Shipping & Handling

Shipping Questions

What shipping services do you use?

How fast can products be shipped to me?

How much does it cost to ship to a U.S. destination?

How much does it cost to ship to a Canadian destination?

How much does it cost to ship to an overseas destination?

Q: What shipping services do you use? <return to TOP OF PAGE>

Our main carriers are United Parcel Service (UPS) and the United States Postal Service (USPS). UPS provides full tracking and guaranteed timely service. The USPS provides limited tracking to most countries and does not guaranteed delivery time. We find both services reliable for most destinations but recommend UPS especially for high value shipments. We also ship via FedEx and DHL upon customer request or when such carriers are more expedient or economical to you, but restrictions may apply.

Q: How fast can products be shipped to me? <return to TOP OF PAGE>

We generally process orders within two business days. Please call us if you’re in a super rush.

Within the U.S. and Canada, we ship via UPS via Ground service (2-6 business days for transportation depending on destination), 3-Day Select, 2nd Day Air, Next Day Air, or Next Day Air Saver.

For international destinations, we ship via UPS Worldwide Expedited (3-6 business days) or UPS Worldwide Express (1-2 business days), and USPS Global Mail Express (6-10 business days). Transportation days are approximations since delays may occur due to customs. The reliability of USPS Global Mail Express depends on the reliability of the customs and mail systems in the destination country. If you're in a rush or ordering high value items, we definitely recommend UPS over USPS.

Make sure to read our important information on international shipping before choosing your shipping service. We strongly advise against using USPS Global Express during the year-end holiday season, since significant delays (10-20 days) may occur.

Q: How much does it cost to ship to a U.S. destination? <return to TOP OF PAGE>

Shipping and handling costs depend mostly on the package weight and dimensions, destination, and your chosen shipping service. As a very general rule of thumb, a package weighing one pound costs roughly $8 to $10 to ship to a U.S. destination via UPS Ground (4-6 business days). Each additional pound costs approximately $0.85 for UPS Ground. For your reference, popular items such as our HOLOKIT hologram kits (6 pounds) costs approximately $11 to $15 to ship via UPS Ground.

UPS expedited services:

UPS Next Day (noon) costs approximately 3.5 times more than UPS Ground (starts at $32 ). UPS Next Day (8:30am deliver) costs the most and starts around $50.**
UPS 2nd Day costs roughly 2.5 times the price of UPS Ground (starts at $21)**
UPS 3-Day Select is about 75% more than UPS Ground (starts at $16)**

**These are rough estimates only. UPS rates my vary, sometimes significantly, depending on destination. Feel free to contact us if you'd like us to send you a quotation first.

Packages going to Alaska or Hawaii can shipped UPS Next Day, UPS 2nd Day, or USPS Express Mail. We can also ship via USPS Priority Mail upon request.

Q: How much does it cost to ship to a Canadian destination? <return to TOP OF PAGE>

UPS Standard ground shipments to Canada generally cost $3 to $5 more than U.S. ground shipments, excluding customs taxes, duty, and potential brokerage fees, if any, since those are handled locally. We have found that UPS Standard has not been consistent on when they apply brokerage fees, which start at $35 and up. You should be prepared to accept this brokerage fee if you choose UPS Standard. Some customers may find it more economical to ship via USPS Global Express Mail, which has a higher starting base rate than UPS Standard but a capped brokerage fee of $8.

Unlike UPS Standard, UPS Expedited and UPS Express automatically includes brokerage fees and will only collect for taxes and duties as required by customs. UPS Expedited and UPS Express services start around $40 for the first pound (.5 kg), and approximately $4 for each additional pound.

Local taxes, GST, and duties are not included in the shipping costs since those are handled locally.

Make sure to read our important notice and disclaimer on international shipping.

Q: How much does it cost to ship to an overseas destination? <return to TOP OF PAGE>

Overseas shipments generally start from $20 for items under a pound (.5 kg) if shipped via USPS Global Mail Express or $50 if shipped by UPS Expedited. Actual shipping and handling costs depend mostly on the package weight and dimensions, destination, and your chosen shipping service. Local taxes, duties, and brokerage fees, if any, are not included in the shipping costs since those are handled locally. Make sure to read our important notice and disclaimer on international shipping.

For you reference, popular items such as our Standard HOLOKIT (5.2 lbs or 2.5 kgs) costs approximately $35 to $43 via USPS Global Express and $80 to $100 via UPS Expedited. Some remote locations may cost more.

If you need a shipping quote before we ship, simply indicate that you'd like a quote first when filling out the order form. Or you can email us with the products you like to order along your full shipping address.