Shipping Your Order

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United States shipping
International shipping

Order preparation. Unless noted otherwise in the product description, please allow 1-2 business days after your payment is received for us to prepare your order and get it ready for shipment. We do not provide same-day shipping. Wholesale, large volume, made-to-order items, or custom orders may take more time to prepare -- please inquire about lead times when you place your order.

Shipping costs. Our online ordering system calculates an approximate shipping cost for your order. This estimated cost is reasonably accurate for Standard shipping, but can be high for Express or Next-day shipping or for orders with several items. If the calculated charge is too high, we promise we will manually adjust it before we charge your credit card or PayPal account. If the shipping cost is too low, we often absorb that cost, but we reserve the right to contact you for additional payment.

Jingle alert! We package our bells carefully, but they still will make some noise in the package. If you are ordering a bell as a surprise gift, you may want to have us mail your order to your work address or to a friendly neighbor.

Packaging and insurance. Your purchase will be shipped to you carefully packaged and clearly labeled. High-value packages will be insured against loss or damage in transit. We will not be held liable for loss, damage, or delays in shipping. You are responsible for contacting the shipper with any claim for shipping damage or loss.

Shippers. UPS and USPS are the only carriers readily available in our small community. We can also ship via FedEx for the additional cost of courier pickup. UPS and FedEx require your street address; they cannot deliver to a Post Office box. If you provide your UPS or FedEx account number, we can bill the shipping costs directly to your account.

United States shipping

Please choose a shipping method that will ensure timely delivery. See also Christmas Ordering Deadlines if you are ordering Christmas gifts.

We regret that we will not re-ship your order by a faster method if your original order is still in transit, unless the delay is clearly due to our error. We will not be held liable for loss, damage or delays in shipping.

Standard (3-8 days)

We use USPS Priority Mail for most packages, including those going to APO/FPO (military) addresses. Packages over about 5 pounds usually ship via UPS ground, unless the ship-to address is a Post Office box.

Standard shipping is inexpensive, but it does not guarantee the delivery date. Please allow 3-5 calendar days for standard shipping to the central states and 4-8 calendar days to the eastern and western states, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Allow extra time for delivery -- as much as 10-14 days -- in December and for APO/FPO addresses.

Express (2-4 days) and Next-day (1-2 days)

We use USPS Express mail for Express delivery packages and UPS Next-day for our Next-day shipments. Both of these methods do provide detailed tracking information. They also guarantee the delivery date, except for severe weather or natural disaster. In our experience, bad winter weather has delayed Express and Next-day deliveries by 1 to 3 days.

Express delivery typically takes 2-4 business days and Next-day delivery requires 1-2 business days. These times start the day after a package is picked up by the shipper. Express and Next-day orders placed on a Friday will not ship until the following Monday. Package pickup is not available during the weekend in our rural community.

International shipping

We gladly ship to most countries. Please choose a shipping method that will ensure timely delivery. See also Christmas Ordering Deadlines. We will not be held liable for loss, damage, or delays in shipping.

Standard

We use the US Postal Service (USPS) Priority International mail as our Standard shipping method. Standard shipping is inexpensive, but does not provide detailed tracking of your shipment.

In our experience, typical delivery times for USPS International Priority Mail have been about 7 business days to Canada and 7 to 10 days to the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia and Sweden. Delivery may be delayed, however, by customs inspection, bad weather, or the heavy Christmas shipping rush.

Express

We usually use USPS Express International mail. This method is fast and reliable and provides detailed tracking information. In our experience, Express International mail has taken 3 to 7 days for delivery, starting the day after a package is picked up by the shipper.