I have sent/received packages to/from UNAM in the past couple of years without major problems. The first few were by FedEx so that I could track the movement and they arrived no problem. Recently I had a FedEx package held up in Mexican customs for two months before they release it (apparently unscathed). The recipient suggested I use regular mail (US Postal Service). Even so, I recommend sending it with tracking. It may not help much, but at least you know who was the last one to receive the package and that might help move it along if the various offices along the way know there is a record of the shipment.

There definitely are places where FedEx, UPS, etc. are a bad bet - Brazil, Italy, ??. Seems like we (ECN) can come up with a list of best shipping practices (if Floyd has not already done so).

------------------------------------------------------------
Peter T Oboyski, PhD
Collections Manager & Senior Museum Scientist
Essig Museum of Entomology
1170 Valley Life Science Building
University of California, Berkeley

mailing address:
1101 VLSB, #4780
Berkeley, CA 94720

http://nature.berkeley.edu/~poboyski/
http://essig.berkeley.edu

[log in to unmask]
510.643.0804 (work phone)
510.847.0360 (cell phone)
--------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Fri, 21 Feb 2014 22:25:39 +0000
From: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Shipping specimens to/from Mexico
To: [log in to unmask]

All-

 

I recollect this being covered elsewhen, but a search through my email folder came up with nothing so…

 

Does anyone have recent experience successfully (or not!) shipping specimens to or from Mexico, specifically Mexico City? We’ve had the contents of at least one package virtually destroyed on the return trip within the last year or so and I’ve heard second or third hand of various other “issues” with getting specimens in and out of Mexico reliably. Of course we’ll be asking the local person requesting our material what *they* would recommend, but I was wondering if there was a more general consensus as to the “safest” method- USPS, FedEx, UPS, something else?

 

Any input would be appreciated.

 

Cheers,

Zack

 

Zachary H. Falin, Ph.D.

Collections Manager,

 

Division of Entomology,

KU Biodiversity Institute

1501 Crestline Dr., Suite 140

Lawrence, KS 66045-4401

 

785-864-3309

[log in to unmask]

http://entomology.biodiversity.ku.edu/