Consumer level transhippers? Buying inverts from Indonesia or Singapore to USA?

[McDave]

Hey all, long time lurker and viewer of reef2reef, first time account and poster.

Either way, I have been searching for the last two weeks to get my hands on some uncommon inverts (particularly nudibranchs) as I am currently researching them and have found a resource that sells the food (very specific sponges) that some specimens consume.

After extensive research, contacting all of my local lfs' and even attempting to contact overseas vendors, I am at a standstill.

The two nudibranch I am looking at (and have found food sources for) are chromodoris quadricolor (quad color sea slug) and jorunna funebris (dotted nudibranch)

I have found two vendors, one in Indonesia and one in Singapore, that claim to carry these nudibranch. However, they don't ship to the USA.

Are there any small scale transhippers that deal in marine inverts, if not, does anyone know of any usa vendors that sell these two slugs?

Thanks for reading!

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Hey all, long time lurker and viewer of reef2reef, first time account and poster.

Either way, I have been searching for the last two weeks to get my hands on some uncommon inverts (particularly nudibranchs) as I am currently researching them and have found a resource that sells the food (very specific sponges) that some specimens consume.

After extensive research, contacting all of my local lfs' and even attempting to contact overseas vendors, I am at a standstill.

The two nudibranch I am looking at (and have found food sources for) are chromodoris quadricolor (quad color sea slug) and jorunna funebris (dotted nudibranch)

I have found two vendors, one in Indonesia and one in Singapore, that claim to carry these nudibranch. However, they don't ship to the USA.

Are there any small scale transhippers that deal in marine inverts, if not, does anyone know of any usa vendors that sell these two slugs?

Thanks for reading!

Transhipping on a small scale just doesn't work. There is an economy of scale with air cargo, the rate drops by a huge amount at 100kg. You need to be over that rate or it is hugely expensive. Years ago, I tried small shipments of live insects via DHL. Trouble is, you still have to pay a broker fee and the USFWS importation fee (and you need a USFWS I/E license).

Chromodoris quadricolor used to come in with just about every shipment, whether we ordered them or not. Given their 100% mortality, shippers and collectors finally got the message and pretty much have stopped shipping them. I don't recall ever seeing Jorunna in shipments.

Jay