Shipping/driving delicate stock to city 4h away

[ACBlinky]

A question for anyone who has ever shipped stock or driven it a long way --

I've got a buyer interested in some fish & coral, just happens to include the most delicate stock in the tank (Potter's angel, Potter's wrasse), and he lives just over four hours away.

Is it better to try and arrange courier shipping, or should we make the road trip to his city (he can't come here)? Either way, I expect him to pay for the transport of these animals.

My concerns: either way, what happens in a private sale if one of the animals doesn't make it? I'm accustomed to people showing up at my door, paying for something, and taking it away. Shipping in any form is all new, and I'm not sure of the 'rules', or standards. Can you purchase shipping insurance on live animals? Will FedEX or other couriers even ship live animals?

Thanks for any and all help/advice guys :)

[southbound2008]

Hello ,
With no local shops in my area , I travel to good the good stuff .
[ another good excuse for a road trip ! ]

A large cooler and a thermometer to check temps works great.
Take some frozen ziplocks or cold packs in case you need them . Towels or small blanket can also help hold the heat in if needed.

As far as livestock ,I would place larger than needed bags to keep parameters as stable as possible .
All should go well !

[scapes]

FYI: all couriers will ship live animals. don't waste $ on insurance, as they don't insure live animals.

[UmpaLumpa]

Only 4 hours away? IMO your live stock have a much better chance if you drove them vs some random dude on a truck that has no idea whats in that box. Thats not even to mention the 4+ hours that the box is gonna sit on some shelf at fedex or UPS waiting to be loaded on a truck.

[billdogg]

yup - i would put them in 5g buckets with battery airpumps and have a roadtrip. i've brought back fish from key largo to columbus ohio that way - never an issue

[scapes]

or better yet...find someone a heck of a lot closer. why should you have to drive? find someone closer

[ACBlinky]

Thank you for the replies everyone :)

scapes - the interested buyer is looking at spending a good chunk of money, and we're charging for gas (I figure this is fair, since the buyer would pay shipping if that's the option he preferred). As long as he's willing to pay, we're willing to go on a weekend road trip :D

[rkelman]

I use a power inverter and a small air pump / 50w heater in a 5g pail. It works awesome. No stress.