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Refund policy

Latest Revision: 5th Sep 2025

Dry Goods Policy

Our policy lasts 30 days. If 30 days have gone by since the tracked arrival of your parcel, unfortunately we can’t offer you a refund or exchange.

We offer refunds on any goods that arrive damaged. Refunds range from 50% if insignificantly damaged, and 100% if significantly damaged. Replacements on significantly damaged goods may be offered if stock allows us to. Shipping is free for all replacements. To make a claim, take photos and contact us as soon as possible. When doing so, provide your order details (name, order number and which items are affected) so that we can resolve things swiftly. 

For certain items that have arrived damaged or faulty, we may supply a return label with instructions for return.  

Live Arrival Guarantee (DOA Policy)

This policy applies to all orders with live goods (animals and plants, including worms, insects, moss etc.). This policy is void if an order with live goods is sent on your request and with your consent, outside of our recommended or usual conditions and times. 

Creatures Inverted offers a live arrival guarantee on all live goods. It is rare that any live goods die in transit, but it is important to understand DOA (dead on arrival) policies when ordering live goods. 

In the case of a DOA occurring, please follow the advice below:

Receiving Live Goods and Making a Claim

  1. If you are not personally available to receive the parcel, it is recommended to have someone else home or send it to your work address to receive and check the live animals sooner. See below for circumstances where you cannot have someone present. 

  2. If for any reason the parcel is left on the doorstep, or unattended at the address, it is still covered by DOA Policy, so long as the claim is made on the same day of arrival (this ensures that we know it wasn't left unchecked outside for the entire day and overnight).
    PO Boxes are not suitable for receiving live animals, and cannot be covered by DOA policy.
    If the parcel took longer to arrive, or was delayed by events out of our control, it is still eligible for DOA claims. 

  3. Open the parcel and inspect for damage. Is there water leaking out of bags? Burst/broken containers? Are there any animals dead, unmoving or in a very poor state in the container? 

  4. If anything is amiss, take a photo of it immediately. Try to take clear photos. If it is difficult with closed bags/containers, they may be opened. Video may be easier for some people to show things, but it is not vital. Photos with animals with their belly up are the most clear to review if possible. 

  5. After taking photos/video of the damage and dead animals, open the bag/containers immediately. If there are any surviving animals, prioritise their care now. Acclimatising them and moving them into a clean, proper home or quarantine setup as soon as possible is vital for the best chances of recovery from a bad shipping experience. 

  6. Once immediate care for surviving animals has been handled, contact us as soon as possible via email at info@creaturesinverted.com.au
  7. In the email, include the following: name from the invoice, order number (also from the invoice), any photos or videos you have taken, and any written detail about what went wrong if necessary.

  8. If someone else needs to make a claim on your behalf. They can use their own contact email, so long as they include all the details mentioned in the previous step. 

  9. Try to contact us as soon as possible, as DOA claims submitted over 48 hours after arrival may appear suspect. If there are extraordinary circumstances, let us know and we will take this into account. 

  10. We don’t accept claims made many days after arrival, or claims where animals have passed away in conditions well outside of shipping (eg. animals arrived healthy, but perished inside the final enclosure where care parameters are set by the recipient).

Once a claim is submitted, we will do our best to get in touch with you within 24 hours to resolve it. Below are the several ways we may resolve claims, depending on your circumstances and your preference. 

DOA Refunds and Replacements

If some of the live goods arrive dead or in poor condition, you are entitled to a refund or free replacement of the affected animals. A replacement may be offered depending on circumstance, with free shipping if current stock levels allow for it. In some circumstances only refund can be offered. 

  • Refunds can be to the value of the lost animal (eg. if 1 of 10 cultures arrived dead, you are entitled to 1/10th refund of the value).

  • If more than 70% of a packed portion arrived dead, you are entitled for a full refund of that portion (eg. if a culture of springtails arrives with almost all dead springtails). 
  • For cultures or live goods not easily quantified, full refunds for the value of those particular goods will be issued even if the culture may be viable.

    Note: It’s advised to keep cultures even if they appear to be dead and have already been refunded. Sometimes they can be recovered or show signs of reproduction after a week or so.
  • Any undamaged dry goods are not included in refunds and replacements of live goods orders.

  • If the wrong live goods are received, they can be returned in their original packaging. Please contact us to arrange return, and we will provide a return label. 

Change of Mind and Cancellation

Our policy lasts 30 days. If 30 days have gone by since your purchase, unfortunately we can’t offer you a refund or exchange.

If you change your mind about an order and would like to cancel or amend it, please contact us ASAP before it is shipped out. We cannot cancel or refund orders that are currently shipping. Please refer to our shipping policy for scheduled shipping times. 

If you have received your item and wish to return it due to Change of Mind, it must be returned in its original packaging, unused to be eligible for refund. Contact us prior to making a return to initiate the returns process.

You will be responsible for paying for your own shipping costs for returning your item under these circumstances. Once we receive the returned product, the full value of the product will be refunded. Shipping costs are non-refundable. 

If you are shipping a return item over $75, consider using a trackable shipping service or purchasing shipping insurance (if valued over $100 for insurance). We can’t guarantee that we will receive your returned item if it is untracked.

Note on Live Animals with Change of Mind: Please read and examine listings on live animals very carefully before committing a purchase to make sure you truly want them! Some live goods can be returned easily, and others may suffer death if returned improperly. Return in their original packaging as soon as possible is recommended.