Return, DOA, and Shipping Policies

Coral Shipping Policy

All coral is shipped via UPS Next Day Air. Some exceptions may be made for locations where ground transportation is safer or will guarantee next day delivery.

Coral Packing

All coral will be packed in with either an insulated box liner or styrofoam container. Heat and Ice packs are used depending on the temperature of the shipping location and path traveled. Typically the location the coral ships from (Milwaukee, WI) will determine what is needed as this is the majority of the travel time's temperature.

The current process (subject to change) is that heat packs will be used if the low temperature is below 50 degrees, and ice will be used if the temperature is greater than 80 degrees.

Coral is typically shipped in heat sealed bags. Some coral may ship in small cups/containers depending on the coral. Carbon pellets are used as necessary to help maintain clean water while the coral is shipping. The coral will be secured using kraft packing paper to help add insulation and padding. A cardboard separation is typically used between heat and ice packs to prevent direct stress on the coral.

Local Pickup Option

Local pickup is available if you are near Milwaukee Wisconsin. For local pickup, a date and time will be determined upon ordering as there are not set days or times available for pickup. Local pickup typically does not include a shipping container or heat/ice. However, depending on the conditions, we will work with you to ensure the safety and health of the coral!

Delivery Dates and Times

Order are shipped on Tuesday for Wednesday delivery or Thursday for Friday delivery. If these do not work, we will do our best to work with your schedule.

Preferred arrival date is selected at checkout, and if this does not work for any reason, including scheduling, issues with the order, an/or weather, we will communicate this to you as a reply to the original order email. If a phone number is provided, or there is active communication via social media, forums, or other means, that communication channel may be used instead.

Most deliveries will arrive by 12:00pm (noon) on the selected arrival date. This arrival time may vary by shipping location. If you need the box held at the facility, we can try to assist if the destination is able to do this, however it may affect the DOA policy.

Minor Things to Consider

There is a possibility of a small amount of algae to be on the coral frag plugs. While typically scrubbed with a toothbrush before shipping, this is an actual coral farm system and like most healthy systems, there is some amount of algae. This is nothing to worry about and can simply be removed. I do not replace plugs before shipping as it can add stress to the coral.

Coral Shipping Cost

Refund Policy / Method

All refunds, including DOA, cancelation, and returns, will be conducted via a Reef Stable Gift Card Credit. You will not receive a refund via PayPal or other card methods. All refunds will be in the form of a digital gift card, of the amount in question, sent to your email.

DOA - Dead on Arrival Policy

Wet and/or Live goods, including but not limited to coral and macroalgae, that are purchased require specific, careful, and fast shipping. It is possible for some products, especially coral, not to survive this transit. If any products do not survive, you MUST contact us via the Contact Us page within 2 hours of the FIRST shipment attempt with images of the DOA product, in the original bag/container. Stressed Coral/Live Products DO NOT QUALIFY for DOA refunds.

If you are not present for the delivery, or it is held at the shipping facility and not picked up at or before the agreed upon time, no DOA requests will be honored.

Unfortunately, due to the difficulty of live goods shipping, we must maintain strict DOA policies. If you are not sure if your case qualifies, please contact us and we will do our best to assist you! We do prioritize customer satisfaction, however we are required to balance this with attempted scams, mistreated products, poor acclimation, and a variety of other challenges that may occur.

Reef Stable is not responsible for lost or mistreated shipping of live products. This must be resolved with the shipping company.

Return Policies

Wet / Live Goods

Wet and/or Live goods, including but not limited to coral and macroalgae, CANNOT be returned. For these purchases, all sales are final. This is due to the cost of shipping and potential for these products to perish or expire in transit. Please ensure these products are what you want BEFORE purchasing. Some orders can be canceled before they ship, as long as they have not been packaged. If you decide you do not want these items, please reach out via the Contact Us page immediately.

Dry Goods

Most dry goods (excluding 3D printed goods) are shipped from the wholesaler. If there are any issues with your order, please Contact Reef Stable and NOT the wholesaler. We will work with the wholesaler to correct all issues.

For all dry goods, there is a 7 day return policy. This includes damaged products, if you simply ordered too much, or even just decided you no longer want the product. If you decide to return a product within 7 calendar days, please contact us via the Contact Us page and include the order number, and product details/reason for return.

For all returns (not includes damaged products), you are responsible for the return shipping price. This shipping price is non-refundable.

Dry Goods - Damaged In Shipping

One exception to the above policy is that all products damaged in shipping MUST be communicated within 2 days of delivery. Please keep the product and packaging as it may be needed to be investigated by the shipping company.