Shipping & Receiving

Shipping Requests

In order for cluster staff to ship packages or mail for you via FedEx, USPS, or DHL, please take the following steps:

  • Fill out a Shipping Request Form

    • Be sure to include a chartstring (see staff for help if needed) and a justification for the shipment charge.

      • If the recipient will pay for FedEx shipping, include their nine-digit FedEx account in the chartstring field.

      • If your chartstring does not contain a CF1/CF2, you can ignore that field.

    • Specify carrier and shipping speed needed.

    • Including a phone number for the recipient is required.

  • Staff will create your shipping label and arrange for pickup upon receiving your completed shipping request form.

  • Please email stpadmin@umn.edu with any shipping questions.

Note: FedEx pickup is scheduled between 2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. In order to create your shipping label prior to pickup, staff need to receive your request and package prior to 1:30 p.m. or it will be shipped the following business day.

Shipping with Dry Ice

To get dry ice for your package, check out the key from the front desk in Gortner 140. Dry ice is stored in a large blue cooler located in the basement of Gortner labs. Upon returning the key, you will need to provide the front desk staff with your name, your department, your EFS chartstring, and how much dry ice was taken (scales are available in Gortner 142). Include the total weight of your package and the weight of the dry ice in your shipping request form.

Several adjustments to the packaging are required for dry ice shipments:

  • Dry ice must be contained within a Styrofoam cooler, and that container must be placed in a cardboard box for shipping. FedEx will not accept dry ice packages packaged solely in Styrofoam, so the cardboard box is essential for shipping.

  • Packages containing dry ice must also be labeled with a dry ice sticker like the one to the left. A roll of these stickers is kept in the shipping supplies bin in Gortner 142. The kg value in each corner is the weight of the dry ice only.

  • The destination and return addresses must be included on the exterior of the packaging separately from your shipping label. Writing these on in Sharpie is fine.

  • Please add arrows to the exterior of your package indicating the direction in which it should be transported.