I shipped three boxes of live fish from this location using FedEx 2nd Day Air. All the fish in all three boxes arrived dead. One of my buyers noted that the fish appeared to have been dead for over a day. Another buyer was extremely upset, accusing me of packing small fish in a 40-gallon plastic bag without water. At first, I didn’t understand what he was referring to—until he showed me some photos. It turns out that a large trash bag was used to contain the leaking fish bag. The shipping box had been opened, and the trash bag was stuffed inside. It appears that deliberate rough handling may have caused one of the fish bags to rupture, prompting someone to use the trash bag as a quick fix.
My third buyer speculated that the fish might have died due to the temperature in his area.
What’s especially concerning is that all three boxes shipped from this location had problems. I’ve recently shipped over 15 boxes from another store near my home—packed the exact same way—and never had a single issue.
The only explanation I can think of is that the boxes were deliberately mishandled or shaken. I dropped off the boxes around 6 p.m., and at that time, all the fish were in excellent condition. The boxes were clearly labeled with "Live Fish" stickers visible on the outside. By the very next day, the boxes had already reached different states, and all the fish were found dead in the same condition—pale, as if they had died the evening they were shipped.
I happened to be in the area and dropped off the boxes at this FedEx location, but now I deeply regret that decision. I’m extremely upset and frustrated, as this situation has not only caused a financial loss but also damaged my reputation.