UPS Orders are shipped the next available Monday, Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays. All orders for UPS shipping must be 24 hours before the shipping day. Tuesday 12:00 AM is the latest for Thursday orders.
USPS Orders are shipped the next available Monday or Tuesdays for USPS Priority Mail and USPS Express.
- UPS Next Day Air and UPS 2nd Day Air are now available (Early 2024). Same packaging as USPS shipping including adding heatpacks as needed.
- USPS Priority Mail shipping - No Live Arrival Guarantee. NO fish replacement or refunds provided for this shipping option except for CA customers.
I have good experience shipping fish with this method as long as buyer is familiar how quickly priority mail gets to their location
Estimate for USPS Priority (Updated 9/1/2022)
WEST COAST - 2-3 Days (CA, NV) - w/ Live Arrival Guarantee for CA customers
CENTRAL - 3-4 Days
EAST COAST - 3-5 Days (AL, NY, VA)
- USPS Express shipping (preferred) - Live Arrival Guarantee - For my guarantee, I will ONLY offer to replace dead fish BUT buyer pays shipping if we cannot get a refund from USPS Express Guarantee. Buyer must send a VIDEO within 1 hour of delivery of the dead fish in the sealed bag showing the bag being slightly shaken to confirm the dead fish.
- I can also do USPS Express shipping with hold for pickup at same cost as USPS express shipping and I will provide you with the hub where you can pickup your fish. This is a better option for when you have an extreme weather condition on your end.
USPS will ONLY refund express live animal shipping fees if they are delivered 3 days after shipping. Live animal Express shipments have a different guarantee. I have USPS tag all my orders as "live animal - others" in their system which is the legitimate way to ship fish. You can see the ruling below:
https://about.usps.com/postal-bulletin/2009/pb22267/html/updt_001.htm#:~:text=2.4.,from%20the%20date%20of%20mailing.
- Fish are put on fasting 24 hours before being shipped. Reduced fish poop in the bag ensures better survival during shipping.
- Fish are professionally packed. Fish are individually double-bagged using 4 mil polybags (total 8 mil for 2 bags) that are sealed with an impulse sealer. I also use pure oxygen for each bag. Inner bags have the corners sealed diagonally to prevent ship from getting squished at bag corners. See PICTURES
- Fish are shipped in Styrofoam insulated box. I use a hot wire cutter for my insulation. Fish are shipped in large 12" x 9" x 9" boxes. Boxes have "Live Fish" stickers since orders are all tagged as USPS "Live animal - other" shipments.
- Heat packs are available and will be provided at no extra cost
- Care document is added with every order which gives additional information on care, breeding, feeding etc.
- I reserve the right to refuse an order is the temps are too extreme to ship fish safely. Please check your weather before ordering.