物流政策

About this policy

This policy covers orders placed on tiacoral.com. TIA Collection Corals is the coral department and online brand of Tropical Island Aquarium, a saltwater aquarium store in Deer Park, Long Island, New York, serving reef keepers since 2008. We also sell on ReefnBid, eBay, Reef2Reef Marketplace and ReefBay. Where an order on one of those platforms works differently, the sections below say so.

Where we ship

We ship to the lower 48 states and Alaska. We do not ship to Hawaii, Puerto Rico or other U.S. territories.

Alaska shipping applies to orders on tiacoral.com and ReefnBid; our eBay, Reef2Reef Marketplace, and ReefBay listings do not ship to Alaska.

Alaska orders ship by the same overnight, next-day service as every other eligible state. FedEx Priority Overnight does not reach every Alaska ZIP code the next day. If you are in a remote part of Alaska, contact us before you buy.

Carrier and service

We normally ship by FedEx Priority Overnight. We add heat or cold packs when the weather calls for them.

UPS is available on request, or where FedEx cannot deliver (for example, a UPS Store mailbox), for a $29 surcharge. We arrange UPS with you before the order ships.

Shipping rates

Shipping rates are per box.

  • New York, New Jersey and Connecticut: $29.99.
  • Every other eligible state, including Alaska: $49.99.
  • UPS instead of FedEx: a $29 surcharge on top of the shipping rate, arranged before the order ships. The surcharge applies even when shipping is free.

Free shipping

Shipping is free on retail orders over $299.

  • Auction wins do not count toward the $299, on any platform.
  • On a platform that sells auction and regular listings in one checkout, the regular items alone must total over $299; when they do, the auction wins ride along in the same box at no extra shipping.
  • Eligible auction wins can be combined into one shipment. Combining does not make the auction amount count toward the $299.

Ship days and order cutoff

Normal schedule

  • We normally ship Tuesday and Wednesday, year-round. Holiday weeks and custom requests are covered below.
  • A Tuesday shipment normally arrives Wednesday. A Wednesday shipment normally arrives Thursday.

Order cutoff: 2 PM ET on a ship day

  • The cutoff sets the earliest ship day.
  • To ship on Tuesday (Wednesday arrival), pay by 2 PM ET Tuesday.
  • To ship on Wednesday (Thursday arrival), pay by 2 PM ET Wednesday.
  • An order paid later goes in the next ship day’s box.
  • The same cutoff applies to an item added to an order that has not shipped yet.
  • Cut-to-order items ship after healing, on the date our team confirms.

Choosing your ship date

For WYSIWYG and Stock items, choose your ship-out date in the cart. The cart offers Tuesday and Wednesday ship dates. Your order normally arrives the next day.

Holiday weeks

In a holiday week the ship days can move. The “Next: ship” line at the foot of every page on tiacoral.com shows the current ship and arrival dates. In that week the 2 PM ET cutoff applies to that week’s ship days.

Dates outside the normal schedule

  • Our normal schedule is a Tuesday ship for Wednesday arrival, or a Wednesday ship for Thursday arrival.
  • Any other ship or arrival date is a custom request that the TIA team decides. Contact us before you buy. We do not promise a custom date in advance.
  • We strongly recommend against a Thursday ship for Friday arrival. A missed Friday delivery attempt stays with the carrier until Monday, and a missed first delivery attempt voids the live arrival guarantee. If the team agrees to a Friday arrival, we ship only after you accept that risk in writing, and loss caused by that risk is not covered.
  • Saturday delivery is not available.
  • We cannot guarantee a delivery hour, such as before noon. The carrier controls the delivery time.
  • Need a WYSIWYG or Stock coral by a specific day? Choose the ship-out date the day before it in the cart; arrival is normally the next day. For a date the cart does not offer, contact us before you buy.

Listing types and cut-to-order ship timing

Each product page shows its listing type.

  • WYSIWYG: you receive the exact coral photographed.
  • Stock: you receive a frag from the same mother colony. The photo is a reference image.
  • Cut to order (Gallery): you receive a fresh-cut frag of about 1–2 inches from the same colony. Healing takes at least 2 weeks. After you order, our team contacts you to confirm the ship date.

Auction wins

Auctions on ReefnBid and eBay end on days we do not ship. A win normally ships the following Tuesday or Wednesday. A win does not ship the day the auction ends.

Local pickup

Choose local pickup at checkout and collect your order at our store: Tropical Island Aquarium, 2112 Deer Park Ave, Deer Park, NY 11729. Local pickup orders have no shipping charge. Collect a pickup order within 7 days. The live arrival guarantee does not apply to local pickup or in-store purchases. Store hours and directions are on the Store info page.

Addresses and delivery

  • Use a FedEx-deliverable street address. FedEx cannot deliver to PO Boxes or UPS Store mailboxes.
  • Someone must be present for the first delivery attempt.
  • A missed first delivery attempt voids the live arrival guarantee.

Live arrival guarantee (DOA)

What is covered

  • A coral that arrives dead or dies within 72 hours (3 days) of delivery.
  • A coral counts as DOA when it has no visible living tissue on arrival or within 3 days. A detached frag that is still alive does not qualify.
  • The 72 hours start at the delivery time the carrier records on tracking. If a package is delayed, the window runs from when it actually arrives.
  • Carrier delays are covered.

What is not covered

  • A missed first delivery attempt. Coverage is void.
  • A loss caused by a weather or carrier-schedule risk that we identified before shipping and told you about, when you asked us to ship anyway.
  • Corals that come loose from their plugs in transit. This is normal and is not DOA.
  • Local pickup and in-store purchases. The live arrival guarantee does not apply to them.

How to file a claim

  • Use the DOA claim form at https://www.tiacoral.com/pages/doa-claim within 72 hours of delivery.
  • Include clear photos or video of each coral, in its original sealed bag where possible.
  • Email alone does not open a claim, except a claim for more than 10 corals (next point).
  • For more than 10 corals in one claim, email Josh at tiaproduct69@gmail.com instead of using the form, within the same 72 hours and with the same photos or video.
  • We review a claim filed through the form within 2 business days and follow up by email.

How a claim is resolved

  • Replacement livestock or store credit only.
  • A replacement is one time only. If a replacement is not available, we issue store credit.
  • No cash refunds.
  • Shipping charges, original and replacement, are not refundable.

Claims for orders on other platforms

  • ReefnBid: file through the claim form above. We honor 3 days from delivery, for a coral that arrives dead or dies after arrival.
  • ReefBay: file through the claim form above within 72 hours of delivery. Credit is issued at tiacoral.com.
  • Reef2Reef Marketplace: file through the claim form above within 72 hours of delivery.

Contact

Email tiacollectioncorals@gmail.com or use the live chat on tiacoral.com. For a ship or delivery date the cart does not offer, contact us before you buy.