Store Policies

Shipping Rates are explained here. Free shipping thresholds are after discounts are applied, and do not include sales tax values where they apply. 

We package our snails and macroalgae in plastic bags. The snails and macro are shipped moist, rather than wet, to increase survivability. Do not be alarmed if there is not much water in certain bags of snails, we ship them that way. Livestock is shipped in plastic bags, padded by recyclable newspaper, to reduce stress to livestock. While we check the weather nationally, if you are aware of inclement weather affecting your area, please let us know.

THE FINE PRINT:

If your pets do not make the trip, we offer an Alive Arrival Guarantee. To take advantage of the guarantee, notify us within a reasonable time for the item to recover from shipping stress, or to confirm if it didn't make the trip. Snails take some time to come around, don't feel like you have to rush it for a 2 hour deadline or something like that. Give them some time, and keep us posted is all. After we confirm your loss, you will receive a refund for the purchase price of the claim. In some cases we will ship extras to  makeup for deficiencies. We reserve the right to require documentation. Photo documentation reduces the amount of missing and/or claimed dead products by more than 70% in the instances we ask for them. It isn't that we think you are trying to steal, it is just that most of our customers are new to the hobby and some are new to snail behavior and it is hard to tell from a distance what happened without a picture. We appreciate you bearing with us, we understand it is a hassle. In the case photos are sent as documentation you are entitled to the cost of the lost item, plus pro rated shipping applicable to that item for the hassle of asking for a photo. (Total Refund = Purchase Price of lost Item + (Purchase Price/Total Order Price times the Price of Shipping). 

In order to qualify for our Alive Arrival Guarantee, you must be home at the time the package is delivered, or discuss with us prior to shipment that you will not be home and the package will be left somewhere. Missed packages are NOT eligible for refunds, because the products are perishable.  Please do not let packages sit out for hours on end if they contain live animals, if you do this it will affect their health.

Sometimes packages will be left by the carrier in your mail box or around your house when they should have presented it for a signature instead. If your package is running late, check these areas including doors you wouldn't use as an entrance for the package, and notify us so we can try to track it down for you. Please make arrangements, anticipate an arrival date, and be pro-active about live shipments. We have had unfortunate incidents where the package was delivered in a mail box, and the customer didn't know to check there and animals were lost.

Please do not order livestock to arrive the day you are leaving town. In case of delay packages might get abandoned. Please do not do this. If you plan to leave town hold off on ordering until you return. Live animal should not be abandoned due to inconvenience, even in the result of a delay. 

Please do not let this happen to your order.

- Missing Items - If you have a missing or out of stock item, and

- The missing item is Priority Mail safe, and the amount is greater than $6 we will work out a reshipment/backorder with you.

- The missing item is Priority Mail safe, but under $6, we will refund the amount, and get you back next time you come to the store with the item for free. Just remind us then of the incident.

- The missing item is not Priority Mail safe,we will work out a refund for you that takes into account the shipping you had to pay on the item. (Item + Pro-rated shipping = refund amount - for you math people.)

Late Shipments: We will bear the risk of late shipments and give credits to our store for any losses that resulted. Any refunds available for the shipping will be credited to us to help offset the cost of losses, and drive the average cost of shipping down. (The actual cost of the shipping label is usually higher than what we charge, but we are able to reduce it because of the refunds we get from late shipping labels). We realize in some cases this will work to our benefit, but rest assured in the long run the last thing we want is for our packages to be delayed. Nothing worse for us than lost packages. If you would like a refund for the amount paid towards the label notify us before the shipment goes out that you will bear the risk of any delay. By arranging our shipping label refund policy in this way you are assured your item or the value you paid for it, and we can cover the risk of delays without building them into our prices.You will never have to file a claim, or deal with USPS if a package is lost or grossly delayed etc... We will simply fix the issue for you, but please alert us to the issue as soon as you expect it is late. Do not worry about "annoying" us or anything like that. It is perfectly normally for you to be concerned with a late livestock shipment, please do not hesitate to contact us if you are worried about your package being lost or delayed. Please email us, it isnt bugging us at all.

NEVER REFUSE OR RETURN YOUR PACKAGE WITHOUT OPENING AND INSPECTING IT. REFUSED PACKAGES HAVE TO ENDURE VERY LONG DELAYS IN HANDLING BECAUSE OF THE 2ND TRIP BACK TO US AND ARE LIKELY TO SUFFER LOSSES. CARRIERS DO NOT COVER PERISHABLES, ONLY WE DO. PLEASE FOLLOW OUR GUIDELINES. WE DO NOT COVER REFUSED LIVESTOCK PACKAGES. THEY NEED TO BE ACCEPTED AND INSPECTED, IF YOU HAVE A CLAIM THEN WE WILL WORK FAST TO CORRECT YOUR PROBLEM.

- Paying Your Invoices - If you are billed on an invoice, we would appreciate if you paid it in a timely manner. We do this job out of love, but our creditors and landlords don't except warm wishes anymore, and want cash money. So what can I tell you? Also...at some point they do get referred to collection agencies and we don't want this because they get most of the money, and you aren't going to be happy with us. This is the last thing we want, but I hope you understand if we cannot effectively collect our debts, we will have to leave the jobs we love. So please work with us. If you need to pay it off in installments, it is not a problem - just let us know. No need to be ashamed, I don't know anybody who really likes this hobby that couldn't use a little break now and then.

- Lost Wages - NEVER TAKE OFF OF WORK OR LOSE YOUR JOB TO PICK UP AN ORDER. We are not responsible for your wages, or if you lose your job or take off of work to pick up a package from us.

- Correct Address - Because we haven't been to your house yet it is your responsibility to list your address correctly, we are not responsible if you send it to your old address, and the like.

-Should we need to go to court - While we prefer to settle disputes through communication, any lawsuit arising from the use of this website, our products, advice, or services must be filed with a court within 60 miles of Stuart, Florida. If there is no court with jurisdiction to hear the case within that range, then it must be brought in a court within 150 miles of Stuart Florida. If there is still no venue with jurisdiction to hear the case within the 150 mile radius, the lawsuit may be filed anywhere in the state of Florida. In any event, you agree by using this website,our services, our advice, or our products that jurisdiction is proper for all purposes in the state of Florida, and that jurisdiction would be improper elsewhere.

-Promotional Restrictions -

- Promotions cannot be combined.

- Promotional "gift coupons" (we do not sell gift certificates, nor do we donate them), can not be used to purchase shipping, or promotional items like bulk packages or quick crews.

- Penny Items and free items are not covered or replaced because they are basically free. 

 Special Shipping Services

- Special services that are available with our carriers for extra cost, like hold for pickup service, are available to our customers. We only ask that you pay actual shipping in these cases, rather then the flat rate we charge for normal delivery services. We will not charge for boxes or packing materials, just the actual cost of the shipping label.

Give new arrivals time to come out of their shells and move around before deciding they didn't make the trip. Cerith snails, especially the larger ones may go dormant for up to three days.

Some species require Express Mail, and have certain time constraints. These items have an asterisk * next to their name. Please check the details of each product for additional Alive Arrival info.