Shipping policy
Thank you for visiting and shopping at Aquarium & Reptile Depot's Online Store.
We only ship to the contiguous United States (lower 48 states excludes Hawaii & Alaska). We do not offer international shipping and are unable to ship to U.S. territories and protectorates (American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands), PO boxes, APO/FPO/DPO addresses, re-shippers, package forwarding services, hotels/hospitals and correctional institutions.
Delivery and processing speeds vary. We use a variety of shipping carriers to make sure we deliver your order as soon as possible. All delivery and processing times are only estimates and not guaranteed. Shipments may be affected by weather-related delays, carrier limitations or other events outside of our control.
SHIPPING OPTIONS & DELIVERY COSTS
Shipping charges for your order will be calculated and displayed at checkout. Rates includes shipping, packaging and handling.
Aquarium & Reptile Depot's Online Store ships livestock and freshwater plants every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (excluding holidays). We only ship these days to protect against delays in shipping for livestock and freshwater plants. Shipping for livestock are handled via overnight shipping services which guarantees by end of day. Shipping can add stress to livestock and freshwater plants. It may take a few days to several weeks and even longer for different livestock and freshwater plants to acclimate after shipping.
Aquarium & Reptile Depot's Online Store ships supplies Monday-Friday (excluding holidays). Shipping on oversized or overweight items may require extra shipping charges. Any extra shipping charges for oversized or overweight items will be displayed at checkout.
Orders containing multiple items or placing multiple orders, may arrive in one or more shipments with multiple tracking numbers. Items may be shipping from multiple warehouses, vendors, or fulfillment centers. This may result in different delivery timing. Shipping costs cannot be combined and are not refundable.ORDER PROCESSING TIME
All orders are processed within 5–8 business days of receipt. We process supply orders Monday-Friday (excluding holidays). Livestock & freshwater plant orders placed on Thursday–Sunday will ship on Monday-Wednesday provided that there is still space on the schedule to ship. We require 48 hours before we are able to ship livestock to allow time to fast the livestock and prepare the freshwater plants prior to being packed. If we are experiencing a high volume of orders, shipments may be delayed.
SHIPMENT CONFIRMATION & ORDER TRACKING
You will receive a Shipment Confirmation email with your tracking number(s) once your order(s) has shipped. You will be able to track your package directly on the carrier's website.
DAMAGED, LATE OR MISSING SHIPMENT
Any package MUST be accepted even if the shipment arrives late or damaged. If a shipment is refused for delivery by the customer, no guarantees will be honored by Aquarium & Reptile Depot's Online Store.
If the order arrives damaged or is missing, please contact the shipping carrier immediately to file a claim. The customer MUST hold onto the damaged item and ALL original packaging materials (i.e. box, peanuts, bubble wrap, etc) since the shipping carrier will conduct an investigation.
REJECTED SHIPMENT
If you place an order with us and refuse delivery, any guarantees will be void and we will not refund you.
LOST OR STOLEN SHIPMENT
We will not be held liable or responsible for any lost or stolen items.
RISK OF LOSS
The risk of loss and title for items purchased by you passes to you upon our delivery of the items to the carrier. Replacement of products and credits applied to your account for shipped items claimed as not received are subject to our investigation, and we may require you to sign and return an affidavit before looking into your claim.