Hold For Pick-Up
Save money, reduce risk—we make it simple!
Did you know that when you ship a package via FedEx, you can have it held at the local FedEx facility for your recipient to pick it up, rather than having it go out on a truck for delivery? Probably, most people know it can be done—but not so many could tell you how to do it or why it might be a good idea.
Keep reading to learn the pros and cons of having a package held for pick-up at FedEx and find out how extremely simple it is to accomplish when you book your labels at ShipYourReptiles or ShipYourAquatics!
PROS:
Save money on shipping!
- The most common addresses for delivery in reptile and aquatic shipping are residential addresses. Residential delivery always adds an additional $4.15 per label.
- If the address is out in the suburbs or a rural area, additional fees for extended delivery areas may be applied.
- All of these surcharges can be avoided by having the package held by FedEx.
Reduce Risk!
- If your package is held at the FedEx Ship Center (also known as a “hub”), it will stay in a climate controlled building until it is picked up. It will not go out on a truck for delivery with the potential to be exposed to traffic and extreme temperatures.
- Every time the package changes hands, there is a small risk that something might go wrong in that transaction. If the package stays at the FedEx Ship Center, that will be one less time it needs to change hands.
Early Arrival!
- All Priority Overnight packages scheduled for delivery that day will arrive at the FedEx Ship Center in the wee hours of the morning. Your eager recipient can be right there to pick it up as soon as the facility opens for public business.
Safe and Secure!
- Conversely, if your recipient cannot be available to pick up the package early, or meet the FedEx driver at their home, they can arrive at the FedEx facility later in the day (within normal operating hours) at their convenience, knowing their package has been held in a safe and secure environment.
CONS:
Inconvenient
- Your recipient must be both willing and able to drive to the FedEx Ship Center/Hub during their normal business hours.
- If they lack transportation or their schedule cannot accommodate normal business hours, then this trick might not work for them.
SPECIAL NOTES:
Always make sure your recipient is in 100% agreement on the choice to have the package held for pick-up. Do not make that decision for them!
Never attempt to have a shipment held at a FedEx Office, Pak-n-Ship, Walgreens, or other similar retail outlet. These are independently owned businesses that make their own rules about what kinds of packages they are willing to work with, and those rarely include live shipments. Shipping to one of these locations can cause significant delays and routing issues if your package is rejected.
If you’ve shipped to a normal address and shipping conditions change while the package is in route (ie: an unexpected storm, or recipient’s schedule changes and they can’t be home to meet the package) CALL US and we can reroute the package to be held at the Ship Center/Hub for you. (There is a FedEx fee for this change.)
HOW TO:
We’ve got a super handy-dandy widget built into our label ordering process that makes “Hold for Pick-Up” easier than ever!
Here’s a quick step-by-step guide:
1. Start your "Book a Shipment" as usual. Fill out Ship From as usual. Then select the "Ship to FedEx Facility" option at the top of the Ship To section.
2. When you click that option, the address fields disappear and you get a box to enter your recipient's zip code. Do that!
3. When you enter the zip code and click "Get Addresses" you'll have this nifty drop-down menu pop up.
4. Open the menu and select the TOP address that pops up. (Unless your recipient has specifically requested one of the other facilities.)
5. Once you've done that, you'll get a very handy chart that shows the exact address of the facility and their operating hours. Be sure to pass this information on to your recipient!
6. When you close out of that previous window, it takes you back to your label order. All the information you need is already filled in on the Ship To side. You just need to add your recipient's full name and phone number!
It's that easy! And if you ever have any questions or concerns about this process, feel free to contact Customer Service:
303-730-2125
Mon-Fri, 7am-6pm MST
info@ShipYourReptiles.com
info@ShipYourAquatics.com
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