DOA & Missing Items Policy

At Shrimp Zone we breed and pack every order ourselves, and we want your shrimp to arrive alive and settle in well. If something goes wrong in transit, here is exactly how we’ll fix it.

Live Arrival Guarantee (DOA claims — “DOA” means dead on arrival)

If any livestock arrives deceased, contact us within 8 hours of the parcel being delivered (per Australia Post tracking) and we’ll make it right.

To make a claim, send us:

  1. Your order number.
  2. Clear, unedited photos and a short video of the affected animals — ideally still in the sealed bag, which is what makes a claim quickest to approve. If you’ve already opened the bag to start acclimating (slowly adjusting the shrimp to your tank’s water), photograph them straight away and tell us what happened; we’ll still assess it.

A message on Facebook or Instagram is easiest — photos and video attach in a couple of taps. Email works too: support@shrimpzone.com.au. Either way, what counts is when you send it, not when we reply.

Please don’t dispose of anything until we’ve confirmed your claim.

Shrimp often look pale and still after the trip and usually colour up within the hour — the video is how we tell the difference fairly.

For a valid claim the choice is yours, and all three cost you nothing: a refund of the affected livestock value, free replacements added to your next order, or store credit if you’d prefer it. If you’d rather not wait for your next order, we can send replacements on their own — a standalone parcel simply follows our normal shipping rates.

How transit time affects a claim

Express post normally arrives within 48 hours. Shrimp weaken the longer they’re bagged, so cover is tiered by how long the parcel actually took — dispatch to delivery, per Australia Post tracking:

  • Up to 48 hours — full cover. A valid claim is settled in full, by whichever of the three options you choose.
  • 48 to 96 hours — 50% cover. We cover half the value of the affected livestock, by the same three options.
  • More than 96 hours — outside the guarantee, but talk to us. We won’t leave you out of pocket without a conversation — get in touch and we’ll work out something fair.

These are the tiers we settle automatically, without argument. They don’t limit your rights under the Australian Consumer Law, which apply regardless.

One exception — single-animal auction lots. These tiers scale cover by transit time, which works when a claim covers several animals. It does not work for a one-off: you cannot split a single shrimp in half. So where an auction lot is a single animal, a valid claim is settled in full regardless of transit time — an equivalent-or-better replacement, a refund of the livestock value, or store credit, your choice. Lots of several animals follow the tiers above. See our Auction Terms.

The guarantee applies when

  • Someone is available to receive the parcel on the day of delivery. Livestock can’t wait around: parcels left unattended (safe drop / authority to leave), sent to a PO Box or parcel locker, or collected later from the post office are not covered.
  • The delivery address provided at checkout was correct and complete. We can’t change an address once an order is packed.

If tracking shows your parcel hasn’t arrived at all, contact us and lodge an enquiry with Australia Post — we’ll chase it from our end too, and sort out anything the carrier confirms lost.

Not covered

  • Deaths after acclimation has begun — please drip-acclimate slowly, adding your tank’s water a little at a time: our Shrimp Care & Acclimation Guide walks you through it step by step.
  • Free or bonus items (including the 20% extra shrimp on pre-orders).
  • Orders you asked us to dispatch against our advice during extreme weather.

Where we can send live animals

We can’t send live animals to Western Australia, the Northern Territory or Tasmania. Dry goods are no problem anywhere in Australia. If you’re in one of those states, get in touch and we’ll tell you exactly what we can send you.

Arrived alive, but looking unwell?

Contact us the same day with photos and a video and we’ll assess it together — we’d rather help early than argue later. Once animals have been added to your tank, water parameters (the water’s temperature and chemistry) are outside our control and the guarantee no longer applies.

Missing or incorrect items

Tell us within 24 hours of delivery: your order number, a photo of everything you received, and an unboxing video if you have one. We’ll send what’s missing or refund it.

This policy is in addition to your rights under the Australian Consumer Law.