Shipping Information

Here you will find the most common questions and information related to shipping!  Visit the order information page if you have questions before ordering, or the after order info page if you've already placed one!

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Where do you ship to?

At this time this website is only setup for US and Canadian shipping. And typically those are the only places we ship.

Please visit our International Orders page for details.

How much is shipping?

Detailed shipping estimates are available on this page.  Thanks!

Why is shipping so expensive?

Shipping heavy fragile rocks is tricky, and the shipping services like to charge a buttload.  I do not make any money on shipping (I usually lose money), so please know that.  Shipping estimates are listed on this page, and are subject to change based on the shipping carrier prices.  But if shipping looks like an INSANE cost, please let me know ASAP, something might have calculated wrong.

When do you ship?

I mostly ship on Mon, Wed, Friday, but try to ship all orders within 1-2 business days, but there are occasions where things can be delayed up to 3-5 business days.  You will receive a tracking e-mail once your order has shipped.  All orders are dropped off within 24 hours of that e-mail, if not before.  I DO NOT guarantee ANY specific shipping times or arrival dates, as that is out of my control.

Sometimes I can ship immediately (if your order happens to come in while I'm packaging), sometimes you might order right after I finished in which case the above times apply and may take 1-2 business days.

I usually ship 2-3 days per week. Usually Monday, Wednesday, Friday, but I may ship differently some weeks. Even Saturday SOMETIMES.

Again, please remember I'm one person.

Payment Plans may take an extra day or two due to the fact that the final payment may fall on a strange day, or the system may not notify us immediately.  See the Payment Plan page for details.

How long does shipping take?

90% of our shipments are sent via USPS.  First class packages will take approximately 5-8 business days, Priority takes approximately 3-5 business days.  Larger orders and ones with free ground shipping typically take 5-8 business days through UPS. This is United States ONLY.

I have no estimates or guarantees for international shipments as that includes two shipping companies and customs which I cannot control any of.

These are simply ESTIMATED times and not guaranteed.  Once they are dropped off with the shipping companies, I have zero control of how fast they move.  I have no contacts with these companies to even get additional updates for them.  Again, please remember I'm a tiny fish in the shipping sea and they do not give me the same access as larger companies.

There is more helpful info on our FAQ page.

Are your packages insured?

First class packages are NOT insured unless you add the Route protection at checkout.  Priority and UPS packages come with $100 insurance.  If you want your package insured beyond that, you will need to add the Route protection package.

Unfortunately as mentioned above, I am not responsible for USPS or UPS damages or lost items. The Route insurance is only a $2.95 addition and will give you piece of mind with a full replacement or refund. If you want signature confirmation, that will also be an additional $3-5.

If you experienced an issue with your Route protected order, please file a claim with Route’s team here.

Who pays for shipping if an order is returned to sender?

If your item is returned to me due to your error (wrong shipping address for example), you will have to cover the re-shipment.  If it was my error, I will of course take care of sending it again. 

International Shipping & Fees

You are responsible for paying any fees related to importing, duties, etc.  I do not know what they are and cannot estimate them.  I will also not change the value of the package. If your shipment is sent back because you refuse to pay the fees (COD for example) I will NOT refund your order. If you'd like it re-shipped, you must pay for the second shipping fee AND the fee you previously refused to pay.

I have no control over shipping speeds or delivery estimates. I cannot guarantee any delivery dates for any of my orders (even US), but especially the international ones.

See the international orders page for more details.

Can I pick up my order if I live nearby?

No sorry, for both our safety I do not allow any local pickups, or do any drop-offs.  All orders ship no matter where you live.

After Order Placed

I put the wrong address, can you change it?

No sorry! Payment providers like PayPal do NOT allow us to change the address, so please be sure to input it correctly.  We ship to the address that is input by YOU, and the label is created automatically by the system.  We have no way of knowing it is an incorrect address, whether that is the Apt # or an entirely different address.

Similarly, if you are moving, if you do not put anything in the order notes like 'please wait 5 days', or 'must arrive by __ date' on the cart page (no instagram messages), we WILL ship the item as we regularly do.  Again, it is all done by what is in the shop system. 

If your address is incorrect and you need to change it, you can TRY to have it changed using a USPS Intercept Package request.  There is a fee involved, and it is done directly through the postal service, I have nothing to do with this.

IF you catch this before the item ships, we will have to cancel the entire order and have you re-order again.  Since there are fees we incur for doing this, we will charge a fee of 3% of the order total, to re-do your order. (This is the fee we are charged to refund your order).  Please e-mail us immediately to do this. 

Please know that if you are ever holding a box, make sure to put the correct address in ALL orders as I sometimes ship from the first order, and sometimes from the second.

Did my order ship?

If you received a shipping confirmation e-mail with tracking, then yes!  They are ALWAYS dropped off within 24 hours of that e-mail being sent.  Please allow 1-3 days for it to update.  

Sometimes USPS does not scan at every stop.  I've had packages take up to 8 weeks.  I am so sorry, but there is nothing I can do once I drop it off! If you have received tracking info, I PROMISE your order is on the way as far as me dropping it off. This includes packages that are marked as 'pre-shipment' on the USPS tracking. 

If you have NOT received an shipping e-mail with tracking, then your order has not shipped yet. If it has been more than 3 days and you also didn't see the order confirmation e-mail, you may have entered your e-mail wrong (check your spam folder too!). Shoot me a message through the contact form with your name, order number (if you know - if you don't, give me your address or something identifying) and your correct e-mail address and I can re-send the emails.

My tracking hasn't updated, can you help?

Unfortunately I receive the SAME exact tracking info, nothing more.  They don't even give me anyone to contact.  Once it leaves my hands, it is up to the USPS (99% of orders) or UPS (larger orders).  If your tracking hasn't updated in some time, I suggest taking your tracking number to your local post office or UPS store. They may be able to start a 'find mail' request. You can also do this online. See the bottom of the page for more info.

If your tracking number even just says 'Accepted - Shipment Received, Package Acceptance Pending' - it has 100% been dropped off with the USPS. I do not know why this happens, but you will first want to submit a 'find my package' or start a 'service request' with them. When you write in, note that you are 100% sure it is in their possession... because it is, I promise!

If you experienced an issue with your Route protected order, please file a claim with Route’s team here.

More help and information on shipping...

Please visit my full FAQ & Policies page for more information and answers on shipping related issues.

My order was 'returned to sender' who pays to re-ship it?

If your item is returned to me due to YOUR error (you input wrong, or incomplete, or incorrect shipping address at order for example), you will have to cover the cost of the re-shipment. This is at USPS's discretion on whether they can deliver the item as you input it. I have no control. Please note I have no control over how fast or slow they send it back to me. I've seen it take a month.

Labels are created automatically from the address information you input, so I have no way of knowing if it is wrong. Whatever address your order confirmation e-mail shows is the address that it will ship to.

I use the exact address from what the customer inputs. The system will not suggest address changes like apt/units, or company info, or name changes. I have no way of knowing if something is missing or if an address doesn't actually exist at all.

I will send you an invoice for the cost of the new shipping label. Once that is paid, I will re-send to the corrected address you provide. USPS does not allow me to re-use the original label.

If for any reason you refuse to pay for the re-shipment and I make an exception to grant a refund (which since I do not typically offer refunds, is very rare - see below), your refund will not include the original shipping costs or fees I incurred. I also cannot refund you for the Route protection if that was on it.

If it was MY ERROR from changing the address somehow, I will of course take care of sending it again. 

What are the shipping levels, aka 'Priority' or 'Ground'

Priority is typically sent USPS Priority Mail and takes approximately 2-3 business days.

Ground stands for two things:

Ground Advantage is the USPS 'First Class' mail's new name. They combined the name with their 'Ground' large package shipping. They go at the same speed now which is approximately 5-7 business days.

Ground can also be sent UPS which is the same speed as the USPS one. I usually ship USPS unless the boxes are very large and heavy.

This will be at MY discretion because these size shipments cost me upward of $40-60 to send (which you don't have to pay the difference of).