1. Acceptance of these terms
This site is operated by DAK Inverts ("we", "us", "our"). By browsing the site, contacting us through it, or placing an order, you agree to these Terms & Conditions. If you do not agree, please do not use the site or order from us.
These terms apply to every order unless we have agreed something different with you in writing.
2. Who may order
You must be at least 18 years old, or have the consent and supervision of a parent or legal guardian who accepts these terms on your behalf, to order live animals from us.
You must give a complete and accurate name, delivery address, phone number and email address. We are not responsible for delays, losses or deaths caused by an address or contact detail entered incorrectly.
3. Animals, listings and photographs
- Most listings are for a specific individual animal. Once it sells it is gone — the listing comes down rather than being restocked.
- Photographs show the actual animal or a representative example of that species and size. Live animals grow, molt and change color, so appearance at delivery may differ from the photograph.
- Size and age are approximate. Sex is not guaranteed unless a listing states the animal is confirmed sexed and says how it was confirmed.
- Species and common names follow the naming in general use among keepers. Taxonomy changes; a later reclassification is not a defect in what you bought.
- We work to keep availability, descriptions and prices accurate, and we reserve the right to correct errors and to cancel and refund an order placed against an obvious pricing or availability mistake.
4. Prices, taxes and payment
Prices are in U.S. dollars and exclude shipping and any applicable sales tax, which are calculated at checkout. Prices may change at any time before you place an order.
Payment is taken at checkout through our third-party payment processor. Card details are entered on the processor's own secure pages — we never receive or store your full card number. Your order is not confirmed until payment is authorized.
5. Orders, reservations and cancellation
Adding an animal to your cart places a short, temporary hold so that two people cannot buy the same animal at once. The hold expires on its own if you do not complete checkout, and the animal returns to general availability.
Your order is an offer to buy. We accept it when we confirm it by email. We may decline or cancel an order — before or after payment — if the animal is no longer in suitable condition to travel, if we cannot ship legally or safely to your location, if the listing contained an error, or if we suspect fraud. If we cancel, we refund you in full.
You may cancel for a full refund any time before your order ships. Once an animal has been packed and handed to the carrier the order can no longer be canceled, and the live arrival guarantee applies instead.
6. Shipping live animals
We ship only within the areas listed at checkout. Live animals ship on designated days only, so that a package is never sitting in a facility over a weekend or a holiday.
- Weather holds. We will not ship when forecast temperatures at the origin, the destination or a transit hub fall outside the safe range for the animal. We hold the order and ship on the next safe date at no extra cost. If you would rather not wait, you may cancel a held order for a full refund.
- Delivery. Packages go out for the fastest reasonable delivery. Someone must be able to receive the package promptly, or you must collect it from the carrier's hold location on the day it arrives.
- Shipping cost. Live-animal orders ship for a flat fee, the same anywhere in the lower 48. If the address you finally ship to requires a territory surcharge that your quoted ZIP did not, we may contact you for the difference before shipping.
- Delays. Once a package is with the carrier, transit is outside our control. Carrier delays, weather events and misrouting are not something we can prevent, though we will help you trace a package and will honor the live arrival guarantee where it applies.
7. Live arrival guarantee
We guarantee that your animal will arrive alive when the conditions below are met. This guarantee is the sole remedy for an animal that does not survive shipping.
To claim, all of the following must be true:
- The package was accepted on the first delivery attempt, or collected from the carrier's hold location on the day it arrived.
- You contacted us within {{DOA_WINDOW}} of delivery, at the email address in section 21.
- You sent clear photographs of the animal in the unopened or just-opened packaging, together with photographs of the outer box, the packing materials and the shipping label.
- The delivery address was correct and complete, and the shipment was not held, refused, rerouted or redelivered at your request.
- Temperatures at delivery were within the range we shipped under, and the package was not left outdoors for an extended period.
A tarantula that arrives limp, curled or barely moving is very often only cold or stressed rather than dead, and frequently recovers within a day. Contact us with photographs before assuming the worst — but do it inside the window above.
Where a valid claim is made we will, at our option, send a replacement of equal value on the next safe ship date or refund the price of the animal. Shipping charges are not refundable under this guarantee. The guarantee does not cover a molt in transit, a molt shortly after arrival, or death occurring more than 48 hours after delivery, since husbandry after delivery is out of our hands.
8. Returns and refunds
Live animals cannot be returned or exchanged. This is standard practice in the hobby: an animal that has left our care and travelled twice cannot be safely resold, and re-shipping is a serious risk to the animal. The live arrival guarantee is the remedy for an animal that does not arrive alive.
Approved refunds are issued to the original payment method. Depending on your bank, funds usually appear within 5–10 business days.
9. Care, handling and assumption of risk
Tarantulas and other invertebrates are not domesticated pets. All tarantulas are venomous. Many New World species flick urticating hairs that cause skin, eye and airway irritation. Old World species are typically faster, more defensive and have significantly more potent venom. Bites, hair exposure and allergic reactions — including, rarely, severe ones — are possible.
By ordering you confirm that you understand these risks, that you have researched the species you are buying, that you have a suitable enclosure ready before it arrives, and that you accept full responsibility for the animal's housing, security and care from the moment it is delivered.
Care information on this site is general hobby guidance offered in good faith. It is not veterinary or medical advice. If you are bitten or have a reaction, seek medical attention.
Keep animals secured and away from children and other pets. We are not responsible for injury, illness, property damage or loss arising from your keeping or handling of an animal, or its escape, after delivery.
10. Your legal responsibilities
Exotic-animal law varies by country, state, county and city, and it changes. It is your responsibility, not ours, to confirm before ordering that you may lawfully receive and keep the species you are buying where you live, and to hold any permit or license your jurisdiction requires.
We ship only where we can do so lawfully, and we may decline or cancel an order on that basis. Placing an order is your representation that receiving it is legal for you. We do not ship internationally unless a listing says otherwise; some species are subject to CITES or other trade controls.
11. Merchandise and supplies
We do not currently sell non-living goods. Everything offered through this site is a live animal, and the shipping and live arrival terms in sections 6 and 7 apply to all of it. If we begin offering merchandise or supplies, this section will be updated with the return terms that apply to them before anything goes on sale.
12. Use of this website
You agree not to use this site to break the law, to interfere with its operation or security, to scrape or bulk-copy its content, to submit false order or contact information, or to attempt access to any administrative area you are not authorized to use. We may suspend or refuse service to anyone who does.
13. Intellectual property
All content on this site — photographs, text, layout, logos and design — belongs to DAK Inverts or its licensors and is protected by copyright and trademark law. You may not reproduce, republish or use it commercially without our written permission. Our animal photographs in particular are our own work and are not free stock; please ask before using one.
14. Third-party services
We rely on third parties for payment processing, hosting, shipping and email. Their own terms and privacy policies govern what they do, and we are not responsible for their acts or omissions. Links from this site to other sites are offered for convenience and are not an endorsement.
15. Privacy
We collect only what we need to fulfil your order and answer your questions: your name, contact details, delivery address, order history and any message you send us. We do not sell your information or share it for advertising. We share it with our payment processor, our carrier and our hosting provider strictly so they can do their part of the job.
Our Privacy Policy sets all of this out in full — what we collect, who we share it with, how long we keep it, and how to ask for a copy or a deletion. It forms part of these terms.
16. Disclaimer of warranties
Except for the live arrival guarantee and any warranty that cannot legally be excluded, this site and everything sold through it are provided "as is", without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement. We do not warrant that the site will be uninterrupted or error-free, or that any animal will live for any particular length of time after delivery.
17. Limitation of liability
To the fullest extent the law allows, DAK Inverts and its owners, employees and agents are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages, or for lost profits, arising out of your use of this site or any product bought through it.
Our total liability for any claim relating to an order is limited to the amount you actually paid for that order.
Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limitations, so parts of this section may not apply to you.
18. Indemnification
You agree to indemnify and hold DAK Inverts harmless from any claim, loss or expense — including reasonable legal fees — arising from your breach of these terms, your violation of any law, or your keeping or handling of an animal after delivery.
19. Changes to these terms
We may update these terms at any time. The version posted here when you place an order is the version that governs that order, so please check the effective date above before you buy.
20. Governing law and disputes
These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Florida, without regard to its conflict-of-law rules. Any dispute will be brought in the state or federal courts located in Florida, and you and we consent to that venue.
Please contact us first. Nearly every problem is faster to fix by email than by anything else.
If any provision of these terms is found unenforceable, the rest stays in force.
21. How to reach us
Questions about these terms, a live arrival claim, or an order:
DAK Inverts
{{BUSINESS_ADDRESS}}
dakinverts@gmail.com
You can also use our contact form. For a live arrival claim, email is faster and lets you attach photographs.