Shrimp Aquatics ships live animals from Vietnam to hobbyists worldwide, so returns work differently here than at a normal online store. Livestock cannot be shipped back to us, so problems are handled through a live arrival claim instead of a physical return. Dry goods follow a standard 14 day return window.

Time sensitiveA live arrival claim must reach us within 2 hours of the delivery time recorded by the carrier, and it must include an unbroken unboxing video. Please plan to be home and ready to film when your parcel is scheduled to arrive.

What this policy covers

This page explains three separate situations. Read the one that matches your order rather than assuming the same rules apply to everything in the box.

Live arrival claim: Shrimp, fish, crabs, snails and other live animals that arrive dead. Handled by replacement animals, never by shipping the animals back.
Dry goods return: Lights, accessories, food and other non-living products. Returnable within 14 days if unopened and unused.
Order cancellation: Any order you want to stop or change before we pack and dispatch it.

Shipping timelines, destination coverage and packing methods live on our Shipping and Live Arrival page. This page only covers what happens after something goes wrong.

Live arrival guarantee on livestock

Every livestock order ships with a live arrival guarantee. If an animal is dead when the parcel reaches you, we cover the value of that animal. The guarantee applies to the animals themselves, not to shipping charges.

Claim window

You have 2 hours from the delivery timestamp recorded by the carrier to email us. We use the carrier record, not the moment you open the box, so a parcel left at your door or collected later still starts the clock at delivery. If you know you will be away, contact us before dispatch so we can hold the shipment or arrange a pickup point.

Evidence we need

Live arrival claims are approved on evidence, not on description alone. Prepare these six items before you email us:

Unbroken unboxing video. One continuous recording with no cuts, no edits and no pauses, starting with the sealed outer box and the shipping label clearly readable, and continuing until every bag is open and inspected.
Photo of the shipping label and the seal. One shot showing the label readable and the outer tape or seal intact before you cut it.
Photo of the dead animals together. Lay every dead specimen side by side on a plain surface so the quantity can be counted from the image.
The bodies and the original transport water. Keep both until your claim is closed. Do not discard them, even if the claim looks obvious.
Your aquarium parameters. pH, GH and KH, TDS, temperature, tank size and how long the tank has been cycled. We ask for these so we can tell a transit loss apart from an acclimation problem and give you useful advice for the replacement.
Your order number and the species affected. Give the order number and the exact species or line that arrived dead.

Video ruleAn edited, trimmed, restarted or partial video cannot support a claim. If the recording starts after the box is already open, we have no way to confirm the condition the animals arrived in, and the claim will be declined.

If the parcel is seized, destroyed or delayed in transit

Customs holds, quarantine inspections, extreme weather and carrier delays are outside your control as well as ours. If customs or quarantine holds, inspects or destroys your shipment while your own import paperwork is in order, or a carrier delay runs long enough that the animals do not survive, we treat it as an approved live arrival claim on the livestock value. If the import itself was not allowed in your country, or a permit your law requires was missing, the loss is not covered.

When the parcel never reaches you, an unboxing video is obviously impossible. Email us your order number together with the customs or carrier notice and we will confirm how your claim is settled. Tell us as soon as you receive the notice rather than waiting for the parcel to reappear.

How to file a live arrival claim

Start recording before you touch the box. Film the sealed parcel and the shipping label first.
Open everything in one take. Cut open the box, remove the insulation, and open each bag on camera. Do not stop the recording partway.
Separate and photograph any losses. Place the dead animals together and take a clear, countable photo.
Acclimate the survivors. Do not delay this while you prepare the claim. Healthy animals should go into the tank as soon as you have finished filming.
Email the claim within 2 hours of delivery. Send your order number, the video, the photo and your aquarium parameters to contact@shrimpaquatics.com.

We reply to livestock claims as a priority. If any part of the evidence is unclear, we will ask before making a decision rather than declining outright.

What you receive on an approved claim

An approved claim is settled with replacement animals in the same quantity that arrived dead, supplied at no charge. You cover the shipping cost of the replacement parcel, because a separate live shipment still needs oxygen, insulation and priority transit.

Save on shippingMost keepers ask us to hold the replacement and add it to their next order. That way the animals travel in the same box and you pay one shipping charge instead of two. A held replacement stays available for 6 months from the date we approve your claim.

Coverage is limited to the purchase value of the animals that arrived dead. We do not refund shipping charges or the value of animals that arrived alive.

What is not covered

These situations fall outside the live arrival guarantee. None of them reflect the condition of the animals when they left our shrimp tanks.

Situations outside live arrival coverage
Situation	Why it is excluded
Losses after the animals enter your aquarium	Once an animal is acclimated and released, its survival depends on your water chemistry, tank maturity, tankmates and feeding, which we cannot observe or control.
Incorrect or incomplete delivery address	A parcel routed to the wrong address spends extra days in transit. Please check your shipping details carefully at checkout.
Delivery refused or not collected	Live animals cannot survive a return leg or a wait at a depot, so a refused or uncollected parcel cannot be claimed or resent.
Claims submitted after the 2-hour window	Beyond that point the condition of the animals can no longer be attributed to transit with any confidence.
Claims without an unbroken unboxing video	The video is the only record of how the animals arrived. Without it there is nothing to assess.

Before you orderImport rules for live aquatic animals vary by country and can change. If you are unsure whether your destination allows the species you want, email us before checkout and we will tell you what we currently know about that route.

Returns on non-livestock products

Lights, accessories, food and other dry goods can be returned within 14 days of delivery, provided they are unopened, unused and in their original packaging with all seals intact. You arrange and pay for the return shipping, and we recommend a tracked service because we can only refund items we actually receive.

Once the return arrives and passes inspection, we refund the product value to your payment method. The original USD 120 shipping charge is not refunded. Opened aquarium products cannot be returned, since we have no way to confirm they are safe to sell to another keeper.

If a dry good arrives broken or is not the item you ordered, that is not a return. Email us with photos within 48 hours of delivery and we will replace it or refund it at our cost, including the return shipping.

Canceling or changing an order

You can cancel or change an order at any time before we pack and dispatch it. Email us with your order number and we will refund the price of the animals and items to your original payment method, or move that amount to other livestock if you would like to swap. Shipping charges are not refunded, and neither is the payment processing fee, which the payment provider keeps when a refund is issued.

Once livestock has been bagged and handed to the carrier, the order can no longer be canceled. At that point the shipment is covered by the live arrival guarantee described above.

How to reach us

All claims, returns and cancellations go through contact@shrimpaquatics.com. Include your order number in the subject line so we can find the shipment quickly. We are a small operation and we read every message ourselves, so please give us the full picture in your first email rather than sending several short ones.

This policy does not affect any statutory consumer rights you hold under the law of your own country. Where local law gives you stronger protection than the terms above, that law applies.