05/31/2025
With the increasing amount of concerning seller review posts, I thought I would make something with recommendations of how to intake an order. I make this as a seller as well as a buyer, though obviously everyone has their own processes. The below steps are my recommendations that I personally follow -
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As your order is moving -
1. Watch your tracking! Keep track of how your box is moving, how fast, if there are delays, etc. once the box is dropped off with the carrier, it is no longer the seller’s responsibility. Contact the CARRIER if there are delays or any concerns. The seller will not be able to do anything except contact them as well.
2. Pick up your box in a timely manner. Hold for pickups are ESSENTIAL! They are the safest way to receive boxes. However, regardless of hold for pickup or home delivery, get your box inside as soon as you can.
3. Open your box and do a thorough inspection within ONE HOUR of pickup or delivery. Most live animal guarantees (LAG) do not cover anything past 1 hour past the official delivery.
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Opening your box -
1. Digital evidence through the WHOLE PROCESS is essential. This shows how the box arrived (ie smashed, broken, etc), how the internals faired (heat Pack, empty space, phase Pack intact), and how the order faired (live items contained with airholes, supplies in sealed containers without mold, etc)
2. An unboxing video is best practice. Make sure it is set up not to see your face, but rather how the box is packed. A video is best because it can capture your true reactions and the full unboxing with nothing to hide, as well as movement for the live items. Usually people use a tripod, but in a pinch I have balanced a phone on a table.
3. If you are unable to take a video (don’t have the ability to show it well, etc) or don’t want to show your face/voice, we still recommend detailed photos. Photos should show every single layer and each part of the order.
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Verifying your order -
1. Once life has been verified within an hour of delivery, verify your order contents. At the very least, verify each container has some movement and is labeled with the counts you ordered.
2. Best practice, and what I always recommend, is to meticulously go through each container and verify the counts. Unless it is something crazy, I always recommend counting the amount of live and DOA. Use a separate container to dump the contents in then place the live items back into the original container once you count them. This way you can take a photo of the live items in the container and any DOAs SEPARATE as evidence once they are counted. The photo will then show what was sent and potentially if anything is missing. I always count any bonus items as well, but at least notate what was sent. I usually notate each item as follows -
Ordered, species, # of live, # of newborns, # of DOA (Dead on Arrival)
For example:
40x Wood grain - 130 live, 9 newborn, 0 DOA
BONUS 40x Pearls - 168 live, 3 newborn, 3 DOA
3. Once the order has been verified, message the seller within the LAG timeline (even if LAG was not included with your order)! Ideally within an hour you will have the counts available so you can contact them about any potential discrepancies with what was sent. At the very least, sellers should be contacted with verifications of life for each container as well as a timeline of when exact counts can be expected. Make sure to send the seller the end photos of live and DOA and the final counts.
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Following your order -
1. Always give the seller a chance to rectify any issues or discrepancies. Any seller worth their salt will want to make sure their customers have a good experience. That being said, phrasing matters. I always recommend giving a full account (what went well with the box as well as any discrepancies/deaths) and then most importantly, thanking the seller for their time and effort. Because packing orders does take more time than people realize and recognizing that does a world of good 🙂
2. Post a review! Bad orders are almost always posted, but good reviews are just as helpful! Post those pictures and/or the unboxing videos! This helps cement your review and shows other buyers what they can expect from this shop. Check for business pages as they can have a place for official reviews and ratings which can be extremely beneficial for their business.
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Whether you are on the packing or the receiving end of an order, shipping can be stressful. The most important thing is communication and keeping the routes as open and honest as possible! Can’t pick up or verify your order within the timeline? Communicate that! Have any concerns with a box or there are discrepancies in the order? Let them know! Kindness and consideration go a long way and as always, let me know if you have any questions! I would love to know your thoughts! What are your experiences and processes? Did I miss anything or hit anything right on the nail?
Big thanks to Carlos Michaelsen at Tropical Isopods for the stellar packaging and unwittingly letting me use his box for an example 🙂
Edit - Adding an unboxing video that I did from the same shop 🙂 https://www.facebook.com/share/v/12MAqdWaae4/?mibextid=wwXIfr
