Lobster Shipping from Trap to Table

Lobster shipping from trap to your table, no matter where you live direct from LobsterAnywhere.

With clear skies and great packaging, we ship fresh lobster to just about anywhere in the USA. We have even shipped fresh seafood to Hawaii and as far away as the North Pole! Seriously. (Sorry, at this time we are not shipping outside the United States).

Thanks to our special freshness-preserving handling and express shipping, you can enjoy fresh from the dock seafood delivered to home tomorrow night.

Christmas Shipping 2021: Our Recommendations

This is our 22nd year shipping perishable seafood and lobster from Maine, so we’ve been through it all—including wild winter storms that keep flights grounded! We are always proactive and realistic. We never want to disappoint with false promises.

To make sure you get your order on time, we recommend the following:

  • Due to shipping delays around the country, we strongly suggest ordering your Maine lobster shipped to you early and storing it in the freezer. We only freeze lobster meat and lobster tails using the Individually Quick Frozen (IQF) method, which preserves their freshness and flavor for when you’re ready to thaw and cook.
  • A record number of packages will be shipped in 2021, so get your gifts out extra early, not the week before Christmas. Learn more about holiday shipping deadlines.

Next, we’d love to briefly walk you through our lobster trap to table process to demonstrate the attention to detail and care we give each and every lobster sold at LobsterAnywhere.

How Lobsters Are Shipped
How live Maine lobsters are caught, graded and shipped to you.

1. Hauling Traps & Collecting Fresh Maine Lobsters

Lobsters are brought to Maine docks by independent lobstermen and women. There are more than 3 million lobster traps off the rocky coast of Maine.

Lobstermen are known for their love of the ocean’s natural balance and commitment to sustainable fishing. Over and undersized lobsters are returned to sea. Lobstermen who keep egg-bearing female lobsters will face a fine upward of $1,000.

2. Shipping Grade A Lobster

When you purchase a lobster at a store, you haven’t any idea where it came from, how long it had been on the delivery truck, or how long it’s been sitting in the tank. You’ve discovered the number-one rule of seafood—fresher is better. 

With grocery store lobster, the long voyage from the bottom of the sea to your kitchen table is often way too long. Time and bacteria take their toll on quality and flavor.

That’s why we focus on caught-that-day live lobsters and individually quick frozen (IQf) meat and tails—it’s the unrivaled best way to get lobster that’s at its freshest and peak flavor.

For overnight lobster shipping to arrive alive and kicking, the lobsters must be lively, healthy and hard-shell. When lobsters shed their old shells, there are new, softer shells underneath. A hard shell lobster is a lobster that has not recently molted, or shed its shell. 

Hard-shell lobsters are hardier and can withstand the rigors of overnight shipping. You are also guaranteed more lobster meat from lobster claw to tail with a hard-shell live lobster.

Fresh-caught lobsters should also be “seasoned” in cold seawater holding tanks for a few days to adjust them to a cool shipping temperature. Lobsters are held for a short time in refrigerated tanks with constantly chilled and cycled fresh salt water. This makes them hardier and ready for shipping.

3. How We Pack Lobsters for Safe Travels

We prepare and pack your lobster order the day it ships to ensure maximum freshness and quality. Each lobster is picked fresh, checked for vigor, and weighed on digital scales.

Here at LobsterAnywhere, we’ve shipped thousands of lobsters to just about anywhere from extremely cold climates like Fairbanks, Alaska (-30 degrees °F) to super hot places like Yuma, Arizona (120 degrees °F). They almost always arrive on time, alive and kicking. The two key components in storing and shipping lobster are moisture and cold temperature. 

Thanks to our special freshness-preserving handling and overnight shipping, you can enjoy fresh-from-the-dock lobster tomorrow night.

Shipping Live Lobsters

Whether shipping lobsters to Boston, Massachusetts, or Flagstaff, Arizona, live lobsters should be packed right to ensure they are kept cold and moist in transit. Only extra thick, insulated coolers should be used with either seawater soaked newspaper or rock seaweed. Coolers should be a minimum of 1 1/2 inch thick and a thirsty pad should be placed on the bottom to hold in any liquid. These containers provide temperature protection for your lobster until they reach their destination.

Overnight lobster shipped
Lobster are packed in extra thick coolers and shipped to your door.

Quality lobsters shipped from Maine should also be surrounded with icy-cold gel packs that are comfortable and harmless for the lobster. Lobsters shipped with frozen ice or dry ice can be lethal. 

Finally, live lobsters should be packed with extra care to avoid any shifting and to withstand rough handling that could potentially crack or crush the lobster’s shells. Coolers should be packed in corrugated boxes and then shipped overnight to ensure freshness.

4. Lobsters Shipped for Overnight Arrival

…and 24 hours later, your lobsters arrive—alive and kicking—at your door-step.

Live lobster shipping requires three key ingredients:

  1. Quality Hard-Shell Live Lobsters
  2. Quality Perishable Packaging
  3. Experienced Lobster Shipping Company

Done right, lobsters should be delivered alive and in perfect condition, no matter how far they travel. LobsterAnywhere.com ships lobsters to just about Anywhere in the USA from Nantucket, Massachusetts to as far-away as North Pole, Alaska.

Lobster Online Order Deadlines

Online orders need to be received by 12 noon EST, the day your order ships. You can order now and schedule a delivery day at checkout with our date picker.

Missed the cut-off time? Contact us here and to see if we can rush out a same day order.

Lobster Shipping to Just About Anywhere in the USA.

We’ve worked with dozens of shipping companies, and we’ve found the ones that handle our precious lobsters carefully and efficiently

LobsterAnywhere.com ships strictly to the contiguous 48 U.S. states, plus some areas in Alaska and Hawaii for an additional charge. Delivery to HI requires an export permit at the cost of $24. No permit is required for frozen items.

Shipping Restrictions

LobsterAnywhere offers lobster delivery to just about every State in the USA. Due to custom laws we are unable to ship lobster to international destinations and U.S territories, including Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands.

There are no Sunday or Monday deliveries. All packages must be delivered to a physical address. No PO Boxes please. Be sure all addresses are correct and include the recipient’s daytime phone number.

Our experience tells us there are two reasons that potentially cause problems.

Reason #1: Invalid or incomplete shipping address. Apartment numbers, Suite number, or other crucial information our shippers need is missing or incorrect.

Reason #2: The recipients are not home or the business is closed. When you order lobsters as a gift you should alert the recipient that a perishable package is on the way so they can plan accordingly. Packages do have signature release (packages can be left at the door), however it is always a good idea to err on the side of caution when your dealing with perishables.

Lobster Shipping Costs

Your lobster delivery rate is determined by the total cost ordered. Most of our lobster dinner gift packages include free delivery. All perishable products should be refrigerated or frozen (except live lobster) immediately upon delivery.

Shipping MethodEstimated Delivery Time
2nd Day2 days.
Next DayOvernight by 7 pm
Priority Overnight by 10:30 am
Saturday By 1 Pm to most areas
Total Order Amount2nd DayNext DayPrioritySaturday
Up to $24.99$29.00$33.00$39.00 $49.00
$25.00 – $49.99$32.00$36.00$42.00 $52.00
$50.00 – $74.99$35.00$39.00$45.00 $54.00
$75.00 – $99.99$38.00$42.00$48.00 $57.00
$100.00 – $124.99$41.00$45.00$51.00 $59.00
$125.00 – $149.99$44.00$48.00$54.00 $62.00
$150.00 – $174.99$47.00$51.00$57.00 $64.00
$175.00 – $199.99$50.00$54.00$ 60.00 $66.00
$200.00 – $224.99$53.00$57.00$ 63.00 $69.00
$225.00 – $249.99$56.00$60.00 $66.00 $71.00
$250.00 – $274.99$59.00$63.00 69.00 $74.00
$275.00 – $299.99$62.00$63.00 $72.00 $79.00
$300 and up14% of order14% of order16% of order16% of order + $19.00

Lobster Shipping FAQs

Answers to your most frequently asked questions about shipping fresh lobster and seafood from Lobster Anywhere. Be sure to check out our customer service page.

Do you ship lobster outside the USA?

Unfortunately, at this time we are unable to ship outside the USA due to custom laws.

Where does Lobster Anywhere deliver to?

LobsterAnywhere.com ships strictly to the contiguous 48 U.S. states, plus some areas in Alaska and Hawaii for an additional charge.

Lobster delivery to the state of Hawaii requires an import permit for live lobster. No permit is required for frozen lobster or lobster tails. It is the responsibility of the customer to obtain the import permit. For more information, go to the State of Hawaii’s website.

Please email or fax a copy of the permit to LobsterAnywhere.com. The copy will be attached to the shipment to prevent the package from being held in quarantine and spoiling.

Shipments to international destinations and U.S territories (such as Puerto Rico and Guam) are unavailable. All packages must be delivered to a physical address. No PO Boxes, please. Be sure all addresses are correct and include the recipient’s daytime phone number.

What days do you deliver lobster?

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. No delivery on Monday or Sunday.
Saturday delivery is not available to some rural areas. Please check with FedEx 1.800.go.FedEx. Orders can also be held at the nearest FedEx station for hold at pick-up.
Your best plan is to set a dinnertime for your seafood order, or if you must, properly store your seafood the day before your event. Major holidays and weather conditions may change delivery availability.

Can I place an order now and have it shipped at a later date?

Yes, you can. When you order online you can specify a future ship date with our handy dandy shipping calendar you’ll see at checkout. You can pick the exact day your order will arrive.

Shipping frozen items? It’s not a bad idea to receive your order a day or two before you plan on cooking them. Frozen items can always be put right back in the freezer and stored for several weeks.

Sorry, we cannot deliver on national holidays including Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day. You can order live lobster the day before most holidays and store it in your refrigerator until your ready to cook them.

Need your order like yesterday? Get in touch and we can see if we can help!

How do you deliver?

We use Federal Express overnight and second-day air service. We ship all of our products in reusable, insulated Styrofoam containers surrounded by chilled gel packs that maintain the proper temperature (take them to the beach or a picnic!).

Your hand-graded lobsters are packed with seawater soaked newspaper or fresh seaweed to keep them moist, and frozen ice gels to keep them cold. Be sure to see out tips for storing live lobster at home.

Where is my lobster order?

Check your email. The day your order ships, you will receive a shipment alert with a tracking number. You will be able to click on the link to see exactly where your order is. If this is a gift, you will be notified via email when your package is received.

Do I have to sign for my package?

We ship ALL packages ‘SHIPPER RELEASE’ which allows the FedEx delivery person to leave the package at its destination. If your order is more than $500.00 we will require a signature. That’s a lot of lobster to be left at the door.

Another option is we can hold your lobsters at the local station for pick-up at your convenience. Please  ALERT the recipient that a perishable is on the way. Note the delivery driver will NOT leave a package if the area is deemed unsafe. Sometimes FedEx will NOT leave a package at an Apt. or Condo complex.

Does someone need to sign for package delivery?

You should plan to have someone sign for the package when it arrives. WE WAIVE THE SIGNATURE REQUIREMENT ON ALL PACKAGES so if no one is available to sign the courier will usually leave the box at the door. Although the lobsters should be okay if left alone for a few hours, we cannot be held responsible for unattended lobsters! Many of our customers have orders delivered to their workplace or send a gift certificate.

What are your lobster delivery times?

All live seafood orders are shipped overnight. Frozen lobster tails, chowder and seafood are shipped overnight and two-day with dry ice. Expect delivery by 5:00 pm or earlier. For rural areas, expect delivery by the end of the day or even later.
Saturday will arrive by 3:00 pm or earlier and is NOT available some rural areas. Please call 1-800-Go-FedEx to check availability.
Note bad weather can delay and impact shipments, this includes, snow, rain, thunderstorms,  sleet and even fog.  It’s a good idea to check the delivery check the delivery area for weather updates before selecting a ship date.

What is the best time to buy lobsters?

Generally, the best time of year to buy lobsters is before Memorial Day (before the summer tourists arrive) and after Labor Day (when the tourists leave). Read our blog about the Lobster Seasons

How do you keep your prices affordable?

Most Internet companies are vendors or middlemen for other merchants. Because we are a wholesaler we are able to offer our products at affordable prices-plain and simple. Learn more about lobster market prices.

Comments

What are your thoughts?

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *



Your personal data will be used to support your experience throughout this website, to manage access to your account, and for other purposes described in our privacy policy.