "E" is Newark, NJ. "G" is Atlanta, GA.

Packages are at times rerouted for expediency. Check routing information when you book your label.

Yes. in general.

shipyourinverts.com has a FedEx exception and provides an approved way to ship live animals to and from residences with FedEx.

Typical FedEx-certified reptile shippers are operating under the standard FedEx Live Reptile Certification.

The unique agreement between All Pro Shipping entities and FedEx specifically allows shipments of live reptiles, invertebrates, and other animals to and from residential addresses.

FedEx cannot complete a delivery to a PO Box address.

FedEx uses a tracking number to identify and track every shipment as it moves through the system to its destination.

When you book a shipment with shipyourinverts.com, we give you that package’s tracking number, both on screen and via email.

To track the progress of your shipment, simply go to shipyourinverts.com, and click Track a Shipment.

It is easy to review all of your shipments you have sent through shipyourinverts.com.

Go to the site, log into your account, then click Order History.

FedEx bases its transportation charges on three things:

1. Type of Service. (Priority Overnight, e.g.).

2. Distance. The farther you send the package, the more it costs.

3. Weight/Size. The heavier/larger the package, the more it costs.

Weight can be determined in two ways:

1. Actual weight.

Put your box on a scale and type in the weight.

2. Dimensional weight.

This might seem tricky, but it is simple.

FedEx multiplies the package length x width x height, then divides by 139. That number is your package’s dimensional weight. (UPS uses the exact same calculation)

Example: Length 12" x Width 12" x Height 9" / 139 = 9.32 lbs.

FedEx looks at the actual weight of the package and dimensional weight then uses the heavier of the two, rounded up to the nearest whole number. In this example, the package will be billed as 10 pounds.

If you could ship that same animal/item in a 12" x 9" x 6" box, dimensional weight is only 5 lbs. A 5 lb box will be MUCH less expensive to ship than an 10 lbs box. Always use the smallest box you can safely and responsibly use.

Note: FedEx measures each package with lasers. If they determine your package is bigger than indicated, they will charge us an adjustment fee and we will pass that charge on to you. Measure twice to avoid these fees.

If you have already booked your Priority Overnight label, the guaranteed time of arrival (GTA) will be displayed in the lower right quadrant of the label, as shown. For most addresses, your Priority Overnight package will arrive by 10:30 a.m for business addresses and 12:00 noon for residential addresses.

NOTES:

You may only ship Monday through Thursday for arrival Tuesday through Friday.

NO DELIVERY on Saturday or Sunday.

DO NOT send a live reptile package on Friday.

In some outlying areas, Priority Overnight packages are delivered by noon for business addresses and 4:30pm for residential addresses. In remote rural areas, Priority Overnight packages are delivered by 4:30pm, or end of day.

To check on the guaranteed time of arrival (GTA) for your destination, you can use the Quick Quote feature on our home page. You'll also find the GTA listed during the booking process for your label. And lastly, you'll see it printed on the label itself.

Businesses often have morning drop-offs. If morning delivery is essential, consider sending your package to a business address.

When you are shipping a live invertebrate, it is important that your recipient be available to receive your package, whever it arrives.

• If you require delivery confirmation, the recipient must be alert, ready and waiting for the FedEx driver. You do not want the package going back onto the truck for delivery the next day.

• If you do not require delivery confirmation, tell your recipient to check the front and back doors, the porch—all around the house—to make sure the package doesn't sit outside.

Do not ship live animals to Hawaii.

Due to limited FedEx services, certain zip codes in Alaska require one or more additional days for pickup and delivery of overnight shipments.

Go to FedEx Rates & Transit Tool and enter the destination ZIP code. Select “Get quick quote” to know if additional time will be required to deliver your package.

You may also contact our customer service department at 303-730-2125 or info@shipyourinverts.com for any help you may need on this.

You can always book your label in advance, which is common practice.

Our system assumes the day you create your label is the day you will ship. However, you can print your label anytime within 30 days of booking your shipment. It can be used any time within those 30 days, but it can only be used once.

Do not worry about the date on the label. The label does not become "active" until it is scanned by FedEx. Once you put the package into the system, all tracking and delivery information will update accordingly.

Notes:

If you book your label before the day you will ship, please be sure to check the Alerts at ShipYourInverts.com on the day you do ship for any warnings or restrictions.

If you do not use your label within 30 days of its creation, contact us at info@shipyourinverts.com or 303-730-2125. We will issue a full refund for the unused label. You can then create a new one as needed. You must contact us within 30 days to receive a refund on an unused label.

You can email a shipping label quickly and easily.

Once your shipment has been booked, you may print and/or e-mail the label at any time up to 30 days after the booking date.

Sign into your shipyourinverts.com account and click on “My Account” and then “Order History.”

This will open a page with a list of all shipments booked under your account. Select the Booked Shipment you wish to e-mail the associated label from by clicking on “View order details” link.

From your Booking Overview page click on the “Print / Download 4x6 Shipping” box

This will bring you to your label.

PC USERS: If you are using Firefox or Internet Explorer simply right click on the shipping label image and choose “E-mail Picture” from the drop-down list and then send to the recipient. If a window appears asking to resize the attachment, select “Keep the original size”.

If you are using Chrome, right click on the label and select "Save Image As..." This will give the image a name and you can select where you to save the file. Locate the file, right click on it, click "Send to > Mail Recipient" and send your email.

MAC USERS: Go to “Print” and then click on the “PDF” button from the print screen (lower left corner) and select “Mail PDF” and then send to recipient. Alternatively, "Save as PDF" to your desktop, and attach it to your email.