Shipping Questions

General Shipping Questions

Can you give me a shipping cost prior to ordering?

For most products shipping is calculated by the shopping cart when you place an order. For items which ship by truck rather than standard UPS or FedEx, we will have to research it once an order is placed. For international orders options are shown in the shopping cart using US mail services.

What is the order receipt and/or transit shipping time? Domestic orders placed M-F, for ground or USPS transit take approximately 6-10 business days to arrive. based on availability of items on any given order. Air orders arrive more promptly based on the method selected. During the holidays it sometimes takes an extra day or more because of the heavy volume.

If you have a deadline, it is the customer's responsibility to let us know when the order is placed.

Domestic, time for ground shipping is given in business days, not calendar days. A business day is Monday-Friday, and does not include weekends, or holidays, the day before Christmas, the day before New Years, and other holidays. This is because freight carriers do not pick up or deliver on those days. Air services are delivered on business days, not weekends.

International air shipping transit times for US Mail air services are taking from 3-4 weeks after they ship, unless you request to ship by Federal Express. However, because of local in-country mailing and customs delays it may, on occasion take longer. Always check with your local post office after the shipment leaves since some countries do not notify recipients, and packages get returned.

Refunds cannot be provided due to lengthy delivery times for international orders. It is not within our control how long a package will take to arrive once it leaves our warehouse. If you need an order quickly, request delivery by Federal Express worldwide economy service. This takes from 6-10 days, has full tracking capability but costs about 2 or 3 times as much as US air mail.

If you need an international order by a certain date let us know immediately so we can advise of the fastest way.

International orders? International orders are shipped via US Mail or Federal Express Worldwide. We add handling charges, plus US Mail or FedEx cost. Some additional costs may be added for insurance.

What about customs fees and duties? Customs and import fees are levied by your own country once the package reaches your destination country. If you do not pay them, and invoices are sent back to us as the shipper, you will be billed using your credit card as security for the customs fees, plus a handling charge for our staff taking the time to research the case. Please take care of these fees once you contacted by the authorities.

How do I select a shipping method? When you are completing an order, there is a drop down menu from which to select shipping during check out. The drop down menu will give you a choice of next day, second day, third day air or ground. If there is an error in your order confirmation after you have placed the order, contact us by e-mail immediately(within a few hours after placing the order) for any changes or corrections you wish to make.

OOPS, What happens if I did not select the desired shipping method upon check-out? If you wish to make a change, DO NOT recreate the order, just e-mail us with the correction.

If I want a guaranteed arrival date? Select an expedited service, such as, next day second day or third day service. Please note these services can be costly depending upon the size and weight of the item. Saturday delivery adds additional cost, since it is not a business day.

Expedited air services have higher rates for box sizes greater than 12" x 12" x 12". Additional charges will be calculated based on the carrier's "dimensional weight" formula after we review the order and know the correct information.

If there is a problem with the order, such as, invalid card number, bad addresses or the like, then orders will be held until these issues are resolved with the customer.

Special orders, custom orders and back orders can take 2-4 week, depending upon the item. Long lead-time items are usually noted on the website.

What are Shipping and handling costs for 48 contiguous states? Please note large items may need to be shipped via trucking or freight lines since they are either too heavy or too large for UPS or FED Ex. During check-out you must select the method you desire from the drop down menu. This calculates the correct cost for shipping based on UPS rate tables, unless it is oversized or requires multiple boxes on larger orders..

The exact shipping costs are determined by weight of the package and zip code.

How is shipping calculated? Sample rate calculation would be: for domestic shipments, if FedEx charges Four Gates $8.00 for freight, plus a nominal handling cost. One way to save a little would be to have the package sent to a business address vs. a home address. FedEx and UPS also add variable fuel surcharges apply right now during the high fuel costs stage of our economy. International shipments are charged more for handling because of the cost to fill out customs forms, and other staff time.

If a large or extra large box is required additional costs will apply. Oversize shipments where the box is greater than the shippers regular box minimum will have additional charges.

Are there separate charges for order with multiple boxes? If your order requires more than one box, and/or there are large boxes, we will manually calculate the shipping cost after we receive the order. We will make every effort to notify you of this. The on-line shipping software can only make a single order charge, and cannot calculate additional box charges based on the size and/or multiple boxes.

We can sometimes ship smaller packages via US Mail, so use the drop down menu to see the best rate.

Heavier shipments over 70 lbs or oversized beyond FedEx capability will likely be shipped by truck lines. These types of orders will need manual calculation.

Why are oversized or heavy items charged more? UPS and FedEx both charge a volume rate based on the weight and dimensions for larger packages. This applies to air services and, height width and depth over a certain size. The shopping cart cannot calculate the oversized charges automatically (we sure wish they could since we must call to get a rate, and it creates more work for us) But, as a customer service, we are glad to do it, but please note, we do not create these rates, but must implement them. This applies to Shoji Screens, some mats and large lamps, large orders of zafus, Zabutons, and other similar items.

Charges for Intentional orders are calculated after your order is placed. We will contact you with the options and shipping rates if the orders are heavy and costly.

Why is my package taking so long to arrive? Local customs departments within the recipient country may cause delays once they arrive in your country. Be sure to include the correct local postal code. Customs and import fees are levied once the package reaches your destination country. Our company has nothing to do with the customs process, charges vary as you well know. Contact your local customs authority to find out about import duties for international shipments.