Shipping policy

+ LAG (Live Arrival Guarantee) policy

Order Processing & Dispatch

Most orders are processed within 1–6 business days, depending on the day your order is placed and what it contains.

We ship almost all orders with FedEx. Rare exceptions may apply if the delivery address is a PO box or a remote destination not covered by FedEx.

Some orders may arrive in more than one package. (This typically only applies to heavier orders that contain both live items and dry goods.) If you’ve placed multiple orders, they may arrive in one package.

Occasionally, we pause shipping around major holidays or periods when courier disruption creates extra risk. Live orders are most likely to be affected, but dry orders may also be briefly held during especially busy holiday periods. If your order is affected by a no-ship period, we’ll notify you before dispatch.

We’re a small, family-run business, so there may occasionally be small changes to our dispatch schedule. If your order is affected, we’ll always email you with an update and get it on the way as soon as we safely can.

Please make sure your delivery address and contact details are correct when placing your order. This is especially important for live orders, as we may need to contact you before dispatch if temperatures, holiday timing, or shipping conditions are unsafe.

Once dispatched, delivery timing is handled by the carrier. Most packages arrive as expected, but occasional delays can happen outside our control. If a package is delayed or missing, please see our transit issues policy below.

Dry Goods Orders

Dry goods orders are most often dispatched on Tuesdays and Thursdays, though this can vary.

Once dispatched, dry goods orders usually arrive within 2–7 business days, unless sent with express shipping.

Live Goods Orders

We usually dispatch live orders (those containing isopods and/or springtails) on Tuesdays. In most cases, that means your order will ship on the first Tuesday after it is placed. The cutoff for Tuesday dispatch is 8pm MST on Monday.

(Occasionally, this may shift to Monday around holiday weeks, or to Wednesday for certain express and local deliveries.)

Before dispatch, we check temperatures carefully to make sure conditions are safe for transit.

  • If conditions are suitable, your order will go out as planned (we include insulation plus seasonal heat or cool packs at no extra cost whenever needed).
  • If conditions are not suitable, we’ll email you before dispatch with the best way forward. This usually means either holding the order until temperatures improve, or recommending an upgrade to express shipping where appropriate.

Once dispatched, live orders sent with standard shipping usually arrive within 2–4 business days. Live orders sent with express shipping typically arrive the next business day after dispatch.

Live Arrival Guarantee

We take great care when shipping live isopods and springtails, and we’ll always pack them in a way that gives them the best possible chance of arriving safely.

We will replace (or issue store credit for the value of the affected items) any isopods or springtails that are dead on arrival (DOA) under the following conditions:

  • You contact us at support@terrariumtribe.com within one hour of the delivery timestamp with clear photo or video evidence.
  • The isopods/springtails have not been added to a terrarium. If anything looks dead on arrival, please do not add it yet. Once added, we can no longer verify their condition.
  • The order was not shipped against our advice. We check temperatures and conditions before dispatch for every live order. If conditions are unsafe, we’ll contact you before shipping with the safest way forward.
  • For isopod cultures valued over $50 (before discounts), express shipping is required to be covered by our Live Arrival Guarantee. These isopods are more sensitive in transit and need a shorter shipping window.

Transit Issues Policy

Once your order has been dispatched, delivery is handled by FedEx.

Most packages arrive as expected, but occasional delays, routing issues, or missing packages can happen once a parcel is in the carrier’s network.

We know how inconvenient delays can be, but once a package is in transit, we cannot speed it up or reroute it. There is no way for us to change its movement inside the FedEx network, and we understand how frustrating that can be.

If your package is delayed, please keep an eye on the tracking page. Thankfully, most short delays resolve within a few days.

For live orders containing isopods and/or springtails, we understand that significant transit delays can put live items at risk. If your order arrives with a DOA, please reach out immediately on arrival so we can resolve the issue.

If your package appears to be missing or has not moved for several days, please contact us at support@terrariumtribe.com with your order number.

We will open a case with FedEx and typically need to wait for their response before sending a replacement, as missing packages are usually located and delivered. If FedEx confirms yours is lost, or if we believe it is unlikely to be recovered successfully, we will send a replacement package or otherwise resolve the issue.

We really appreciate your patience while this is being looked into. While carrier issues are outside our direct control, we’ll move as quickly as we can and make sure the issue is properly resolved.

Please note that once FedEx confirms a package has been delivered to the correct address, we are not responsible for theft or loss after delivery.