Live Blue Crab Policy

LIVE BLUE CRAB POLICY & CUSTOMER NOTICE
Please review before purchasing live blue crabs.

At Buddy’s Seafood Market, our live blue crabs come straight from trusted North Carolina crabbers — delivered fresh weekly and cared for in cold, breathable conditions until pickup. Live crabs are a highly perishable product and require proper handling as soon as they leave our store.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Live crabs are fragile and may naturally perish during transport or storage — even with proper care.
Crabs should be cooked as soon as possible, ideally the same day of pickup.
Keep crabs cool, moist, and able to breathe (vented cooler or fridge with a damp towel).
Do not seal live crabs in airtight coolers or plastic bags.
Do not place live crabs under freshwater or in standing ice water.

RESPONSIBILITY & SAFETY NOTICE Live blue crabs are sold “as-is, alive when packed.”
After pickup, survival depends on customer handling.

Buddy’s Seafood Market is not responsible for crabs that perish after leaving the store.
If any crabs die before cooking:
Do not cook or eat them if they were not kept cold or show a foul odor or discoloration.
Dead crabs can spoil quickly and become unsafe to eat.

If you require 100% edible product, we recommend ordering steamed crabs instead of live crabs.

PICKUP GUIDELINES
Fresh live crab shipments typically arrive on Thursdays Best pickup days:
Thursday or Friday for optimal freshness
Due to natural overnight mortality, we cannot guarantee full bushel or half-bushel counts after Friday evening