Hi Colin,
Well it's all dependant on the seller how they are sent but generally if they are sent via online registered traders then the fish are double bagged with plenty of oxygen, added to a poly box along with a token heat pack, then clearly marked as live fish, fragile etc and sent via next day delivery "guaranteed"... through my experiences with a few ebay purchases though the sellers have sent via recorded delivery, or incorrect packaging, too much water - too little water etc etc so it's always good to check the seller out in advance. With regards to the fishes security etc I have sent out Fish, Shrimps, Snails and Crabs for a few years now, only on a small scale and never had any problems at all due to expert packaging and speedy delivery plus I always email the buyers every shred of advice they will require in advance so everything is prepared in advance
You can pick up some real bargains plus fish that you cannot source locally via online deals so it is worth it, for example I swapped a bag of mixed shrimps for about 30-40 Calico plecs last year all at the cost of the P+P so we both got a great deal

If in doubt about a seller or deal then you can always post up in here and we can check them out for you
Hope this helps
Paul
