Shipping Information - Charges, Delivery and Product Availability
Shipping Charges
Everything ordered through this web site, from every and or any section will incur shipping charges for any order. Once you go to the final Checkout Process page, it states clearly there that Actual Shipping Charges will be applied after we receive your order and that this fee will be added to your total after we receive your order. Actual shipping charges will be applied on every order from any section of this web site www.portara.com. You will be notified by e-mail for the shipping charges after we ship your order. We ONLY ship through the Fedex or UPS STORE because they pack our products in order to insure a secure delivery and arrival.
For Shipping to Alaska and Hawaii Add $15.00
For Shipping to Canada Add $15.00
For International Orders Add $25.00
How come you do not have shipping charges calculated on orders from the WEDDING or CHRISTENING/BAPTISM or BABY SHOWER EASTER CANDLES section when I checkout?
This feature on our website cannot be used for the WEDDING or CHRISTENING/BAPTISM or BRIDAL SHOWER, EASTER CANDLES section because not only we cannot predict from which state a customer would place an order( the destination) but also we cannot predict what every customer would order and in what quantity since every customer's special event has a different number of guests and consequently has different quantity of favors and or other accessories ordered and thus we are not able to show approximate shipping costs at checkout.
Please note, with the variance in the items that we carry along with their height, length and width as they are or after they are finished (like ceremony candles), it is very difficult to calculate shipping charges without packing your order first. An item could be packed inside an item thus incurring the same shipping charge as to shipping the same two items separately. For example if you are ordering wedding crowns and wedding ceremony candles, then we can pack the crowns together with the candles into the same box. But if you are ordering wedding crowns and a tray and candles, then we cannot pack the tray with the candles together because the candles might be damaged. Or say you order candles and favors, those items have and must be packaged separately in order to avoid breakage and damages. Or say you order a Christening Outift, a Baptismal box and Christening/Witness Pins, then all of them will be put wrapped together inside the Baptismal box and then packaged.
So it all depends on the size and weight and how it is packed and the destination.
And as always, we look out for our customers best interest and we guarantee you that we pack our orders in such a way as to avoid unnecessary shipping charges.
Well, I would like to know what my shipping charges are before I buy.
You can still submit your order and when you checkout, put a note in the comments box to notify you before shipping either by phone or e-mail, this will ensure you will be contacted before we ship your order.
Again, it all depends on the size, weight, how it is packed and the destination. One thing for sure is that you will be charge the actual shipping costs.
Delivery
Your order will be delivered by FEDEX or UPS, (FedEx if you make arrangements with them to come and pick up the package from our store) or other package service depending on the best available service to a specific address.
All items usually ship within 48 hours unless otherwise indicated. All orders will be delivered by Standard Ground Delivery (3-8 Business Days) except if another method is requested.
Once shipped, you will receive an email with the tracking number.
You can calculate Delivery Time/Average Shipping Times by clicking this link.
Product Availability
We strive to pack and ship all packages within two business days. If this is not possible for some reason, we will notify you immediately. Orders received after 6:00pm EST will be shipped within 24 hours or on the next business day.The total time to receive your package is dependent upon the shipping method you choose. We have listed the estimated times including our packing and shipping times.
For example, for a Standard Ground Delivery package, the total time is calculated as follows:
(1-2 days for us to pack and ship) + (Shipping Time) = Total Delivery Time
For example, if you select Standard Ground Delivery, the shipping time will be 3-7 business days, depending on where you live. This means your total delivery time will be 1-2 days for packing + 3-7 days (shipping time), for a total of 4-9 business days from the time you place your order.
*Shipping to Alaska and Hawaii
Standard Ground Delivery shipping to these addresses is available for an extra charge of $15.00. This fee will be added to your total after we receive your order. Due to the considerable expense, delivery option other then Standard Ground Delivery are NOT available for shipments to Alaska and Hawaii.
*Shipping or Billing to Canada
We ship to Canada according to the following rules:
Must of our items are considered delicate and fragile ~ therefore we ship them ONLY via UPS Regular Ground Service. Express or Global Express shipping is also available upon request. Shipping costs would be added to your order accordingly after we ship your package.
Also a fee of $15.00 will be added to your total for all credit cards with a Billing Address in Canada because these are considered insecure transactions and the merchant processing fees are much higher than those credit cards with a domestic billing address.
This fee of $15.00 will be separate from the shipping costs. Any discounts given are applied ONLY towards the original cost of the products and not the shipping.
Shipping to P.O. Boxes to Canada is NOT available.
Shipping or Billing to P.O. Boxes, APO/FPO and International Addresses
** All credit cards that have a P.O. Box Billing address or any orders with a Shipping address to a P.O. Box will incur a $15.00 charge that would be added to your total after we receive your order. This $15.00 charge is separate from the shipping charges and this $15.00 charge incurs in order to cover the extremely higher Credit card transaction fees and discount rate fees the Merchants charge that are extremely higher than those with a regular Billing or Shipping address because they are considered risky charges and they charge us very high fees. You can avoid this $15.00 Handling charge by using a credit card with a Billing address other than a P.O. Box address.
All packages (orders) are shipped through the UPS STORE and not shipped directly with USPS; therefore higher shipping charges might occur. We do not take the packages to the USPS Offices.
** Also Shipping to APO/FPO, American Samoa, Canal Zone, Guam, Mariana Island, Puerto Rico & Virgin Islands addresses with valid USPS zip codes incurs with a $25 charge via the United States Post Office. This fee will be added to your order after we receive it and it is separate from the shipping charges. Shipments to Alaska, Hawaii, and U.S. territories are generally sent by U.S. Priority Mail and delivery times may vary. Thus No Overnight Shipping method is available for those addresses.
** Shipping to International addresses (Worldwide) is available. When requesting a worldwide shipping cost, please include your complete address (including the postal code) as well as the product(s) you are interested in so we may provide you with an accurate shipping cost. You can e-mail us for the status and charges for your specific location. All orders with an International Billing Address or any orders shipped to an International Address are charged a $25.00 handling charge. This $25.00 charge would be added to your total after we receive your order and it is separate from the shipping charges. International Credit cards with a P.O. Box Billing or Shipping address are not accepted. If Portara considers your order as a large order, then for security reasons, you might be given instructions on how to make payment via Wire Transfer only. Overnight Shipping is not available to any International Address.
Please Note: Portara Gallery has the right to cancel any order without any reason provided if it considers the transaction might be fraudulent or suspicious.
Custom Duties For Shipments to Foreign Countries
Customs Duties
Shipments to foreign countries may be forced to pay an extra charge at the time you receive your item. If so, this is a customs duty levied against you by your government. Not all countries have customs duties, which are different than postage - as it is more similar to sales tax by your country. Unfortunately, the money does not come to Portara Gallery, it has nothing to do with us and we have no control over it. We do not know which countries will charge duties, nor when they will decide to collect these customs duties, or not. We always mark the custom forms as gift, rather than merchandise, and this sometimes helps to avoid customs tax. But, sometimes is has no effect, and your government will charge customs duty anyway.
Address Errors For Which Portara Is Not Responsible
A fee will be applied to all orders where:
The incorrect address has been provided by the customer and the package is returned as undeliverable
An invalid address has been provided by the customer, resulting in a surcharge from UPS. Such an error may include, but is not limited to, invalid or incomplete address information; incorrect zip code; incorrect state or country information; typographical errors; or transposed digits
A move or sudden change of address results in the refusal or non-delivery of an order
The fee will consist of a $5.00 handling charge plus any applicable costs related to re-routing, forwarding, or redelivering the parcel(s). Please note that there is no charge for address changes that are made before an order is shipped.