Ordering & Shipping
Ordering from AquaHerp:
AquaHerp webshop has a normal e-commerce shopping cart checkout, which will automatically show weight based shipping costs and available payment options before order is confirmed.
NOTE! There are geographical restrictions for countries in the webshop. However, shipments to other countries can be arranged, see additional information below.
SHIPPING:
For the time being, AquaHerp products are shipped from a warehouse located in Helsinki, Finland. Due to the unfavorable geographical location, shipping costs are relatively high even to the neighbor countries. Parcel shipments from Finland are consisted of a fixed price per shipment and an additional cost based on the packet weight. The basic price is high, while the packet weight has only a minor effect on the cost.
As the shipping problem cannot be solved effectively unless the warehouse operation is relocated to another country, AquaHerp is compensating high shipping costs by two means:
1. Product prices are discounted in order to make the actual purchase price (product + shipping) favorable for international clients. Therefore, AquaHerp price level does not represent the actual product quality and product quality-price ratio is not comparable to similar products from other brands. Competitive price level is possible due to the cost effective operation of the company, not because of low product quality. If the products were priced in the same manner as other similar brands form their retail prices, AquaHerp products would be significantly more expensive.
2. As the shipping cost system favors heavier shipments, cost per item will drop significantly when products are ordered in larger quantities. Therefore AquaHerp gives additional price discounts based on quantity. Most products are offered in 6-Pack deals that can be used to reduce or even eliminate shipping costs when the extra items are sold locally to other hobbyists.
Shipping Terms:
All shipments are restricted to 29 kilos (if an order is heavier than 29 kilos, the shipping cost explodes).
Due to the shipping cost issues, there are geographical restrictions in shipping. Webshop orders are restricted to Northern and Central European EU-countries:
EU-Europe 1:
Estonia
Latvia
Lithuania
Sweden
Denmark
Germany
Shipping cost is automatically calculated in the shopping cart according to this table:
2kg = 15,95EUR
5kg = 19,95EUR
10kg = 24,95EUR
15kg = 29,95EUR
20kg = 34,95EUR
25kg = 39,95EUR
29kg = 45,95EUR
Estonia:
There are two shipping options to Estonia:
Smart Post shipment has a fixed price of 9,50EUR to any packet up to 30kg, but it can only contain products that are less than 58cm long.
Smart Post requires additional shipping information; the exact Smart Post information has to be identified in the order comment information or set as the shipping address.
EU-Europe 2:
Netherlands
Belgium
Luxembourg
Austria
Poland
Czech Republic
Slovakia
Shipping cost is automatically calculated in the shopping cart according to this table:
2kg = 19,95EUR
5kg = 24,95EUR
10kg = 29,95EUR
15kg = 34,95EUR
20kg = 39,95EUR
25kg = 45,95EUR
29kg = 49,95EUR
Other Countries:
If a client is trying to order to a country outside this listing, the shopping cart will not show shipping options and the order cannot be completed. Although webshop orders are restricted, we can actually ship to any country that uses 230V 50Hz Europlug standard equipment, but the details must be inquired via email.
Russia:
Especially St. Petersburg area; a pick-up from the AquaHerp warehouse in Helsinki can be arranged.
DELIVERY TIME:
All products that can be ordered from AquaHerp Webshop are ready for instant delivery at the company warehouse.
Average shipping times (= time after the packet has been given to the transport company):
EU-Europe 1:
Estonia
Latvia
Lithuania
1-2 working days
Sweden
2-4 working days
Denmark
Germany
3-4 working days
EU-Europe 2:
4-5 working days
It should be noted that the average shipping time does vary depending on the hour when the packet has been given to the transport company and the week day. It is common for packets to leave the warehouse in the late afternoon or evening, which will add one day for the actual shipping time.
Also, there might be (and often is) a delay of a few days before the order is actually packed and shipped out of the warehouse.
If there has been an inventory mistake and an ordered product is not available in stock, the price will be refunded. A missing product is not replaced with a similar product except after requesting it from the client.
PAYMENTS:
AquaHerp Webshop has two payment options, which are available to all countries:
Paypal
EU Bank Transfer
For the security and convenience reasons, AquaHerp does not accept direct credit card payments. All orders have to be paid in full before they are shipped out of the warehouse, hence cash-on-delivery, and other delayed payment methods are not available in AquaHerp webshop.
PLEASE NOTE: European Bank Transfer payment method is NOT an invoice, that is sent along the order and paid by the client after the packet has been received. The order has to be paid and the payment to be verified by bank before the order is processed and shipped.
Bank transfer payment must be in the form of standard EU bank transfer with IBAN (International Bank Account Number) and BIC (Bank Identifier Code) numbers. If Standard EU bank transfer cannot be used, the payer must cover all transaction costs derived from other types of bank transactions.
Information for people who are new to online shopping:
Paypal is a credit card based online payment system. A credit card holder will register and create an account at www.paypal.com and will use Paypal codes instead of actual credit card information in online shopping. All credit card information is held and secured by Paypal and it is not forwarded to online shops. Paypal purchases are charged from the credit card like normal credit card purchases and they are covered the same customer security terms as normal credit card payments.
Paypal is used in the online shop checkout process, hence the order is paid when the order is confirmed by the buyer. This is both an easy and fast way to order from international webshops, as the shop can process and ship the order instantly after it has been made.
EU Bank Transfer is suitable for people who do not wish to use a credit card in online shopping. When this payment option is chosen, the order is completed in the webshop checkout system without an integrated payment step. The order confirmation containing payment information (Order reference number, total sum, IBAN-bank account number and BIC-code) will be sent to the client email-address. The order can be then paid as a bank transaction in an online bank application or at a bank office.
This will be slower than Paypal, as it will usually take a few days before the payment has cleared and confirmed at the Webshops bank.
ORDER CANCELLATIONS & RETURNS:
If an order is cancelled BEFORE it is shipped out from the warehouse (hence no shipping costs has occurred), there will be no cancellation costs to the client.
Shipping costs (delivery and return) are not refundable. Goods must be returned at buyers own cost.
Returned goods must be in mint (unused) condition. If the returned products show signs of use or damage or the packages are not in original condition (hence the product cannot be resold as new & unused), we reserve the right to reduce compensation according to the reduction of the reselling value. Due to the nature of products, most used products are not refundable (a product that has been used in an aquarium or terrarium and has been in contact with animals or their enclosures is contaminated and forms a biological thread to other animals).
Faulty goods are fully refundable. Products that have malfunctioned or broken during the warranty period are refundable, but the achieved use value can be deducted from the compensation.
Goods broken due to misuse or improper handling are not refundable.
