Shipping information for Tick-n-Thistle.com

Shipping Information

General Shipping Information
Definitions of Terminology
Ship Notifications
Shipments to Alaska and Hawaii
Shipments to Canada
Shipments to APO. FPO, PO Boxes
Expedited Shipping
Truck Shipments

Our products ship directly to you from the manufacturer. This saves us money in a number of ways, and we pass those savings on to you in our very competitive pricing. Remember that there is no additional charge for ground shipping on any orders to the continental US, so you won't get any nasty surprises at checkout - free shipping really is free!

Shipping Carriers, Lead Times and Transit Times
Because each of our manufacturers uses the shipping carrier that is most cost effective for their product line, our shipping policies vary from one manufacturer to the next. We have tried to give clear shipping information within the description of each product regarding lead times, shipping carrier and transit time, and we update our website to reflect changing conditions as needed.

Definition of terms:

Shipping Carrier is the company that delivers your purchase to you, usually UPS Ground or FedEx Ground - some very large items or large orders may ship by truck. The item description will indicate which carrier will deliver your order, the easiest way to find this information is by clicking where it says "How long will it take to get here?" which you will find to the right of the main product picture. The carrier is also indicated on the product description page in the bullet point list of features - usually at the bottom of the list.

Lead Time is the number of business days it takes from when you place your order until it leaves the factory. It is usually expressed as "Ships in 2 to 3 business days", "Usually ships within a week", etc. and you will find it to the right of the main product picture. Please note that this is the time it will take before it leaves the factory - not the time it will take to reach you!
We pride ourselves on providing accurate lead times on our website, but occasionally conditions change rapidly. If we discover that your order will take longer than normal, we will contact you immediately.

Transit Time is the number of business days it takes from when it leaves the factory until it is delivered to you. Clicking on the "How long will it take to get here?" link to the right of the main product picture will take you to a color coded pop-up window with a transit time map for the appropriate carrier.

Add the lead time to the transit time to find out how long it will take to receive your order - and remember to count only business days - weekends and holidays don't count!

* Please note: These policies are based on normal conditions. During extremely busy times such as the Christmas shopping season, the estimated time to deliver may necessarily be longer due to increased volume for both our manufacturers and the shipping carriers. Please keep this in mind and plan accordingly. Thank you!

Ship Notifications
We send ship notifications to you at the e-mail address you provide at check out. This e-mail will tell you the carrier, tracking number and projected delivery date. The notifications are usually sent out the day after the item ships.

Shipments to Alaska or Hawaii:
Free shipping does not extend to shipments to Alaska or Hawaii, which will incur a shipping charge to cover the increased shipping costs. We will contact you with your total before we charge your card. Please follow the instructions below under "Canadian Customers" to get an estimate on shipping cost.

Canadian Customers:
All of our products ship directly from their various manufacturers, and each has different policies about shipping internationally. All international shipments (even just to Canada) require additional paperwork, and not all of our manufacturers have the ability to keep up on the changing customs requirements. A small oversight in the shipping documentation can delay a shipment, or even send it back to the point of origin, costing the manufacturer time and money. Most are willing to take on the challenge, others prefer to restrict shipping to the US.

Please remember that you will be responsible for any duties, taxes or customs fees imposed by the Canadian government.

That being said, most of our products can be shipped to Canada.
In most cases, there will be a shipping charge. The most accurate way to find out what the shipping cost will be is as follows:
1. Place the item(s) in your shopping cart.
2. Proceed to check out, filling in all fields accurately
3. Proceed to the payments page, and select "Shipping quote only" as your payment method.
4. Clicking "Continue" will send your request to us, but will not place an order, as we do not have your payment information yet. We will contact you with your shipping quote as soon as possible, usually within one business day. If you decide to place your order we will collect your credit card information by phone.

APO, FPO and PO Box addresses:
Most of our vendors ship only via UPS or FedEx which cannot deliver to APO, FPO or PO Box addresses. Some vendors will ship by USPS on request, and sometimes we can have an item shipped to our office and then forward it on to you via the Post Office. In either case, there will usually be an additional charge, as shipping via the Post Office is generally more expensive than via UPS or FedEx. Contact us with the details of your situation, and we will do our best to work with you!

Expedited Shipping
Expedited shipping is available for most of our products at an additional charge. Because of the size and weight of most of our products and the fact that they ship from various locations throughout the US, we cannot offer online shipping quotes. To get an accurate and personalized quote, follow the instructions above for Canadian customers and add a note on the first page of check out where it says "Any special requests?" telling us when you need to receive the order. We will contact you with your shipping quote as soon as possible, usually within one business day. If you decide to place your order we will collect your credit card information by phone.

Truck Shipments
Some large items, such as many of the King size beds cannot ship via UPS or FedEx due to size restrictions. These items will ship by truck, and the trucking company used will vary based on destination. Multiple item orders may also ship by truck at the manufacturer's discretion. Transit times for truck shipments will be similar to the UPS or FedEx transit time maps which we provide via the "How long will it take to get here?" link on each product description page, but may vary by a day or two. You will be provided with an estimated delivery date when your order ships.
Please note: Items that ship by truck may not qualify for free shipping. Items that will incur a truck shipping charge a clearly marked on the item description page and in your shopping cart. We will contact you with your shipping charges for your aprroval before we process your order and before your credit card is charged.