We’ve put together some helpful information related to our most frequently asked questions during the busy holiday season. We ask that you please keep in mind that the holiday season is one of the busiest times of the year for our team and that products may sell out, or may not be able to be shipped with late notice.

If you have any questions that aren’t answered in our frequently asked questions pages, we encourage you to give us a call. We’re a small business and we’re striving to ensure that every customer has a wonderful experience with Maine Lobster Now, so please be patient with us as we manage higher-than-usual call volumes. We promise that we will respond to all customer inquiries.

When should I place my Maine Lobster Now order for the holidays?
As soon as possible. Our team can only fill a limited number of orders per day before orders are shut off. The sooner you place your order and schedule your delivery, the better. We’d suggest you use the calendar option at checkout to choose the day that works best for you.

What day should I choose for my delivery date?
For frozen products, schedule your delivery date as soon as possible, especially if you have the freezer space. Thanks to our nitrogen freezing process, your frozen items will be just as fresh-tasting and delicious in your freezer as they are in our storage facilities.

For fresh products, place your order as soon as possible and schedule your delivery as close to the day you need it as possible. During the holidays, we may sell out of products and can only fulfill so many orders per day, so don’t risk your holiday meal or gift by waiting too long to order!

If ordering live lobsters, we highly recommend to cook them the same day they arrive or at the latest within 24 hours after delivery. We guarantee our lobsters will arrive alive, but as we cannot control their storage and handling after delivery, we cannot guarantee survival of lobsters kept overnight. Place your order today and schedule for the day you need it. Please note at checkout what days we do not deliver on. See below for more on our holiday delivery schedule.

When will my package ship?
All orders are prepared and packaged the day before your scheduled delivery date and ship overnight to arrive on the delivery date you choose at checkout.

Do you deliver on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, or New Year’s Day?
Unfortunately, we do not deliver on these holidays. We’ve found those few delivery services which provide holiday delivery service to be too unpredictable or overburdened for reliable delivery on these holidays. We suggest using the calendar at checkout to find the closest day to these holidays for which you can schedule your order for delivery.

What happens if severe weather delays my shipment?
We do everything we can to ensure timely packing and shipping of all orders on our end, however, sometimes elements outside our control can affect shipping times. So, in the unlikely event that severe weather in Portland, Maine, or Memphis, Tennessee (FedEx’s national processing center) has delayed your order, we will notify you via email and your box may be rescheduled to arrive at a later date if the order cannot be fulfilled on time.

My order didn’t arrive by the scheduled delivery time. What do I do?
When your order leaves our facilities, you will be sent an email with a FedEx tracking number. The delivery time listed on their website is an estimated time of delivery and is subject to change. Minor delays are expected during the busy holiday season, and as long as your package arrives by 10 p.m. on the scheduled delivery date, we will consider it as arrived on the correct date and no refunds/reshipments will be allowed. Don’t worry though. Our frozen packages are designed to keep products frozen for 2-day shipping. If your order arrives after 10 p.m. of your delivery date, inspect the items and if anything is over the FDA threshold for food safety, take photos of the products and send them to [email protected] with your order number and our customer service representatives will be happy to assist you. For example, if you choose 12/23 as your delivery date, but the package doesn’t arrive until 12/24 or later, you may be eligible for a refund. However, if the package arrives by 10 p.m. on 12/23, they are not eligible.

Do I need to be home to receive my packages?
No. All packages are sent with no signature required and will be left at your doorstep.

How do I track my shipment?
On the date of shipment, a tracking number will be generated and sent via email. This tracking number can be used to review the status of your shipment in transit, however, this tracking number will not be valid for tracking until the shipment is picked up from our facility. If you have received this email and are not yet able to track the package this is most likely because the shipment has not yet been picked up from our facility. After receiving this notification email with the tracking number, wait until approximately 6 p.m. that evening when the package becomes active in FedEx's system. If after that time you are still unable to track the package, please contact our offices to speak with a representative.

What happens if my lobster(s) arrive dead?
At Maine Lobster Now we pride ourselves on providing the absolute best Maine Lobster experience. We believe in the experience so much that we guarantee your lobsters arrive fresh and alive on the date of delivery. If for any reason your lobsters do not arrive alive, we will reimburse you for the spoiled product costs. This will typically be provided in the form of a refund for the spoiled product. A reshipment is not guaranteed unless all items in the shipment were affected. We require a photograph of the affected products and customers must attempt to reach us via phone or email on the date of delivery. Please make sure your photo properly shows the spoiled lobster(s) on its back and that you send the photo to [email protected] along with your order number and the best way to reach you.

To help us review your refund, please follow these instructions for submitting photos:

• If your lobster arrives dead, provide a photo of the dead lobster on its back.
• For underweight products, a photo must be submitted with the product on a food scale.
• For spoiled products, a photo must be submitted showing product temperature over 40℉.