Shipping, collection & delivery

1. Which delivery arrangements apply?

Use this page alongside the listing, checkout and order confirmation. CoralBay Shop, Vendor products, direct listings and protected purchases have different fulfilment arrangements.

For auctions, the offered fulfilment terms are saved with the auction. Do not bid on the assumption that a seller will add delivery or change the collection location afterwards. The same protected fulfilment process follows verified payment whether the item was bought at a fixed price or won at auction.

2. Shop and Vendor dispatch

CoralBay arranges dispatch of its own Shop products. Independent Vendors normally prepare and dispatch their products; the Vendor remains the seller. CoralBay coordinates delivery enquiries for both through support@coralbay.uk .

Our usual Shop/Vendor dispatch days are Monday to Thursday , subject to the product’s advertised schedule, stock, courier availability, public holidays, weather and livestock welfare. These are dispatch days, not a promise that every order will leave the same day it is placed. Use the date or estimate confirmed for your order.

Where goods come from different suppliers, they may arrive separately. Review any separate shipping charges and dispatch information before payment. If the agreed schedule cannot be met, we will contact you about revised arrangements or the options available for that order.

A safety or welfare delay is a reason to communicate and agree a sensible outcome. It does not create an unlimited right to retain payment without supplying the goods or honouring applicable cancellation rights.

3. Services, costs and eligible addresses

• The listing or checkout shows available delivery options and charges. Coverage can differ by postcode, island, destination and the contents being sent. A UK listing does not promise delivery to every UK address.
• For live coral or other eligible livestock, the sender must check carrier acceptance, transit conditions and an appropriate next-day service before agreeing delivery. Packaging must be secure, leak-resistant and appropriate to expected temperatures and journey length.
• For equipment and suitable non-living products, tracked parcel options may be offered. Names such as Tracked 24 or Tracked 48 are service names; they are not a universal guaranteed arrival time. Use the service’s current conditions and the order-specific estimate.
• Check suitability separately for phytoplankton, liquids and temperature-sensitive products. Do not assume a general parcel service accepts every aquarium product.
• Collection, free postage or combined postage is available only where offered or properly agreed. A protection fee can still apply to a protected collection.

For a protected purchase, do not arrange an extra outside postage payment to bypass the recorded total. Ask CoralBay to resolve a genuine cost or service error before dispatch.

4. Protected delivery: the seller’s steps

1. Wait for the protected-purchase record to confirm payment. A buyer’s screenshot or the auction winner screen is not payment verification.
2. Check the saved delivery address, selected service and dispatch deadline. For coral, agree a suitable dispatch day when the buyer can receive the next-day parcel.
3. Use protective packaging appropriate to the item. Secure loose equipment and delicate components, prevent leaks and use appropriate insulation and temperature management for livestock.
4. Dispatch using the agreed eligible service, then record accurate tracking and dispatch details on the purchase. Keep proof of posting and relevant packaging evidence.
5. Respond promptly to delivery problems and CoralBay enquiries. If there is a live claim or payment hold, follow the recorded instructions before taking further action.

The initial protected-purchase dispatch allowance is three weekdays after verified payment . This is a configurable software default; the exact saved deadline in the purchase is the one to check. Bank holidays and unsuitable livestock dispatch days should be discussed in advance; do not assume they automatically extend a displayed deadline.

If safe dispatch is no longer possible or the item becomes unavailable or unfit to supply, contact the buyer and CoralBay promptly. Do not substitute a different item, downgrade the service or send an unhealthy coral to meet a date.

5. Receiving a delivery

1. Provide a complete, accurate delivery address and contact details. Raise an address error immediately; a message to the seller does not automatically update a saved purchase.
2. Arrange to receive the parcel promptly, particularly livestock. Monitor your account and available tracking rather than relying on an email notification alone.
3. Inspect the packaging on arrival, photograph damage, leakage or relevant labels and check the actual contents as soon as practical. Keep packaging until any arrival concern is resolved.
4. For coral, document an arrival concern promptly, preferably in the original bag or container before acclimation. Take reasonable welfare steps; do not leave viable livestock in harmful conditions to obtain a photograph.
5. For a protected purchase, use its reporting action before the relevant claim deadline if there is a covered problem. Do not confirm acceptance while a material issue remains unresolved.

6. Weather, delays, missed deliveries and non-delivery

Extreme temperatures, transport disruption and livestock welfare can make postponement sensible. The sender should explain the issue and agree a revised date or other appropriate resolution. Buyers should tell the sender promptly if they cannot receive a planned delivery.

If a parcel is late, missing, damaged, marked delivered in error or left somewhere disputed, keep the tracking information and report the facts. Sellers should assist with carrier enquiries. For protected purchases, use the non-delivery or problem-reporting route in the purchase record, and contact support if the normal action is unavailable.

A courier delay, missed delivery or a “delivery attempted” scan does not automatically decide a refund or transfer responsibility to the buyer. We consider the agreement, delivery evidence, actions of both parties and the rights that apply.

For a trader-to-consumer sale using a carrier offered or arranged by the trader, goods normally remain at the trader’s risk until the buyer, or someone the buyer has identified to receive them, physically receives them. Different rules can apply if the buyer independently commissions a carrier that the trader did not offer. An unsuccessful delivery attempt alone is not physical receipt.

Neither party should assume a safe-place instruction, neighbour delivery or disputed scan settles every issue. Contact support with the actual circumstances; follow agreed instructions while a problem is being reviewed.

7. Protected collection and handover

Protected collection is paid online . The seller must wait for verified payment, and both parties then agree a realistic place and time. Check the collection area before buying or bidding; transport and any lifting help remain matters to arrange with the seller.

1. The buyer inspects the actual item or complete lot at collection. For equipment, ask to see it working where reasonable and check included parts. For livestock, check the identity and visible condition before handover.
2. The seller opens the paid purchase and prepares the handover code.
3. Only at actual handover, the buyer enters the code and confirms receipt and acceptance in their purchase record.
4. If something is materially wrong, do not confirm acceptance. Explain the issue and contact CoralBay. Do not remove goods while leaving the handover unresolved without an agreed arrangement.

The initial collection allowance is 14 calendar days after verified payment , subject to the saved purchase terms. Request an extension through the purchase process before the deadline, with seller agreement and a recorded new arrangement. Overdue collection leads to held-payment review; it is not automatic forfeiture, a late fee or an immediate refund.

8. Direct sale delivery and collection

If paying a Community Corals or Marketplace seller directly, agree all arrangements with that seller before payment: what is supplied, safe packaging, carrier and contents eligibility, dispatch and arrival dates, postage price and what happens if there is a problem.

CoralBay does not arrange the carrier or provide the protected-payment claim process for a direct transaction. Keep a written record of the agreement. For a private sale, the agreed terms and relevant law determine responsibility; a trader’s consumer obligations cannot be removed by describing the arrangement as direct.

Inspect at collection where practical and follow sensible precautions for personal meetings and transporting livestock or heavy equipment. A direct cash collection does not use a protected-purchase handover code.

9. Help and related information

For Shop/Vendor delivery enquiries, email support@coralbay.uk with the order number. For a protected delivery or collection, use the purchase in My account and include its reference in any support email. Explain the issue, the agreed arrangements and the relevant times.

Return shipping is a separate process. Do not send goods, and especially live livestock, back without suitable instructions. See Refunds, returns & DOA for reports, evidence and return-cost rules.