Problem with coral order

[Sudaien]

I thought I'd share because I don't want anyone else to get ripped off.
I went online and bought 7 frags of coral 5 Zoas a small pink toadstool and a sps frag.
More then 300 dollars.
I bought them on eBay from a seller called CORALSLOVER . I WAS SUPER EXCITED , as the pictures he showed were of beautiful Zoas and corals. He shipped them (in 2 days)
They showed up packed wonderfully. But when. I looked at them it was a complete joke.
The two toadstools he obviously had just clipped a tiny piece off and super glued it to a plug. Of course 12 hours later they were both dead and gone. The sps was bleached white when it arrived. Why would he send this stuff?
And most disappointingly the Zoas were the tiniest microscopic pieces I have ever seen .
I was totally screwed. He offered no help in any way when I asked him to send better ones. And was quite rude. The picture you see. . The tiny rubble and dead ones you see circled in red are what they look like 4 days later. They are all useless dead and dying. My tank is very healthy all my other Zoas look phenomenal. It was dark when I took this pic so many are closed . But the crap I bought from him never opened to begin with. I highly recommend NOONE BUY FROM CORALSLOVER ON EBAY OR FACEBOOK .

 

[Daniel@R2R]

This thread has been moved to our vendor feedback forum and outside comments have been removed from this thread per R2R's feedback forum policy. This is to allow the buyer and seller to have a streamlined conversation and hopefully come to a mutually satisfactory resolution. If other members would like to contribute their experience with either the buyer or seller, they may do so by posting a link to their own feedback thread (this is the only type of outside comment that is allowed in this feedback thread). If you have any questions, feel free to message me or another staff member. Happy reefing!

Daniel
Team R2R

 

[coralSLover]

I thought I'd share because I don't want anyone else to get ripped off.
I went online and bought 7 frags of coral 5 Zoas a small pink toadstool and a sps frag.
More then 300 dollars.
I bought them on eBay from a seller called CORALSLOVER . I WAS SUPER EXCITED , as the pictures he showed were of beautiful Zoas and corals. He shipped them (in 2 days)
They showed up packed wonderfully. But when. I looked at them it was a complete joke.
The two toadstools he obviously had just clipped a tiny piece off and super glued it to a plug. Of course 12 hours later they were both dead and gone. The sps was bleached white when it arrived. Why would he send this stuff?
And most disappointingly the Zoas were the tiniest microscopic pieces I have ever seen .
I was totally screwed. He offered no help in any way when I asked him to send better ones. And was quite rude. The picture you see. . The tiny rubble and dead ones you see circled in red are what they look like 4 days later. They are all useless dead and dying. My tank is very healthy all my other Zoas look phenomenal. It was dark when I took this pic so many are closed . But the crap I bought from him never opened to begin with. I highly recommend NOONE BUY FROM CORALSLOVER ON EBAY OR FACEBOOK .

I thought I'd share because I don't want anyone else to get ripped off.
I went online and bought 7 frags of coral 5 Zoas a small pink toadstool and a sps frag.
More then 300 dollars.
I bought them on eBay from a seller called CORALSLOVER . I WAS SUPER EXCITED , as the pictures he showed were of beautiful Zoas and corals. He shipped them (in 2 days)
They showed up packed wonderfully. But when. I looked at them it was a complete joke.
The two toadstools he obviously had just clipped a tiny piece off and super glued it to a plug. Of course 12 hours later they were both dead and gone. The sps was bleached white when it arrived. Why would he send this stuff?
And most disappointingly the Zoas were the tiniest microscopic pieces I have ever seen .
I was totally screwed. He offered no help in any way when I asked him to send better ones. And was quite rude. The picture you see. . The tiny rubble and dead ones you see circled in red are what they look like 4 days later. They are all useless dead and dying. My tank is very healthy all my other Zoas look phenomenal. It was dark when I took this pic so many are closed . But the crap I bought from him never opened to begin with. I highly recommend NOONE BUY FROM CORALSLOVER ON EBAY OR FACEBOOK .

Hello,

Thank you for sharing your past experience. We would like to address your concerns directly and clarify our policies and practices to ensure transparency for the community.

Coral Refund Policy – 14-Day Guarantee​

We stand behind the quality and health of our corals.
Our policy has always included a 14-day guarantee to protect our customers in the event a coral arrives Dead on Arrival (DOA) or shows signs of severe stress.

To process a claim, we require:

1. Clear photos taken under your normal tank lighting within 2–3 hours of delivery.

Once we review the claim, we provide:

• Store credit, OR
• A replacement coral on the customer’s next order
  (customer covers shipping)

Please note:
Some corals—especially Zoanthids—may take several days to fully open and adjust.
Minor visual differences after shipping are normal. We always recommend allowing proper acclimation time before assuming a coral is unhealthy.

---

About Your Order​

Your order was placed through eBay, and we no longer have full internal records regarding shipping timelines. However, please note that we cannot control Fedex/UPS delivery speed once the package is handed to the carrier.

Your total was approximately $280 including tax, and included about 12 coral frags, several of which were duplicates by your choice. Your order was placed during an active promotion where significant discounts were offered. Specifically, each coral was priced under a bulk sale structure — buy three corals, get the fourth free, resulting in savings of up to 60% off retail value.
Examples from your order include:

In addition:

• Every order in our website coralslover.com we run promo automatically includes a free coral, added as a bonus.
• Your shipment also qualified for free shipping, further increasing overall value.

These promotions were clearly displayed at the time of purchase and were properly applied to your order.

• Radioactive Dragon Eye Zoanthids — 3 heads (small heads) × 2 frags
• Fiji Bam Bam Zoanthids — 2 heads × 2 frags
• Fire and Ice Zoanthids — 3 heads
• Forest Fire Montipora digitata frag
• Toadstool Leather frag, up to 1" — 2 frags
• (possibly similar additional items)

The Zoanthid varieties purchased are naturally of small head morphs, so their size was appropriate for the strain type and fully matched the item listings and photos.

---

Regarding Toadstool Leather Attachment​

We do not use super glue to attach Toadstool Leathers to plugs.
After fragging, each piece is secured with an elastic band so it can naturally attach itself.
Once the coral grows and stabilizes, the band is removed—this is a standard and accepted propagation method.

Why Size Differences Occur​

Coral frag sizes can vary for several natural and practical reasons. The Zoanthid varieties purchased in your order are classified as small-polyp morphs, meaning their polyps are naturally smaller than many other zoas on the market. These strains were represented accurately in the original product listings, including the size and head count you selected.

Coral size variation can happen due to:

1. Natural Morphology
   Different zoa morphs vary in head size. Some—such as Radioactive Dragon Eye, Fiji Bam Bam, and Fire & Ice—develop naturally small heads. A frag with 2–3 heads of these morphs is normal and consistent with industry standards.
2. Lighting & Environment
   Appearance and polyp extension can change depending on lighting, flow, and water parameters. Corals often appear smaller or remain closed for several days during shipping recovery or acclimation.
3. Shipping Stress
   Corals may temporarily retract during transport. A closed or retracted polyp is significantly smaller than when open; this is normal, and most reopen once acclimated to stable conditions.
4. Growth Stage
   Many corals are sold at early growth stages to ensure survivability and faster adaptation to a new environment. Younger frags may be smaller but typically grow quickly under stable conditions.
5. Head Count vs. Polyp Size
   Product listings specify head count, not guaranteed visual size. You received the correct head counts as advertised on the items purchased.

Our listings showed clear photos representing each morph. The zoas received were consistent with what was purchased, both in variety and polyp count. Slight visual differences between seller photos and newly shipped frags are completely normal, especially during early acclimation.

​

Our product listings specify head count, not guaranteed visual polyp size.
The corals you received matched the advertised head counts and the varieties shown in the original product photos.

After delivery, you contacted us and immediately claimed that the polyps were “too small” and that the quantities were insufficient because the photo showed “a lot of them.” You then demanded that we resend your entire order with larger polyps and more heads, despite the fact that your order was already fulfilled according to the listing details.

You further stated that if we did not replace the full order with larger corals, you would post publicly in the reefing community to harm our business reputation. You also mentioned that if we complied with your demands, you would modify or remove the negative post.

This attempt to pressure us into providing more coral than was purchased—outside of our guarantee terms—is not acceptable.

In addition, no clear photographs were provided to confirm DOA corals, nor were photos submitted within the required timeframe. Without proper documentation, we cannot validate DOA claims.

We did receive one image during the discussion, but it was extremely blurry and unclear, and therefore could not be used to evaluate coral condition. The same photo later appeared in the forum post, but it still did not show verifiable DOA circumstances or proper acclimation.

After reviewing the situation internally, we determined that cases like this can arise and serve as learning examples. However, we could not agree to the terms you demanded—specifically that we resend the entire order with larger frags, more heads than purchased, including larger Toadstools—without receiving proper claim documentation or clear photos under standard lighting.

We fulfill our guarantees when a valid DOA claim is made, but we cannot replace an entire order with upgraded coral quantities and sizes beyond what was purchased, especially in the absence of required photographic proof.

Shipping Options Provided​

At the time of your purchase from eBay, the following shipping options were available on over website coralslover.com:

• FREE Shipping — Orders of corals totaling $250+ (weekday delivery).
• FREE Shipping over $150 — Local States Only
  Applies to NJ, CT, MD, DE, RI, MA, NH, VT, and parts of NY, PA, ME.
  Customer must select this option at checkout.
• Overnight Shipping — $39.00
  UPS or FedEx flat rate nationwide.
  Customer must select this option at checkout.
• Overnight Shipping — $17.95 (Special Offer)
  Discounted overnight to the regional states listed above.
  Customer must select this option at checkout.
• 2-Day Shipping — $17.50
  UPS or FedEx. Ideal for hardy corals; not recommended for sensitive specimens.
  Customer must select this option at checkout.
• FREE Local Delivery
  Orders $100+ within 30 miles of zip code 10950 (NY).
• 1–3 Day Shipping — $60.00
  Available for Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and other U.S. territories.
• Combine Order Option
  Customers may combine orders placed on multiple platforms (Amazon, eBay, Etsy, TikTok, Temu, etc.) to save on shipping costs by selecting the Combine with Existing Order option during checkout.

These options demonstrate that we provide flexible, affordable shipping choices designed to help customers receive live corals safely and cost-effectively.

In summary, we hope this was , just a misunderstanding based on lighting conditions and coral growth variation. We communicated promptly, offered replacement/refund options, and resolved the situation professionally.
We even received many new customers who mentioned they visited us because they read your post, which shows that transparency only made our community stronger.
We appreciate everyone who took the time to read and understand the situation. We remain committed to providing healthy corals, honest communication, and excellent service. Moving forward, we encourage hobbyists to contact us directly if there are any concerns so we can resolve them quickly and professionally.

Thank you for your support and trust.