Some Questions About Shipping and Rush Orders

Well, the wedding season is upon us again, and as usual this time of the year, we have people who need rush shipping, or shipping outside of the US.  The first question we get is:  Can you do it?

Well, of course we can do it!  The problem we have on the website is there's a lot of variables to the price of rush shipping and shipping outside of the US, and we simply haven't been able to build a script that both works and is easy to understand!  So what do you do if you need rush shipping, or shipping outside of the US?

Rush shipping first.  First, decide if you really need rush shipping.  Now we know that it sounds a little strange, but you need to know that our Bridal Gifts and Accessories, Bachelorette Party Items, Candles, Cake Toppers and Cake Top Figurines, Save the Date Magnets, Candy Wrappers, Candy Roll Labels, Wine Bottle Labels, Water Bottle Labels and White Umbrellas are shipped via Priority Mail from our Philadelphia warehouse.  If you live around those areas, say, in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York--you're likely to get them in one to two days anyway.  Right now, we're getting things as far as Connecticut and Rhode Island in two days!  Our blank wedding stationery is shipped from Texas--usually via UPS, and our organza ribbon, organza pouches, etc. is shipped from our warehouse in San Diego--again, usually via UPS.  So you need to ask yourself do you really need rush shipping, or do you live close enough that you're probably going to get it in one to two days anyway!

If you've decided that you really do need rush shipping, there are two things that you can do.  The first is to order the item, then note in the comments box that PayPal has during the ordering process that you need rush shipping, and then for heaven's sake, monitor your emails!  We usually reply to an order within an hour of the time it's placed, and at that time we'll have an answer regarding how much extra it's going to cost.  I'm sure you all realize that the extra cost is a combination of both the distance and the weight, so now I think you can start to appreciate the difficulty of building an automated script.  When we reply, we'll have the cost and options such as overnight and second day, and ask you to choose.  Based on what you reply, we will then create a custom invoice through PayPal for the difference, and send you a link to it via email.  When you click the link, it will shoot you directly to your invoice.

Now, all that sounds complicated, but to give you an idea of what's involved, yesterday I got a call from a delightful young lady in Texas, who need a rush order on a garter she wanted for a bachelorette party.  Staying on the phone with her, I told her to order and pay for it, and note it need express shipping in the PayPal Comments box.  I got the notifying email from PayPal immediately, and while I she was ordering on the website and paying through PayPal, I was looking up the Express shipping charges on the Postal Service website.  By the time I got the email from PayPal about her order, I already knew what the extra charges would be, and I was preparing the custom PayPal invoice and email, which I sent to her.  She clicked the link, paid the extra charges, and the whole transaction took less than 5 minutes!

The second method is to just send an email to info@thinkwedding.com, letting us know what it is you want and where (tentatively) you would like it sent.  A zip code is all we need to look up the charges; you don't have to reveal anything else.  We will get back to you within the hour to let you know what the options and charges are, and if you feel that they're worth it to you, we can create a custom invoice for the whole amount plus express shipping, then send you an email with a link directly to it.  Whichever you choose is up to you.

There's one more catch about rush shipping that you need to realize:  once it goes out of our hands, there's little we can do if it doesn't arrive on time.  Yes, we know that both UPS and the postal service have guarantees--but you would be surprised how many ways they have of sneaking out of their commitments!  The vast majority of the times, things are delivered when they're supposed to be delivered, but you are always running the risk that the package will not arrive when it's supposed to--and there's little we can do about it once it goes out of our hands.

Now, about orders outside the U.S.  We send lots and lots of things to the UK--England, Scotland, Whales, Ireland, etc., as well things to Sweden, Israel, Spain and Japan and particularly to Canada.  We're up against much the same problem though; each item has a different weight, and, of course, each destination costs a different amount.  Again, it's difficult to build an automated website script to take all those things into account!  If you would like to order something delivered outside of the U.S., use one of the two methods listed above.  We'll find out the weight, tell you what shipping options you have and what the charges are, and you can make your decision as to which you would like to have.

We ship via the postal service exclusively Since we ship most frequently to the UK, we can tell you that the most reasonable charges and terms are Air Parcel Post, which is 4 to 7 days, and Global Priority, which is 4 to 6 days.  The cheaper of the two is Air Parcel Post, and the difference in price, for the most part, just doesn't make Global Priority worth it for most people.  By the way, whichever is chosen, it still seems to take 4 days to both Canada and the UK!

We make a lot of sales of our white umbrellas to England and Scotland as well as to Washington state, and we've been told that it's because it rains a lot in those places.  We do have a problem with the umbrellas that are standard size (42") and the golf sizes (48" and 60") though; because the packages measure over 84" total area (length, width, height), they come under a different, and a little more expensive, pricing schedule.

We found that a wonderful solution was the 42" white folding umbrellas.  Even through they are full-size, they fold down to about 10", which makes a shipment of even several outside the US economical!

We hope that this goes a little way to easing anxieties and answering one of the most commonly asked questions!