Live Delivery Guarantee

We take shipping live plants and beneficial organisms seriously. Every order is packed with care, experience, and intention, and we do everything we reasonably can to help your plants and predatory mites arrive healthy.

Open the box as soon as it arrives. Everything in it was alive when we packed it, and the sooner it comes out of the box, the better.

Because these are living organisms, timing and handling matter. The guidelines below help ensure that, if something does go wrong, we can understand what happened and support you fairly.

By placing an order with FGMN Nursery, you agree to the terms outlined here.

What's covered

We guarantee live arrival on the first delivery attempt for:

• Live plants
• Predatory mites
• Orders shipped within the contiguous United States (lower 48 states)

If your order arrives in a condition where the plant or organism cannot reasonably be expected to recover, we'll offer a replacement or store credit, at our discretion, once the steps below are completed.

Live plants and beneficial organisms can show signs of temporary stress after shipping — wilted leaves, slowed movement, or a quiet first day are normal and usually resolve within a few days of release or repotting. For this reason, partial loss, cosmetic damage, and delayed recovery aren't covered under the guarantee, which is reserved for shipments that arrive non-viable.

What's not covered

We're unable to extend the guarantee in the following situations:

• Delayed pickup after deliveryLive shipments are sensitive to time. Packages that sit unattended — outdoors, in mailboxes, or on delivery vehicles — can be affected quickly.
• Missed first delivery attemptIf a package cannot be delivered on the first attempt, or delivery is delayed due to customer availability or error, we're unable to guarantee live arrival.
• Incorrect or incomplete shipping informationDelivery issues caused by address errors entered at checkout are not covered.
• Packages that are forwarded, rerouted, or heldAny redirection or holding outside of our control voids the guarantee.
• Contact made more than 72 hours after deliveryWe ask that you check your package as soon as it arrives and contact us within 72 hours if there are any concerns. Because we can't see how long a package may have sat unopened or what conditions it experienced after delivery, timely contact helps us assess issues accurately and respond appropriately.
• Orders shipped outside the contiguous United StatesShipments to Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. territories, or international destinations are not covered.
• Still covered, with one condition — the same item twice within 90 daysIf the same product arrives in poor condition on two separate orders within 90 days, we'll settle the second one as usual — and from then on that one product is covered only when the order ships overnight. Everything else you order stays covered exactly as it is. Two failures in a season usually points to the journey rather than the batch, and less time in transit is what changes the outcome.

What to do if there's an issue

If your shipment arrives in poor condition:

• Take clear photos of the contents and packaging as soon as you open the box
• Email info@fgmnnursery.com within 72 hours of the recorded delivery time
• Include your order number and a brief description of what you're seeing

Prompt communication gives us the best chance to review the situation and determine the right next step.

If we write to you about a report and don't hear back for two weeks, we close it off at our end rather than leave it sitting open. That isn't final — reply to our email, with a photo or note if you have one, and it comes straight back to a person.

How we protect your shipment

We adjust our packing and shipping methods based on season, route, and organism needs to give every order the best possible chance of success:

• Heat packs (free of charge)Used for live plants only. Heat packs are never included with predatory mite or predatory insect shipments.
• Ice packs for predatory mites — and sometimes predatory insects — even in winterPredatory mites are cold-tolerant but highly sensitive to dehydration and the metabolic stress it causes. Ice packs help maintain humidity around the organisms in transit. They always arrive warm, and a warm box is normal — a cold box does them more harm than a warm one. Certain predatory insects may also ship with ice packs depending on species and conditions. This is done to reduce stress, not to expose them to cold.
• Protective insulationPolyfill or bubble wrap is used to buffer temperature swings rather than force warmth.
• Weather-aware shipping decisionsWe actively monitor weather and transit conditions and may delay shipping when needed. A slightly later shipment is often safer than one exposed to extreme conditions.