Domestic (USA)

Shipping Methods
We offer the following shipping methods:

DHL
Ground (1-5 days)
2nd Day Service
Next Afternoon (Next bus. day by 3pm)
Express (Next bus. day by 12pm)

United States Postal Service (USPS)
Parcel Post (2-10 days)
Priority Mail (2-3 days)
Express Mail (1-2 days)

UPS
Ground
3 Day Select
2nd Day Air
Next Day Air Saver
Next Day Air
Next Day Early AM

Time in transit lists business days not calendar days.

We do not include Handling Fees in our shipping charges. Shipping amounts are passed directly to you the customer at the cheapest rate we have negotiated with the carrier. We strive to reduce these costs whenever possible.

If you place your order online, you will receive an email with your tracking number once we ship your order.

Delivery Time
Orders typically take 3-6 business days before the ship out from our packing facility. Large bulk items (10lb – 50lb) can take from 1-2 weeks before they ship. Please be aware that does not include shipping (transit) time.

If you place your order online, you will receive an email with your tracking number and you can see your estimated delivery date. Emails are sent out once we pack your order. Please note that often, the tracking number does not become active until the following business day. USPS Parcel Post has no tracking.

AK and HI Customers
We only offer USPS Priority Mail to Alaska and Hawaii.

International Orders

Shipping Methods
We offer the following shipping methods:

USPS
Priority Mail International
Express Mail International

UPS (not available to all areas)
Worldwide Expedited
Worldwide Express

In rare cases domestic US shipping options will appear, choosing these domestic shipping options on your order will result in a delay in its processing.

Many countries have customs regulations that apply to our products. Please check the USPS/UPS/DHL websites to see if your package will be allowed in. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee international delivery - if a package is returned as undeliverable, you will be responsible for all applicable shipping charges.

Most of our packages will require duties and taxes to be paid at the time of delivery. These fees must be paid by the recipient and we cannot determine what these duties will be before shipping.

UPS Standard to Canada is a cost-effective method of obtaining quick and guaranteed delivery to Canada. Be aware, however, that it will result in a brokerage fee that will be payable at the time of delivery. This is in addition to Customs Duties.

We have a $100 maximum (including shipping) for all first-time international orders. If you place an order over $100, you will be contacted with options, or your order may be canceled. Once we have established a business relationship with you, then you may place larger orders.

Delivery Time
Orders typically ship from our facility in 3-6 business days. If we cannot ship your order within this time frame, you will be contacted with an update. Please be aware that does not include shipping (transit) time.

USPS Express Mail International typically arrives in 3-5 days. Priority Mail International typically arrives in 6-10 days. Please note that these times are estimates - due to many factors, the US Post Office does not guarantee international delivery timeframes. Also, time spent in customs is not included in these estimates.

Common Shipping Delays

The most common shipping delay results from errors in shipping addresses. Please make sure that the shipping address is filled-in correctly in the order confirmation you received via email. If it is incorrect, please contact us immediately.

UPS does not pick-up on weekends or holidays, therefore some orders may not ship until 3-4 days after they are placed. Normal UPS Ground service ranges from 1-5 business days (3-7 calendar days). If timing is critical, please contact us to discuss options.

If you have ordered a product from us within the last 24 hours, the product may not have processed yet or UPS has not picked-up the product yet from our warehouse. This is common when orders are made on weekends or holidays.

Shipping Charges

We do not inflate pricing in order to offer "free" shipping. The shopping cart will calculate the shipping charge based on shipping method, destination zip code, and weight of the order. Product weights have been rounded up slightly to anticipate cost of boxes, filler, and wrapping. If the cart calculates a shipping charge that seems excessively high, please call us and we will check the problem.

We will contact you if your shipping charge is significantly different than what is shown by the cart.

Shipping Confirmations & Tracking Numbers

If you did not get an email from us with package tracking information, there may be several reasons:

• The items you purchased could be backordered.
• You may have entered your email address incorrectly on the order form.
• Your e-mail software may be treating our e-mail as spam. Please check your spam folder for notices from us and enter our customerservice@vitamincottage.com e-mail address into your "approved address" list.

Please email Customer Service if you have any questions about your shipment.

Heat-sensitive and Fragile Items

Heat sensitive products such as probiotics, EFA oils, chocolate, and nuts are kept refrigerated in our warehouses at all times prior to shipping. Where appropriate, we have included the addition of a "cold pack" for these items during shipping, at an additional charge. This is to protect the integrity of the product while in transit. Some items will not be shipped during extremely hot or freezing weather. We will try to advise you at the time you order if we anticipate a problem.

Fragile items include glass or lightly bagged products such as juices and chips. We will do our best to package these items so they arrive whole. This may require multiple boxes and hence a small increase in your shipping cost. We do, however, ask that you accept some jostling and/or damage of fragile goods during shipping. We attempt to ship these fragile items because many of our customers depend on our grocery shipments. However, we do not guarantee that all fragile items will arrive safely.