Shipping live aquatics in the UK. How can I do this? Can I do this?

[nathanaldo07]

I know this is a controversial topic of sending live fish/invertebrates through the post, however, I have came to the conclusion that if I take all the precautions - double bagging, using polystyrene boxes, heat packs, using next day shipping services, etc - then I would be able to successfully ship live aquatics just like the many breeders across the country. I have quite a bit of experience (and success) shipping items from simple letters up to boxes weighing 15kg+ as I run a small eBay shop, so I firmly believe I would be able to have live fish and invertebrates arrive alive and well.

The reason I want to do this as I would love to start breeding fish and raising young fry up to the point of sale, however, I do not feel I would be able to sell all fish locally as many fish give birth in the hundreds and I would be left with tanks full of fish. So I would want to be able to have the reassurance that I would be able to sell across the country and have a better chance of selling all of the fish.

I have watched many videos and read many articles but I still have a few key unanswered questions:

What courier should I use to post the fish? Are there any couriers which specialise in live fish?
I see that many people use royal mail, however, I would not want to have to take a box labelled 'LIVE FISH' to the post office and get told I cant send the parcel even though royal mail policy allows it. I have heard of many people simply just not labelling the parcel to avoid any confusion. Would it be better to get the parcel collected from my home?

Can I legally sell the fish online and post them?
As far as I am aware the only relevant legal obstacles to this would be a lack of a 'pet shop license' which I believe I can get around as the fish fry would be classed as the offspring of a pet and would not have been bred with the intent to profit off of them. I think I have already answered this question for myself but any further input would be greatly appreciated.

If anybody with experience in sending fish through the post has any recommendations/tips regarding this, i would really appreciate them.

Thank you for reading this thread, and thank you in advance for any advice.

 

[Deleted member 149562]

There is one courier who is officially certified to ship fish/shrimp in the UK and that is APC Overnight

Snails can go with Royal Mail on their special delivery by 1200 next day

UPS and DHL can ship live fish/shrimp/snails on a case by case basis and they attach a copy of their licence to do so on the outside of boxes.

So far most of my fish have been delivered by APC and twice with DHL and once with UPS. No issues insofar as the couriers.

eBay have many sellers of live fish, shimp and snails....I would suggest you have a look at whatever rules and regs they have for doing so

 

[nathanaldo07]

There is one courier who is officially certified to ship fish/shrimp in the UK and that is APC Overnight

Snails can go with Royal Mail on their special delivery by 1200 next day

UPS and DHL can ship live fish/shrimp/snails on a case by case basis and they attach a copy of their licence to do so on the outside of boxes.

So far most of my fish have been delivered by APC and twice with DHL and once with UPS. No issues insofar as the couriers.

eBay have many sellers of live fish, shimp and snails....I would suggest you have a look at whatever rules and regs they have for doing so

thanks for your advice.

Do you have to put any stickers on the package saying 'Live Fish'?

Also, when I went to the site to check it out. It said that 'Live Fish' was a prohibited item. Is there a separate section for sending fish?

Again, thanks very much for your help, I really do appreciate it.

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

I used a company called TropCo and was impressed by their service, although I believe @wasmewasntit was less impressed.
I had a long conversation, before I committed to buying and promises made to me were kept.
You could be cheeky and speak to them, asking for reassurance as to how they can guarantee that fish will arrive quickly and safely.