Information
Once you’ve won and paid for your koi, the next step is shipping. Please review this page carefully — shipping live koi requires coordination, and we want your purchase to arrive safely. Last updated: May 23, 2026.
Getting Started
Please log in and pay for your koi if you have not done so already. After payment, email us at shipping@cotskoi.com to coordinate shipping. Please include:
- The koi item number(s) you’ve won
- Your preferred shipping method (Air Cargo, UPS, or local pickup)
- Your preferred shipping date
We ship Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. We require a 4-day minimum notice on all shipments. The cutoff for booking the following week’s service is Saturday at 12PM.
Shipping Options
Aircargo – Approximately $60-$150. Sent prepaid; you pick up at the airport nearest you. Guaranteed live arrival within 2 hours of shipment arrival at the airport.
UPS – — Approximately $150-$250. Delivered to your door. Billed through us via invoice. No live arrival guarantee — UPS no longer offers live animal insurance as of COVID-19.
Local Pickup — Pick up directly at our La Center, WA facility by appointment.
Live Arrival Guarantee
We guarantee live arrival within 2 hours of shipment landing — Air Cargo only. You must pick up the shipment and inspect the koi within 2 hours of the shipment landing at your destination airport.
It is YOUR responsibility to confirm the cargo center is open. We ship per request and it is not the responsibility of COTSKoi to check in with the arrival airport’s cargo center.
UPS shipments do not include a live arrival guarantee.
Ownership Transfer and Post-Auction Holding
When you win a koi at auction, ownership of that koi transfers to you the moment payment is processed. The koi is no longer ours — it becomes your property under our temporary care until you arrange shipment or pickup.
14-Day Health Guarantee
We provide a generous 14-day mortality and damage guarantee from the date of the winning auction. During this 14-day window, if your koi passes away or sustains injury while in our care, we will issue a refund of the auction price or credit toward a future auction.
After 14 days, all guarantees expire. The koi remains your property and your responsibility — there is zero guarantee of any kind beyond the 14-day window.
Free Holding (Days 15-30)
As a courtesy, we will hold your koi at our facility free of charge from day 15 through day 30 after the auction. There is no guarantee on the koi during this holding period, but no boarding fees will be assessed.
We strongly encourage you to ship your koi as soon as possible after winning. The longer a koi remains in transition, the higher the risk to its health.
Boarding Fees (Day 31+)
Beginning on day 31 after the auction, boarding fees of $50 per month per koi will be assessed and billed to your account on file. Boarding fees continue to accrue until the koi is shipped, picked up, or the accumulated fees exceed the value of the koi.
If unpaid boarding fees exceed the value of your koi, COTSKoi reserves the right to reclaim the koi in lieu of payment. The koi will be considered forfeited and may be resold at our discretion.
No Liability for Death in Our Care
After the 14-day guarantee period expires, COTSKoi is in no way responsible for the death, illness, or injury of any koi remaining in our facility. We provide top-notch professional care — including water quality management, feeding, observation, and health protocols — but koi are live animals. They are sensitive, complex creatures. They can pass away at any time from causes outside our control, including but not limited to: stress, age, genetic conditions, sudden water chemistry shifts, disease, predation, or unknown factors.
By bidding in our auctions, you acknowledge and accept that:
- You assume full ownership the moment you win and pay
- The 14-day guarantee is the full extent of our liability
- Live animals carry inherent risk that no facility, however professional, can eliminate
- Beyond day 14, all risk transfers entirely to you
- We will exercise reasonable professional care during the free holding period, but we are not liable for outcomes
Our Recommendation
Ship your koi within the first 14 days. This window exists specifically so you can arrange transportation while still under guarantee. Every day beyond 14 increases your exposure to risk that we cannot insure against.
If you cannot arrange shipping within 14 days, please contact us at auctions@cotskoi.com to discuss your situation. We may be able to help.
Important — Facility Hours
If your destination cargo facility is closed and the shipment needs to be returned, an emergency charge of $250 will be assessed, in addition to any shipping charges billed by the airline. Confirming facility hours is the customer’s responsibility.
How Many Koi Fit in One Box
7-9 inch: 10 koi max
10-12 inch: 6 koi max
13-15 inch: 4 koi max (4 fifteen-inch koi shipped together is at the farm’s discretion, pending circumstances and shipping conditions)
16-20 inch: 2 koi max
20+ inch: 1 koi max
Box Fees and Additional Charges
All boxes shipped have a $20 box fee, billed separately through Stripe (the same payment method used at auction checkout).
Air Cargo shipments may incur additional taxes, fuel surcharges, airport fees, and other airline-related fees. These charges may be added to your quoted shipping cost and will not be reflected on the airway bill.
Special Services shipping (off-days, emergency situations, returns): $250 surcharge.
If you need our staff to make an after-hours airport run (outside of our normal 10am-3pm Wednesday window), a $250 fee will be added for costs and labor.
Payment and Shipping Deadlines
All winning weekly auction bids must be paid within 5 days of winning the koi. If payment is not received by the Friday following the auction, we will assume you do not want the koi, and you will forfeit the auction win.
Koi must be shipped within 14 days of the auction in order to guarantee the health of your koi. We guarantee the health of your koi for 14 days after the date of the winning auction.
If you do not ship your koi within 30 days, we will bill you for boarding fees at $50 per month per koi, and you risk loss of your koi permanently if boarding fees are not paid. Boarding fees accumulate until the value of boarding exceeds the value of the koi. At that point, we reclaim the koi in lieu of the unpaid boarding fees.
You may combine multiple weeks’ worth of auctions into a single shipment. With good communication, we can extend deadlines on a case-by-case basis.
Office and Shipping Schedule
Our office is closed Sunday and Monday. We ship koi on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Our staff makes airport runs between 10:00 AM and 3:00 PM on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
Questions
We’re here to help make sure your koi arrives safely. If you have any questions about shipping, contact us:
Children of the Sun Koi
33109 NE Morcroft Rd
La Center, WA 98629
Email: auctions@cotskoi.com
Phone: (360) 991-1117
Thank you for your business — it’s a pleasure doing business with you.