Returns, cancellations, and resolutions

Live copepods, phytoplankton, microalgae, and other perishable cultures are final sale once the order enters preparation. Routine returns, exchanges, and change-of-mind refunds are not available for living products.

PodDrop does not accept mailed or delivered returns of live cultures. Return transit can compromise organisms, introduce contamination, and create handling risks. If support needs additional evidence, the customer will be told what to retain and document.

Contact PodDrop immediately to request an address, item, quantity, or cancellation change. A request is not guaranteed after harvesting, bottling, label creation, fulfillment, or other order preparation begins.

If a requested change is accepted, price and shipping differences may apply. If it cannot be accepted, the original order terms remain in effect.

If PodDrop cannot supply an ordered item, PodDrop may contact the customer about a delay, approved substitution, store credit, partial cancellation, or cancellation of the affected item. PodDrop will not substitute a different live species without customer approval.

Concerns involving arrival condition, leakage, a missing item, or an incorrect item are reviewed only under the Live Arrival Policy. The customer must report the issue within 2 hours of the carrier’s recorded delivery time and provide the required photographs and order information.

Refunds or credits are not provided for a missed first delivery attempt, incorrect or incomplete address, refusal, theft after delivery, delayed retrieval, post-delivery temperature exposure, improper storage, failure to follow directions, aquarium incompatibility, or an expected biological result that does not occur.

Carrier and extreme-weather events are handled according to the Shipping Policy and Live Arrival Policy.

Original shipping charges, expedited-service charges, customs fees, duties, taxes, permits, and other destination costs are non-refundable except where required by law or expressly approved by PodDrop in writing.

When a live-arrival claim is approved, PodDrop may provide a replacement of the affected item or store credit. The selected resolution depends on the evidence, circumstances, and current culture availability.

A resolution will not exceed the affected product’s original purchase price and does not cover indirect losses, aquarium losses, lost production, labor, testing, or downstream biological outcomes.

Each processed subscription shipment is treated as a separate live-product order. Changes, skips, pauses, or cancellations must be completed before the applicable processing deadline shown in the customer portal. Once a renewal enters preparation, it may no longer be changed or canceled.

Approved wholesale, hatchery, research, university, and public-aquarium accounts may have written purchase terms, acceptance criteria, or claim procedures. Those written terms control when they differ from this retail policy.

Use the PodDrop contact page and include the order number, affected product, delivery or processing status, a concise explanation, and the documentation required by the applicable policy. Submitting a request does not guarantee approval.

Nothing in this policy limits a customer right or remedy that cannot lawfully be excluded. Where applicable law requires a different result, PodDrop will follow that requirement while applying the remainder of this policy to the maximum extent permitted.