Shipping

Please note that due to a reduction in the available workforce during the current COVID-19 pandemic, we are experiencing delays in domestic but especially in international shipping. Shipping and fulfillment centers are considered "essential businesses" and are still running, albeit short staffed. As a result, deliveries can take longer than expected, with international deliveries taking up to 60 days.

Customs disclaimer

This concerns all customers ordering from outside the US:

Please note that since all of our products are being shipped from the US, upon entering your country your order may be assessed by customs and incur a charge. Whether or not a fee will be charged and how high this fee might be depends on your country and its customs regulations. Any taxes or customs fees will be your responsibility as we, unfortunately, do not have any control over this, and since all countries manage their customs situations differently, we cannot include these fees in our prices. Please check the regulations for your country beforehand to avoid unexpected costs. We apologize for any inconvenience!

Fulfillment and Shipping

Estimated Turnaround Times for Order Fulfillment

We are working with an external fulfillment partner who takes care of packing, labeling, and preparing orders for shipping after they have been placed through our website. The estimated turnaround time for order fulfillment describes the time it takes to get an order ready to ship. Generally speaking, orders placed before 12pm should be fulfilled the same business day, and orders placed after 12pm, the next business day. However, this may vary depending on product availability, order volume, and other unforeseeable factors that may affect their ability to process an order within this timeframe.

Transit Time

Transit Time is the overall time required for a shipment to be transported from our fulfillment center to its delivery destination. The average time in transit varies depending on the shipping zone and carrier service selected.

General transit time estimates:

Standard carrier options (within the USA): 3-7 business days
Standard carrier options (international) 7-25 business days after fulfillment
Priority carrier options (within the USA): 2-3 business days after fulfillment

However, most carriers do not guarantee a delivery date for standard shipments. Delivery dates are subject to change and, in most cases, tracking will update to reflect the new estimated delivery date.

Please be aware that due to the current pandemic with COVID-19, shipping and fulfillment centers are experiencing higher volumes of shipments, which can cause delays in both shipping and fulfillment times. General transit time estimates are there to be considered as a rough guideline and they provide, by no means, any guarantee.

Carrier Services and Modalities

For both domestic and international shipments, we offer the following shipping services:

Standard Shipping

In standard shipping, the primary carrier is responsible for receiving the shipment at our fulfillment facility and delivering it to the local carrier who will perform the final delivery. Packages are usually processed and transferred to the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) within 48 hours.

For US domestic shipments, USPS will then deliver the shipment within 3-5 business days, on average. Shipments to Alaska, Hawaii, or international will take over 7 business days.

For international shipments, the final delivery is conducted by the national postal service of the respective country which can take 2-3 weeks. Tracking information may be limited.

Priority Shipping

In Priority Shipping, the primary carrier will perform door-to-door delivery from our fulfillment center to the receiver’s address within 3-5 business days for domestic shipment.

Tracking

Once your order has shipped, you will receive an email/sms with your tracking number. Please note that further notifications with updates on the status of your shipment might follow. The frequency depends on the carrier and services used.

Please note that it is your responsibility to check for tracking updates and to inform us if you see any irregularities or unusual delays.

Please be advised that we are currently experiencing delays in transit times due to a reduction in the available workforce during the current COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, international deliveries can take up to 60 days. Packages are also often not scanned properly, which causes extended periods without an update in the tracking information.

If you choose standard shipping as your service, your package will be handed to the local carrier for the final delivery (USPS for domestic delivery, the national carrier of the respective country for international). Here is how you can find your alternative tracking number to track your package through the website of the local carrier:

Open your UPS tracking on ups.com page by entering the tracking number we provided. Click on “View Details” to open a pop-up box with your shipment details. Under “Shipment Details”, find the heading “Alternative Tracking Number. Copy the alternative tracking number and paste it into the search bar on your local carrier’s website.

If the tracking information hasn’t shown an update for 20 days (domestic) or 30 days (international), your package can be considered lost in transit. In this case, please contact us at support@playingforchange.com to file a claim for your lost shipment.
For your convenience and peace of mind, we provide a courtesy insurance on all orders in case a shipment gets lost in transit.

Package interceptions

A package interception lets the sender or recipient stop delivery or redirect a package or letter that is not out for delivery or already delivered.

This can be useful in case you notice an error in your ship-to information after your order has already been shipped off.

Unfortunately, package intercepts are not possible for standard shipping as various carriers are involved in the shipping process. While the primary carrier is responsible for receiving the shipment at our fulfillment facility, the local carrier (USPS or national carrier) will perform the final delivery.

Most local carriers, however, offer a mail forwarding service that you can use to ensure your package will be delivered to the correct address.

In order to arrange a mail forwarding service for your delivery, please contact your local carrier with the alternative tracking number or check their website for the possibilities and conditions. Here is how you can find your alternative tracking number: Open your UPS tracking on ups.com page by entering the tracking number we provided. Click on “View Details” to open a pop-up box with your shipment details. Under “Shipment Details”, find the heading “Alternative Tracking Number. Copy the alternative tracking number and paste it into the search bar on your local carrier’s website.

Lost shipments

Any shipment can be considered lost in transit if the tracking information hasn’t shown an update for 20 days (domestic) or 30 days (international).

Please be aware that all claims filed for packages lost or damaged in transit must be filed within 90 DAYS of the ORIGINAL ship date. Any claims submitted after this timeframe will not be valid for processing or reimbursement due to limitations on when claims are accepted for approval by the carriers.

It is therefore of utmost importance that you check for updates in the tracking information regularly and inform us if you see any irregularities or unusual delays.

Please also note that lost-in-transit claims will not be accepted for orders marked as "Delivered" or orders that have a final scan.

If your tracking information states “Delivered” but you haven’t received your package, we strongly urge you to contact your local carrier (USPS for domestic, national postal service for international) using the alternative tracking number to inquire about your package and where it was left as they were the ones in charge of the final delivery.

Here is how you can find your alternative tracking number to track your package through the website of the local carrier: