How do you ship orders?
Currently we only offer USPS Priority, Priority International, and Express Services.
How long before my order ships?
We strive for shipping within 72 hours of order placement.
If your merchandise is in stock it should ship within this window.
Greater than 97% of our orders ship within 72 hours.
Contact us to be assured we have your items in stock at the time of your order!
If you order an out of stock item we will hold the entire order for shipping at one time unless you specify otherwise.
If you have placed a pre-order, please review the items pre-order FAQ page for information regarding that order.
Typically it will be 2-3 months before that item ships, as we have to wait for the item to be manufactured for us and shipped to us.
Once a pre-order item arrives to us we strive to ship out all pre-orders, in order recieved within one business week.
We also have production periods that may delay items from shipping.
Additionally we have peak shipping times, especially as Halloween approaches!
Please remember, this business is a full time SIDE venture in addition to our full time jobs.
We also have a families and small children requiring our attention.
This is a small family business...please keep that in mind.
How long will it take for my order to arrive?
USPS Priority Service will take 2-3 business days to arrive after we ship, but this is not guaranteed.
If you live in a remote area, service may take longer.
Express Service will be shipped the next business day unless specified otherwise, it will arrive the next day
(Saturdays included, no Sunday deliveries available).
Priority International service runs 4-15 days.
It
does not include the time to clear customs.
Can you ship items the same day?
If the items are in stock (call to confirm) we can ship items the same business day if the order is placed before 12:00 PM Eastern Time.
We will add a service fee of $10.00.
Do you ship Internationally?
Yes, we do!
If USPS provides service to the country we will ship there.
We have shipped to 37 countries so date.
How are the shipping costs calculated?
All packages have a base weight (tare) of .85 lbs which is automatically added into the order weight calculations.
Additonally all orders have $3.00
packaging & materials cost added.
This make the base shipping cost for any package $7.85
All products ordered have their weight added to the base weight for total package weight.
Each separate item has its own shipping cost determined by weight through our online store interface.
Shipping will be included on the invoice unless otherwise noted in an item listing.
Why do I see multiple boxes when I only ordered something large?
The website calculates how many boxes are needed to fulfill an order.
If you have an order that weighs in excess of 14 lbs (including tare)
it will be automatically broken into as many packages as need to maintain a maximum of 14 lbs per box.
Heavier single items will calculate out as multiple boxes
(foggers, air cannons, etc).
We have found in practice the multi box pricing usually works out in your favor on single heavier items.
Don't be alarmed
- this is due to the size pricing of larger packages.
What if my shipping is more or less than the website says?
What you order may ship for less than listed, or it may be more - usually the shipping is very accurate.
We do NOT refund any difference.
We do NOT ask you to pay the difference if your shipping payment doesnt meet our cost.
This saves everyone time, and you money overall (time does equal money, and you would have that time added to the overall pricing of our products).
The only time we will request shipping payment is for items without shipping listed where we must determine shipping costs via the freight carrier.
(typically oversized, or large items)
When are production periods?
During the January thru June we usually ship within 96 hours if inventory allows.
At that time (January thru June) we are gearing up for trade show season, and rebuilding inventory levels from the previous year, as time permits.
We advise you to email prior to ordering to determine if items are currently in stock or if they are in production.
If items in your order are in production they can hold up shipping until we finish a particular production run - we produce products in an assembly line fashion.
This is true especially if you need product prior to June.
When is the peak shipping period?
Peak season begins mid-July and runs thru October.
Shipping can be delayed up to 15 BUSINESS DAYS.
This can be longer if your order includes items in a production run, or scheduled for a production run.
Inventory can be short or out, and we may wait for some unknown reason for suppliers to get merchandise to us.
How do I know if something is in stock or not?
Regardless of our best efforts after 9 years of business, we cannot predict annual demand.
We estimate annual demand based on the previous years' orders and combine that data with trade show orders for a best educated guess-timate.
In January-March we order components to manufacture inventory according to those figures.
We can and do run out before the close of the season.
The online store does list inventory levels, but it is not perfect.
We may be making more and this is the count of what we will be making.
It could be the number of units our suppliers ahave in stock last time we placed an order.
The count can be off as well.
The store inventory system is not perfect, we do try to audit the inventory every 30-60 days.
If you really need to know if items you want are in stock, please feel free to call us at 216 321 1199.
We will be happy to check the inventory for stock.
What if items are Out of Stock?
We MAY bring in more inventory to meet orders.
In those cases, unless you specify differently, we will ship a partial order.
As soon as the back-ordered merchandise arrives, ship it out to you.
We may not be able to get replacemnents for that calendar year.
We will alert you and ask if you want us to ship when inventory does come in.
We can do partial shipments with back order, back order & hold for fulfillment, or cancel the order for you.
We are flexible and will set up the back order however you need.
If cancellation is needed, we will happily refund you.
Can I get a shipping quote before placing my order??
As stated earlier, our store interface calulates the shipping cost.
You can find out shipping on your order at any time by simply reviewing your shopping cart.
It is in your best interest to contact us, if you don't know what it will cost to get an item to you.
We will happily provide you with a quote.
I hope to add a store feature in the near future, that will allow you to get a shipping estimate without having to review your shopping cart.
Why does the shipping amount seem so high?
We have had questions regarding shipping in the past - shipping is directly calculated via USPS website.
If you are located in California, Nevada, Utah, Oregon or Washinton state your rates are higher than most of the population we ship to.
We have no control over the Postal
Service rate structure.
We set pricing as low as possible on our products and charge actual shipping rates, it is the best solution to be fair to all.
Do you refund shipping?
Shipping costs are non-refundable.
If an item has shipped, you are liable for those charges.
If you return merchandise we will not refund the original shipping costs, nor the return shipping costs.
Is there a resocking fee?
Items returned later than 7 days after delivery will be assessed a 15% re-stocking fee.
Do you offer any other shipping service other than USPS?
On larger inventory or large orders that comprise a palet or larger, we do offer truck freight service.
We use a freight aggregate service to locate the best possible rate for delivery.
We can also use a freight company you prefer if you supply us contact information.
Do you ship FedEx?
We are considering adding FedEx service, however we find that 90+% of the time
USPS is less costly.
Additionally, FedEx Home (ground) Delivery cannot be sent via FedEx drop box.
FedEx charges $10.00 to pick up Home Delivery packages, which we would pass on to you.
Again, USPS is less costly.
FedEx offices are quite a distance and not feasible for use to do drop offs.
Can you ship using my FedEx account?
We can ship via your FedEx account, but you will be assessed a $10.00 service fee.
Questions?
E-mail: customerservice@minionsweb.com
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