Shipping Rates & Policies
Processing TimeWe try to ship all orders within one business day. (For exceptions, see our back order policy.) In fact, on most business days, orders received by 3:00 PM Pacific time are shipped the same day. Machine orders are shipped a day or two after we receive them. We use this time to arrange the trucking that you requested. Machine ShipmentsWe ship machines to the United States and Canada. We ship all machines by truck freight because they are simply too heavy and bulky for UPS Parcel Service. (Bandsaws and micro mills are light enough that we can ship them by UPS.) Truck shipping costs and details are on the Shipping tab on machine product pages. Tracking InformationWe will send you a package identification number about 5:00 PM Pacific Time on the day your shipment leaves here. If your entire order is sent directly from one or more of our suppliers the package identification number will only identify the envelope containing the invoice. We do not usually get tracking numbers from our suppliers. You will usually receive "tracking information" when we mail you a credit invoice. If you are not expecting a package, and the shipment method is First Class Mail, then the "package" probably contains a credit invoice or other communication. Shipping ChargesOur shipping charges include the amount that UPS or USPS charges us; we do not mark up this charge. You choose the shipping service you want and we calculate the exact cost to ship your order from Pasadena, California. Shipping charges may also include the cost of package protection (for orders over $100.00) and a handling charge (for international postal shipments). Things that affect the cost of shipping:
All shipments are FOB Pasadena, California. To compare the cost of various shipping methods:
Direct-From-Supplier ShipmentsSome items we sell are shipped directly from our supplier. Many of these are heavy items where the cost of shipping from our supplier to our warehouse would significantly increase the price. It might be a day or two longer before a direct-from-supplier item ships, and you will receive it in a separate package from other items on your order. You might receive this item a few days before or a few days after you receive items shipped from our warehouse. All direct-from-supplier items are clearly indicated on the product page. International Direct-From-Supplier Shipments USPS (Mail) Shipments to the United StatesMail is usually less expensive for shipments that weigh less than 2 pounds and for items that fit in certain flat rate boxes, but to get the best price you should consider both USPS and UPS, regardless of weight. USPS provides an economical solution for shipments to Alaska, Hawaii, and other US possessions. Many times USPS shipping rates look high. This is because we include the cost of package protection on orders over $100.00. Shipments to US PossessionsIf you live in a US possession or protectorate, assert your independence! Select the name of the possession in the Country list. Because UPS treats most US possessions as separate countries, some appear in both the State or Province list and the Country list. If you select the US possession in the Country list, the Web site should figure out where you are. Shipments to CanadaDespite the "free" trade promises of NAFTA, shipments from the U.S. to Canada can still incur considerable costs. NAFTA means no duty, but you're still on the hook for GST and PST, of course. Here's some information that may help you avoid surprises and, more important, save some money. There are several options for shipping to Canada. You can see the cost of each option on our Shopping Cart page:
UPS Ground Standard
When you ship by UPS Ground Standard, besides the shipping charges that appear on our Web site, UPS charges you a fee for customs brokerage and a bond plus duties and taxes when they deliver the package. Here's the rate schedule for shipments from LittleMachineShop.com:
There should be no other fees, except duties and taxes. If UPS asks you for additional fees, please contact us. Our estimates are based on an exchange rate of US$1.00 = CA$1.32. These brokerage fees are much lower than UPS normally charges. To learn about the fees that UPS charges for customs clearance into Canada, visit UPS: Rates for Customs Clearance into Canada Self Clearing Canadian Customs You can find a more complete procedure here. UPS Air Services Priority Mail International When comparing Priority Mail International to UPS services, remember that we add a $5.00 handling charge to cover the cost of completing the USPS paperwork. This charge is included in the shipping charge on the Shopping Cart page when you choose any international postal service option. If you choose Priority Mail International shipping we use Priority Mail Flat Rate Boxes (or envelopes) when they will save you money. We adjust the shipping amount on your order when we are able use a flat rate box. Flat rate boxes are limited to 20 pounds (9.07 kg). There are six sizes of flat rate boxes, ranging from 8.63" x 5.38" x 1.63" (219 mm x 137 mm x 41 mm) to 12" x 12" x 5.5" (305 mm x 305 mm x 140 mm). The downside is that while the post office estimates delivery time of 4 to 10 business days, in our experience it's sometimes longer. Priority Mail Express International International ShipmentsWe ship to many parts of the world. You can place your order on our Web site and choose an appropriate shipping method. The total cost of your order, including shipping and handling, is calculated before you commit to placing the order. We recommend UPS Worldwide Saver and UPS Worldwide Expedited (where available) for international shipments. The list of countries to which we ship is provided by UPS and USPS. If your country is on the list, we probably ship there. We do not ship to countries with onerous paperwork requirements, such as requiring notarized or authenticated invoices. If we find that your country has such requirements we will notify you and cancel the order. In some cases, the onerous paperwork requirements are triggered by the value of the shipment, so we might ship some orders but not others. Likewise, we will not meet onerous paperwork requirements that might save you duty or taxes. If we cannot complete the paperwork in our offices, without extra expense, we will not do it. We will not have paperwork notarized or signed by third parties such as the chamber of commerce. We will not ship your order with false documentation, such as listing the products as gifts or at prices lower than we charge. We are required by our shippers to include accurate export documentation and we will not risk our ability to ship internationally to save you money. The cost of the products you purchase is included on the export documents. The cost of shipping is not included. In some cases international customers may wish to combine shipments from several vendors to save on shipping costs. FedEx CrossBorder and Shipito provide this service. They provide you with a US address to which we can ship your order. They will combine it with orders from other suppliers and forward it to you. You simply use the address that they provide as the shipping address on your LittleMachineShop.com order. Because UPS treats most US possessions as separate countries, some appear in both the State or Province list and the Country list. If you select the US possession in the Country list, the Web site should figure out where you are. International Postal Shipments We add $5.00 handling to orders shipped out of the US via the US Postal Service to cover the cost of completing the USPS export paperwork. This fee is included in the shipping cost. If you choose Priority Mail International shipping, we use Priority Mail Flat Rate Boxes (or envelopes) when they save you money. We adjust the shipping amount on your order when we are able use a flat rate box. Flat rate boxes are limited to 20 pounds (9.07 kg). There are six sizes of flat rate boxes, ranging from 8.63" x 5.38" x 1.63" (219 mm x 137 mm x 41 mm) to 12" x 12" x 5.5" (305 mm x 305 mm x 140 mm). In general, Priority Mail International takes 2-3 weeks. Once the package is in the hands of USPS we have no control over it, and once it leaves the US, there may be no way to track it. (Once in a while it is a lot longer. On rare occasions we’ve seen some packages take up to 8 weeks.) Priority Mail Express International International UPS Shipments UPS returns some rather cryptic error messages that are displayed at the bottom of the Shopping Cart page and the top of the Checkout page. In general, they mean you should select a different UPS service or check your address and postal code. In many parts of the world you must choose UPS Worldwide Express because they do not offer anything else. Shipping ErrorsIf you don't have the right combination of ZIP or postal code, country, and shipping service, then you might get a shipping error displayed on the Web page. The most common error from UPS is "The requested service is unavailable between the selected locations." This means that UPS does not offer the shipping service you have chosen to your destination. Correct the ZIP or postal code or change the selection in the Ship By list, usually to a more expensive option. The most common errors from USPS are "Please enter a valid ZIP Code for the recipient." and "No Destination City State found." These both mean that USPS does not recognize the ZIP code as being in the US or its possessions. Correct the ZIP code or choose the appropriate country. Package ProtectionWe automatically protect every package that we ship against loss and damage. The fees for this protection, which are included in the shipping cost, are shown in the table below. These fees are significantly lower than the fees charged by UPS and the Post Office.
For example, the cost of protection for a $210.00 UPS shipment to the United States is $0.50.
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Height Gage, 6", Digital, iGaging
