Thoughts on Shipping T's 2-3 day vs Overnight

For people both new to the hobby, as well as veterans, we all know that shipping costs can ramp up the price of getting a new spider. I am not here to complain about the costs of shipping a spider over night. After all it is with the spiders safety in mind. Rather, I would like to know if there are keepers that have built enough confidence in their usual carriers to use 2-3 day (or longer) shipping instead of paying for overnight.

I ask mostly because I have read posts, largely from the UK, about spiders being in the mail for a week or two at a time and arriving perfectly fine. Also for people like me, who want to grow a collection one "cheap-o" spider at a time, but only makes minimum wage. Paying $35-$40 for a $15 OBT feels a little counter productive...Sure if you have the money paying that much for your spider to get to you safely is great! But that cheaper option is there for a reason and I want to know who uses it! I cant be the only broke T keeper here! hahah

In my opinion, a spider that is packed well and kept away from the factors that would kill it in captivity, i.e (freezing, overheating, drafts, dessication, etc) shouldn't really be in mortal danger right? I mean most of us wait about a week to feed them anyway so I am doubtful that a T would starve to death in the mail...Am I missing something or is 2-3 day shipping as viable as overnight (With regards to getting a living spider as an end game)?

Just interested to hear what some of you do/think about this matter!

(As a reminder, I am totally FOR paying extra for overnight shipping if it means the spider is okay, just asking for opinions here!)

My opinion is that as long as the weather isn't extreme then the T can handle 2-3 day shipping. I personally always choose overnight shipping do to the LAG provided by the seller as I don't usually make small purchases.

Ship time is dependent on the weather, and that includes the parts of the country the planes/trucks go thru.

You're much better off saving up and buying a group of spiders at a time, rather than one or two.

It's why I always save up for months before making a purchase online. The more tarantula you can get at once, the more the shipping cost can be offset. I don't want to risk having my tarantulas die in the mail if I can, especially if they're expensive ones without a LAG. Then I'll just be out of money. It's also the cheaper way to do things too. If you keep spending $15 on shipping at a time, in just two orders it already adds up to the cost you would have paid for both the spiders AND a LAG. Waiting a little bit longer for the funds to order all at once really helps things get moving quicker and safer.

Some sellers will offer LAG on 2-3 day shipping if temperatures are acceptable - I usually do. I am more willing to offer LAG on slower shipping for hardier species as well. Any of the arboreals, for example, are usually more delicate and I only offer LAG on overnight shipping for them. If I am purchasing an animal, I ALWAYS opt for overnight purely because I think they go through enough stress just being shipped and I want them to experience as little stress as possible. I also tend to buy more expensive species and don't want to take any chances. It is all personal preference and whatever you can work out with each individual seller, really. But I do have enough confidence in certain carriers, yes. I don't trust Fedex because I've had a lot of issues with them in the past. I even paid for overnight AND extra on top of that to guarantee arrival before a weekend as I didn't want the animal spending several days in a hub. Despite almost $100 in shipping costs, the delivery was STILL delayed and the animal did end up staying over the weekend in their hub. I was furious...

I persinally dont mind eityer way. Iv had snakes stuck in transit for over 2 weeks in fall (heart attach and a half on a $600 animal and with them loosing it, it was nolonger under lag..and i payed $50 for overnight -.-)

Now its way cheaper to buy 3 or more in one swing.. but it realy depends.. iv had the same seller send me 4 T's packed and shipped the same way and in my first pair of Ts one was doa... it all boils down to the weather and if they guarentee lag... right now its cold here half the time so i may risk 2day with lag if the seller knows what they are doing, if not wait for a nice weather patch.. otherwise id only overnight but shippings alot less with more..

id say at least wait till u have money, as its been said it pays for itself.. if your paying $15 bucks a pop by T number 5 your lookin at 75 bucks, this is $25 more then iv ever spent on shipping, and iv had people send me fertilized foul eggs! That 25-45 bucks could mean 2-3+ more Ts all personal oppinion tho

As long as the temps are good and the seller is good at packaging, I have zero issue with it, even if LAG isn't offered. I use it all the time, and many breeders do indeed offer LAG with 2 day. I think any seller that won't shows me they may not be as confident in their packing abilities. Reviews offer a glimpse into how well they pack.

Now if I have a big order, expensive, rare or delicate slings, I'll go with overnight every time. But like the op, I am generally ordering when I have a little extra at times and my orders are typically pretty small by most people's standards. Knock on wood, but I have yet to receive a sling in the mail that died....Geeez, I hope I didn't just jinx myself.

I've always got 2day shipping. I find myself usually buying from the same people so I trust their methods, and sometimes the order will come in overnight regardless. I think if the shipper is good, the T can handle it (providing they're also in good condition)

I always prefer to get and ship with 2 day because it is cheaper and if done right has no problems. I would only use 1 day for winter.

Amimia said:

I've always got 2day shipping. I find myself usually buying from the same people so I trust their methods, and sometimes the order will come in overnight regardless. I think if the shipper is good, the T can handle it (providing they're also in good condition)

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2day always taks 2 days here, but I do not think I have had any DOA with 2day. I only have had DOA with 1 day,some big dealers never offer lag on 2day though they pack well enough too not have any losses.
Overnight is really best just during winter when temps dip below 20 degrees , or on very rare species.

Have you looked into reptile shows in your area? Usually there's at least one or two tables with Ts, and you can forgo the shipping altogether. Outside of that, I always do overnight shipping since Im usually shellin out for at least four spiders at a time (Last one was 10 thanks to all the holiday sales, and since old man winter says that's it for the year >_>) and it seems a worthwhile investment if you're already putting that amount of money down.

Halftrak said:

Have you looked into reptile shows in your area? Usually there's at least one or two tables with Ts, and you can forgo the shipping altogether. Outside of that, I always do overnight shipping since Im usually shellin out for at least four spiders at a time (Last one was 10 thanks to all the holiday sales, and since old man winter says that's it for the year >_>) and it seems a worthwhile investment if you're already putting that amount of money down.

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How good are prices of reptile show Ts? Could you PM me so I know next time there is a show? Does it cost money to sell Ts there ? , Cleveland Ohio is about a hour away from me so gas isn't free , but cheaper than $40.

You have to ask yourself if saving money on shipping is worth the risk you're exposing the spider to. Most sellers have language in their LAG policy that mentions not being responsible for carrier mishandling and about the only thing the 2-3 day company is good at is mishandling packages.

Im new to the online shopping with limited options.

I just recently bought 4 Ts and a microscope for sexing and requested overnight shipping. When I got the email for the online shop saying the package has been giving to the courier company I was glad to see he packages his Ts so that they can survive for 2weeks in packaging(we will see if this is true when I unwrap)

I have also seen unpacking videos where heat gel pads were included in packaging to help keep the T warm. I have been very impressed and shocked. At the end of the day it comes down to how the T is packaged- a well thought out packaging and I am sure a T could survive for a few weeks in packaging...

My problem is I am always to excited to get them-so I opt for the speedy delivery.

Heat packs need to have a barrier between them and the spiders, preferably thick styro. I've had a couple big dealers fail to do this last year (newspaper/cardboard as a barrier, which shifted in transit), and some slings got fried. They honored the LAG, but spiders were needlessly killed. I ask about heat pack barriers with anyone shipping to me in cold weather, dealer of individual, as both can screw it up.

Another concern of mine is that some people pack spiders with little, if any, airholes in the vials/straws/cups, and if the package is delayed, the spiders could easily suffocate. Spiders don't use a lot of oxygen, but there's no reason to cut it close like that. Why gamble? Straws without airholes really scare me. There's no good reason not to poke a few airholes in them. That's another thing request when people ship to you.

2-3 day shipping in The Northern parts of the world in the winter months do not exist....unless you do not mind killing spiders and have money to toss!

Wadew said:

2-3 day shipping in The Northern parts of the world in the winter months do not exist....unless you do not mind killing spiders and have money to toss!

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Yeah, I almost consider it like spring through early fall is the t buying time of year, cause as cold as it gets up here, I don't even want to put a t through overnight shipping. I made my last purchase that arrived with the cold season. Literally an hour after the front moved in I got them delivered. Now I won't likely buy anything till at least March, probably April.

cold blood said:

Yeah, I almost consider it like spring through early fall is the t buying time of year, cause as cold as it gets up here, I don't even want to put a t through overnight shipping. I made my last purchase that arrived with the cold season. Literally an hour after the front moved in I got them delivered. Now I won't likely buy anything till at least March, probably April.

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I ubderstand the worry. But a good shipper usually means u dont have to worry.. last yr i had a snake that was ment to be signed for, it started to snow.. and i coulda sworn i asked for 1030 delivery but never heard a knock. So figured itd be here at 3ish when normal fedex is in my area... so i open the door at 2 to go out and get ready to sit and wait for him.. there was 4"+ of snow drift on the box -.- and fedex guy signed it for me at 9am -.- ... i was furious.. thankfully the shipoer was good at his job, and the little guy arived fine

pyro fiend said:

I ubderstand the worry. But a good shipper usually means u dont have to worry.. last yr i had a snake that was ment to be signed for, it started to snow.. and i coulda sworn i asked for 1030 delivery but never heard a knock. So figured itd be here at 3ish when normal fedex is in my area... so i open the door at 2 to go out and get ready to sit and wait for him.. there was 4"+ of snow drift on the box -.- and fedex guy signed it for me at 9am -.- ... i was furious.. thankfully the shipoer was good at his job, and the little guy arived fine

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Lol, just the fact that you mention snow makes me giggle. Its warm in WI in the winter if its snowing....much of the time its simply too cold to snow. We had months last year without a single day ever reaching zero...I wouldn't send anything in the mail when its consistently at or below zero.

Super glad yours survived the snow drift experiment...good, quality shipping is priceless.

cold blood said:

Lol, just the fact that you mention snow makes me giggle. Its warm in WI in the winter if its snowing....much of the time its simply too cold to snow. We had months last year without a single day ever reaching zero...I wouldn't send anything in the mail when its consistently at or below zero.

Super glad yours survived the snow drift experiment...good, quality shipping is priceless.

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Hah too cold to snow? That seems improbable but yea under 50deg is my threshhold unless i know your a good shipper xD iv payed 2x for a sling simply because it was goung to be cold and id rather not risk it with new people lol xD