Strangely befuddled

[Aquattro]

Ordering from the list is really just a wish list. The inventory will show you that there are 50 of fish X in stock, but you have hundreds of stores ordering. So, out of the 50 fish you asked for, you get maybe 10. The box still needs to be filled for shipping costs, so you get what they actually have in stock. It's just the way it's done.

[rsisvixen]

Granted, nothing goes according to plan with livestock ordering ever, doesn't matter what you are ordering be it birds, fish etc, but surely the supplier sends an invoice. Or some kind of note saying you can't get x but we put in w y and z.
I always knew what I was getting in advance of the shipment at my store.

[albert_dao]

Suppliers send invoices the morning they ship. Pretty standard, unfortunately.

The only time you're going to know what you're getting in advanced falls down to one of two situations:

A. You have prepaid for something special, be it a rare/unusual find or a sale offer.

B. You more or less only order bread and butter -- The second you stray out of Coral Beauties, Green Chromis and Yellow Tangs, it's a crap shoot.