Buying community frags safely

Check the seller

Review the seller's profile, listing history and any available feedback. Be cautious if the seller:

• Pressures you to pay immediately.
• Refuses to provide a current photograph.
• Asks you to communicate or pay through an unexpected external link.
• Changes their payment details at the last moment.
• Offers a price that appears unrealistically low.
• Gives inconsistent information about the frag.
• Claims to be a private hobbyist while regularly selling livestock as a business.

Check the frag

Ask the seller to confirm:

• That the photograph shows the exact frag being sold.
• The number of polyps included.
• When the frag was cut and whether it has healed.
• Whether the polyps are currently opening normally.
• Whether zoanthid-eating nudibranchs, sundial snails, spiders, aiptasia, flatworms or other pests have been seen.
• Whether the system has experienced recent disease, treatment or unexplained livestock loss.
• Whether the morph name is confirmed or represents the seller's best identification.

Agree everything before paying

Make sure both parties agree in writing:

• The exact frag and polyp count.
• The total price.
• Whether the frag will be collected or posted.
• Who pays for delivery.
• The dispatch date and delivery service.
• Packaging arrangements.
• Any dead-on-arrival policy and the evidence required for a claim.
• What happens if dispatch is delayed by weather or temperature.

Pay safely

Use a payment method that provides suitable buyer protection and check its terms before paying, including whether live animals are covered. Avoid direct bank transfers when dealing with someone you do not know or cannot verify.

Collecting in person

If collecting a frag:

• Tell someone where you are going.
• Arrange collection during daylight where practical.
• Do not enter a property if you feel uncomfortable.
• Inspect the frag before paying or leaving.
• Transport it in an insulated container and avoid unnecessary temperature changes.

Protect your aquarium

Even apparently healthy frags can carry pests, algae or pathogens. Inspect and quarantine arrivals where possible and follow an appropriate coral-dipping procedure before adding them to your display aquarium.

Private sellers and business sellers

Your rights can differ depending on whether the seller is a private individual or is acting as a business. Purchases from private individuals generally have fewer consumer protections, although the item must still match its description.

Seller requirements

Sellers must use a current photograph of the exact frag, describe the polyp count and condition honestly, declare whether they are selling privately or as a business, publish only a postcode district and state collection, delivery and dead-on-arrival terms clearly.

If something goes wrong

Contact the seller first and keep a written record. Save the original listing, messages, photographs, delivery packaging and payment evidence.