Email: info@shipyourinverts.com
Phone: 303-730-2125
Fax: 303-347-0400

ShipYourInverts.com
Customer Service

9220 Teddy Lane
Unit 2000
Lone Tree, CO 80124

1. Create an account

2. Order packaging

Allow about a week for delivery.

3. Create your label.

Click a Book A Shipment.

Enter the necessary shipping and payment information. (Do NOT use a PO Box for the recipient's address. UPS cannot deliver to a PO Box.)

4. Print your label

Confirm your purchase
You will receive an email with your receipt and shipping label

Print the shipping label within 30 days

The label does not expire, but it can only be used once.

When you are ready, click the Print Shipping Label Now button.

5. Pack your invertebrate

Follow all packaging instructions.

Packages must be taped and ready to ship.

The prepaid shipping label should be securetly fastened to the top. The Lacey Act / TATA labeling should also be clearly visible.

You may call us to verfity how late you can drop off your package at your chosen location.

6. Give your shipment to UPS.

Drop package at a UPS facility.

We recommend a UPS Store.

There are plenty of thes and are generally conveniently located.

OR

We can arrange for UPS to pick up your package. Contact us at info@shipyourinverts.com or 303-730-2125.

If you want a UPS driver to pick up your package at your location, call or email us at 303-730-2125 or info@shipyourinverts.com.

We can schedule a same-day pickup if you make your request before 12 noon in your time zone.

For pickup on the next day, simply indicate the date and a 3-hour window in the afternoon that fits your schedule.

Please be watching and ready for the driver’s arrival.

Note: The pickup fee is $9.05.

That is up to you. There are pros and cons of having a UPS driver pick up your package at your address.

Pros

You do not have to take your package anywhere.

The driver, a UPS professional, will take your package without question.

Cons

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 $9.05 fee applies to every scheduled pickup, whether it is one box being picked up or dozens.

To schedule a UPS 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 UPS pickup for you.

NOTE: When you call to schedule a pickup, be sure to tell us which UPS shipping service (Next Day Air, 2nd Day Air, or Ground 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 UPS rules and restrictions. For more details, see this section of the UPS site:

UPS Terms & Conditions

Hawaii has strict restrictions on live imports.

Some of these restrictions include:

• Limited 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 UPS service. Some locations require one or more additional days for Next Day Air shipping. UPS does not provide service for some locations. 

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 Next Day Air service is available before shipping. You can pre-determine the guaranteed delivery date and time by going to UPS 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 UPS Next Day Air service is unavailable. 

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

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

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

Yes, 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. 

Contact us at 303-730-2125 or info@shipyourinverts.com for more information. 

or

When you're ready to book your shipment, please complete this online form, and we will get back to you with next steps.

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 UPS uses to carry ShipYourInverts.com shipments are pressurized and their temperatures are kept between 55 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

All UPS Stores and Access Points are authorized to accept live shipments if you book the label through ShipYourInverts.

In case the staff didn't read the email from corporate allowing harmless live animals, show them the "UPS Approval of Live Animal Shipping" letter.

You'll find another link on the right side of the page after you create your label.

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

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

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

Shipyourinverts.com has a specially created UPS 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 UPS certification. When using the site, you agree to meet our Shipping Standards, including temperature parameters and packaging requirements (these meet UPS standards).

In addition, ShipYourInverts.com allows for shipping to and from residential addresses (which is not allowed under the typical UPS live animal account). ShipYourInverts.com offers an SYI Insurance. (Not offered through UPS directly). Our Next Day Air rate starts at 30% off the UPS 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 UPS 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 UPS Holiday Schedule.

UPS observes these holidays:

• Memorial Day

• Independence Day

• Labor Day

• Thanksgiving

• Christmas

• New Year’s Eve

• New Year's Day

No.

Live shipments must be shipped Next Day Air 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 UPS Store or Access Point, use the Ship to a UPS 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 facility and the system will autofill the address.

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 UPS address that does not show up in the dropdown menu, the given location is not a true UPS Store.

Shipping a live package to an invalid location will most likely result in the package being refused by that location.

Shipping to any unauthorized UPS location will void all SYI Insurance coverage.

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

UPS Air shipments (Next Day and 2nd Day) are expedited via their air network, and most (about 70%) pass through their massive central air hub called Worldport in Louisville, KY, for sorting and redistribution before heading to a regional or local hub near the destination. Regional hubs (like those in Ontario, CA; Rockford, IL; or Columbia, SC) handle some shorter routes to optimize efficiency, but the central hub is the default for cross-country or complex paths. Packages are at times rerouted for expediency.

Yes. in general.

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

Typical UPS-certified invert shippers are operating under the standard UPS Live Animal Certification.

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

UPS cannot complete a delivery to a PO Box address.

UPS 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, click on your name, then My Account, and finally Order History.

UPS bases its transportation charges on three things:

1. Type of Service. (Next Day Air, 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.

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

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

UPS 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: UPS 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.

When you are booking your Next Day Air label, the guaranteed time of arrival (GTA) will be displayed when you select the service. For most addresses, your Next Day Air package will arrive by 10:30 a.m for business addresses and 12:00 p.m. noon for residential addresses. 

NOTES: 

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

There is no delivery on Saturday or Sunday.

Do not send a live reptile package on a Friday.

In some outlying areas, Next Day air packages are delivered by noon for business addresses and 4:30 p.m. for residential addresses. In remote rural areas, Next Day Air packages are delivered by 4:30 p.m. or end of day.

Use the Quick Quote feature on our home page to check the GTA before booking.

You will also find the GTA listed during the booking process for your label.

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

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

• If you require delivery confirmation, the recipient must be alert, ready and waiting for the UPS 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 all around the house to make sure the package does not sit outside.

Special note for Alaska and Hawaii

Live animal shipments to and from Hawaii requires special handling. Please contact Customer Service for detailed information on these shipments. 

Because of its remoteness and limited UPS services, certain zip codes in Alaska require one or more additional days for pickup and delivery of overnight shipments.

To make absolutely sure you are not sending a package to one of these locations, pre-determine the guaranteed delivery date and time by contacting us directly.  

You can 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 UPS. 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.