Best Shipping Service????

I am currently looking to give away three tiger salamanders for free as long as whoever wants them pays the shipping. However, I am not experienced in shipping live animals and I want to know what is the best service( UPS, FedEx, USPS, etc.) to ship these animals in terms of reliabilty, cost, speed etc. They will be shipped overnight regardless of the service but I want to use one I can trust. I know that this is not a fish question, but I also know that a lot of you have experience with shipping fish/ live animals and I'm hoping to gain from some of your wisdom.

 

USPS priority mail usually works well, but it's stressful when things go wrong. I live in a major So Cal city, and yet about 20% of deliveries to me get delayed due to boxes getting sent to the wrong area. Twice, I had boxes that simply disappeared for a week or so with no info showing in tracking. Fortunately, I only buy very tough livebearers, and they all made it despite the delays. That said, salamanders seem to travel more easily than many other animals. Study up on how to pack them properly (a Google search will do). Double check temperatures all along the route and use an ice pack if necessary. You can offer the buyer a choice of Priority Mail or Overnight and let them pay the cost.

 

USPS does not offer overnight but express (which can go overnight if the person is close enough), most priority runs 2-3 days. UPS is okay, FedEx will not ship live fish (they have it as restricted in their mailing guidelines, you could just not say what it is when shipping overnight though).

 

USPS does not offer overnight but express (which can go overnight if the person is close enough), most priority runs 2-3 days. UPS is okay, FedEx will not ship live fish (they have it as restricted in their mailing guidelines, you could just not say what it is when shipping overnight though).

I swear I recall this being Fedex overnight air.

 

I swear I recall this being Fedex overnight air.
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That's not a sticker from FedEx is the thing, they might allow it overnight but last time I checked it (maybe a month ago) they nixed any fish in their restrictions.

 

DO NOT USE ONTRAC!!!