Okay, I FINALLY received my LHC order. I figured I'd post pictures of the shipping container here since that's part of the "product review." I'll post crab pictures elsewhere later.
My shipping email with a tracking number said that the crabs would arrive at 12pm EST. They arrived around 11:40am EST, so that was close enough to the projected time for my liking. The postal worker who delivered them was very nice and wished me good luck with my new crabs. (He read the label, and already knew what was in the box.)
As you can see, the box is clearly labeled "Live Animals" and "Handle with Care," important when shipping fragile living creatures.
The first thing I saw when I opened the box was information about mites, how to check for them, and how to treat them. (Luckily, mine had no mites when I bathed them.) I think that's good information to include.
(Bonus background image of one of the cats being nosy.)
The box was sealed with a styrofoam lid (not pictured) and packed with damp newspaper. There was a small heather in the box, which was starting to die when I received the crabs. Unfortunately, LHC used a normal hand-warmer style heater to ship the crabs rather than a heater designed for animal shipping, so I was a little disappointed. (I was also glad today's weather was very mild.)
Tucked within the layers of damp newspaper was a burlap sack secured with a zip-tie (which was a pain to get off). The crabs were definitely sealed securely, which was good to see.
Once I finally wrestled the zip-tie off, I opened the bag to see that it was packed with damp moss which offered the crabs additional moisture and protection. They seemed to be securely nestled into their bag. You can actually see one of the crabs waving "hello" with his oversized purple claw!
Finally, an after-bath group shot. I ordered 3 small Indos, and received 5 (two as a "thank-you" for being patient). I'd say they're all within the small-to-petite-medium range. (I didn't want to bug them with the size chart.) The sizes were definitely satisfactory for what I ordered. As you can see, their shells were pretty rough (as you'd expect from wild-caught crabs). One is missing a walking leg and LP tip, and one is missing an entire little pincher/associated limb. All are missing leg-tips and antennae tips. This is what I was expecting from wild-caught crabs, so I wasn't shocked or bothered. They all seem to move around without issues, so nobody will be iso'd unless I see a problem. There were no signs of gel limbs in the crabs with missing appendages.
Overall, I was pleased with the crabs when I finally received them. The crabs are a lovely assortment of colors (pinks, lavenders, eggplant-purples, and earthy-browns), and were all surprisingly friendly and outgoing.