Shipping and Order Tracking

Want free shipping? We have something better!

It's become popular to offer "free" shipping on certain orders, but most of the time this does not provide the best value to the customer. Why not? Let's look at how it actually works. Often, the offer is for orders of at least $75, but what if you don't want that much tea? You end up being forced to buy more than you want to get the deal. We take a different approach. We always offer a coupon for 10% off loose leaf tea and charge a reasonable shipping fee. Just go to our Specials page for the latest code and other offers. Consider that with our "Best Way" flat rate shipping, which is $7.00-7.50, regardless of the size of the order, if you order $75.00 of loose leaf tea, you actually end up getting free shipping. Better yet, if you really only want $60.00 of tea, you don't lose out completely. You only end up paying $1.00-1.50 for shipping, without being forced to buy more than you want.

Where the savings really add up is if you want more than $75.00 of tea. The fact is, it only costs a dollar or so more to ship a $150.00 order than a $75.00 order. So, now that "free" shipping offer really pays off for the seller. They get twice as much business, but you don't get much more of a discount. With us, using the coupon you get a $15.00 discount but shipping is still only $7.00-7.50. There is no limit to the discount you receive. The more tea you buy, the bigger discount you get. Add to this the fact we give volume discounts starting with only 2oz bags of tea (many others only offer volume discounts when you buy 16oz) and we offer up to three samples, which you get to choose, with each order, most which are FREE.


You have several options for delivery service during checkout. Here are things to know about each option.

Best Way Shipping

• "Best Way" means we will choose either Priority Mail or Fed Ex (ground or home delivery), depending on which service we think will work best for your package.


• This is usually the least expensive option for orders of $50.00 or more.


• There will be a flat rate charge of either $7.00 or $7.50, depending on which part of the country you are shipping to. So the price is the same regardless of the size of the order.


• Packages of 3-4 lbs or less, which do not have multiple or large breakable items, will be sent Priority Mail and should typically arrive in 2-3 days. Other shipments will be sent FedEx (ground or home delivery) and should arrive in 2-5 business days.


• You will receive an email that shows which service was used and any tracking information.

US Mail:

• Mail is our preferred shipping method for packages with non-breakable items.


• 90% of orders shipped by mail arrive in 2-3 business days (Fed Ex Ground takes up to a week).


• All mail shipments include a delivery confirmation number which helps with tracking.


• All shipments to PO Boxes, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands are shipped via US Mail. On rare occasions, unusually heavy packages that cannot fit into Flat Rate Priority Mail boxes may cost more than you get charged on the web site. If the difference is significant, we'll email you with options.


• Charges for mail shipments are determined by the cost of your order as follows:
  
  

  Standard US Mail Shipping Charges for the Continental US (We show a range of prices because states further away will be charged more than closer states. Orders shipped within Colorado or to Wyoming are less expensive than these numbers).
  Order Totals:	Shipping Charges
  $00.00 - $9.99:	$3.00
  $10.00 - $21.99:	$5.50
  $22.00 - $49.99:	$6.75-$7.25
  $50.00 - $69.99:	$8.95-$9.95
  $70.00-$99.99:	$11.95-$12.95
  Over $100.00:	$13.95-$14.95

  Standard US Mail Shipping Charges to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands:
  Order Totals:	Shipping Charges
  $00.00 - $19.99:	$5.95
  $20.00 - $34.99:	$8.95
  $35.00 - $59.99:	$11.95
  $60.00 - $79.99:	$13.95
  $80.00 - $99.99:	$14.95
  Over $100.00:	$15.95

Fed Ex:

• We are in Colorado -- See map below for transit time to your state.







• Please be aware that FedEx does not ship to Post Office (P.O.) boxes. If you use a PO Box as your ship-to address, we will send your package via US Mail.


• Fed Ex Home Delivery is a ground service that operates Tuesday through Saturday. If Fed Ex recognizes your address as a residential location, we will ship it via this service.


• FedEx Ground (to businesses) ships Monday-Friday. If Fed Ex recognizes your address as a commercial location, we will ship it via this service.

Local Pick-Up: Customers near the Fort Collins, Colorado area may choose "Local Pick-Up" as their shipping method: How Does Local Pick-Up Work?

Express Shipping: Overnight and 2nd-Day Fed Ex Express Shipping options are available for an extra charge. When you check out, you will have the option to select either Overnight or 2nd-Day shipping. Fed Ex Express operates Monday - Friday only.

Order Turn-Around:

• For orders placed Monday - Friday by 11:00 AM (mountain time), we can almost always get your order shipped the same day the order is placed. Orders placed after 11:00 AM (mountain time) on Friday or over the weekend will ship no sooner than the following Monday.


• We are located in Colorado. Shipping to the east coast usually takes 4 business days (equals about 7 full days); shipping to the west coast usually takes 2-3 business days. See FedEx Zone Map above.

Order Status Info:

You may view your past orders, check the status of current orders, and track shipped orders from our web site. When you get your e-mail receipt, at the bottom will be a link to the order status section. Or, if you're already on the site, in the upper left you will see a link called "Order Status." Click on that link, and if you are not logged in to your account, the site will ask you to log in. Then you will be taken to a page that gives you an overview of all your orders.

• The order number, tracking number, date, status, payment method, etc. will appear for each order. (No credit card numbers can be viewed here.)


• All shipments shipped via Fed Ex or Priority Mail will have the tracking number listed. This number is a link to the Fed Ex or USPS site; click on it and your package will be tracked within seconds.


• "Status" will have the following possibilities: 1) "Your Order is Being Processed" means we have not shipped your order yet; 2) "Shipped" means the order has shipped or will be shipping out that day; for Pick-Up orders, "Completed for Pickup" means the order has been received, paid, and will be ready for pick-up on the next pick-up day; 3) "Backordered" means your order has been delayed because something is out of stock.


• When a backordered shipment is ready to ship, the order status will change to "Completed."


• To view details of what items you ordered, click on "View Details" for any order.


• Please note that you must have an account set up in the site to view your order status. This is because your order information will only be available to you. If you need help setting up an account, let us know. It basically just involves putting in your name and address information and setting up a log-in ID and password.