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USPS Shipping Options
USPS Ground Advantage – same as the old First Class Package service but now includes packages over one pound (formerly Parcel Post). Main difference from Priority is that shipping may take longer than Priority by a few days. Includes $100 Insurance.
Priority – usually faster than Ground but more expensive. Includes $100 Insurance.
Our Stark Raving Cat order form usually defaults to Ground Advantage. You can easily chose Priority (or Ground Advantage when Priority is default) if you wish.
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Processing
To ship same day (for items in stock) orders must be received BEFORE 9am Central Time that day.
Some of our handmade products may take at least 1-2 days to process and ship. If an item shows as backordered, it may take a week or longer.
We only offer USPS shipping. For small, lightweight packages, like most of the ones we ship, USPS rates are cheaper than United Parcel Service (UPS) and Federal Express (Fedex).
2024 Holiday Shipping (November through December 2024)
Last days we can ship that packages MAY arrive by Christmas:
USPS Ground Advantage
Ship by December 18th
USPS Priority Mail
Ship by December 19th
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Delivery Problems
USPS Delivery Issues: Once the USPS picks up a package from us and issues a tracking number, the USPS is fully responsible for delivery. We ship all items with a USPS tracking number, which is included in the shipping fees. The tracking number is usually emailed to you at the end of the day we ship. You can go online to the usps.com site, enter your tracking number and see the status of your package.
If an item does not arrive, is missing or late in arrival, or damaged, the buyer should contact the USPS directly with the tracking number and ask for a Case Number to be assigned. In our experience, once a case number is assigned, we have found that the USPS usually finds the missing article. Also, contact us and we will try to help in whatever ways we can; but the USPS must confirm the status of an article with a Case Number before we can take further action. Information for contacting the USPS is available at USPS.com.
Verified Addresses: To make sure your package arrives at the proper destination, we only ship to USPS verified addresses. If the United States Post Office cannot verify your shipping address, we will email you and request a corrected address. If we do not hear back from you within three days, we will cancel the order and issue a full refund. If you ask us to ship to an unverified address anyway and the shipment is returned to us, we can refund only the cost of the product, not the shipping cost, as long as the product itself is in good condition.
If you want insurance, contact us and we can see how much extra it would be.
NOTE: We are not responsible for items shipped within the United States if USPS tracking shows an item was delivered to the shipping address the customer requested on the order.
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USPS RATES
Shipping & Handling fees are based on total weight and diemnsions of products, packaging and shipping container (before tax, coupons and discounts). You can view your shipping fees and options before check out. To see the shipping fees, and also any taxes and coupon adjustments to your cart, click “FOR BEST RATE: Click Here to Add Your State & Zip Code” below the shipping prices. Adding your zip code will show an accurate shipping total after you click the UPDATE button. If you make any changes to your cart, like adding another item, always UPDATE your cart for the new total.
• To see the shipping cost before you purchase, load items into your cart, VIEW the cart, and click the pop-up shipping button under Cart Totals. To see shipping and any applicable sales tax, click the Calculate Shipping button.
• We usually ship out items within 1-3 business days of your order (all products are hand assembled in the USA). The US Post Office advises you allow 2-5 business days after mailing for Ground Adantage items to arrive; and allow 1-3 business days for Priority mail to arrive.
• Texas sales tax is applied to the final purchase (after coupons or discounts), and to shipping fees, but only when shipped to Texas addresses.
• When an order is completed, you will receive an Order Completed email and in most cases, it will include the tracking number. If it doesn’t, you can also log into your account if you created one when you placed your first order. Select the My Account button on the top menu and use the Track button next to your order. If you checked out as a Guest, you may contact us via our Contact form after you receive your Order Completed email to get your tracking number (though it’s usually included in the email). When requesting a tracking number, please include your invoice number.
CANADA and EUROPE
Since 2020, due to an increase in shipments that failed to arrive when shipped to Canada and overseas, we have ceased all shipping outside the USA.