Please look at the order status email we sent you to confirm your order and check the delivery date of the order. If this confirms that the order was not delivered on that date, please contact our customer service either by sending an email to help@shoplobster.com or giving us a call.

Apologize and ask the customer for their order number. After discussing what it was that they received, ask if you can put them on a brief hold while you investigate. Verify whether the product they are describing matches their order. If it does not match, determine where an error occurred. If it was on our part or Greenway’s part, issue a full refund or offer a new overnight shipment with coupons toward their next order. If it was a misunderstanding on the customer’s part, apologize for the confusion and offer to provide education on our products. Direct the customer to our website for tips on cooking and eating lobster.

First check another website to see if that works. If you can’t get any website to work, you are probably experiencing trouble with your WiFi or another aspect of connectivity. Restart your router and your computer and try again in a few minutes.

We are not currently accepting phone orders. Our user-friendly website allows you to order exactly what you would like with a delivery date of your choosing, and we accept all major credit cards. If you are having trouble figuring out how to use the website or app, please give us a call.

Note that when we ship live lobsters to you, the cold temperature of the box may cause live lobsters to be somewhat dormant and sluggish. Here are the easiest ways to tell if your lobster is dead:

• Tail and appendages hang loose when you pick it up. A live lobster will curl its tail under its body and hold its claws up.
• Claws remain clenched, not open. But please be cautious when you remove the rubber bands from a lobster’s claws. The large claw is called the crusher for a reason!
• Eyes may appear dull.
• The shell may be dull or discolored when compared to other lobsters.
• A bad smell. In this case, definitely discard the lobster! Also be sure to keep any dead lobsters apart from live ones. Bacteria can spread quickly.

We take special care in packing our lobsters to survive shipping, and it is rare for them to die in the process. Lobsters do become lethargic during transit, so they will not be lively when they arrive at their destination. If your lobsters appear to be dead, you will first need to confirm that they are actually dead. Pick up a lobster and blow gently on its face; if it is alive it will respond with some movement.

If after examining your lobsters you are convinced they are actually dead, please send us a photo of the lobsters lying on their backs. Their tails, legs and feelers will be limp and laying flat if they are dead. Send the photos to help@shoplobster.com within 4 hours of delivery. We will refund or submit a new order as soon as possible upon receiving the photo. Please specify in your email if you want a full refund or a replacement order.

Ideally, a lobster should be prepared while it is still alive. If consistently refrigerated at or below 38°F (3.5°C), however, lobster can be cooked safely for up to 12 hours after death, according to many independent sources. Although not recommended due to an incremental decrease in quality and taste, it is still safe to do so.

For full disclosure, there are several sources that cite a window of two to four hours to safely cook and eat your lobster after it has died. None of the sources found were governmental or official in any other capacity, so for now, this should all be considered anecdotal evidence.

Interestingly, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) observes that if you remove a dead lobster’s tail and claws from its body (also known as being “headed”) soon after it has died, the meat will last longer than if the animal is left intact. This is because the body contains the thorax gills, and other organs, which tend to accumulate toxins more quickly than the claws and tail meat.

Lobsters and other shellfish have bacteria naturally present in their systems. When the lobster dies, the bacteria can rapidly multiply and release toxins that remain in the flesh even after thorough cooking at the recommended temperature. These toxins can cause upset stomach, nausea, vomiting, and other symptoms associated with food poisoning. In some cases, these toxins can even be strong enough to warrant a trip to the hospital or lead to lasting health issues. While this may seem intimidating, a simple set of guidelines can help keep you and your family safe while enjoying one of the most luxurious and delectable meats available on the market. 

Like any meat, one must follow guidelines and standards set by regulatory agencies to be sure to avoid as much risk of foodborne illness as possible. Even in other meats like steak, the proper internal temperature must be achieved to ensure any parasites and bad bacteria are cooked out before consumption. 

Lobster is no different. In addition to being prepared as quickly after death as possible, to avoid the potential risk of infection or illness, lobster should be cooked to an internal temperature of between 135°F to 140°F (57°C – 60°C) to ensure that it is safe to eat. A dead lobster should be cooked to a minimum of 145°F (63°C).

Lobster, while technically very simple to prepare, has some rather stringent guidelines to follow for storage and preparation. For example, one of the reasons that you may have seen tanks of live lobsters in restaurants, supermarkets, or a butcher shop is that lobsters are best stored alive. 

When stored alive, lobster claws are secured with rubber bands. This ensures they do not hurt themselves, other lobsters in the same enclosure, or the human handler responsible for transporting or picking them up.

Once a lobster is purchased and received, many will choose to place the live lobster in boiling water to dispatch and cook it simultaneously. This ensures the lowest risk of food poisoning. This is also a quick and easy way to cook your lobster. For more information on how to cook a lobster, please visit our Recipe Page.

What if your eyes were bigger than your stomach? Believe it or not, this can even happen when you serve delicious Maine lobster! Proper storage is essential to be sure your cooked lobster remains safe for consumption another day. If sealed in an airtight container, cooked lobster can last up to three days in the refrigerator. Remember that the best way to prepare lobster and lower the risk of illness is to cook the lobster alive or immediately after dispatching it.

All of our live lobsters are guaranteed to be fresh, and to arrive alive. But our commitment to fresh seafood doesn’t end there. In addition to live lobsters, ShopLobster offers several frozen lobster products, as well as frozen scallops. When you buy frozen products from ShopLobster, you are still guaranteed that fresh, straight from the sea taste. How can we do that?

All of our frozen products are processed in a state-of-the-art HPP processing facility and then flash-frozen in an IQF nitrogen machine. HPP stands for High-Pressure Processing, a cold pasteurization technique, which is extremely effective. It leverages ultra-high pressure purified water to inactivate bacteria, such as listeria, E. coli, and salmonella. Neutralizing these pathogens allows packaged foods to stay fresh longer.

IQF freezers use liquid nitrogen to freeze small foods that are normally very difficult to freeze well, such as raspberries or seafood. The products are frozen singly rather than in a group, allowing each to keep its individual form, texture and, most importantly, retain its fresh taste.