Shipping Information DOMESTIC SHIPPING CastingGifts.com ships orders Monday through Friday. We do not ship on Saturdays, Sundays or holidays. Our shipping carriers are the US Postal Service (USPS) and FedEx. RATES: At Checkout, customers may select their carrier and delivery option according to preference or budget. You will be given a choice of Priority Mail (USPS), Express Mail (USPS), or FedEx Home/Ground. The rates are displayed directly from the carrier based on destination and weight. We do not add additional fees to the carrier charges. DELIVERY ESTIMATES: Delivery estimates are also provided by the the carriers at checkout. Please keep in mind that the carrier's estimates are based on the number of days they expect it to take after receiving the order from us, excluding the day they receive it. In general, we try to get an order out the following business day after it is ordered. Multi kit orders, gift wrapped packages, shadow box orders, or orders placed during busy times of the year may take an extra day to release. Please bear this in mind when calculating projected delivery times. Also please be aware that for USPS Priority Mail and FedEx Home/Ground, the delivery times are estimates only, not guarantees. Only USPS Express Shipping is guaranteed, though some postal codes require a two-day turn around and cannot be overnighted. If you would prefer to use FedEx for overnight delivery, please call 630-922-9097 for a quote. Again, the Express rates are calculated from our release to the carrier. If you need something delivered the following day, please call to verify we can get your order out that day. Do not just assume it will go out the same day it is ordered unless you call us first. SIGNATURE ACCEPTANCE: We do not require signature acceptance of our orders. However, we do track our shipments through FedEx and through Delivery Confirmation via USPS. It is the delivery driver's option to leave an unattended package at a customer destination. Please be aware that we have no control over this decision, and therefore once delivery is confirmed we are not responsible for loss, damage, or theft after delivery is made. If this is a concern, and you don't wish to have your package delivered to your home if no one is there during the day, we suggest shipping to your office work location, by including the name of your Company at checkout. SPLIT SHIPMENTS: When placing an order, it can be shipped to a different address than the billing address. However, orders CANNOT be split and sent to two different addresses on the same order. In this case, they must be input as two separate orders. Example: You are sending a gift to a friend and want to order something for yourself also. If you choose to have the gift sent directly to the recipient, then you must submit one order for your friend, and then place a second order for yourself separately. If you have everything shipped to you directly, it can be placed as a single order. Below, you'll find additional information about our shipping options: FEDEX FedEx shipments normally take 2 to 4 business days depending on location. We are based in the suburban Chicago area, so delivery to Midwest locations is generally 1-2 business days, locations to the East and South are 3 business days, while delivery to the West coast is typically 4 business days. These estimates are not guaranteed. The only way to guarantee a specific delivery time is by selecting the Express shipping option at checkout. Your shipment will then be sent via USPS Express Mail. If you do not wish to use USPS to overnight your package, you can call us directly at 630-922-9097 for a quote from FedEx. When calculating shipping estimates, do NOT count weekends or holidays as business days. FedEx does not pick up or deliver on weekends for the shipping rates calculated on our site. During peak periods like Christmas, please factor an additional business day or two into your estimated delivery times. With FedEx, the day the order is received by FedEx is NOT INCLUDED in the shipping estimate. So, for an example, if you place your order on Thursday, it would typically ship out on Friday. Since Friday is the date FedEx receives the shipment, is not counted in the shipping estimate. So, if you live in the Midwest you could expect your order on Monday or Tuesday, depending on how close to Chicago you are located. For the South or East coast, you would receive it on Wednesday or Thursday and a West coast location would get the package on Thursday or Friday. Also, FedEx does not deliver to a P.O. Box number alone. If you enter a P.O. Box as your shipping address during checkout, only a USPS shipping choice will appear. The FedEx shipping button option will not be displayed. US POSTAL SERVICE (USPS) PRIORITY MAIL can take 1-4 business days depending on your destination. Some people get confused by the term "Priority Mail" and think they are paying for Express, overnight, or guaranteed service. The truth of the matter is that "Priority" is the postal service's fancy name for their standard mail. It is shipped in about the same timeframe as a stamped letter, but more quickly than parcel-post. Priority Mail is NOT an expedited service, nor is it "guaranteed" to be received within the estimate shown. Packages sent to Alaska, Hawaii, and U.S. Military APO/FPO addresses will be sent USPS Priority Mail. Expedited shipping is available for Alaska and Hawaii, but NOT to military addresses. The US Postal Service does deliver on Saturdays. Saturday delivery is not extra. - Orders being sent via USPS and weighing under 13 oz. will be sent via First Class US Mail and may take up to 5-6 business days.
EXPRESS SHIPPING is available at checkout. Again, the Express delivery estimates are based upon our release to the carrier. Express shipping via USPS is guaranteed and in most delivery areas, express mail will get the package there the day after it ships. However the Post Office considers certain zip codes to have a two day delivery. If this is the case in your situation, the USPS shipping estimation will say 2 days next to its Express Shipping quote. If you need something delivered by the following day, please call to verify we can get your order out the same day you order it. Do not just assume that because you are paying higher rates we can get the order out. If it is imperative, let us know!!! If you would prefer to use FedEx for overnight or 2nd day delivery, please call 630-922-9097 for a quote. Express shipping is available to all 50 states, but not to APO/FPO addresses. U.S. MILITARY APO/FPO ADDRESSES: When shipping packages to a military address, the following information must be used to ensure the package arrives. APO (Army/Air Force Post Office) or FPO (Fleet Post Office) is used for the "City" designation in the shipping address. For the state, choose either "Armed Forces Americas" ("AA"), "Armed Forces Abroad" ("AE"), or "Armed Forces Pacific" ("AP"). Put "United States" in the Country drop down box even if the ultimate destination is overseas. Don't forget to include the specific military zip code for the APO/FPO. DO NOT TYPE IN THE CITY OR COUNTRY WHERE THE PACKAGE IS BEING SENT AS THE DESTINATION. In addition to the shipping time it normally takes, the military then has to deliver your order to the recipient. This can delay receipt of your purchase by days or even weeks. Although we cannot control this process, we wanted to make you aware that it can take somewhat longer to receive your order. Since we are not responsible for delivery delays, orders sent to APO/FPO addresses are still subject to our 30 day return policy (from our ship date). INTERNATIONAL DELIVERY We accept international orders to the U.K., Puerto Rico, and Canada (except to the Yukon, Nunavut or Northwest Territories). All products listed on our website are available for ordering to Canada or Puerto Rico, EXCEPT the Glass Display Domes and our 16 x20 Shadow Box Kits. All products listed on our website are available for ordering to the United Kingdom EXCEPT the Glass Display Domes, Clay Impression Kits (both pet and baby) and our full line of Shadow Box Kits which we do not ship overseas because of possible glass breakage and/or frame damage. INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING CHOICES: Customers may choose to use either US Priority International mail or US First Class International mail. From the shipment date, orders usually take 7-10 business days to be received. This excludes any delays in customs. PAYMENT: In general, international payments should be made through PAYPAL. The Visa, Discover, or Mastercard payment selections on our checkout form are usually valid only for US residents due to our processor's address verification (AVS) requirements. However, we have found that some addresses can be verified and credit cards charges may be accepted. Please be aware that we have no control over which cards our AVS processor recognizes. So, if you would like to try to put your order through on Visa, Discover, or MC, you are welcome to do so. However, please be aware that if for any reason our processor denies your charge because it is unable to verify your customer billing address, you will then have to use PAYPAL for payment. SHIPPING ADDRESSES: Shipment to non-billing addresses, non-confirmed addresses, or third party addresses is not allowed on international orders. We will only ship to your BILLING ADDRESS if a Visa, Discover, or Mastercard is used for payment. For orders paid through PayPal, the shipment must be sent to an approved & CONFIRMED PAYPAL ADDRESS. A confirmed address requires a PayPal account be established. This means that only the billing address used to establish the PayPal account can be used as your shipping address, and PayPal must confirm the match. Shipment to an unconfirmed PayPal address will be denied, even if payment has been made. We will notify you via email should this situation arise, and request a confirmed delivery address instead. HANDLING/INSURANCE/DUTY FEES: A $2.95 USD International Handling Fee per shipping box will be applied to every international order. Orders between $100 to $300 USD will be charged an additional $3.95 USD insurance. Orders over $300 require additional insurance (we will quote you via email for your approval). By purchasing from us, you agree to be responsible for paying any duty, import fees or taxes, if applicable. If the package is unclaimed, refused, or returned to us for any reason, you also agree to be responsible for paying any fees, unpaid duty, taxes, or return shipping costs. A minimum $5 (or 10%) USD return/restocking fee will also apply. Purchasing from us indicates your understanding and agreement with this policy. |
