Shipping Flies?

[markgraumlich]

any tips, issues with shipping flies? I am shipping some flies to say "thank you" to someone.

I have about 10 - 12 tungsten beadheads I am sending.

Do you just drop in a regular envelope? Or should I go to the post office and use one of those cardboard envelopes?

Would there be >= $20 insurance automatically?


thanks
Mark

[rainbowchaser]

Hooks tend to damage envelopes and sorting machines can damage flies or be jammed by them. I put flies in some kind of hard container ( altoids tin, empty bullion cube jar, etc.) in an envelope. Insurance is extra and I don't bother with it. The rates are high and the odds favor just planning on replacing a set of flies if necessary. I've never had to do it yet but some people in a swap I ran did have their flies lost.

[herefishy]

If I had one, I would use the plastic hook boxes like DaiRiki, but don't know if that would be big enough.

[NewTyer 1]

If you go to the PO, they have the boxes that you ship CD's in. That is what I use. Dimensions are approx. the size of a CD(slightly larger) and twice as thick. This way you don't crush the hackle or anything else on the delicate fly.

[quivira kid]

For most things, I have bought 2x3" and 3x4" plastic jewelry bags to organize flies and jigs for shipping, and ship using bubble wrap shipping envelope. I have never had a problem, and have shipped everything from #20 zebra midges to 1/4-oz bucktail jigs.

[texfly]

I just get a padded envelope and a travel soap bar case from wally world for about a buck. You can stuff a little foam in there to keep the flies from moving around if you like. I have about half a dozen that have traveled all over the country in fly swap's many times and are still going. I think one has a small crack in it. It's a cheap but effective method.

[Lotech]

I don't always, but try to, use an Altoid tin with adhesive back foam in the bottom. Then ship in a P.O. padded envelope. I can't remember the cost but I can ship about 2 dozen flies for cheap. Never have had a problem.

[Prairieschooner]

The flies I get from Blue Fly Cafe and other places are sorted into little lidded plastic "cups" like you might get sauce in with your Mexican take-out, which are then mailed in an envelope of some kind. I've seen a lot of fly shops use these as well. Don't know where you can get them but they seem to do a good job of protecting the flies. I've also received flies in little plastic "zip-loc" bags; those seem to work too. If it's a special thank you, how about an inexpensive plastic fly box?

Recently I bought a rod, and because of some problems with the transaction (PayPal's fault, not the seller's) the seller said he was going to send me some flies. When they arrived, it was a very nice selection from nymphs through dries, around 50+ flies, in a very cool little Okuma 6-window/foam fly box. Now, that's class!