Shipping Policy & FAQ

Do you ship your products to my country?

We ship worldwide inorganic materials like hardware and accessories and organic material like live ants and food ships only within Canada.

What payment methods do you accept?

We accept secure payment through PayPal or the following credit cards: Visa, Visa Electron, Mastercard, American Express, Apple Pay, JCB, China Union Pay, Diners, Cartes Bancaires, Discover and Maestro.

Our official currency is CAD (Canadian dollars). Please note that our site uses a currency converter app that detects your location and automatically converts CAD to your local currency; we support 160 commonly circulating world currencies covering 99% of all United Nations recognized states and territories. Your payment will be converted from CAD to your banking currency. If the converter app fails to load your location and local currency, it will default to CAD.

Do you ship live ants outside of Canada under any circumstance?

No, we do not.

How long will it take for my order to get to me/to ship?

Once paid, orders are prepared and processed during business days (Monday to Friday); orders containing live specimens preferentially ship on Mondays or early in the week for the best delivery to avoid getting stuck on the weekend.

Current processing times:

Simple orders: 1-3 business days

Complex orders with large hardware requiring significant glass (enclosures & outworlds) or substrate (formicaria/nests): up to 10 business days on average.

All formicaria receive a wash with distilled water before leaving; this means larger formicaria or large orders will take longer to dry; this is done to ensure items are ready for use and pass all quality standards.

Once the order leaves, the time it takes to arrive depends on the type of shipment chosen at check out and the distance needed to travel. Orders to Canada and the USA usually take up to two weeks to arrive when they leave our facility with the basic shipping options. Tracking is offered for all Canada and USA orders, and for some international shipping, not all international orders support tracking features, and it is on a by-country basis.

Production time + shipping time = total arrival time > Production time ranges from 1 to 6 business days; shipping time depends on your selected shipping option.

Business-to-business orders are handled differently, and production estimates, shipping costs, discounts and delivery time frames are arranged before confirming an order.

What shipping services are offered?

All orders are processed using Canada Post, and the options depend on the destination. We have three main options, local (Canada), USA, and International (other than the USA).

- We have two options for orders shipping to Canada: Expedited parcel tracked (usually takes 4 to 10 business days), and Xpresspost tracked (usually takes 2 to 6 business days); all orders containing live ants should use Xpresspost as it is faster.

- For orders shipping to the USA, orders under 2kg, we offer Tracked packet and Expedited parcel tracked for orders over 2kg (both usually take 5 to 10 business days).

- For orders shipping internationally other than to the USA, we offer Small Packet International - Air (usually takes 7 - 14 business days, no tracking information), Small Packet International - Surface (cheapest but slowest, taking from 2 weeks up to 2 months) and Tracked Packet International (usually takes 6 to 10 business days and has tracking capability), please keep in mind that some countries postal services do not provide tracking information.

How is the shipping cost calculated?

It is calculated based on the total weight of all the items in your order, the shipping standard of your choice and the distance to travel. Then, as you add and remove items to your cart, you can review the shipping options and cost at checkout.

Can a different shipping courier be used?

Yes, like DHL, UPS, etc., but in this case, please contact us first before placing your order so we can quote and estimate the cost and configure your order accordingly before payment.

Do you cover customs/duty fees?

No, we do not cover any customs or duty fees incurred at your country’s border; if any fees are applicable, the customer is responsible for such.

What happens if a package is lost or damaged during shipping or received the wrong product?

We will launch an investigation with Canada Post and resend the merchandise. It is important to report incidents within three days of receiving the goods, or we may refuse to resend them. For damaged or incorrect goods, please notify us immediately when receiving your order, take clear pictures of the damage, including the box and the products, and send them to us by email at customercare@poramorart.ca, including your order #. If a package is missing, we suggest calling Canada Post first to ensure they look up the item on their system; if that fails to provide an answer, please email us at customercare@poramorart.ca, including your order #.

What if my ants arrive dead? Or die soon after arriving?

If the ants arrive dead, get in touch with us immediately at customercare@poramorart.ca; send us clear pictures of the dead ants, including the box and the rest of the products; this is needed for us to offer a refund (excluding shipping fee) or resend the ants free of additional charge. It is important to report incidents within 24 hours of receiving the goods, or we may refuse to resend/refund the items.

When shipping live ants & spiders, please select the Xpressport shipping service to ensure a short transit time. Any other shipping method VOIDS all warranty claims on live specimens. Live specimens that are not claimed within 24 hours from the post office VOIDS all warranty.

Due to the unsuitable gel ant farms, low-quality formicaria, and overly large ant farms sold in toy stores and other online sites like Amazon, we can not offer a warranty on queens and ant colonies housed in such; we reserve the right to determine if the proper conditions are met in case of fatalities.

If ants arrive alive but die within one week of receiving them, it will be up to our discretion to determine if this was due to neglect of the receiver; if no reason is found, we will reship or refund the ants.

What if I have to return and mail items back?

The customer will be responsible for the return shipment of the product to us.

Please note that we are not responsible for potential mail delivery interruptions incurred by the shipping courier; such are out of our control. For example, during the COVID pandemic lockdowns, Canada Post suspended its service standards and tried its best to deliver packages on time within its capabilities.

The following web pages can help us find out about any service interruptions or delivery service alerts, as well as estimated shipping times:

Canada Post service alert page.

Canada Post closure and service interruptions.

Canada Post delivery standards.