Delivery
*Excludes direct delivery, livestock, bulky items, special orders and certain postcode areas
*Excludes direct delivery, bulky items, special orders and certain postcode areas
*Excludes direct delivery and bulky items
✔ Order by 5pm for next-day delivery
✔ Please be aware delivery dates are estimates only
✔ Exact dates can’t be guaranteed during this busy period
✔ Special/direct deliveries may also incur additional delays during this festive season
Order by | Receive express delivery by | Receive standard delivery by |
Wednesday 20th | Thursday 21st | Friday 22nd |
Thursday 21st | Friday 22nd | Saturday 23rd |
Friday 22nd | Saturday 23rd | Wednesday 27th |
Sat/Sun 23rd & 24th | Wednesday 27th | Thursday 28th |
Mon/Tue/Wed 25th, 26th & 27th | Thursday 28th | Friday 29th |
Thursday 28th | Friday 29th | Saturday 30th |
Sat/Sun 30th & 31st | Tuesday 2nd | Wednesday 3rd |
Monday 1st | Wednesday 3rd | Thursday 4th |
✔ Shop till 4pm for next-day delivery
✔ £5.99
✔ Delivered between 7am - 9pm
✔ End-to-end tracking
Order express by | Receive order by |
Monday 4pm | Tuesday 9pm |
Tuesday 4pm | Wednesday 9pm |
Wednesday 4pm | Thursday 9pm |
Thursday 4pm | Friday 9pm |
Friday 4pm | Saturday 9pm |
Saturday any time | Monday 9pm |
Sunday 1pm | Monday 9pm |
✔ Free 2-3 day delivery over £49
✔ £3.99 deliveries under £49
✔ Delivered Monday-Saturday
✔ End-to-end tracking
Order standard on | Receive order by end of |
Monday | Thursday |
Tuesday | Friday |
Wednesday | Monday |
Thursday | Tuesday |
Friday | Wednesday |
Saturday | Thursday |
Sunday | Thursday |
✔ £20 for Livestock
✔ Same charge no matter size of your order
✔ Delivered Tuesday-Friday
✔ End-to-end tracking
Order livestock on | Receive order by |
Monday | Wednesday 1pm |
Tuesday | Thursday 1pm |
Wednesday | Friday 1pm |
Thursday | Tuesday 1pm |
Friday | Tuesday 1pm |
Saturday | Tuesday 1pm |
Sunday | Tuesday 1pm |
Q. How much is delivery?
A. Our delivery costs vary depending on the type of delivery you require. You can find the prices to most UK postcodes below, however, a surcharge does apply to some postcodes:
Standard delivery over £49 | Free |
Standard delivery under £49 | £3.99 |
Express delivery | £5.99 |
Livestock delivery | £20 |
Palletised delivery | Charges will apply |
Frozen delivery | £9.99 |
Q. How long does delivery take?
A. Delivery time varies depending on the type of delivery you have selected, your postcode and other factors. You can find the average delivery time for each delivery method below:
Standard delivery | 2-3 days |
Express delivery | Next day |
Livestock delivery | See table above |
Palletised delivery | Varies |
Frozen delivery | Next day |
Q. Why doesn't my order qualify for next-day delivery?
A. Some orders will not qualify for next-day delivery if they require a specialist form of delivery or are being sent to certain postcodes.
Q. How is livefood delivered?
A. Our livefood orders are sent from our livefood distributor to any UK mainland address via a next-day delivery service. This means that any order you place containing livefood and other items will arrive in multiple packages, one from our warehouse and one from our livefood distributor. Our livefood provider dispatches packages Monday to Thursday to avoid livefood being in transit over the weekend.
Q. How is frozen food delivered?
A. Our frozen food orders are sent directly from our breeder to any UK mainland address via a next-day delivery service before 4PM. Orders are dispatched Monday to Thursday to ensure the goods are not held or delayed over the weekend. Order by 12PM to receive your order the following day shipped by APC courier. Goods cannot be left unattended due to their perishable nature.
Q. How is livestock delivered?
A. All of our aquatic animals are dispatched from our livestock distributors and delivered directly to your doorstep. They're securely bagged and arrive in a polystyrene box with enough heat packs to keep them warm for up to 48 hours. Our distributors only deliver livestock Tuesday through Friday to avoid animals being delayed in transit over the weekend. If you have any concerns about the health/wellbeing of your animal(s) upon arrival, please contact us as soon as possible, or at least within 48 hours of receiving your livestock order.
Q. Why has my order arrived in separate packages?
A. If you add frozen food, livefood, and/or livestock to an order that also includes dry goods, you'll receive your order in multiple packages. This is because our frozen food, livefood, and livestock is dispatched by different distributors and specially packaged according to the needs of the goods, e.g. in a polystyrene box for livestock orders. Depending on when you place your order, you may receive your frozen food, livefood, and or/livestock before or after your dry goods.
Q. Why is the courier saying they don't have my parcel?
A. Our system will let you know once the order has been dispatched and passed to the courier, however, at busy times, it can take the courier a while to update the status message.
Q. How do I track my order?
A. Once you have placed your order, you will receive an email that will contain the tracking information for your order, including your unique tracking number and the site where you can track your parcel.
Q. What should I do if my order is delayed?
A. You should be able to track your order to find out about any delays to your delivery. If you are unable to track your order or find that it has been returned to Swell, please contact us so that we can track it for you and help to get your items.
Q. Do you charge extra for certain postcodes?
A. Unfortunately, our couriers charge us significantly more to send to certain locations, so there is a small additional cost for some locations.
These include Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Scilly and the Channel Islands, and the Scottish Highlands. Postcodes: AB36-56, FK17-21, HS1-9, IV1-63, KA27-28, KW1-17, PA20-78, PH19-50, ZE1-3.
Q: Do you process orders on bank holidays?
A. Unfortunately, our couriers don't work on weekends or bank holidays, so we're unable to dispatch orders taken at these times. However, we do work hard to keep any further delays to a minimum.
Q: Are delivery times guaranteed?
A. We cannot guarantee dispatch times for items delivered from our warehouses or direct from suppliers.
Q: What do I do if the courier damages my order?
A. Don’t panic! We will do everything to help. Simply complete this form on our damages page.