Carriers and Costs

 

Live Rock and Live Sand - Quote Required

 

Live rock and live sand require independent shipping quotes and are not included in our flat rate shipping fees.  You may order rock and sand online with other products but the overweight items will be shown separately at checkout.  Please complete the checkout process for the flat rate items.  Completing the checkout will generate an additional order and notify us that a quote is needed.  You will receive an email when the overweight item’s additional shipping charges are calculated.  You may pay for or decline the quoted items by visiting the “My Accounts” section of the website and selecting the order marked “Quoted”.  If you have an open order (paid but unshipped) that will positively impact the total shipping charge, the orders will be automatically combined and the credit amount will be shown.

 

 

Federal Express - $40.00*

 

Our preferred shipping method is FedEx Priority Overnight.  We are offering a flat $40.00 shipping fee* to anywhere in the continental US  (we will also ship to Alaska for a flat rate of $50*).   We’ve chosen to use FedEx for most of our overnight shipments because they have the best on time record to the most places.  Additionally, they back up their promises with a no hassle delivery guarantee.  Packages shipped “Priority Overnight” will be delivered to your door by 10:30AM in most areas.  “Standard Overnight” can be expected by 4:30PM.  Destination location and livestock requirements determine which option is used.

 

United States Postal Service - $14.00*

 

Some of the tougher invertebrates, marked with the reduced rate snail icon, can be shipped USPS Priority Mail for a flat $14.00 shipping fee*. Priority mail is a two or three day service. The Postal Service does well delivering within this time frame, however, it can take longer and they offer no guarantee or refunds if the expected delivery time is excessively exceeded.  We still backup our live arrival guarantee for the livestock so don’t hesitate to use this service if it is appropriate.  This option is offered at checkout only if all items in the cart are eligible.

 

Adding Items to an eBay Auction - $0.00* 

 

Items may be added to a paid, unshipped eBay auction without incurring additional shipping charges.  During checkout select Prepaid Shipping : Group Buy from the Shipping Options menu on the Delivery Information page.  Next, type Ebay and your eBay user id and your auction item number on the Payment Information page.  If multiple eBay auctions are shipping together, use any one of the winning auction items numbers.  To avoid errors, please copy and paste the auction item number in the space provided.

 

Adding Items to a Group Order - $0.00* 

 

Sealife tries to accommodate clubs and group orders to help defray shipping costs. The group coordinator must place an initial order and pay for the shipping costs as a normal order and include the group name and any group requests in the comments section.  Subsequent orders may select the Prepaid Shipping: Group Buy option from the Shipping Options menu on the Delivery Information page and provide the group name and original order id on the Payment Information page. All Group Buy payments must be completed through Paypal.

 

Adding Items to an Existing Order - $0.00*

 

Items may be added to confirmed, unshipped order without incurring additional shipping charges.  During checkout select Combined Order: Freight Prepaid from the Shipping Options menu on the Delivery Information page.  This option will only be available if there is a paid, unshipped order being processed.  If the new item requires overnight shipping and the original order specified 2-3 day shipping, the entire order will be upgraded to overnight. The shipping adjustment amount will be displayed with the combined shipping option and added to the order at checkout. After payment, the two orders will be combined and a confirming email for the complete item list will be transmitted.

 

To modify an unconfirmed, unpaid order, click the My Account link at the top of the page, locate the unconfirmed order that you would like to modify in your order list and click the view button.  Click the Return To Cart button to cancel the existing order, add or delete from the new cart and checkout normally.  To completely cancel the order, remove the items from your cart.

 

 

* Live Rock, Base Rock, and Live Sand are excluded from flat rate shipping, added item and eBay prepaid shipping fees.  Please email to request an estimate.

 

Schedule and Packaging

 

Monday/Tuesday Ship Days

 

We ship every Monday and Tuesday unless otherwise posted or stated.  We prefer not to ship later in the week to avoid possible weekend delays but will make exceptions if our schedule allows. 

 

Secure Packing

 

All of our livestock is sealed in oxygen-inflated bags, doubled bagged and packed in foam-insulated boxes.  When needed, heat or gel packs are added at no extra charge.

 

Communications

 

Email Notifications

 

The day your livestock is shipped, a shipping notification with tracking information will be emailed by the freight carrier. Additionally, you will receive an invoice from Sea Life Inc. that contains FedEx tracking information and ship dates.  The tracking information available through FedEx is first class and will let you know where the shipment is at any given time.  The USPS provides a tracking number but the online information does not provide active status of the package’s progress and is only useful if the shipment appears to be lost.   Please review our “Arrive Alive Guarantee” for instructions if shipping problems occur.