Store policies

Order placement and confirmation

Placing an order on the website records it as pending review and triggers an automatic “order placed” email. Card customers continue directly to Stripe Checkout and pay the displayed total; cash pickup customers do not pay online. Payment does not by itself mean the order has been accepted. Rare Shrimps Canada reviews stock, livestock suitability, fulfillment, discounts, taxes, and the final details. The order is accepted only when we send a separate “order confirmed” email.

Contact us as early as possible to request a change. Before an order is packed, prepared for pickup, or sent for delivery, we will make reasonable efforts to update quantities, items, fulfillment details, or timing. A change may require an updated invoice, an additional payment, a refund of the difference, or store credit.

Pickup and GTA shipping

After reviewing a pickup request, the owner calls the customer to agree on a time. A pickup order is accepted only after that time is scheduled and a confirmation email is sent. The neighbourhood location is shared privately. If you cannot attend, contact us before the scheduled hand-off. Livestock is never left unattended. A missed pickup without notice may be cancelled, and a future pickup may require advance payment.

GTA local courier shipping costs $9.99 and is free when the product subtotal is more than $100.00. Shipping is currently available only within the GTA, with wider service areas planned. The fee is calculated at checkout; it is not quoted separately. We approve the address and timing as part of order confirmation. Customers are responsible for providing an accurate address and being available for the confirmed hand-off.

Rare Shrimps Canada may postpone pickup or delivery when weather, transport conditions, or animal welfare make the planned timing unsafe. If we cannot fulfill an order safely as confirmed, the customer may accept a new time, an appropriate adjustment, store credit, or a refund without a cancellation deduction.

Payment

Online card payments use Stripe-hosted Checkout immediately after the customer submits the order. Rare Shrimps Canada does not collect card numbers on this website. A completed payment remains subject to the store’s later livestock and fulfillment confirmation. If Rare Shrimps Canada cannot accept a paid order, the online payment is refunded in full. Cash is accepted only at scheduled pickup; any applicable checkout discount is shown before the order is placed and itemized in the final total. Interac e-Transfer is not accepted.

Livestock final sale and support

Freshwater shrimp, aquatic plants, and all other living aquarium products are final sale. Once livestock has been picked up, delivered, shipped, or otherwise transferred to the customer, it cannot be returned or exchanged. This protects the health of the animals and prevents cross-contamination between aquarium systems.

Support continues after hand-off. Contact us if you need help with livestock condition, acclimation, water parameters, compatibility, or troubleshooting. Include the order number, relevant photos or video, current water parameters, aquarium size and setup, acclimation method, and a clear timeline so we can assess the situation and recommend next steps.

Changes, cancellations, and refunds

Changes are no longer guaranteed after an order has been packed, prepared for pickup, or scheduled for delivery. When an approved change creates a refund difference under $100.00, we will generally process it without an additional fee. For a refund difference over $100.00, up to 3% may be deducted to cover non-refundable platform and payment-processing costs.

When a customer cancels a confirmed order for their own reasons, up to 3% may be deducted from the refund. The deduction does not apply when an item is unavailable, we cannot meet the agreed timing, we decide conditions are unsafe for livestock, or we cannot accept or fulfill the order as submitted. A paid order that the store cannot accept receives a full refund; after confirmation, we may also offer a replacement, adjustment, store credit, or delayed fulfillment when the customer agrees.

Approved refunds are returned to the original payment method whenever possible. Bank and payment-processor timelines vary, so a refund may take several business days to appear. Any deduction will be shown clearly. Dry goods do not have an automatic change-of-mind return window; contact us before using or installing an item and we will review reasonable requests case by case. These terms do not remove remedies that apply to defective or misrepresented goods under law.

Privacy

We collect the contact, fulfillment, aquarium-note, account, and order information needed to answer requests, coordinate hand-off, process payment, provide support, prevent abuse, keep business records, and meet legal obligations. We limit collection to those purposes and do not sell personal information.

Service providers may process information for hosting, authentication, database storage, transactional email, monitoring, and Stripe payments. Access is restricted, owner actions are logged, and reasonable safeguards are used. Records are kept only as long as needed for the stated purposes, tax and accounting obligations, fraud prevention, disputes, and legal requirements.

The email-updates list is optional and uses a separate, explicit consent. We record when and where consent was given, add the address immediately after submission, and send a confirmation receipt with an unsubscribe link. Resend delivers updates and processes provider unsubscribe requests.

Email info@rareshrimps.ca to request access or correction, ask about service providers or retention, withdraw optional consent, request deletion where available, or raise a privacy concern.

Customer accounts

Accounts use secure email sign-in and exist to show the signed-in customer’s own order history. Keep access to your email account secure and contact us if you suspect unauthorized access. Owner management access requires a separately assigned role and multi-factor authentication.

Accessibility

Rare Shrimps Canada aims to provide an accessible website and customer service experience. Email info@rareshrimps.ca to request information in an accessible format, ask for communication support, or provide accessibility feedback. We will work with you on a suitable format and respond in a way that respects privacy.