Those who sell frags online Please Read!

[Aquattro]

Greg, yes, vendors can reply if they so feel inclined, I just don't want a vendor rating thread out of this.

[wickedfrags]

I agree, while all online vendors shipping methods and materials will undoubtedly vary, customers can only hope they have it figured out. I always recommend potential customers concerned about buying online for the first time (or after having had a poor experience) review feedback on a vendor such as that available on canada.frags.org (which some of us use).

There is also some value (IMO) in doing a quick "google" of a vendor to see what others are saying about their experiences. I have learned a lot doing this!

Floating (styrofoam) is a good shipping technique to be aware. That being said it is not always required, and I have personally been equally successful not using the floating technique. Just like the coral exporters around the world, some float their corals during transport, others do not.

Shipping can also be alot easier said than done! I have fully researched shipping fish and hey I am 1 for 1, but will not be 100% confident in my technique until I have shipped as many fish as I have corals.

[marie]

I have a question for the vendors on here, has dry shipping been looked into? It would seem to make sense money wise because your not shipping water.
I have sent monti frags and a few acros to Anthony that were dry shipped and they survived (sometimes they didn't but I think that could be blamed on lousy heat packs, cold weather and lousy couriers )

http://forum.marinedepot.com/Topic48...t=Dry+shipping

[Borderjumper]

I too have bought hundreds and hundreds of dollars of frags online. A vender I USED to buy from would ship 3-5 MOUNTED frags together in ONE bag. Well by the time they beat each other up during the shipment there wasnt much tissue left.

The last bunch of online frags I bought came packed in sandwhich bags.. in a plain cardboard box.. not even lined with stryofoam.. and this too was a replacement shipment.

I really dont mind spending good money for nice frags.. but I do expect some care and thought in how they are packed. Its a HUGE dissapointment to look forward to your new corals.. and then the UPS man calls you and says umm I have a box for you.. but its kinda wet.

My last shipments I didnt even bother to try and get the deads replaced.. It wasnt worth it IMO to have to go thru this over and over.

Neither of these shipments were from the sponsors who have replied above my post

[wickedfrags]

I have read a lot about this, and while I think most people acknowledge it is possible, many regular shippers feel the losses are generally higher than when shipped with water. One of the australia shipments we received, some of the pieces were shipped "damp" and the survival rate was not as high as those shipped in water where there were essentially no losses. You still need to ship overnight, express, so you may only be looking at $30 difference (does not even buy you a piece of liverock!)

Originally Posted by marie

I have a question for the vendors on here, has dry shipping been looked into? It would seem to make sense money wise because your not shipping water.
I have sent monti frags and a few acros to Anthony that were dry shipped and they survived (sometimes they didn't but I think that could be blamed on lousy heat packs, cold weather and lousy couriers )

http://forum.marinedepot.com/Topic48...t=Dry+shipping

While I have never shipped multiple corals in the same bag (excluding ricordia florida) I could see how someone would do this with zoas if the shiping container was tight on space. Zoas generally don't mind touching and should not get that stressed. That being said, sandwich bags and a non-insulated box does not show much of a commitment on behalf of the seller, so they may not have been thinking this when they shipped.

Originally Posted by Borderjumper

I too have bought hundreds and hundreds of dollars of frags online. A vender I USED to buy from would ship 3-5 MOUNTED frags together in ONE bag. Well by the time they beat each other up during the shipment there wasnt much tissue left.

The last bunch of online frags I bought came packed in sandwhich bags.. in a plain cardboard box.. not even lined with stryofoam.. and this too was a replacement shipment.

I really dont mind spending good money for nice frags.. but I do expect some care and thought in how they are packed. Its a HUGE dissapointment to look forward to your new corals.. and then the UPS man calls you and says umm I have a box for you.. but its kinda wet.

My last shipments I didnt even bother to try and get the deads replaced.. It wasnt worth it IMO to have to go thru this over and over.

Neither of these shipments were from the sponsors who have replied above my post