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Shipping Policy | Blackwater Aquatics Canada
Live animals and live food cultures ship within Canada only. Merch ships internationally. Live orders ship Mondays and Wednesdays, weather permitting. Only fish and bettas are covered by the Live Arrival Guarantee, and only on Express shipping — live food cultures are never covered, on any service.
What ships where
| Category | Ships to | Live Arrival Guarantee |
|---|---|---|
| Betta fish and other live fish | Canada only | Yes — Express only |
| Shrimp and snails | Canada only | Express only |
| Live food cultures (scuds, daphnia, microworms, grindal worms, phytoplankton) | Canada only | No — never, on any service |
| Merch (hoodies, caps, mugs, doormats, apparel) | Canada, United States and international | Not applicable — not a live product |
Because live goods and merch are fulfilled separately, an order containing both is charged shipping for each. That is expected, not an error — your fish are not travelling in the same box as a doormat.
Customers outside Canada can order merch but will not be offered shipping for live animals or live food. This is deliberate: transit times outside Canada are not survivable for the animals we ship.
Live shipping options
Express — currently Purolator Express
The faster and more expensive option, and the only service under which the Live Arrival Guarantee applies.
- Recommended for all live animals — bettas, fish, shrimp and snails.
- Covers fish and bettas under the Live Arrival Guarantee.
- Does not cover live food cultures. See below.
Economy — currently Canada Post Expedited Parcel
The cheaper option, intended for hardy live food cultures such as scuds and grindal worms.
- No Live Arrival Guarantee. No DOA coverage of any kind.
- Not recommended for live animals — bettas, fish, shrimp or snails. If you choose it for animals, they ship entirely at your own risk.
- Transit times are carrier estimates and are not guaranteed.
Carriers may change
We are not locked to one carrier. If another carrier offers a better price or a faster transit time on the day your order ships, we may use it. What does not change is the coverage rule: Express-level service covers fish and bettas; the cheaper service covers nothing; live food is never covered either way. Coverage follows the service level, not the company name printed on the label.
Why live food is never covered
Live food cultures are colonies, not individual animals. A culture that arrives slow, thinned out or partially crashed will normally recover within days once it is fed and settled — which is why we cannot underwrite them the way we underwrite a single betta. Scuds in particular are shipped without DOA coverage regardless of service.
If a culture arrives in genuinely poor condition, contact us anyway. There is a difference between a policy and how we treat people.
Shipping schedule
- Live orders ship Mondays and Wednesdays, so nothing sits in a facility over a weekend.
- Orders are typically processed within 1–3 business days.
- Orders placed after a shipping cutoff are held for the next shipping day.
- Live orders are never pre-packed. Every one is packed the morning it ships.
Weather and temperature
The health of the animal comes before the delivery date. Shipments are postponed when conditions are unsafe, and packed with insulation, heat packs or cold packs as required.
If you ask us to ship against our recommendation, the order travels at your own risk and any Live Arrival Guarantee is void.
Free shipping
Free shipping applies to qualifying Canadian orders of $200 CAD or more, and covers shipping costs up to $30 CAD. If the selected service costs more than that — remote destinations and oversized shipments are the usual reasons — the difference is shown at checkout and paid by you.
Free shipping is not offered on orders shipped outside Canada. It uses the service we select unless stated otherwise, and it never adds coverage that the underlying service does not carry: a free Economy shipment is still an uncovered shipment.
What we need from you
- A complete, accurate address.
- Watch your tracking and bring live shipments indoors promptly.
- Be available to receive the parcel.
We cannot cover losses caused by incorrect addresses, missed deliveries, parcels left outside, or delays caused by the recipient.
If something arrives wrong
- Photograph the shipment before unpacking further.
- Contact us with your order number as soon as possible.
- Fish DOA claims must be reported within 2 hours of delivery.
Full eligibility and claim procedure is in the Live Arrival & DOA Policy.
Questions
Ask before ordering if you are unsure which service to choose — that is always cheaper than a claim. Email: info@blackwateraquatics.ca · Contact us
