Shipping Times | Faster Shipping | Overseas Shipping | Returns | Velcro | Discounts | Discontinued Items | Missing Packages

I will add to this page as needed. :) Over the years there have been some questions that get asked more than others so I made this page so I can quickly link people to it. First the MOST frequently asked question:

Q: When will I get my order?

A: The short answer is, I ship Tuesdays and Thursdays*, USPS First Class, which takes 3-4 days in the US, or Priority, which usually takes one fewer day. If you are NOT in the US, please Google how long something will take to get to you from Sacramento California (zip 95826) using USPS First Class or Priority, because if you ask me, that's what I will do. I don't have shipping times for every country committed to memory, and it varies SO much across the world.

*Keep in mind that if Monday is a holiday (or I was at a convention or something) it can push everything forward a day, and I will ship Wednesday and Friday instead.

When I ship your order depends on when you place it. Orders placed up to early afternoon Monday PST will most likely go out Tuesday (unless I am very busy). Then orders placed up to Wednesday early afternoon PST will go out Thursday. Anything placed after then will not go out until the following Tuesday. That's why some orders go out quickly and some can take a week to go out, it all depends on when I get the order. My workload can play a factor but for the most part I will work as late as I have to to stay on top of orders, especially Monday, as most people tend to order over the weekend (I'll work over the weekend when I have a lot of orders).

PLEASE DO NOT FORGET that I do not keep many blank t-shirts on hand so if you order a shirt you need to allow me extra time to buy one. I run my errands on Tuesdays and Thursdays so that's when I would get it, then it would most likely go out the following shipping day.

From September through mid-October I tend to be swamped with Halloween orders and will work more days as needed and will sometimes also ship Saturdays. In my shop policies it says to allow up to two weeks for delivery (in the US); to be fair that's just to cover my butt and you'll probably get it sooner. Keep an eye on your tracking (it will be on your receipt once I send it out) and if it looks like it got lost or something let me know, I don't watch everyone's tracking. But I do want to mention that if you don't get your order because you gave me the wrong address, that is not my fault and I do not owe you free replacement product. I shouldn't have to say that but apparently I do. :P

AND, all of this is just when your package will SHIP. Once something leaves my hands it is up to the postal service to actually deliver it, and I have no control over them.

Q: Can you ship my order faster? I will pay to upgrade to faster shipping.

A: No. I do not ship Priority Express, or Overnight, or anything besides First Class and plain Priority (and forget FedEx, I don't deal with them anymore). Nor will I make a special trip to the post office for you. Over the years I've had to put my foot down about this as it's not worth the stress. A lot of the patches I make are also made by other people on Etsy so if my schedule doesn't work for you try someone else.

Q: Why is shipping overseas so expensive for just a patch??

Because that's what shipping a parcel overseas costs me. A patch is not a piece of paper and I have been informed by the postal service that sending something not paper as a letter (which is much cheaper) is technically illegal and I could face severe fines. I am not risking it. Patches must be shipped as parcels.

Q: Can I return my order for a refund/replacement?

A: Yes. If there was something wrong with your order please let me know right away; if it's damaged or something you probably won't need to return it and I will just give you a refund or replacement (a photo will help). If you just want to return it because you changed your mind that's okay as long as it wasn't something unique made just for you that I can't resell. Let me know and you can ship it back on your dime and get a refund on the item only (not the shipping).

Q: Can you add a Velcro backing to my patch?

A: Yes I have started to offer that. Most patches will cost a dollar to add Velcro to. It is not only extra material factoring into the cost, but the extra labor as my machines tend to break thread constantly while sewing through Velcro and I have to stand there and constantly rethread it so it also takes an extra chunk of time. (And then it's more thicknesses for me to cut through.) Please note as well, and this is stated in my item descriptions, that I do NOT send a corresponding piece of fuzzy Velcro along with a Velcro patch. It is ONLY the rough side. You must provide your own fuzzy surface.

Q: Can I have a discount if I order more than one item/because I'm broke?

A: I start offering price breaks at ten units or if you hit $100, whichever comes first, and it's on a case-by-case basis. And once I give you a discount that doesn't mean you can turn around and then only order one or two at that price per unit, it doesn't work that way.

As for getting something cheaper just because you can't afford it or don't want to pay that much, no. At least offer a trade or something; I have for instance traded patches for stickers with another Etsy seller. Offer to draw me some art, anything. Don't just ask for a discount. I probably won't even bother to reply if you do.

Q: Can I get patches made from things on tv/in movies/in video games?

A: No, not anymore. I did that for more than a decade but I was never comfortable with it and finally stopped. It isn't legal, despite all the other people you see doing it online. Yes I was getting away with it. But I'm done.

Q: My order didn't show up, can you check what happened/can I get another for free?

A: All right, I have to address this. I have been doing this since late 2009, I have made thousands of sales. Every once in a while, something either gets lost in the mail or sometimes tracking shows that they were "undeliverable" or "refused by addressee" and returned to sender. Or sometimes it even says it was delivered just fine, but the customer never saw it. The customer and I verify that I was given the correct address, and I did everything right.

The harsh truth is I am not responsible for the postal service. Sometimes they lose things, sometimes they make mistakes, and frankly sometimes I suspect workers are in a rush or something and don't feel like delivering a package and just mark down that it was refused. I don't know that for sure of course but sometimes it is just unexaplainable why something does not get delivered. And since I do not insure my Etsy packages, it is my understanding that USPS will not refund me for lost items. The bottom line is, if I did not make a mistake, I do not owe you a replacement or a refund. THAT SAID if we're just talking about a patch or two in the United States, and especially if I am not slammed with Halloween orders or something, I can send another out no big deal if you ask nicely (yes I have to say that, some people get very angry at me when the post office loses their package). I will only do that one time though, if it goes missing/is sent back again I'm not going to keep sending them. Unfortunately I cannot just eat the cost if it's a bigger order, or a t-shirt, or if it's anything being shipped overseas as the shipping is so much higher. I can give you a discount on the product but I cannot cover shipping. (If your refused item ever returns to me I will promptly give you a refund for the item only.)

If you have an issue with your post office, it is up to you to contact them and try to find out what's going on. I don't babysit every package; once they go to the post office they become their responsibility. Since these packages are not insured, the best you can usually do when a package simply disappears is file a Missing Mail Search with USPS (I will not do this for you). But I believe if your tracking says it was undeliverable for whatever reason the package will not be considered "missing" and you will need to try and get to the bottom of the problem. You wouldn't want that to happen again if you can do something to fix it.

And if you didn't get it because you gave me the wrong address, I definitely don't owe you a refund or replacement. Please be sure I am getting your correct address!


This page owned and maintained by C. "Sparky" Read.