Refund policy
Live Arrival Guarantee
Every order is packed for overnight transit and inspected the morning it ships. Shipping livestock still carries real risk, so this guarantee covers you when something arrives in bad shape.
Filing a claim
- Before you open anything, photograph the animal inside the sealed shipping bag. This is the step that matters most. We cannot verify a claim without it.
- Photograph the inside of the box with the packing still in place.
- Email both photos and your order number to hello@thecoralboutique.com within two hours of the delivery time recorded by FedEx.
Shoot under natural or white light. Blue and actinic lighting hides the detail we need in order to review a claim fairly.
How we resolve it
Our team reviews every claim and gets you an answer within one business day. Approved claims are issued as store credit, which does not expire and applies to anything we sell. If you would rather have the same piece replaced on our next ship day, say so in your email and we will do that when the piece is available.
What the guarantee does not cover
- Claims filed more than two hours after the FedEx delivery timestamp
- Claims with no photo of the animal in the sealed bag
- Packages left unattended after delivery. Someone needs to be there to receive it. A box sitting in the sun is the most common way an order is lost and it is the one part of the trip we cannot control.
- Packages delayed because the checkout address was wrong or incomplete, because delivery was refused, or because the carrier could not reach the door
- Orders where the shipping method was changed, downgraded, rerouted, or held at a facility at your request after the order shipped
- Losses after acclimation, including tank parameters, lighting, flow, pests already in your system, or aggression from existing tankmates
- Weather related loss on a shipment you asked us to send after we recommended a hold
Also worth knowing
All livestock sales are final. Please do not ship anything back to us. Returned animals cannot be accepted or credited.
Dry Goods & Aquarium Supplies
- Returns accepted within 90 days of purchase, provided items are unused, unopened, and in original manufacturer packaging
- Opened items are not eligible for return
- Ground shipment returns: no restocking fee
- Overnight shipment returns: 10% restocking fee