Shipping policy
To ensure successful delivery:
It is important for you to track your shipment so that any delivery issue that arises can be tackled quickly. If you contact us more than 2 weeks after a missed delivery, the chance for recovery will be significantly diminished.
Shipping FAQs:
What's my shipping cost?
You can check the shipping cost for any item or combination of items by putting it in the cart and go to checkout. Shipping cost will be automatically calculated and displayed by the system.
There may be instances when an order needs to be split up into multiple shipments. For examples, when there are 2 items that cannot be shipped together due to shape differences, or orders that are excessively heavy (over 50 lbs). In these situations, we will inform you and bill you for the additional shipping cost.
How long does delivery take?
Total delivery time consists of processing time (to pick, pack and ship) and carrier transit time.
We strive to process most orders within 3 business days. Large orders may take longer.
The number of business days displayed during checkout are carrier transit times only, which does not include processing time.
Business days for USPS are Mon – Saturday.
Business days for UPS, DHL, and FedEx are Monday – Friday.
If you have an urgent need, please contact us to request expedited service. While we don't have the capacity of Amazon Prime, we’ll try to accommodate when possible.
Which carrier services do you use?
For most items, you can choose from a range of services by USPS, UPS, FedEx and DHL.
Note: We reserve the right to switch your shipment to a comparable or higher level of service than the one originally chosen, without adjustment to your cost. This may be done for various reasons. For examples: 1) When we can take advantage of the Saturday service from USPS to gain a day on UPS 2) When we can leverage an USPS flat rate box to deliver a heavy shipment faster than UPS ground without incurring higher cost 2) When we’re aware of a reliability issue associated with a certain carrier and a certain route.
Do you ship internationally?
Yes, we ship to anywhere in the world.
Do you ship to APO, FPO, or PO Boxes?
Yes.
What's my tracking number?
The system will send you an email notification once the order is shipped.
Tracking shows the shipment is delivered, but I have not received it. What should I do?
If the order is shipped with USPS, the most effective way is to check with your local post office, or the post man who comes to your door. They scanned the item as delivered, thus are most likely to know where the package was left.
Calling USPS routes you to a call center with long wait time, and will unlikely lead to resolution.
If the order was shipped with UPS, please contact us.
Why don't you offer free shipping?
Because there is really no such thing in the real world. We believe in giving our customers full transparency toward what is the cost of goods vs. the cost of shipping.
Is my shipment insured?
We encourage you to take advantage of the third party insurance offered during checkout, which covers loss, damage, and theft at an excellent rate. A key benefit is that it allows you to directly file a claim with 1 click.
By default, shipments are insured only up to the respective carrier's basic coverage
For additional information about shipping insurance, please refer to the Shipping Insurance page.
Understanding international shipments:
There are two basic types of international deliveries: USPS and courier services.
When a shipment is sent by USPS, it will be transferred to the destination country's domestic postal service once it's cleared by Customs. You should be able to track the domestic leg of the delivery in your country's postal website. USPS has limited ability to provide assistance once a shipment leaves the U.S.. Delivery issues can be most effectively resolved with your domestic postal carrier or local post office. In some countries, Customs will hold the shipment until tax/duty is paid. If tracking shows your shipment is being held in customs for an extended number of days, you are advised to contact them proactively.
DHL, FedEx, and UPS are considered courier services. They handle an international shipment from end to end, including customs clearance and billing for tax/duty. These are the fastest, most reliable / secure international services. Delivery issues can be readily handled by the carrier’s customer service. We strongly recommend using a courier service for higher value orders. For packages of certain size and weight that exceed USPS limits, courier services are the only options.
Tax/duty for international orders is assessed by the destination countries, and is the responsibility of the customer. We do not play a role in this aspect, and cannot advise on the rate.
Exception handling protocol:
The status of a shipment is determined by the tracking history. The following protocols are observed in the event a shipment is lost, broken, or stolen:
If tracking shows the shipment has not reached the destination, upon request Heritage Cruisers will assist with checking with the carrier.
If tracking shows "Delivered" status at the destination, but the customer states the shipment has not been received, then the resolution is between the customer and the carrier. Heritage Cruisers role is strictly advisory. Majority of such cases can be recovered by expeditiously checking with the mailman or local post office.
If tracking shows "Delivered" status at a location other than the destination, upon request Heritage Cruisers will assist with checking with the carrier. Such cases are typically caused by an incorrect scan, and will not actually affect delivery.
After follow-up, if a shipment is deemed to be lost, broken, or stolen, customers who purchased shipping insurance can file a "one click" insurance claim with the third party insurance provider, Route. The link for filing a claim is given in the order confirmation email (as opposed to the shipping notification email).
If the customer elected not to purchase shipping insurance, the customer assumes the risks associated with the shipment.