Buyer guide and directory
How fish transshipping works
Learn how international live-fish shipments move from seller to buyer, what each provider may charge, and which details to confirm before you pay.
Understand each handoff before you pay
A transshipper usually collects fish from one or more sellers, coordinates part of the export or import process, receives the shipment, and forwards each order to its buyer. Responsibilities vary by country, route, and provider.
Both spellings appear in the trade. This guide uses transshipper and transshipping throughout.
Ask which costs are included in the seller's international freight charge. Import handling, customs or inspection, an insulated box, temperature packs, domestic courier service, and local pickup may be billed separately. JBG says buyers pay the destination transshipper separately for freight, import, and final delivery ( JBG Transhipping Service).
Confirm current licensing, insurance, route availability, and species eligibility directly with the provider. Keep the reply and service terms with your order records.
Typical route
Confirm who handles each part of the route
Buyer and seller agree
The buyer confirms the fish, price, export-side transshipper, destination transshipper, and shipment window.
Orders are consolidated
The export-side transshipper collects fish and prepares the international shipment.
Import is received
The destination or import-side transshipper handles the applicable entry process and separates buyer orders.
Fish reach the buyer
The fish are forwarded by domestic courier or collected under the provider's instructions.
Request an itemized quote that covers the fish, export service, destination transshipper, rebagging, packing, temperature control, domestic shipping, and payment processing. Ask whether the quote is fixed or may change.
Source-linked directory
Contacts and published schedule information
Providers with their own service pages appear first, followed by contacts found in a third-party partner list. Only public business channels are shown. Confirm the current schedule before purchasing.
The provider controls the cited service page.
IndoBetta & Freshwater publishes this copy of the JBG partner list. The listed contact does not maintain it, and the details may be outdated.
Los Angeles area, California, United States
Tucky's Bettas
- Coverage
- U.S. import coordination and domestic shipping for fish purchased from overseas sellers.
- Fish noted by source
- The published fee schedule includes bettas, guppies, flowerhorn, and other large fish.
- Published schedule
- The service page says fish are generally shipped to buyers within 24 hours after U.S. arrival. Published arrival and shipping notices can change, so confirm the next import and domestic shipping dates directly. Winter domestic shipping is limited to UPS Next Day Air.
La Prairie, Quebec (Montreal area), Canada
ECA-Tranship Canada
- Coverage
- Canadian import and domestic shipping service for tropical fish, including shipments from Thailand and Indonesia.
- Fish noted by source
- The service directs buyers to confirm whether a species is accepted before purchasing.
- Published schedule
- The provider maintains a live schedule that identifies routes, arrival dates, and export-side transshippers. Check the linked schedule immediately before purchase because dates may change.
United Kingdom
MTF Aquatics
- Coverage
- U.K. transshipping runs from Indonesia and occasional shipments from other exporting countries.
- Fish noted by source
- The provider describes freshwater tropical imports, including discus, plecos, cichlids, tetras, and other specialist species.
- Published schedule
- The provider says Indonesia runs typically occur every 6 to 10 weeks. Exact runs are announced through its website, email list, and social channels.
Indonesia with an international partner network
JBG Transhipping Service
- Coverage
- Exports ornamental fish from Indonesian sellers to destination-country transshippers. The provider describes coverage across approximately 40 countries.
- Fish noted by source
- The provider describes bettas and other ornamental fish that are not included in the CITES list.
- Published schedule
- The provider directs buyers to its Check Schedule tool. Confirm the export shipping date, destination arrival, and selected destination transshipper through the live tool.
Texas, United States
Joel Fernandez
- Coverage
- Listed for the United States, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Virgin Islands. Confirm the specific destination.
- Fish noted by source
- Listed for bettas, guppies, mollies, platies, flowerhorn, discus, and other freshwater fish.
- Published schedule
- No shipment cadence was published in the reviewed listing. Confirm the next route, order closing date, and domestic shipping method directly.
Florida, United States
Ivan Andres
- Coverage
- Listed for the United States and Puerto Rico.
- Fish noted by source
- Listed for bettas, guppies, mollies, platies, flowerhorn, discus, and other freshwater fish.
- Published schedule
- No shipment cadence was published in the reviewed listing. Confirm the next route, order closing date, and domestic shipping method directly.
New Jersey, United States
Edy Tamtama
- Coverage
- Listed for the United States and Puerto Rico.
- Fish noted by source
- Listed for bettas, guppies, mollies, platies, flowerhorn, discus, and other freshwater fish.
- Published schedule
- No shipment cadence was published in the reviewed listing. Confirm the next route, order closing date, and domestic shipping method directly.
Germany
Jan Saßmann
- Coverage
- Listed for Germany and multiple European Union destinations. Buyers should confirm their country before ordering.
- Fish noted by source
- Listed for bettas, guppies, mollies, platies, flowerhorn, discus, and other freshwater fish.
- Published schedule
- No shipment cadence was published in the reviewed partner listing. Confirm the next route, order closing date, and delivery country directly.
Schedule checks
Read the schedule from cutoff to final delivery
Order closing date
The seller may need to register the order and deliver the fish several days before export.
Export shipping date
The international shipment begins on this date. Buyer delivery comes later.
Import arrival
Inspection, clearance, sorting, and rebagging can occur before domestic dispatch.
Final delivery
The buyer may receive a separate tracking number and delivery charge.
Providers may publish an arrival date, a general cadence, or individual run announcements by email or social media. MTF Aquatics says its Indonesia runs usually occur every 6 to 10 weeks and announces exact dates separately ( MTF Aquatics). ECA-Tranship maintains a separate live schedule page ( ECA-Tranship Canada).
Before paying
Ask these questions in one message
Do you accept this species, size, quantity, seller, and country of origin?
What are the order closing date, export shipping date, import arrival, and final-delivery windows?
What is the all-in cost to my door, including both transshippers, rebagging, packing, temperature control, and domestic shipping?
Which permits, declarations, certificates, or buyer information are required?
Will the fish be inspected, held, acclimated, or rebagged before domestic shipment?
Which courier and service level will be used, and can local pickup be arranged?
Who handles DOA (dead on arrival) or DIT (death in transit) at each leg, as well as delay, loss, or a misidentified fish?
What evidence and reporting deadline apply to a claim at each handoff?
Copyable outline
I am considering [species and quantity] from [seller and country]. Can you confirm that you accept this shipment, the next order closing date, export shipping date, and destination arrival window, the all-in charges, required documents, domestic shipping options, and the applicable DOA, DIT, loss, and live-arrival terms?
Legal and arrival checks
Check the rules for your fish and destination
Import requirements depend on the species, origin, destination, purpose, and route. In the United States, wildlife imports must meet U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service requirements ( U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). Certain live fish also require USDA permits, health certificates, designated-port entry, and inspection ( USDA APHIS). Canada bases aquatic-animal import requirements on species susceptibility and may require permits or health documentation ( Canadian Food Inspection Agency). State, provincial, territorial, and local rules may add further requirements.
Before the shipment leaves
- Verify the scientific name and legality at the final destination.
- Confirm who is the importer of record and who files each declaration.
- Prepare a stable quarantine aquarium and dedicated equipment.
- Keep the seller's terms and the transshipper's terms as separate records.
- Know whom to contact at each handoff if tracking stops or fish arrive compromised.
For aquarium preparation, arrival documentation, quarantine, and acclimation questions, continue with the petvori live-fish buying checklist.
Directory and process sources
- Tucky's Bettas: Transhipping Service and Domestic Shipping Policy
- ECA-Tranship Canada: Transhipping Services
- ECA-Tranship Canada: Schedule
- MTF Aquatics: Transhipping
- JBG Transhipping Service: Frequently Asked Questions
- IndoBetta & Freshwater: JBG Transhipper Partner List