Live Arrival Guarantee & DOA Policy
This policy explains what qualifies for our Live Arrival Guarantee, how to document an issue, and how approved claims are resolved.
Eligibility requirements
A DOA claim may qualify only when all of the following conditions are met.
The shipment was accepted on the first delivery attempt with someone present to receive it. Refused deliveries, unattended packages, and packages left outside or exposed to extreme temperatures are not covered.
The claim is submitted within 6 hours of the carrier's recorded delivery time.
The livestock remains in the original sealed bag or container and has not been trimmed, fragmented, acclimated, or introduced into the aquarium before documentation is captured.
The livestock has not been discarded before the required documentation is submitted and reviewed.
How to file a DOA claim
If livestock appears deceased on arrival, document it before opening or altering the shipping container.
Inspect the specimen while it remains in the original sealed bag or container. Do not trim, open, or alter the contents first.
Take clear photos. For fish and mobile invertebrates, video is required and should clearly demonstrate lack of movement.
Complete the official claim form within the 6-hour reporting window and include all requested documentation.
Document before acclimation
DOA verification must happen before the livestock is removed from its original shipping bag or container.
Once a bag is opened or the specimen enters the aquarium, temperature, salinity, handling, ammonia exposure, and other aquarium conditions can affect the animal. At that point, it may no longer be possible to determine whether the issue occurred during transit or afterward.
Photos: Provide a clear image of each affected specimen while it is still inside the original sealed bag or container.
Video: For fish and mobile invertebrates, include video that clearly shows the specimen and demonstrates lack of movement.
Multiple specimens: If more than one animal is affected, each specimen must be clearly documented.
Do not open, acclimate, or discard the specimen first
If livestock is removed from its shipping bag or placed into an aquarium before documentation is captured, the claim may not qualify.
If the specimen is discarded before the required documentation is provided, DOA credit cannot be issued. Livestock should also never be shipped back to Macroalgae Farms unless you receive written authorization from our team.
After live delivery
Once livestock is delivered alive, the Live Arrival Guarantee has been fulfilled.
After delivery, survival depends on conditions outside our control, including acclimation, water chemistry, lighting, flow, tank maturity, compatibility, and husbandry.
Customers are responsible for researching species requirements and providing appropriate care after arrival.
Factors out of our control
No returns on live livestock
Macroalgae Farms does not accept live livestock returns. Return shipping can place additional stress on the animal and creates biosecurity concerns once livestock has entered another aquarium system. Livestock concerns are handled through the DOA claim process rather than returns.
Claims & coverage
Store credit
Approved DOA claims are issued as store credit for the value of the affected livestock. Credit is valid for 90 days from the date of issuance and may be applied toward future merchandise purchases on macroalgaefarms.com. Store credit cannot be redeemed for cash, transferred to another person, or applied toward shipping or handling charges.
Store credit issued as a remedy for an approved DOA claim is a discretionary business credit rather than a gift card sold for cash. The 90-day validity period is disclosed when credit is issued.
Situations not covered
The Live Arrival Guarantee does not cover losses or claims caused by circumstances that prevent us from verifying the condition of the livestock at delivery.
Claims & documentation
Claims may be denied when required photos or video are missing, when the claim is submitted outside the 6-hour reporting window, or when livestock has been opened, altered, acclimated, or discarded before the required documentation is captured.
Delivery & receiving
The guarantee does not cover refused deliveries, missed first delivery attempts, shipments with no one present to receive them, or packages left outside or unattended after delivery.
Shipping changes & delays
Incorrect shipping addresses, address changes requested after a shipping label has been purchased, customer-requested carrier holds, and other customer-requested shipping changes are not covered. Carrier delays caused by weather or transportation issues are excluded unless applicable shipping protection was purchased. The guarantee also does not apply to locations or delivery dates where coverage has been explicitly waived, including Alaska.
Theft & confirmed delivery
Theft or porch piracy after delivery is not covered. Packages confirmed as delivered by carrier tracking, including GPS-confirmed delivery, are not considered lost-package claims.
Order cancellation policy
Once an order is placed, livestock is reserved and removed from available inventory while our team begins preparing the shipment.
Because this process begins immediately, a 15% cancellation fee applies to cancelled orders. The fee is calculated from the merchandise subtotal.
If you need to change a delivery date, adjust quantities, or swap an item, contact Sales@MacroalgaeFarms.com as soon as possible. We will try to accommodate order changes before shipment whenever possible.
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