Shipping Time

Current Recommendations March 2025

Letter Mail (for small orders when the world wont end if you have to wait for it)

UPS (for larger orders or when speed is critical)

I do not recommend USPS Packages for middle states. They are losing and delaying orders at alarming numbers. New England and West coast have less issues but aren't immune. 

 

Shipping Info

Letter Mail

Not desperate to receive the order? I recommend Letter Mail shipping for small orders
There is no tracking but I'll make sure you get the order*
I email a photo of your envelope 

Letter mail in the USA can take 3 days or 3 weeks, sometimes more
Do you really need it ASAP? Then don't select letter mail!
If you can wait, letter mail is the best option. Everyone will get their order eventually and most get it quickly!

USPS Ground Advantage

Package mail has tracking but there is no guaranteed delivery and long delays are possible

Priority Mail

Priority mail is usually faster than ground but not immune to delays and USPS no longer offers any delivery time guarantee. While rare, I've seen a few packages take 2 or more weeks to arrive. There are no refunds and nothing can be done.

USPS NOTE: Keep an eye on tracking! If your order is marked delivered but you don't see it, you need to contact your local driver or USPS office immediately. (USPS on-line) offers no support for missing packages marked delivered. I can't open a case for you. Your best bet at finding the order is to talk to your local representatives. I've received emails from customers saying they waited a week to see if it would show up. That's a mistake! Talk to your driver right away. You may be able to open a case on-line and get someone local to contact you for more detail.  

UPS

UPS is very reliable, good tracking and they provide photos of the drop off 
UPS Ground Saver can be a good option for small orders but they do not receive delivery photos from UPS

FedEx

Very reliable, good tracking. My new favorite for international orders.

International orders

Letter Envelope (International)
Click here to see customer comments on international shipping times
I email customers a photo of their envelope when the order mails out

UK (usually less than a week)
Germany (usually 6-10 days)
Australia (usually about 3 weeks)
Canada (usually 6-16 days)
France (Usually 1-2 weeks)
These ranges are not a guarantee and some letter mail can be significantly delayed for mysterious reasons. Who knows what happens to some of these letters but I have heard of some being intercepted by local customs. Some may be sent to the wrong country and then re-routed. It is impossible for me to keep track of current situations in every country. Occasionally there are worker strikes or transport problems that cause significant delays. By the time I hear about these situations they are often cleared up already. 

 

 

 

Letter Mail DETAILS (late mail policy)

* I'll make sure you get your Letter Mail order. But we need to give the original order time to arrive. A stamp does not come with FedEx service. Some orders experience long delays and there is no way to know if a letter is really lost or just delayed, except to wait. (HOWEVER USPS Informed Delivery can help, so sign up today!) 

It depends on the time of year, your location and other circumstances but I generally consider Domestic Letter Mail unreasonably delayed after 3 weeks.  Please let me know if you do not receive your order in that time. If you have INFORMED DELIVERY, you will receive a photo of the mail to be delivered that day. If you receive a photo of the order from USPS Informed Delivery and it does not arrive... I consider the order probably lost (misdelivered) 3 days after that notification. 

It is RARE for a letter to be lost before delivery. The #1 reason for lost mail (other than wrong address) is wrong delivery. Informed Delivery helps because almost all "lost" mail received that email notification with photo first. Without that notification, the letter order is most likely delayed and not lost. Even if it's been 6 weeks since mailing! Plus Informed Delivery will let you know when any important mail should be expected. Checks, IRS, replacement bank cards, etc...