Shipping & Live Arrival Guarantee
We breed and pack every order ourselves in Sunshine, Victoria. This page explains how live shrimp shipping works across Australia, what we do to get them to you alive, and what happens if something goes wrong on the way.
When we ship
Livestock is dispatched on Mondays and Tuesdays, so it is never in transit over a weekend. All livestock travels by express post; it is the only service that reliably gets animals to you alive, so there is no cheaper option on live orders.
If your order has both livestock and dry goods (equipment, food and supplies), they are sent as two parcels with two tracking numbers, at no extra charge. That way the animals are never held up waiting on a heavy box. Costs and the free-shipping threshold are in our FAQ.
Where we can send live animals
We can't send live animals to Western Australia, the Northern Territory or Tasmania. Quarantine requirements and the transit times they add mean we can't get shrimp to those three alive reliably, and we won't take that risk with your money or the animals. Dry goods are no problem anywhere in Australia.
If you're in one of those states, email support@shrimpzone.com.au and we'll tell you exactly what we can send you.
How your shrimp are packed
Shrimp travel in standard fish shipping bags with added oxygen, inside an insulated box, with heat or cold packs as the season requires.
We ship unsexed juveniles at 0.6–1.2 cm. "Unsexed" simply means too young to tell male from female.
Our Live Arrival Guarantee, in plain words
Every livestock order is covered. If any animals arrive deceased ("DOA" means dead on arrival), tell us within 8 hours of the parcel being delivered, per Australia Post tracking, and we'll make it right.
How to claim
- Send your order number.
- Send clear, unedited photos and a short video of the affected animals, ideally still in the sealed bag. That is what makes a claim quickest to approve.
- Message us on Facebook or Instagram, or email support@shrimpzone.com.au. What counts is when you send it, not when we reply.
Please don't dispose of anything until we've confirmed your claim. For a valid claim you choose the remedy, and all three cost you nothing: a refund of the affected livestock value, free replacements added to your next order, or store credit.
What isn't covered
- Parcels left unattended (safe drop), sent to a PO Box or parcel locker, or collected later from the post office. Someone needs to be home on delivery day.
- Deaths after acclimation has begun.
- Free or bonus animals.
- Orders you asked us to dispatch against our advice during extreme weather.
The full terms are in our DOA & Missing Items Policy. This guarantee is in addition to your rights under the Australian Consumer Law.
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. This is transit time, not your claim deadline (that is always 8 hours from delivery).
- Up to 48 hours in transit — full cover.
- 48 to 96 hours in transit — 50% cover.
- More than 96 hours in transit — outside the guarantee, but get in touch and we'll work out something fair.
Single-animal auction lots are the exception: a valid claim is settled in full whatever the transit time. See our Auction Terms.
What to do when the box arrives
- Open the parcel straight away. Pale, still shrimp are normal after the trip and usually colour up within the hour.
- If anything has gone wrong, photograph and film the unopened bags before you do anything else.
- Acclimate slowly. Acclimation means easing the shrimp into your tank's water gradually rather than tipping them straight in. Our Care & Acclimation Guide walks you through it step by step.
- Arrived alive but looking unwell? Contact us the same day with photos and a video.
