Wanted to share my shipped eggs experience....

[QuackerJackFarms]

I think this forum is the most appropriate considering most of us have purchased shipped eggs at some point.

I, for one, have purchased probably 6 or 7 shipments of eggs. Some sellers say they don't want to mark the box as "fragile" because the postmen are more likely to shake them or whatever. But the 2 boxes I purchased most recently that were both marked "fragile, hatching eggs, live embryos" were the best 2 experiences I've had!

Box #1 was marked as "live embryos, please don't xray, hatching eggs", they were delivered to me by the post woman a day early. She told me, "I was clocking out when the manager saw your box and said it shouldn't sit here overnight." This was the box that was delivered a DAY EARLY!!

Box #2 I just received today. It's marked in the same way, "live embryos, etc." And the mailman just knocked at my door this morning and says, "I didn't know if they could freeze in my truck so I just brought them over."

Then later this afternoon he delivered my real mail. So he basically made a special trip.

I live in a big suburb of Kansas City and both of these packages came from 2 different stations. One from our main post office and one from the annex. So this isn't one office with nice people.. it's 2 different ones.

I just really wanted to share this with you guys! Especially those of you who ship eggs out to people. It's a new perspective for the Seller and as a Buyer, from now on, I will request that the box be marked.

I'm off to the Bator now!! Gotta get these new Lavender Orps cookin'!!

 

[williamsl77]

Other than my first set of eggs being totally scrambled and the first boxes dumped out in front of me, I agree that our PO has been very good. I think they learned with me, frankly, and have been much gentler to subsequent orders (and I have had much higher percentages develop).

 

[ambrosia]

I live in a very rural community (12 miles from town) and packages are generally put in the back of our mail lady's little S10 when she delivers. She actually put the package containing my eggs in the front with her ~~~ a huge surprise, seeing as how she ran over my dog a couple of years ago IN MY YARD in front of 8 children under the age of six...! I worried about those eggies because of her previous carelessness, but the markings on that box must have given her pause, because she honked the horn, and handed said package through her window to me, instead of just leaving it on my cement walk...

An old dog can learn new tricks....

 

[humpbacks1962]

Some sellers say they don't want to mark the box as "fragile" because the postmen are more likely to shake them or whatever.

That sounds like some twisted, paranoid impression on human logic.

I wish my recent seller labeled the eggs correctly. I bought 12, she shipped 14. Should have sent them sooner (I thought I paid for express), but no...! She sent them priority. Took 3 days to arrive.
I am

now 4 days away from scheduled lockdown and only have 6 remaining eggs in the incubator. These seemed to have survived the detached membrane syndrome. Now we need to see what hatches, and out of those, what survives beyond the first day.

Buying eggs in the mail for me? Naw thanks. I pass

 

[lolita117]

That sounds like some twisted, paranoid impression on human logic.

I agree.

 

[IowaHeritage]

I have an auction going on right now, and at the End I will contact the buyer and ask him / her exactly how they want it marked or not marked.

The customer is Always right after all............

 

[AlienChick]

I live in a very rural area and all of my egg shipments were marked "fragile, hatching eggs, live embryos."

For the most part, my post office calls me to tell me that my eggs are there (they call early in the morning before the mail is even sorted).

On one occasion the postal worker drove out to my house and honked the horn and rolled down the window to give me my box.
On another occasion the box of eggs were left inside my mailbox.

We do not have a post office in our town (they closed it last month), so I do have to drive a little ways to another city to pick up my packages.
I think because the box is marked "fragile, hatching eggs, live embryos" the postal workers in my area take a little more care and concern.
I think also being in a rural area has a lot to do with it since most of the workers themselves have livestock.

Shipped eggs are always a gamble.
My last shipment of eggs took eight (8) days to get here (priority mail). I got about a 30% hatch rate out of those eggs.
And you never know how many times the box was tossed around or how long the box sat on a shelf in the direct sunlight or how bumpy the ride is in the postal truck.

 

[Pele]

Thank you for starting this thread! It is a topic that people seem to firmly stand on one side or another with. I personally have had a lot of luck with the post office taking 'fragile' seriously. This is true with glass and breakable items that I've sent to people for christmas (ie handmade ornaments). So far nobody has ever received a broken item.

And now, I received my shipment of eggs almost a month ago, and all were in beautiful condition! Yes, my postman could have rung the doorbell instead of just putting it on my porch and leaving, but we all have bad or rushed days at work. I personally can't claim that I always give 10000% at work, so it's silly to have that standard for my postman.

I think the majority of the people who work in the post office are concientious of fragile packages, especially ones marked as live animals. You're always going to have bad apples, but they are the exception, not the rule.

 

[QuackerJackFarms]

Thanks for sharing all your experiences! They have all been fun to read. (Minus the dog story.. how awful!)

I'm sure people have had different situations with them being marked or not marked and have their preference, and that's fine.. but from now on it's Marked for me!

In fact, the first postwoman that delivered a day early actually ended up talking to me for 30 minutes about poultry and signed up on the BYC. Now THAT is what I call promotion. Is there a "BYC promotion award"??
Just sayin'...

The postman that delivered today went something like this..

PO: "So... what do you DO with them?"
ME: "I'm going to hatch them".
PO: "Like... in an incubator?"
ME: "Yes."
PO: "Then what?"
ME: "Then I'll look at them, feed them, water them.... look at them some more.. and then they might lay an egg for me to eat."
PO: "Oh."

 

[QuackerJackFarms]

I have an auction going on right now, and at the End I will contact the buyer and ask him / her exactly how they want it marked or not marked.

The customer is Always right after all............

That's neat how you ask. I've never been asked. After today though, I'll just email to go ahead and mark it up "fragile".