Shipping
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Shipping Information |
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Doll House Kits | Shipping Information | Calculating Shipping Times |
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| Shipping & Handling Charges and Information
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We will ship by United Parcel Service for almost ALL shipments unless you specify differently. UPS is the customers choice by default unless the customer makes another selection. When making an alternate selection, the customer chooses to pay the full cost of shipping billed by the carrier plus a service fee instead of our posted rates (other than Parcel Post below). Typically customers in the Continental United States and Canada will receive their orders by U.P.S. Customers in Alaska, Hawaii, orders shipped to FPO's or APO's, will receive their orders from the U.S. Post Office Priority Mail unless otherwise specified by the customer. Air Freight is also available either by United Parcel Service or the U.S. Post Office (FedEx or Airborne) at an additional charge. Air freight charges are based on weight and size, as well as distance traveled. We can also utilize the services of Federal Express for domestic and International shipments, or Airborne Express for International Shipments only. Each shipment authorized by a customer is subject to a separate shipping charge. Freight charges for general merchandise are separate from those for doll houses and doll house kits, power tools, room boxes, and other large or heavy items even if ordered with other merchandise. Each of these items, even if ordered together, are considered separate orders and subject to separate shipping charges. |
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$5 Online Shipping Special |
We know that the cost of shipping charged by your carriers can seem too high for such small items. Unfortunately we have no control over the rates your carriers charge for picking up your items and bringing them to you. But we now have a new shipping option that will help. Effective January 2009 we will be offering delivery via Parcel Post Mail for orders placed Online and shipped to United States addresses serviced by the US Postal Service. The cost is $5 per shipment. Please note that Parcel Post shipments will not have insurance or tracking. This option applies only to General Merchandise, and does not apply to Dollhouses, Dollhouse Kits, Turntables or Room Boxes. If you would like Tracking and Carrier Provided Insurance simply select one of the regular shipping options. Remember, all shipments are sent FOB Shipping Point. |
| Why we use U.P.S. | UPS is the customers choice by default unless the customer makes another selection. When making an alternate selection, the customer chooses to pay the full cost of shipping billed by the carrier plus a service fee instead of our posted rates or can use their own shipping account number. United Parcel Service provides a secure method of shipping packages. All shipments are automatically insured by the carrier, which helps to protect our customers in the event of loss or damage to their package. They also provide tracking numbers, online tracking, email package notification, and guaranteed delivery. Customers other than those in the above mentioned U.S. Mail delivery area, may select delivery via U.S. Mail. Please note that we only go to the post office once or twice a week. Orders must be signed and submitted in writing via Fax or Postal Mail. In addition to shipping fees, there is a $10 service fee for shipping a dollhouse kit priced up to $200 via postal mail, or a $20 service fee on dollhouse kits priced at $200.01 or more shipped postal mail. International customers will be billed $10 for administrative services on all international packages shipped postal mail. Note that we do not charge these handling fees to US Military customers shipping to their APO/FPO address overseas but will be billed the full cost of carriage. By choosing to have Mott's ship your package rather than the customer pick up the package at our warehouse, the customer is choosing to authorize Mott's to act as its agent to select UPS by default for carriage on the customers behalf. |
| Air Freight | When a customer requests air freight they are authorizing what-ever charges are levied for their shipment by their carrier. Even if their carrier sends an adjusted bill at a later date that is more than the original freight charge or estimate. This is because the carriers often measure air packages, and, using a special formula, will sometimes charge a higher freight charge based not on the weight of the package but on the size of the package and the amount of space it takes up inside an airplane. Air freight companies such as FedEx, Airborne, and UPS have something called “DIM Weight” or “Dimensional Weight”. The DIMENSIONAL weight of the package may be 26lbs even though the ACTUAL weight of the package is only 4lbs. If the carrier makes an adjustment to the air freight charge of a package, Mott’s is authorized to bill the customer for these additional charges. Follow this link for more information on UPS Dimensional Weight. On most shipments sent via UPS Air (1-Day, 2-Day or 3-Day), a Mott's will bill a small handling charge on the check-out screen or invoice and the remainder of all air shipping costs will be billed directly to the customers credit card by UPS. If your card declines on the air freight the package will be sent via Ground. Please do not ask us how much air shipping will be. Each order is unique and the air shipping charges depend on the number of parcels being sent, their weight and their dimensions, and the distance traveled, as well as the type of air shipping. There is no way we can calculate this until we have processed your order and have it packed and ready to ship. Please contact your carrier directly to obtain your own air shipping cost estimate. |
| Rush Orders | A rush order is any order on which a customer places a “Need-By” date. Any time a customer gives us a date by which they need their order to be received by, you are authorizing Mott’s to use what ever means are necessary to get that package to you by the date you have requested, including the use of Air Freight, and you are authorizing the charging of any necessary air freight charges to your credit card or store charge account. Mott’s does not have to call the customer to get this authorization, by placing a “need-by” date on an order, either in writing or verbally, you are authorizing rush freight charges and rush order processing fees. Please note that because Mott's is not a parcel delivery company Mott's does NOT guarantee that any items will arrive at any destination by any specified or un-specified date, that is the responsibility of your carrier. Please check with your Parcel Delivery Company for their delivery guarantee policies. Orders can not be cancelled, refused or returned because they did not or will not arrive at any destination by any specified or un-specified date. All shipments are FOB Mott's Miniatures. Any time a customers inquires as to the status of the order they will be deemed to be in a hurry and are thereby authorizing Mott's to send a partial shipment at additional cost to the customer. |
| Christmas Orders |
In previous years about 10-14 days prior to Christmas, all carriers including UPS, FedEx and the US Post Office “remove” their delivery guarantees for all their services except their Overnight Delivery/Next Day Air. This means that if a package is shipped via 2nd Day Air for example, UPS will not “guarantee” that the package will arrive in 2 business days. It could take 3,4,5 or more business days to arrive, but it will be given a higher priority than ground packages. During this 2-week period they will only “gurantee” Next Day Air packages. Mott's no longer offers any Air shipping options. Please note that orders can not be cancelled, refused or returned because they did not reach their intended destination by a specified or un-specified date. Mott’s does not “guarantee” that any order will reach any destination by a specified or un-specified date, that is the responsibility of the carrier. |
| Calculating Ship Times |
Note that the Available To Ship Time does not begin until the first business day following the submission of your order. If you place your order on a Friday, we receive the order on the next business day which would be the following Monday. Holidays and weekends are NOT business days. Package Delivery Services like UPS do NOT pick up on weekends or holidays. Other days which are not considered to be “business days” are December 24th and December 31st. |
| Dollhouse Kits | There is a flat surcharge of $25 to ship each doll house, room addition, porch, room box, turntable, power tool kit to customers in the 48 U.S. via UPS Ground in addition to posted shipping charges.
As of 2005 UPS now offers Ground service from the lower 48 to Alaska. Dollhouse kits shipped to zip codes in Alaska available by UPS ground from the Continental U.S. will be charged a minimum $75 shipping fee. Customers requesting delivery of dollhouse kits priced up to $200 via U.S. Mail will be billed for the full cost of the shipping charges plus a $50 service fee, or $100 service fee if the kit price is over $200.01. Including any charges which may be levied by your carrier at a later date. This includes UPS Shipments to AK, HI, and US Territories. Please contact your carrier for shipping cost estimates. Remember, that the purchase of a dollhouse kit or a dollhouse (or other items such as power tools, room boxes, or other large or heavy items) are considered to be a separate purchase even if ordered together with other items. These items are subject to a separate shipping charge. These items are marked as SURCHARGE or have this symbol |
| Assembled Houses |
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| Insurance | All shipments sent Via U.P.S., Fed Ex, or other private carrier are automatically insured. If anything ever happens to a package shipped via U.P.S. or FedEx, the claim is usually handled within a few days and replacement items can be shipped out within a week. Also, items which are shipped via U.S. Express Mail are automatically insured and loss or damage claims are usually processed very quickly.
Orders shipped via U.S. Mail (Air or Surface) Parcel Post, or Priority Mail are NOT automatically insured. For Priority Mail insurance is purchased by Mott’s on behalf of its customers and charged as part of your shipping fee. If anything should happen to a parcel carried by the U.S. Post Office, a loss or damage claim can take up to 8-11 months to investigate and be paid. Replacement items can not be shipped until the Post Office completes its investigation and pays on the claim. No insurance is available on packages sent Parcel Post. By selecting Parcel Post the customer is waiving carrier provided insurance and agrees to insure the package themselves. All shipments are FOB Mott’s Miniatures, which means that each package becomes the property of the receiver when Mott’s turns the package over to the customers carrier. This is why we strongly urge customers to use private parcel carriers who automatically insure and track all packages. In the event of a lost or damaged package, the customer will receive replacements only, no refunds, credits or exchanges. Please click here for further details. |
| Charges | There is a minimum fee of $20.00 per incident charged by United Parcel Service for address corrections on Ground shipments, and $25.00 for air packages. If a customer provides Mott’s with an incomplete or incorrect address or postal code the customer will be responsible for this fee. UPS also will levy this fee if a customer gives one delivery address at the time the order is placed but then later instructs UPS to deliver the package to any alternate address, or if UPS has a forwarding order on file for the customer to forward packages to an alternate address for any reason. In the event that a package is returned un-deliverable because a customer has provided an incomplete or incorrect address, the customer will be responsible for the full costs of re-shipping the package plus any address correction fees levied by the carrier. These are charges levied by the carrier. Due to credit card fraud, we also reserve the right to charge a $10.00 UPS Signature Collection Fee (paid to UPS) to collect a signature from a recipient on any air package or on any first-time order exceeding $100 or on any package delivered to an address other than the card-holders billing address. |
| Tracking | Packages shipped via most shipping types except Parcel Post are issued tracking numbers. Mott’s has on-line package tracking abilities and you can usually locate a package in transit within a few minutes. To find your tracking number Log In to your account. If you provide us with your correct email address on your order, you can receive a free email from your carrier with your tracking number on all shipments which originate from Mott’s facility in Orange County. This email is not sent by your carrier until the package leaves our facility. Please note that many doll house kits are drop-shipped directly to you from the manufacturer so tracking numbers are not readily available on these shipments. If you need to check the tracking of your package, it may be received only if you log in to your online account, tracking numbers are not available via telephone. Mott's can not track your package for you, the customer must contact their own carrier directly via phone or track their own package at their carriers web site. |
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indicates an item which is too large for normal delivery and must be sent by freight truck or air freight.
This page was last updated July 24, 2020 21:18 hrs.
