Shipping policy

General Shipping Information

• We only ship Isopods Monday through Wednesday. If your order is placed Wednesday after 2PM EST through Sunday, the next possible shipping date would be the following Monday through Wednesday. Delivery addresses close enough to our location to facilitate one day delivery can also be shipped on Thursdays only when possible. Any holiday where the shipper may be closed will default your shipment to the next business day.

 

• Depending on several factors such as our current order volume, weather, and how a particular live animal order needs to be boxed up for safe transport, the lead time can be 2-7 business days. Exceptionally larger orders may require more time to prep. We'll contact you to advise if needed. You'll receive a notification with tracking when the shipping label for your order has been generated. If you haven't received a shipping notification this means your order hasn't shipped yet but it will soon as possible. Please be patient and know we are working on it. Packing live animals is an involved process and takes time. Every parcel is packed with care and all precautions taken to give your pods the best chance of making the journey alive and well.  

 

• If temperatures between origin and destination is forecast to be over 90°F, or below 40°F, we reserve the right to hold the order up to our max handling time of 7 business days if more favorable weather conditions look to prevail. We use heating and cooling elements as needed to ensure safety for the isopods. Please understand these items are useful for modestly chilly or warm weather, but they are not enough for extreme frigid cold or blazing hot mid summer temperatures. If weather is determined to cause more than a minimal delay or we cannot ship within our stated handling time we will contact you via email and/or phone to advise available options.

 

• We ship primarily with UPS, but in some cases we can also use US Postal Service. The shipping carrier used is solely at our discretion and is based on the variables of the shipment details. If you have a preference you must notify us before you order. We will do what we can to accommodate any specific requests. 

 

• Our shipping work flows are structured to ensure your isopods have the smallest possible chance of sitting idle either on a weekend day(s) and/or holidays which can significantly increase the chance some or all may not make the journey. The shipping process is very stressful for the isopods (imagine it from their perspective), so the less time they spend in complete darkness getting tossed around, the better it is for all involved. If your order is time sensitive, please contact us before ordering providing the details far as how many and which types you want. We can then advise based on our current order volume if your need by date can be accommodated. We always make every effort to ship quick as possible, but the welfare of the animals will always come first.

 

 

• LAG (Live Arrival Guarantee) only applies with orders using a shipping method that utilizes "hold for pick up". This means you must physically go to either your local post office or UPS Store/UPS Access Point to retrieve the package instead of having it delivered to your door. The exact location and details of the pick up location will be communicated prior to dispatch from our facility. Pick up locations (UPS Access Points) are various retail locations that UPS has partnered with like CVS, Michael's and other common retail establishments. These locations are typically not far your regular delivery address. However if you live in a rural area, this may mean the closest UPS Access Point may be more than a few short miles away. Please feel free to reach out before ordering if this is a potential concern. We can quickly advise the closest UPS access point to your home address. UPS Access Points will safely receive and hold your package until you arrive to retrieve it. You will need to furnish a photo ID to receive your package at the pick up location.  The various shipping options you see when checking out are clearly labeled as LIVE ARRIVAL GUARANTEE INCLUDED or NO LIVE ARRIVAL GUARANTEE.

 

• *Orders placed with LAG where your temperatures are forecast to be either below 20F or above 90F are not eligible for live arrival guarantee. Unless we receive clear communication from you prior to purchasing, these orders are subject to cancellation at our discretion. Please ensure you have checked your weather forecast before ordering. We utilize "Weather Underground" to assess the forecast at your location. This is the only accepted source for temperatures.

 

• Hold for pick up shipments must be picked up within 24 hours of availability (preferably same day) or the LAG coverage is voided. Unclaimed packages returned to sender are non refundable.

 

Orders placed without LAG (Live Arrival Guarantee) General Information

 

• Orders placed with shipping options labeled as NO LIVE ARRIVAL GUARANTEE deliver to the exact address on your order and are solely at your own risk. Though we will of course still make every effort to ensure they make it, the easily avoidable pitfalls associated with door delivery are simply too high for us to cover. Shipping options using hold for pick up have no extra cost for this service and ensure you are 100% covered if there are any mishaps with the delivery process. 

 

• In some cases when the weather is extreme hot or cold and/or your order value is on the high side, we may notify you that shipping with hold for pick up is required for the order to dispatch. We reserve the right to cancel any order in the event of extreme temperatures where door delivery is deemed to great a risk and hold for pick up is refused.

 

• Hold for pick up is highly encouraged to minimize the chance of the animals perishing. "Myself or someone else is always home to receive packages" is a common statement but still leaves a large amount of avoidable risk on the table. Cargo areas on delivery vehicles are rarely climate controlled because the door is opening and closing constantly as the vehicle makes it's many stops along a route. Routes for shipping carriers can be several hours to all day long and stretch into evening hours. This needlessly exposes your pods to potentially lethal temperature swings until the package gets to your door. Packages left outside exposed to the elements even for a short time significantly elevates the risk factor. Regular sunlight in fair weather conditions can quickly raise temperatures inside of a box to deadly levels for isopods in a short time period. Conversely, very cold temperatures can end your isopods in as little as 10-15 minutes. Other things like carrier mis-delivery or package theft also become a concern with door delivery.

 

Claims process for DOA with LAG Coverage

• All orders LAG or NO LAG coverage are over packed at least 5-10%. This is to compensate for any nominal losses in the shipping process. Over counts are not replaceable and simply serve as a cushion for the amount you actually paid for. Example- You buy a 12 count and we send 15 with 3 or less arriving DOA.

 

• If there is an issue with DOA beyond the extras included you must contact us within 3 hours or less of the time stamp we can reference that shows when the order was picked up from the shipper. For the time being, please retain the shipping package and all expired pods. LAG coverage requires photographic evidence of your claim.

 

• For LAG coverage to be honored, you MUST send us clear pictures that show the expired pods in the manner described below.

 

• Remove the expired animals and place them on their backs on a white or contrasting surface. Write your first and last name on a piece of paper and be sure it shows in the exact same photo(s) that display the expired pods. We must be able to easily and accurately verify the DOA count is as stated. 

 

• While not required, we highly encourage you to set up a video with your phone or other device that has a direct and clear view of the opening process from start to finish with no cuts or deviations from view. We use special security tape that will be evident if the box has or hasn't been opened at the time your video starts. Video is by far quicker and easier for us to verify any DOA claims, but it does NOT replace the previous steps outlined. It does however serve as a valuable reinforcement should there be any questionable aspects of the photos you provide as outlined above.

 

• For any claims of shortages, please be aware we ship our pods on a thin layer of natural substrate combined with sphagnum moss, leaf litter and a few small decayed wood chunks. With some species the very young ones can be quite small and easy to miss. Depending on the color(s) of pods, they also might blend in and be very well camouflaged. We carefully take our time to count each and every pod ensuring your order has a 5-10% over count. Please take your time to slowly and carefully sift through the packing contents to identify each and every pod in the cup.