Tropicflow Aquatic Live Arrival Guarantee Policy
🐠 Tropicflow Live Arrival Guarantee
At Tropicflow Aquatic, we carefully prepare every live shipment to help your fish, invertebrates, and aquatic plants arrive safely and in good condition.
Shipping live aquatic animals always carries some natural risk. Although we use proper packing, insulation, oxygen, and weather protection when appropriate, some factors during transit are outside of our control.
Dead on Arrival (DOA) can occasionally occur when shipping live fish. This is an unavoidable part of transporting live aquatic animals and may happen because of carrier delays, extreme temperatures, sudden weather changes, handling during transit, unexpected transportation disruptions, or other factors outside of Tropicflow Aquatic's control.
Our Live Arrival Guarantee is designed to protect eligible customers when this happens.
⭐ Choose Safer Shipping for Live Fish
The amount of time your fish spends in transit can have a major impact on shipping stress and arrival condition. For this reason, we strongly recommend choosing Weather Protection Shipping or UPS Next Day Air whenever possible.
100% Historical Successful Delivery Rate*
Our fastest and most recommended option for live fish. Ideal for rare, valuable, sensitive fish and customers experiencing extreme temperatures.
95% Historical Successful Delivery Rate*
Recommended for most live aquatic orders. Provides faster transit and additional weather protection when needed.
*Successful delivery rates are based on Tropicflow Aquatic's historical shipping results. Past performance does not guarantee the outcome of an individual shipment. Carrier delays, weather conditions, delivery conditions, and other factors may affect results.
⏰ DOA Claim Window
If a fish arrives deceased, you must submit your Live Arrival Guarantee claim within 2 hours of the carrier's recorded delivery time. Claims submitted after this period may not qualify.
📸 How to Submit a DOA Claim
If a fish arrives DOA, please follow these steps:
- Do not open or discard the shipping bag.
- Take clear photos and videos of the deceased fish inside the original unopened bag.
- Have your order number available.
- Complete the Tropicflow Guarantee Form within 2 hours of delivery.
💳 How the Guarantee Works
Your available resolution depends on the shipping method selected and the condition of the shipment.
| Shipping Method | Arrival Condition | Guarantee Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Shipping | Part of shipment DOA | Store Credit |
| Standard Shipping | Entire shipment DOA | Replacement |
| Weather Protection / Express | Part or entire eligible shipment DOA | Replacement or Refund |
| UPS Next Day Air | Part or entire eligible shipment DOA | Replacement or Refund |
💰 Store Credit, Replacement & Refunds
- Approved claims may be resolved through Store Credit, replacement, or refund, depending on the selected shipping method and claim circumstances.
- For eligible partial DOA claims under Standard Shipping, Store Credit will generally equal the eligible purchase value of the deceased fish.
- Shipping charges are generally non-refundable unless the entire eligible live shipment arrives DOA and qualifies under this policy.
- Store Credit is issued to the customer's Tropicflow Aquatic account and may be used toward future eligible purchases.
🚫 Do Not Return Fish
Please do not return live or deceased fish to Tropicflow Aquatic.
Claims are reviewed using your submitted photos, videos, order details, shipping information, and Guarantee Form.
🩺 Quarantine New Fish
We strongly recommend quarantining newly received fish for at least 14 days before introducing them into an established aquarium.
Quarantine helps protect your existing fish and gives new livestock time to recover from shipping stress.
✅ Quick DOA Claim Checklist
- ⏰ Submit the claim within 2 hours of delivery.
- 📸 Take clear photos and videos.
- 🛍️ Keep the fish inside the original unopened shipping bag while documenting the claim.
- 🔢 Include your order number.
- 📝 Submit the official Tropicflow Guarantee Form.
- 🚫 Do not return the fish.
📋 Need to Submit a DOA Claim?
Submit your Guarantee Form within the required 2-hour claim window.
Submit Guarantee Form📦 Order Cancellation Policy
Live fish orders require inventory allocation, quarantine space, livestock preparation, packing materials, and staff time. Because preparation can begin before the scheduled shipping date, cancellation and restocking fees may apply.
Cancellation & Restocking Fees
| Cancellation Situation | Restocking Fee |
|---|---|
| Standard cancellation | 15% |
| Order held for more than 1 week and later cancelled | 50% |
| Cancellation within 48 hours of scheduled departure | 50% |
1️⃣ Standard Cancellation
A 15% restocking fee applies to normal cancellations. This helps cover administrative work, inventory allocation, and preparation costs.
2️⃣ Orders Held for More Than 1 Week
If an order has been held for more than one week and is later cancelled, only 50% of the total order value, including shipping, will be refunded.
3️⃣ Cancellation Within 48 Hours of Shipping
Orders cancelled within 48 hours of the scheduled shipping date are subject to a 50% restocking fee.
At this stage, livestock may already have been selected, separated, quarantined, prepared, and scheduled for shipment.
Contact Tropicflow Aquatic as early as possible. Cancellation fees may increase once livestock preparation and shipping procedures have begun.
💬 Questions?
If you have questions about your guarantee, DOA claim, shipping method, store credit, replacement, refund, or cancellation, please contact us.
📩 Email: tropicflow@tropicflow.com
🌐 Website: www.Tropicflow.com