Exporting Bugs?

Do crates and pallets need to be certified "Bug Free" before shipping internationally?  Yes, and the most common time shippers first find out about this is just before their shipment is ready to go out.

Here's how it goes.  They have their item crated and ready to go.  A call is made for the carrier to pick-up and they ask, "is the crate ISPM 15 compliant?"  The typical first response is, "huh?"

Over the past 10 years, more and more countries have adopted this standard to ensure that the wood packaging materials entering their county are free of destructive insects.  These insects can cause immense damage to crops and forests when introduced to foreign lands.   Therefore, when shipping to one of these countries (see links below) the crate must be stamped as shown in the photo.

What to do?  A crate must be obtained from vendor registered with an accredited inspection agency.  Craters & Freighters of NY/NJ is registered and our crates are stamped with the proper certification.

http://www.cratersandfreighters.com/cf/ispm15.do

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/plants/plant_exports/wpm/wpm_faqs.shtml#1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISPM_15

Fire Breathing Dragon

OK, maybe it didn't breath fire, but this wasn't your average stuffed animal.  This dragon from FAO -Schwartz had a 12' wingspan!  She stood proudly over the main entrance for years until a buyer with a good home (and high ceilings) came along. 

When it came time to send her to her new home in Florida, we got the call.  Along with the dragon went the rock formation it was mounted on, a bear, kangaroo, lion, deer and dog.

Without the rock, the dragon just wanted to slump over so we needed to prop her up with some wood framework for the trip.  Laying her down may have distorted the internal framework sacrificing the shape of the dragon.

The rock formation and bear were secured to a custom pallet and heat shrinked.  The other animals were placed around the dragon filling out the pallet.  The pallets were then shipped to one of our offices in Florida to perform the final delivery to the residence.