Shrimp Aquatics ships live shrimp, snails, crabs, fish and plants from Vietnam to hobbyists overseas. Shipping is a flat USD 120 per order, we cover the duties and taxes billed on the shipment, and a box is normally in transit for 2-3 days once the courier collects it. We ship worldwide and checkout charges the same USD 120 for every country, so you can order without emailing us first. What you do need to check is whether live animals can enter your country.
What shipping costs and who pays import duties
Shipping is USD 120 per order. You see that amount at checkout, and it is the only shipping charge we raise against the order.
Shrimp Aquatics pays the duties and taxes the courier bills against the shipment. You should not be asked to settle a customs charge before the box is released to you. What we cover is the duty and tax the courier bills on the shipment. If your country also runs its own permit, licence or inspection process, email us before you order and we will tell you what that route involves.
| Ships from | Vietnam |
|---|---|
| Couriers | DHL, FedEx or EMS, selected for your destination |
| Shipping cost | USD 120 per order |
| Duties and taxes on the shipment | Paid by Shrimp Aquatics |
| Order handling | 1-2 business days after payment clears |
| Transit | Normally 2-3 days after collection |
| Tracking | Provided for every shipment |
| Destinations | Worldwide, USD 120 to every country |
Before you order, check that livestock can enter your country
Checkout accepts every country, so there is no country list to check before you buy. Live animal imports are still regulated differently everywhere, and courier acceptance for live shipments changes, so a route that worked last season is not automatically open now. If no courier will take livestock to your address after you have paid, we will cancel the order before dispatch and refund what you paid to your original payment method, as our terms of service set out. Not sure about your route? Email contact@shrimpaquatics.com with your country and delivery city before you order.
Import rules are yours to confirm We cannot tell you that live freshwater invertebrates are legal to import where you live, and we will not claim they are. Your country may require an import permit, a registered importer or an inspection before release, and it may not allow live aquatic imports at all. Confirming your own rules is part of ordering. If customs or quarantine holds, inspects or destroys a shipment while your own paperwork is in order, we treat it as an approved live arrival claim on the livestock value. If the import itself was not allowed, or a permit your law requires was missing, that loss is not covered.
- Ask your customs or agriculture authority whether live freshwater shrimp, snails, crabs, fish or plants need a permit for personal import.
- Check whether the permit has to be issued in your name before the box leaves Vietnam, because that changes when you can order.
- Confirm that someone can receive the parcel at the delivery address on a weekday.
- Email us your country, city and the species you want first if you are not sure a courier can reach your address.
How long a Shrimp Aquatics order takes to reach you
When we hand your box to the courier
We process orders on business days, Monday to Friday, and dispatch takes 1-2 business days from the moment your payment clears. An order placed on Friday evening or over the weekend therefore starts moving on the following Monday.
How long the box stays in transit
Once the courier collects the box, transit is normally 2-3 days, and the exact time depends on the destination and on how quickly the shipment clears customs. We send tracking for every shipment so you can follow it. We do not promise a delivery date, because customs inspection, weather and courier backlogs are outside our control, and a live shipment is the kind of parcel that gets held for a look. Watch the tracking rather than the estimate.
How we pack live shrimp, snails and crabs for the flight
Livestock travels in sealed shrimp bags filled with pure oxygen rather than room air, so the animals have a usable oxygen reserve for a shipment that spends more than a day in the dark. Each bag holds a piece of catappa leaf or a similar shelter, which gives shrimp something to grip and keeps them from tumbling loose against the film every time the box is handled.
The bags then go inside an insulated foam box, and we add a heat pack or a cool pack when the forecast at either end calls for one. Insulation is there to slow the swing rather than to hold a set temperature, which is why we pay attention to the weather in your city as well as ours before we dispatch.
What to do on the day your shipment arrives
The riskiest part of the journey is the gap between delivery and the moment the bags reach stable water. Plan for the box to arrive while you are home.
- Follow the tracking from dispatch and be available to take the parcel on the first delivery attempt.
- Open the outer box in a quiet spot with the room lights low, and leave the bags sealed while you look at them.
- Photograph anything that looks wrong while the bag is still closed. Clear photos of the unopened bag are the most useful evidence you can send us.
- Acclimate to your tank temperature and water before releasing anything, following the species guide in our care guides.
- Email contact@shrimpaquatics.com with your order number and the photos if animals arrived dead or in poor condition.
Live arrival guarantee Every livestock order ships with our live arrival guarantee. Email us once you have looked at the bags and we will tell you what applies to your order.