Shipping Information

Thank you for placing an order with me!  I want to have your order to you as soon as possible, and will always ship on time.  Once I have printed your shipping label  and dropped off your package I have to rely on the post office and/or UPS to take it from there and deliver it to your door.  

Right now the post office and UPS are experiencing delays.  Not every package is delayed, but some are.  After I drop off the package with the post office, I do not have any additional information available other than what is shown on the tracking page.  As of Oct 1st first class mail through USPS is ground transit only, which adds a few days to their standard transit times.  Expect first class packages to take a week on average in transit.

I will always have your order dropped off at the post office within 24hrs of printing the label.  Usually it is same day, but occasionally I do package orders at night and drop them off the next morning.  Orders that are packaged on Saturday afternoon after the post office is closed are dropped off on Monday morning.

Why does the tracking often start with 'Shipment Received, Package Acceptance Pending'?  This is because your package was accepted as part of a bulk shipment of multiple packages, and the post office scanned in the shipment as a whole instead of scanning each individual package.  Once they start sorting and handling the individual packages you will see more scans start to show up on your tracking page.  See this article for more information on tracking.

If your package won't make it time for you to gift, this is an image you can print out and place inside of a card :)

delayed Christmas gift photo

If your order tracking looks like it is not moving, please read below:

  • If it has been several days and your tracking status says 'pre-transit', this means that the package missed it's initial scan at the post office before it continued on its journey.  When this happens the tracking will sometimes kick in somewhere along its route, and other times it does not kick in until a delivery is attempted.  I recommend requesting email updates via the link on the tracking page at USPS.   Often this seems to help packages 'surface' and be delivered.
  • If your package status has not been updating or has a notice that it is 'in transit, arriving late' I recommend requesting email updates via the link on the tracking page at USPS.   Often this seems to help packages 'surface' and be delivered.
  • If you are inclined to try to reach out to the post office directly, this is a link to their 'contact us' page.  This is their phone # 1-800-275-8777 .  You will want to have your tracking # at hand when you call or email them.  (Often they seem to repeat what tracking shows, and cannot do much beyond that.)  This is a link to fill out a missing mail search request.

If your order has been scanned as delivered, but you do not see your package:

  • Most of the packages I mail are in a small yellow bubble mailer about 8"x4" in size with a white shipping label covering one full side a small round blue sticker on the back.
  • Please check with your neighbors or anyone else who may have collected your mail that day.  
  • Follow up with your local post office, as they will have the gps coordinates for where it was scanned as delivered.  (This information is not available online.) They will also be able to follow up with your mail carrier who may be able to locate the package.
  • Occasionally packages are prematurely scanned as delivered at the post office and then dropped off later in the day or a few days later.  (This has been more and more common.)
  • International customers, your package may be waiting for you at your local post office/customs office.  Usually they will leave a notice for you, and then will hold the package for a set amount of time, occasionally those notices get lost or overlooked.

If your order remains missing, we are required to wait a set amount of time before a claim can be filed.  In most cases you will be required to verify the missing status of the package by filling out an online affidavit as part of the claim process.

  • first class mail, 25 days
  • priority mail, 15 days
  • priority mail express, 7 days
  • UPS, 24hrs after the missed delivery date 
  • international first class, 40 days

If your package is arriving late, but is still showing scans, we will need to wait until at least 2-3 weeks of no scans/movement.  The post office is a few weeks behind and needs time to catch up.  Nearly every package does eventually arrive.

Thank you in advance for understanding that shipping issues are beyond my control.  I don't wish them on anyone, and I hope that your package arrives to you soon!!

These are examples of what your tracking might look like in a few common situations:

tracking explained

tracking explained

example of usps tracking