Re: [Killietalk] Killietalk Digest, USPS Regulations

[Scott Davis <unclescott at prodigy_net>]

You may want DMM Co22.3.3

I think Tony T  and Wright H both put us on to that.

 You can find that DMM CO22.3.3 if you go to the US Post Office site. (I guess.)
 Go to http://www.usps.com/

Doug Eberling mentioned that he uses the following label:


PERISHABLE
Small Cold-Blooded Animals
DMM CO22.3.3

Bob Alston (who navigates around the USPO site better than I do) suggested going to 

http://pe.usps.gov/text/dmm300/601.htm
Publication 52 (offered by Bill Vannerson) and just mentioned by Patrick


section 526.6 Small, Harmless, Cold-Blooded Animals http://fins.actwin.com/killietalk/month.200109/msg00867.html


Most of the above was dredged up from the Killietalk archives.

As an aside, on the few occasions when I have recently mailed fish I have  sent an e-mail ahead of time detailing what was in there and including the receiver's address. I would have been wise to include phone numbers.

A copy of that letter was also tied into a plastic shipping bag (I forget who first modeled this) and packed on top of everything, so that postal officials could open the box, inventory it if they wanted to or call the recipient.On one occasion at the post office desk, the lady asked if there was anything perishable or liquid in there. I smiled and replied "Yes, both." She almost imperceptibly started a bit. 

As Patrick has indicated, it was worth whole to mention that one is taking pains to follow regulations and note that there were a bunch of  little fishes in there, double bagged, some bagged plants merely wet and that everything was additionally contained in a larger (tied off) plastic bag so there would be no leaking, as per those post office regulations. Then they were put in a sealed styrofoam box which was nested in a cardboard outer box, also as per USPO regulations. She saw that there was no non-regulation masking tape, but that the proper clear shipping tape was used.
 The postal employee gently shook it and there was no movement and minimal sloshing. (Memo to self - keep stuffing little bags of plants or of air in there until nothing moves. ;)
 Mentioned that I had done a rescue at the airport, where a big package had leaked on other people's things. Noted that since 9/11 some post office people gave aquarists a hard time. (Sort of implied that a few aquarists and a few post office counter people had given the rest a bad name.) She
 responded, "Yeah, over terrorist guppies."
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