Shipping & DOA Policy

Shipping & DOA Policy

🌿 Our Commitment to Live Arrival

We carefully package and ship every betta fish to ensure the highest possible survival rate. While we maintain a very high success rate, shipping live animals always carries a small natural risk.

How We Ship

🚚 USPS Priority Mail — Live Fish

We ship all live betta fish via USPS Priority Mail from Lincoln, Nebraska. Ships every Monday. Rates calculated at checkout based on your location.

📬 USPS Priority Mail Express

Faster guaranteed delivery option — available at checkout. Recommended for time-sensitive orders or winter months.

📦 Non-Live Products — USPS Ground

Botanicals, Indian almond leaves, and accessories. Delivery 2–7 days. No live arrival guarantee on this method.

🧊 Packaging

Every order ships in insulated boxes with heat packs (cold months) or cold packs (hot months). Included at no extra cost. We use 72-hour UniHeat warmers.

📍 Why Mondays? We ship on Mondays so your fish arrives by Wednesday at the latest — never sitting in a facility over the weekend.

DOA Policy

⚠️ Important: Our DOA guarantee applies to USPS Priority Mail shipments only. We cannot offer a DOA guarantee for packages delivered after Thursday or in transit longer than 4 days. Carrier delays are outside our control.
  1. Do not open the bag.
  2. Take a clear photo of the entire sealed bag with the fish visible inside.
  3. Email your photos to info@midwestbettas.com within 2 hours of delivery. We confirm via tracking — no exceptions.

Claims via social media are not valid. In confirmed DOA cases we will issue store credit for the cost of the fish. Shipping is non-refundable.

Shipping Temperatures

Temperature (your location) Shipping status
Under 25°F Do not order — wait for warmer weather
25–32°F Cold weather hold possible — heat pack included
32–85°F ✅ Safe to ship — USPS Priority Mail
85–95°F Hot weather — shipment may be delayed
95–100°F Extreme heat — order held until temperatures drop
100°F+ Do not order — wait for cooler weather

Important Notes

🐟 Tail Biting

Long-finned bettas may occasionally nip their fins during transit. Not covered under DOA. If tail damage occurs before shipping, we will contact you with options.

🎨 Marbling

Koi, Marble, and Fancy bettas may change color over time. If color changes significantly before shipping, we will send updated photos for approval.

📷 Wrong Fish

If we ship the wrong fish, we will resend the correct one at no cost or issue a full refund. Claims within 24 hours. Fraudulent claims result in permanent ban.

Questions? Email info@midwestbettas.com or DM us @MidWestBettas.