Jump to content

Shipping


boydie

Recommended Posts

hey all im starting to breed a few fish and thought about starting to ship interstate,i have never investegated the possibilities,those of you that do ship,i need some advice on getting started.

what are your thoughts

cheers boydie

Link to comment
Share on other sites

hey all im starting to breed a few fish and thought about starting to ship interstate,i have never investegated the possibilities,those of you that do ship,i need some advice on getting started.

what are your thoughts

cheers boydie

Get a account with AAE, get the fish there before 6am.beware of different states regualations and fill out any declerations for that state,and get your money before sending fish no matter what!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi boydie

You can use fastways and they will ship around the state for $10 a box. Weight limit is 22kg. It is around $30 to other major areas but not WA, SA and TAS.

This is overnigh though so you pack them heavy in big bags.

Toll is a bit better and cheaper than AAE and a bit more reliable in regional areas. You would need and ABN to open an account.

AAE is either on account or cash so those options are available to you.

You would need to scour your local fish shops for boxes and the special plastic lining for airfreight but Fastways have no regulations.

You would also need to hire an oxygen canister and buy a regulator. For overnight it is also a good idea to double bag fish.

Post up again when you are actually doing a shipment and forum members will run you through the process.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi boydie

You can use fastways and they will ship around the state for $10 a box. Weight limit is 22kg. It is around $30 to other major areas but not WA, SA and TAS.

This is overnigh though so you pack them heavy in big bags.

Toll is a bit better and cheaper than AAE and a bit more reliable in regional areas. You would need and ABN to open an account.

AAE is either on account or cash so those options are available to you.

You would need to scour your local fish shops for boxes and the special plastic lining for airfreight but Fastways have no regulations.

You would also need to hire an oxygen canister and buy a regulator. For overnight it is also a good idea to double bag fish.

Post up again when you are actually doing a shipment and forum members will run you through the process.

Good comments and fastways are good for some areas and i use them for their run areas but for interstate AAE or Vergin are the go,double bagging is a must and if you can get them self breathing bags are the go

Edited by chooktech
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This was an article i did on another forum.

Procedure for sending fish airfreight.

Part 1

This simple task is confronting, and daunting to many aquarists. I guess there are things which can go wrong, but with a little planning and understanding these will be minimized or eliminated. Below I have hopefully captured clearly what is required to ensure the safe and healthy arrival of the fish, and to satisfy various regulations enforced by airlines and quarantine.

To start with, this is the internet; we are all buying and selling fish , usually at considerable expense. There is a huge amount of trust and responsibility required by both parties. So be pleasant, and helpful do what ever it takes to instill a sense of calm in the other party, don’t ignore them, constant, and thorough communication, and upfront dealings are best.

Once the dealings have been finalized I organize my fish and time so that things will happen as planned. Once a deal is made it is usually 2 weeks before I ship, this allows me time to organize what is needed, to prepare the fish, allow for the cash transfer, and to sort out flight details as time allows for both parties.

Shipping fish can be done with two companies in Australia, Australian air express and Virgin freight. Many people have different experiences with both, I will only use AAE.

So ok you have fish to sell, they are of course in tip top condition and ready for a small amount of stress.

To prepare my fish for freighting, I maintain my weekly water change schedule, usually done on a weekend. I also add another water change 2 days prior to shipping, this ensures there are no wastes in the water, and it is fresh as possible. I don’t change the water the day before incase it effects the fish adversely, two days gives you a chance to watch them. I also cut back the feeds, 4 days prior once a day, 2 days prior they are fasted. I also suck the crap off the bottom so they don’t eat that, and you can see that their wastes are lessening.

I let the receiver know the water conditions at time of sale, and the day I ship, I tell them what I am feeing them. I tell them what day, they are being sent and approximate flight times. I sms the con note number to them once they are booked in and paid for at the airfreight place.

If shipping to Perth there is also quarantine issue to deal with, no plant or dirt material in the bags, fish need to be disease free, healthy, clear bags are preferred. If these conditions are not met they could be destroyed, and I feel that is the freighters problem, a full refund, or a new shipment should be arranged.

Procedure for sending fish airfreight.

Part 2

You will need: which should be done days or weeks earlier.

An airfreight approved seafood box.

IPB Image

Suitable Bags, rounded bottoms are best

Quality rubber bands, not old recycled ones

Absorbent material, for the bottom of the box, newspaper or a proper absorbent material is preferred.

Oxygen, I use industrial stuff as medical grade is very expensive and you need a very expensive regulator to go with the special bottle.

A few buckets, jugs and containers are handy.

Packing tap to seal the box.

Clearly printed labels that show who the receiver and sender are.

Usually the box will also have a large plastic waterproof liner that encompasses the inner contents.

Set yourself up the day before, ready to go.

IPB Image

In these pics I am bagging up 33 3-4cm duboisi fry into 20cm bags To send from Rockhampton to Melbourne, estimated journey time 8-14 hours. I used 6 bags, 5-6 fish per bag.

Todays the day.

Usually this happens at some crazy hour of the day, like 6am for me. Getting up that early is not right, but makes catching all the fish out really easy. I have the nets ready to go, I walk into the fish room switch on the room light, scoop all the fish into bucket, with tank water….Less stress for them they wake up they are in a bucket. No chasing them all over for ages. Once they are in the bucket check the numbers, and condition again.

IPB Image

Bagging them up

I place the bag in a container that supports the bag. I uses a jug to add water from the bucket to the bag, the bag only needs to be filled ¼ - 1/3 with water the rest is air or oxygen. Ensure the fish are covered adequately. When you have the water in the first bag I add the fish from the bucket I find it easier to use my wet hands to catch and transfer the fish.

IPB Image

I then add the air / oxygen to the first bag. Twist the neck of the bag so they are inflated, but not too tight,( that pressure is being applied to the fish aswell.) I then attach the first rubber band. I use a smaller rubber band first to seal the bag. Then I add the second bigger stronger rubber band, while applying this rubber band I goose neck the bag, ie it folds over and finish attaching the rubber band, that’s the inner bag done.

first tie

IPB Image

goose necked

IPB Image

To ship fish the airlines require you have them double bagged. You can place the bags inside each other to start with, or I find it easier to bag up some fish first and then slide that bag inside the second, I use a plastic straw down the side to let the air out of the second bag as the first inflated bag slides inside.

IPB Image

Tie off the second outer bag as with the first. Note you need to ensure that the finished bag is not too tall for the box you have!!

IPB Image

Space out the fish evenly, this is part of the preparation, not too many in the bag, less big fish, maybe more smaller fish. And work out how many bags / boxes will be required.

Place all the bags into the shipping box, as you go.

IPB Image

IPB Image

Ensure they are packaged securely; and check the bags again for leaks and stressed fish, prior to sealing up the box, add paper or empty air filled bags to support them in the box if there is space. Don’t assume they will be treated gently.

Attach the lid, and secure properly with packing tape, I go over the top and then all around the lid / box join, to ensure it is water tight.

IPB Image

Attach the pre printed label clearly displaying the sender and recipient details.

IPB Image

Take to airport and check them in. get con note, pay freight, sms details to recipient.

Follow it up and ensure safe arrival and a happy customer, get as much feed back as possible ie were any bags deflated, dead fish etc If there are any deaths I request a picture within several hours of the dead fish tail cut off, if more than one, than all in the same shot.

Edited by trofius
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fantastic stuff Trofius :clap:clap

Is there any shipping company that will take the fish from a regional center like Geelong (me)or Newcastle etc and avoid the long drive to the airport?

I used to sell to Bayfish Melbourne but they are closing and now Im looking at sending fish to Brisbane, all the packing plus a 3 hour round trip make it an extra pain and probably not worth it

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fantastic stuff Trofius :clap:clap

Is there any shipping company that will take the fish from a regional center like Geelong (me)or Newcastle etc and avoid the long drive to the airport?

I used to sell to Bayfish Melbourne but they are closing and now Im looking at sending fish to Brisbane, all the packing plus a 3 hour round trip make it an extra pain and probably not worth it

I think to get the fish to the airport you should have a small independent courier.

Try and a find a local that will give you a direct service, and understands the importance of Live fish and puntuality.

Edited by Citypainter
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think to get the fish to the airport you should have a small independent courier.

Try and a find a local that will give you a direct service, and understands the importance of Live fish and puntuality

Unless you can be 100% sure that you can meet the many requirments of the Airlines ,I would suggest you take the first few shipments to the airport depot yourself as if they are rejected the courier will not help to fix any problem and the fish will not be shipped out :B

Unless you are well known by the staff at the airport your boxes will be opened and inspected to make sure they comply..... so no point in taping down the boxes completly as it can be a waste of time , and the guys at the airport use a special tape with inspected written all over it to identify .

I even had boxes reopened and inspected on arrival at Sydney yesterday, even tho they had been inspected and taped at the shipping end..not really sure what they were looking for and what would have happened if they did not comply after they had already arrived at their destination :dntknw:

If you would like a little light reading on the subject ..try here

http://www.qantas.com.au/freight/pdf/SATRegulations.pdf

Kevin

Edited by sorroz
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fastways will take them to the airport for $10.

You would still need to fill out the consignment note paperwork..a Seafood Carriage by Air ( live fish are shipped under the seafood catagorie) Compliance/Acceptance Checklist form ( with Virgin/Toll ..not sure about AAE as I will not use them ).

You will need to have a freight account or the person receiving them will need to have an account as I am sure the Courier will not be interested in taking any form of payment and hanging around while all the paperwork is sorted out and you would not know how much it was going to cost for certain.

I think that AAE are the only ones that will take cash payments from non accounts ( can work out a bit expensive )..Virgin will only accept freight/live fish by accounts customers only ( fairly certain)

Usually the sender will have to guarantee live arrival of the fish ..so you need to be confident that you can pack fish and survive for a minimum of 6-7 hours for one of the short between flights of major cities on the East Coast

It is not as easy as some people may think and can be a lot of hassle unless a worthwhile shipment is sent.

Kevin

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorroz raises some good points, and having received some of his handy work he knows what he is on about!! :thumb

To date I have only found Virgin here in Rockhampton will inspect boxes before they are accepted, I beleive AAE might have many many years ago, but I know most of the guys there by first name now. And have sent many boxes..So maybe they trust me.. Perth Quaranteen allways seem happy with my shipments, and both virgin and AAE have never rejected a shipment.

You could take a dummy package to teh freight company and ask them if what I have done is Ok , and would it pass if in any doubt. You dont want to be rejected its a pain packaging it up once, let alone twice..

most boxes will be rejected due to a lack of absorbant material in the bottom of the box (news paper is not good enough, you get get proper stuff by the roll, either chemical or material absobancy), not double bagged or goosenecked..

Yes AAE will do over the counter cash payments ( here anyways) virgin will only do accounts..

Edited by trofius
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...