Shipping question

[Clif]

Guys, I have a question that I could use some help with. I have a friend who lives several states away. He dearly loves some of the food we have here. I would like to ship some stuff to him. My idea is to freeze it (it's sausage and similar items) and pack in an ice chest with some dry ice. My question is what service to use? I'm unsure if USPS would accept it due to it possibly thawing and creating a mess. But I don't know if UPS or FedEx would work either. What is your experience with something similar and who would you suggest. Doc is fighting cancer and I think he would enjoy this.
Thanks

[The5thDutton]

Might use dry ice instead.

[BigFishSteve]

Meat companies do it daily. UPS works great. We get gifts from Allen Meats

[BOATS]

https://www.ups.com/us/en/support/sh...p-dry-ice.page

[Transom]

I do not have an answer. Obviously there are merchants that ship food exactly as you prescribe but I am not sure who they use.

I will comment about that being a great idea though.

[Kwwildcat]

Like several above have mentioned use UPS. I've done it a couple times and never had any issues.

[Jbass2]

A couple of thoughts for you:

1. Service level you choose will be important. Next day, 2- day, or ground. If it is close and you are in a good footprint for the shipping companies, then ground might be fine.

2. However you pack it (and don't use normal ice) , put it in a master cardboard box. If you don't want to use dry ice, you can buy some gel packs on amazon and freeze those to put in with you items. If the normal ice melts, and it probable will before it leaves the first sort center, then your packaged might get kicked out of the system because they don't know it is just water.

3. Depending on where it is going and how long it will ride on a delivery truck or sit outside, you might consider shipping it "hold for pick up" and your friend can run by the freight facility and pick it up if its convenient. They can pick it up first thing in the morning rather than it ride around in a truck all day with no climate control.

4. If you are real OCD, watch the weather and ship it out over days that might be slightly cooler (or raining).

5. Don't ship it USPS. I would find a Fedex or UPS facility that is open late (and the freight moves to a sort center that night ) and take it late in the day. I have a Fedex facility close to me that I can ship next day delivery out of until 8:30 PM.