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Shipping Q & A

Steve is our Shipping Manager. He is a great guy and has a hands-on role in every shipment, making sure your order gets to you professionally packed and promptly shipped.

See below for all shipping information.

What is your normal shipping time and when can I expect my order to be delivered?
We generally ship within 48 business hours (M-F, 9-5 Eastern Time) of your purchase or if we have been away we generally ship 48 business hours from the time you receive your processing email. If you make your purchase at any time on Thursday or Friday and you choose UPS, there is no weekend service for our Ground, 3-Day Select, Second Day or Next Day delivery options. Therefore, a package that leaves our fulfillment center on a Saturday does not actually reach the shipper until Monday and a package that leaves our fulfillment center on Sunday does not actually reach the shipper until Tuesday.

Your order will usually arrive 2-5 working days after it has been shipped unless you choose expedited shipping. (see FAQ #8 regarding expedited shipping)

See the U. S. map for estimated transit times for UPS Ground shipping service once your order has been shipped and for the latest Holiday Shipping Schedule for UPS and USPS.

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Do you offer Same-Day Ship?
Depending on a number of factors, occasionally we are able to ship the same day as your purchase is made BUT no matter what carrier and method you choose, Same-Day Ship is not our policy.

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Do you offer local pick-up?
No, we do not offer local pick-up.

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What shipping carriers do you use?
We use the United States Postal Service (USPS) and UPS. (your choice)

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Are there any days you do not ship?
For USPS deliveries, we do not ship on Sundays or holidays. For UPS deliveries, we do not ship Saturdays, Sundays or holidays.

Always check the top of our Homepage for any important updates to shipping.

Upcoming Holidays:

See our Map page for all 2010 holidays.

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What shipping carrier and method do you use for your products that ship FREE?
We reserve the right to use the carrier and method of our choice for our products that ship FREE. Once your order ships, you will receive a shipping notification letting you know that your order has been shipped and what carrier and method were used.

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If I choose UPS expedited shipping service (Next Day Air Saver, 2nd-Day Air, 3-Day Select) or USPS Express Mail when should I expect my shipment?
We generally ship within 48 business hours of your purchase (Business hours: M-F, 9 am - 5 pm Eastern Time).

**If we are away, we will have a notice at the top of our Homepage and the top of our cart and we will begin procesing your order upon our return. **All time frames for expedited shipping will start from the first day we return.

If you choose UPS:
- We will get your Next Day Air Saver order out within 24 business hours of your order unless we are away and we try to get other expedited shipments (2nd-Day Air & 3-Day Select) out within 24 business hours of your order but we do NOT guarantee it.
- We DO guarantee that your 2nd Day Air and 3-Day Select order will be shipped out within 48 business hours of your purchase unless we are away.
- Once the shipment is picked up, UPS does not count the day it is picked up or Saturday or Sunday or a holiday as a day in transit and makes deliveries Monday through Friday.
- UPS offers Saturday as a delivery option for a fee but, at this time, Serendipity does not offer Saturday delivery.
  
  For Next Day Air Saver delivery, UPS will get
the package to you by the end of the 1st weekday after it is picked up. For 2nd-Day Air, UPS will get the package to you by the end of the 2nd weekday after the package is picked up. For UPS 3-Day Select, UPS will get the package to you by the end of the 3rd weekday after the package is picked up. For example:
- If you place your order on Monday, and choose UPS Next Day Air Saver, typically you will receive your order by the end of the day on Wednesday.
- If you place your order on Monday and choose UPS 2nd-Day Air typically you will receive your package by the end of the day on Friday.
- If you place your order on Monday and choose UPS 3-Day Select typically you will receive your package by the end of the day on the following Monday.
If you choose USPS Express Mail, we will ship within 24 business hours of your order placement unless we are away (if you place your order on Friday by 9:00 a. m. Eastern Time, we will get your shipment out on Saturday, after 9 a. m. it will go out on Monday). USPS states that Express Mail is Overnight but that is NOT guaranteed. Only UPS gives a guarantee.

We will keep you updated on your shipment. Feel free to visit ups.com or usps.com

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I want to ship my order via UPS. Will UPS ship to a PO Box?
No, UPS will not ship to a Post Office Box. If shipping via UPS, you must provide a street address.

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Do I need to sign for my package?
All orders over $250.00 and orders at our discretion will require a Signature. We will notify you in your Processing email if we require a signature. In most cases, if your order is under $250.00, Serendipity will not require a signature. The UPS driver at his/her discretion may require a signature at the time of delivery. We have no control over the policies of UPS.

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Do you charge sales tax on shipping charges?
Sales Tax: We charge 6% sales tax to Pennsylvania deliveries only, including tax on shipping, according to PA state law governing Internet sales (See Rev-1748)

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May I store shipping addresses on your site?
Yes, you may store up to 5 addresses in My Account in your Address Book.

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I notice when I purchase products that ship FREE, I do not see a place to designate my shipping address. How is that handled?
When you are not given a choice to choose a shipping address, we will use your Customer Address (the address you used to register your account). If you would like the product/s shipped to a different address, please leave us a note in the Comments Box at checkout, letting us know what address to ship to.

If you do not leave a note in the Comments Box, we will send you a notice along with your Order Processing email letting you know which address we will use. We will assume that you want the items shipped to your Customer Address (the one you registered when you opened an account) and NOT your Billing Address. If we do not hear to the contrary, we will ship to your Customer Address.

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I want my package shipped outside the United States. What costs are involved besides the shipping charge?
Depending on the country the goods are being shipped to, there may be taxes & duty fees as well as brokerage fees from the carrier. There also may be other fees. You, as the Buyer, are responsible for all taxes and fees charged by your country as well as any brokerage fees charged by the carrier.

If you are having your purchase shipped outside the United States, please make sure you understand what fees and taxes apply before making a purchase on our site.

If you do not accept the package once it is delivered to you, the carrier will notify us and we may choose to abandon the package, in which case you will receive no refund. We may have the package returned to us, in which case the carrier will charge us a fee which we will pass on to you. If we accept the return and the goods are received in good order, we will treat it as a return and we will not refund your original shipping and we will deduct the carrier return fee from your refund.

The link below will lead you to a calculator for Canada taxes, duty and fees, including brokerage fees. We DO NOT endorse this calculator or advocate you use it in lieu of contacting UPS or USPS. We urge you to contact the carriers as well as finding out from your country what taxes and fees will cost for your purchase. We WILL NOT be held responsible if the ultimate taxes and fees are different from the calculator. It is a convenience resource only and may under-report Brokerage fees but will give you a ballpark figure for taxes, duty and fees.

The Final Cost Calculator - By clicking the link you acknowledge this will give you a ballpark figure only and we will not be responsible if actual fees and taxes differ.

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What if you are away when I place my order? When can I expect it to be shipped?
If we are away when you place your order, we will have a notice at the top of our Homepage and our cart letting you know when we will return. All orders, including expedited orders, will begin processing upon our return and we will send a notification once your order has been shipped. All time frames apply beginning the morning we return.

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How are your shipping charges calculated?
Shipping charges come directly from UPS and USPS and are based on weight and package size to your selected zip code. In order to be able to ship on a daily basis and to make sure you don't have to worry about any damage to your order, we pay a fee to UPS for business pickup and a fee to insure all our packages. A fee for these costs is added to our shipping charges across the board.

Please bear in mind that shipping costs are constantly rising now, breakables need to be double boxed and if you are across the country from us, shipping will be higher than if you were in the Mid-Atlantic or on the East Coast. We understand that nobody is thrilled to pay shipping charges, but we will not change our careful packing procedure (if you think our shipping charges are too high, please do not make a purchase on our site) and we do not make a profit on shipping.

Remember that shipping is usually less expensive per item when purchasing multiple items.

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What if I need expedited shipping for your products that ship free?
Just email us or use our Contact Us form, letting us know
1. the product you are interested in
2. the quantity desired
3. the zip code where order will be shipped
4. the carrier and method of your choice
and we will be happy to give you a quote for expedited shipping. Once you approve the charge (if you want expedited shipping) we will be happy to send you an invoice for the product and shipping.

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Will I receive a tracking number?
Whether your order is shipping to you or to someone else as a gift, if you choose UPS, you will be provided with a real-time tracking number so that you can track the progress of your shipment in transit. It will also show a scheduled delivery date. (Actual delivery date may be different from scheduled delivery date)

Whether your order is shipping to you or to someone else as a gift, if you choose USPS, you will receive a Delivery Confirmation (DC) number. USPS does NOT provide real-time tracking. You will be able to see that your package has been shipped and also when it was delivered.

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Will I receive a shipping notification?
We will send an email notification once your order has been shipped. You will also receive a separate email with Delivery Confirmation if you choose USPS or QuantumView Notice with Tracking Number if you choose UPS.

Emails sent from our site do not get through to many aol subscribers. If you are an aol user, you may have to login to your account to see the updates from us.

Be sure to check your spam/junk folder for any emails from us and please add info@SerendipityCollections.com to your safe senders list.

If you do not receive any notifications from us, please check your spam/junk folder and also login to your account for any updates. Please feel free to contact us using our Contact Us page as there may have been a glitch in the process. It could be as simple as an incorrect email address input upon creation of your account.

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My order totals more than $100 and I see Free Shipping as an option as well as other carriers and methods listed. Why do you list other carriers and methods?
If you qualify for FREE SHIPPING, that will be marked as the default shipping option. If you choose the default, we will ship with the carrier and method of OUR choice.

If YOU would like to choose the carrier and method, then select your preferred carrier and method and you will be charged accordingly. All carriers and methods are offered primarily for those who need expedited shipping.

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Will my shipping charge be refunded if I want to return a product or products?
All shipping charges are non-refundable and you are responsible for return shipping. Please Note: If you make an exchange or return, all shipping costs, both ways, are to be paid by you, the customer. We cannot refund freight charges.

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What if I want to ship one of your smaller items that ships FREE to an address other than my own and I do not see a place to change ship-to address?
Just leave us a note in the Comments Box at checkout with name and address of recipient. We'll make sure it gets there. If you would like a gift card included, let us know the occasion and how you want the card to read.

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My order totals more than $100. Why isn't FREE SHIPPING offered?
If your order totals $100 or more and FREE SHIPPING is not an option then either your order is shipping internationally (Free Shipping is only offered for domestic shipping - United States deliveries) or your order has exceeded our weight restriction. Free Shipping, as stated on the Homepage, is only available if your order is under 20 lbs (this is dimensional or billable weight which includes actual weight and package bulk). If we are able to keep the billable weight below 20 lbs after we pack and weigh your package, we will refund shipping charge.

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Will I be able to get shipping estimates before I checkout?
Once an item is added to your cart, you will be able to get shipping estimates. Shipping costs are determined based on dimensional weight to your zip code

Please Note: You will only be able to get shipping estimates for another zip code besides your own if you are LOGGED OUT of your account. Once you are ready to checkout, you must log in to your account.

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Shipping for Handmade Pendants and Charms category.
FREE DOMESTIC (U. S.) SHIPPING for all pendants and charms. Unfortunately, due to the change in USPS policies, we are not able to offer Free Shipping to our Canada customers any longer. If you are an international customer and want to purchase our pendants only, you MUST contact us for a shipping quote. Your cart will show FREE SHIPPING but that is for United States customers only.

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Information about items marked Free Shipping.
Our products that are designated Free Shipping are for Domestic Orders only (U. S.). If you are an international customer (including Canada) you MUST Contact Us for a Shipping quote UNLESS you are purchasing the Free Ship item/s with at least one other item that does NOT ship free OR your order totals $100 or more.

If you are an international customer and you are purchasing our Free Ship Products with at least one other product that does NOT ship free OR your order totals $100 or more, you may proceed to checkout without contacting us.

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Will I be able to ship to an address other than my own?
You have the option of shipping your entire order to a different address from your own, when making your purchase (see FAQ 21 for Free-Ship Orders). At this time, if you would like part of your order to ship to one address and another part of your order to ship to a different address you will have to make separate transactions.

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I won't be home when my package is delivered. Can you instruct the carrier to leave my package in a designated location?
Unfortunately, we have no control over UPS or USPS policies. They may leave the package or they may leave a Notice letting you know that they will make a second attempt at delivery or they may instruct you to pick up the package at a certain UPS or USPS location. If your order is shipping via UPS, you may contact UPS and make delivery arrangements. Instructions wil be sent with your shipping notification.

If you leave us a note in the Comments Box at checkout as to where you would like the package left, we will try to put a note on the shipping box asking that the package be left in your chosen location but we cannot guarantee that the carrier will leave it.

Please remember that packages that require a signature or fees to be paid will not be left if you are not at home.

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If I am purchasing a gift for someone else and I qualify for a gift with purchase who gets the gift?
Where we offer gift with purchase and your entire order for physical goods is being shipped to a different address from yours, your gift with purchase will be shipped to the recipient.

Please Note: If you purchase e-Gift cards only totaling $75 or more, Checkout will state that you qualify for a gift but we do NOT offer Gift with Purchase if only purchasing e-gift cards.

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Do you ever upgrade shipping and will it cost me?
We reserve the right to upgrade shipping with NO additional cost to you, if we feel that is the best way of shipping certain products

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I notice when I check shipping estimates, one carrier and method is marked as the default. Do I have to use this carrier and method?
No. Usually the least expensive shipping method is marked as the default but once you proceed to checkout, you will have the opportunity to choose your carrier and method.

If you want to see your total using another carrier and method while checking estimates just click under the method you want to check and it will automatically change the shipping estimate to that carrier and method and give you a new total.

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What if my item arrives damaged?
All our products are insured so if an item arrives damaged, please contact us immediately. We will require a small amount of paperwork and we will work quickly to resolve the problem.

Please do not send damaged products back to us before contacting us. We will let you know how to proceed at that point.

International Customers: We can only issue a full refund on damaged or otherwise defective products (no exchanges)

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I have a question about shipping and I don't see it listed here.
If you have other shipping questions, please use our Contact Us form and send us your inquiry.

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