When buying live coral on Ebay, it is important to consider (1)the health and type of animal, (2)the shipping procedures and costs, (3)and the guarantee. Although this guide is written for live corals, it will generally guide you in live rock, or live fish purchases online.

1.     The health of the coral is very difficult to determine. You should carefully examine the pictures, and ask the seller any questions that have not been answered in the ad.

Frags are usually small and sometimes attached to a small rock. If you are buying a frag which is unattached, make sure the frag has been cut previously and is healed and possibly growing. Some sellers will 'frag' the coral immediately before shipping. It is better to buy a frag that has been alive for 1-2 weeks minimum.

Also, when buying coral, make sure your tank can sustain the type of coral you are purchasing. Make sure you have the proper lighting and water quality for it to live. Certain corals are excellent for beginners, such as a lot of soft corals. Hard corals are a little more demanding, and clams and elegans corals are very difficult. You will also want to make sure the fish you may have in your tank are not prone to eat the type of coral you are buying.

Make certain you know the coral you are buying. There are certain things considered nuisance to reef aquariums, that are being sold on Ebay. Small anemones like Aptasia or Majano are actually a pest anemone for reef tanks, whch might be sold to unsuspecting people. There is nothing wrong with selling a nuisance anemone, some people might have a trigger fish that loves to eat these things, but it would be a terrible, almost irreversible mistake to add such anemones to a reef aquarium. I have even seen some bristol worms and mantic shrimp at auction, and small anemones referred to as 'tulip anemones' which are actually Majanos. All of the above mentioned items are animals I would not add to a reef aquarium.

2.     The shipping procedures are equally as important as the health and type of coral you choose. You could pick the best possible coral for your aquarium, but if it is shipped poorly, it will arrive dead, or near dead.

Shipping for most corals should be overnight. Some very hardy corals can survive 2 days in transit. You want to be there for the delivery so that you can carefully accept package and get it to you tank as soon as possible. Usually, the water in the bags is toxic after being sealed for so long, so avoid dumping this into your tank.

Shipping should always be in an insulated styrofoam box, with heat or cool packs according to weather conditions. Consider the sellers experience in shipping corals when picking a coral to buy. Inexperienced sellers may not know how to pack bags so they dont move around in transit, or how to put enough air the bag. Corals or rocks with sharp edges are usually bagged specially so the bag wont leak. Different species of coral should never be bagged together.

The cost of evernight shipping can be a lot. Some sellers charge extra for box and heat packs etc. It is their own business what they charge, I have seen box and packs go for 10-15$. Overnight shipping charges can be checked for your zip code at the shippers website, but usually it ranges between 25-45 for a single box. It comes down to the weight of the items. Live sponges are more than other corals to ship because they cant (shouldn't!) put air in the bag, and therefore must put a lot more water. Things like snails and hermit crabs are shipped with little or no water and are very light. most corals and fish are shipped in no more than 40-50% water in the bag, the rest air.

A good live coral seller usually charges about 35-40$ for overnight shipping, which includes box, heat/cool packs and handling for one box. An experienced shipper can properly pack the corals so that you dont pay more than you have to for shipping. It is a smart idea to check the box size you are receiving, so that you can fill it with things to bring your shipping cost per item lower. For example, it might cost 35$ to ship one coral or 37$ to ship two or three corals. So ordering a few more corals will make it a better deal overall.

Some sellers will let you choose your preferred method of shipping. If you know enough about the corals you are buying, and trust the health, and the weather is moderate, you might try a 2 day in transit shipping method. You have to know that the corals you picked are very hardy, such as mushroom polyps, or zooanthids, to name a couple. If you choose the cheaper 2 day or longer shipping method, make sure you read the rest of this guide.

3.     The guarantee is a good sign that the seller is good at packing and shipping live corals, or live animals. They will usually guarantee live arrival, and even better, a few more days after that.

"Live arrival only" guarantee is common, because sellers cant come over and test your water, or make sure you dont have coral eating Angel fish etc.

There are usually some requirements for the guarantee to be valid. You must accept package on first delivery attempt. You usually void the guarantee if you miss the delivery, because this extends the time in transit to longer than the seller has prepared for. Also, DOA, or dead on arrivals, usually have to be emailed or called in the same day, or sometimes within a certain amount of hours of arrival. It is common to have to email digital pics, or mail back remains. Each seller usually has their own procedures.

Keep in mind, the guarantee usually does not cover shipping costs, so the only way for you to get a replacement is to order from the same seller again. They usually dont offer refund of money back, unless it is part of a larger order.

Even if the sellers advertises live arrival guarantee, this is usually voided if you opt for one of the less expensive shipping methods. Live arrival guarantees are only for animals shipped overnight, for the most part. Be sure to read any guarantee carefully so you will know exactly what to expect.

Find more good information on reef and saltwater aquaria at Ebay Group: Aquariums of Saltwater