Wulf's Fish Review

Tuesday, December 3rd

2024 Seafood Company Reviews

Wulf's Fish

• Prices range from $9 to $360
• Reward program
• Gifting available
• Eco-friendly shipping and packaging
• Buy wholesale
• Subscription boxes available
• Refunds when requested within 12 hours of delivery
• Top rated with reviewers

Founded in 1926, Wulf's Fish has a rich history rooted in the passion of its founder, Sam Wulf. Today, in its second generation, Wulf's Fish has evolved into a national brand while maintaining its unwavering commitment to quality.

Direct relationships with fishermen

Direct sourcing remains a priority, as they continue to forge direct relationships with fishermen and partners. This approach creates a transparent customer experience with traceability as a fundamental principle. Despite their growth, Wulf's Fish remains based in Boston, serving as a testament to their heritage. Their reach has expanded to ensure the delivery of the highest quality products, regardless of location.

Clean website but needs finishing

For a company that started its business journey in 1926, Wulf's Fish has an impressively polished website. Their products are easy to browse from their top menu and there are excellent filters that break down the different options including pricing filters so you can limit to products that are within your budget. The images of fish are crisp and clean, and we especially loved the little icon badges Wulf's FIsh puts on their images that show which products are sushi-grade fish. The only thing we would have loved more was for the pricing to be visible before you click the listings.

Best value per ounce of fish

To see how the Wulf's Fish prices stack up among different retailers, we analyzed four specific products including traditional fish, shellfish, the highest-priced item, and bundled packages. Wulf's Fish boasts an extensive inventory of fresh fish, offering over 84 individual products. The fish prices range from $9 for a 4 oz portion of sliced salmon to $58 for a 16 oz filet of sushi-grade yellowtail hiramasa. Wulf's Fish provides a slightly less diverse range of shellfish, but still offers competitive options with major delicacies on sale. The shellfish prices start at $13 for 3 lbs of green crabs to $99 for 5 Maine lobster tails pre-shucked.

Bundle packs

Notably, the most expensive item is a bundle pack of caviar that offers 3 jars of caviar for $360. In terms of packages or bundles, Wulf's Fish presents customers with a choice of 3 boxes. The prices include $150 for the Fishmonger Favorites box which includes 6 items each at a minimum of 16 oz of fish. The second box is $270 for the Greatest Hits box which includes 10 fish at 16 oz each. Finally, there is the aforementioned Super-Premium Caviar Gift Set which is $360 and includes 3 types of caviar and accessories. With such a wide price range, Wulf's Fish remains highly competitive, catering to both budget-minded and high-end seafood customers. While the shellfish selection is more limited than with some rival seafood stores, the prices are highly competitive especially for the amount of fish you get in each package, making this one of the best value-for-money companies out there.

Rewards for buying seafood

You can enjoy a rewarding dining experience by becoming a member of The Chef's Table rewards program at Wulf's Fish. By joining, customers can accumulate points that can be redeemed for a variety of fantastic seafood offerings. Every purchase made through the online store earns points, ensuring that members are rewarded for their loyalty. Additionally, spreading the word about Wulf's to friends and acquaintances also grants points. As a Chef's Table member, individuals gain exclusive privileges such as early access to new products and the opportunity to receive thoughtfully curated gifts. Becoming a member is a simple and complimentary process, and new sign-ups are instantly rewarded with 500 points to kick-start their membership. With general purchases, you earn 1 point per dollar and 500 points equals $10 in store credit. And, as a bonus as you spend more, you can get to higher membership tiers awarding you 2x and 3x the number of points per purchase.

Save with subscription boxes

While there aren't a lot of boxes on offer, you can choose to subscribe and save on any of the three. Each box has the choice to ship either every month or every 2 months depending on how often you want your seafood and how much you can eat in a particular time period. We like that there is some customizability there. Further, the listings show how much money you save on the items in the box rather than buying the same items a-la-carte. For example, customers save $20 in seafood purchases by getting the Greatest Hits box instead of buying all of the items separately.

Gifting is easy

On top of offering a range of gift cards including electronic and physical options, you can also send boxes and a-la-carte selections of seafood to your family or friends. The prices for the gift cards range from $50 to $500, so you can give seafood as a gift multiple times over, given the pricing for a-la-carte fish at Wulf's Fish. Additionally, you can send the boxes as a gift or pantry items to help your loved one complement their fish selections with spices or sides.

Sourcing and sustainability page isn't ready yet

While the website in general promises to have good clean fishing practices, when we searched for a sustainability statement, there wasn't one available yet. There is a sustainability page, but it appears that Wulf's hasn't finished building out this part of the website. The otherwise blank page has only one sentence of text on it that reads "Sourcing and sustainability text to go here.” While everything else about Wulf's is generally impressive, this sets them back a little bit. On the other hand, although we can't find a sustainability statement on their page for fishing, Wulf's Fish is committed to sustainable packaging and reducing waste. They prioritize eco-friendly shipping materials, such as their plant-based renewable shipping boxes and insulated liners, which are 100% curbside recyclable along with other paper recycling.

Wholesale purchase

If you're a chef or someone who needs lots of fish on the regular, Wulf's Fish is a great place to shop. They have a separate wholesale tab where you can buy fish in bulk from Wulf's fishing partners. This way you can easily stock your restaurant or maybe just your freezer if you're a private chef (or a huge fish enthusiast). We love that they have a separate spot on the website for this to keep it clear what the average customer can buy and what is set aside for business-level seafood purchases.

Shipping is priced by zone

For national shipping, Wulf's Fish calculates shipping charges based on zones after applying any discounts.

• Zone 1 is for the northeast with the cutoff at Ohio, Virginia, and Kentucky. For customers who live in Zone 1, shipping is a flat rate of $40 for 2-3 day shipping, with free shipping offered on orders of $150 or more. It's important to note, Zone 1 is the only area that can qualify for free shipping on orders of $150+. To account for additional dry ice needed during warmer months, a $5 summer surcharge has been added to the Zone 1 shipping fee.
• Zone 2 is for the middle states and Florida. The cutoff is from the border line that runs from Louisiana and Montana. Customers who live in this zone get flat rate overnight shipping at $85.
• Zone 3 is the rest of the western US and this zone pays flat rate overnight shipping at $105.

For shipping to Alaska, Hawaii, or Puerto Rico, shoppers can contact Customer Care for a quote. All orders for home delivery are shipped frozen, individually vacuum-packed, and super-frozen. This method preserves the highest quality seafood at its peak freshness, ready to be enjoyed on your own schedule. The fish is carefully packed in an insulated box with dry ice and a temperature indicator for safety. While the fish may arrive partially thawed, it is perfectly safe to store in the freezer upon receipt.

Refunds and returns within 12-hour window

Wulf's Fish maintains what they call a "standard return/refund policy” to ensure customer satisfaction. They take pride in providing the best quality seafood and are committed to resolving any issues with orders. If customers are not completely satisfied with the condition or contents of their order, they are encouraged to contact their service center immediately for assistance. Wulf's Fish may request photos of the product and any reported damage to assess the situation and offer an appropriate solution. For concerns regarding product thawing during transit, customers must contact Customer Care within 12 hours of UPS delivering the package. This is one of the shortest windows for returns due to problems with shipping in this review, so customers need to be on the ball with that.

Amazing reviews across the board

Like some other top performers in our evaluation of seafood stores, Wulf's Fish didn't appear listed on the Better Business Bureau. But we were stoked to find over 1000 customer reviews on a third-party rating site. These reviews are off the charts, averaging a whopping 4.8 out of 5 stars. Customers across the board complimented the quality and flavor of the seafood they purchased from Wulf's. One repeat customer noted that the shipments were "consistently fresh” and definitely worth the cost. Other customers loved working with the Wulf's customer service, noting that the Wulf's Fish team did everything they could to resolve issues with orders.

Close second to our top pick

Overall Wulf's Fish is a highly competitive option and it easily makes the top two in our evaluation. We love the selection and the pricing is competitive, offering a great value for your money. However, it's clear they are still building out their website as the prices are missing from listings until you click on them, and their sustainability page has placeholder text. However, with all of the benefits including competitive flat-rate shipping and options for subscription boxes, Wulf's Fish is one of the best seafood stores out there - whether you want basic fish, sushi-grade fish, or premium selections like caviar. You should definitely check out Wulf's Fish for your next seafood stop.