Shipping
Every order is packed by one person in San Jose, California, and goes out by USPS. Postage is added at checkout and you choose the service.
Rates and services
Two services are offered at checkout. The price is the same whatever the piece weighs, so a heavy specimen does not cost more to send than a light one.
| Service | Cost | Delivery |
|---|---|---|
| USPS Ground Advantage | $12.00 | 3 to 7 business days |
| USPS Priority Mail | $18.00 | 2 to 3 business days |
Ground Advantage is free on an order over $150. The free rate appears at checkout on its own; there is no code to enter.
Delivery windows are the carrier's estimates, not guarantees. They are counted from the day the package is collected, not from the day the order is placed.
Where the shop ships
The United States only, including Alaska, Hawaii, and addresses served by the USPS such as APO and FPO. Checkout will not accept an address outside the United States.
International shipping is not offered at present. If you are outside the United States and want a particular piece, write to the shop and ask; the answer may be no, and it will be an honest no rather than an order that never arrives.
When an order goes out
Orders are packed and handed to USPS within three business days of payment clearing, and usually sooner. This is a one-person shop, so orders placed over a weekend or a holiday go out on the next business day.
If something will take longer than that, you will hear about it before the deadline rather than after it.
How a specimen is packed
Specimens are wrapped individually and packed with enough void fill that nothing moves inside the box. Points and fragile terminations are wrapped separately from anything they could knock against.
Every order also goes out with a bonus specimen nobody paid for, a story handwritten in UV marker on black paper, and your choice of science or metaphysical information cards.
Tracking
Both services carry USPS tracking. The tracking number is emailed to the address you gave at checkout once the label is made. Check the spam folder before assuming it did not arrive.
Damage in transit
Rocks travel well and packages do not always. If a piece arrives broken or chipped, tell the shop within 48 hours of delivery and include photographs of the specimen and of the box and packing material as they arrived. Photographs of the packaging are what make a carrier claim possible, so please do not throw the box away before writing.
Damage in transit is replaced where a comparable piece exists and refunded in full where it does not, which is the usual outcome because most pieces here are the only one.
A package that does not arrive
If tracking has not moved for seven days, or shows delivered to an address where nothing arrived, write to the shop. A USPS claim can be opened after the carrier's own waiting period, and the shop will open it rather than leaving that to you.
The shop is not responsible for a package delivered correctly to an address you entered incorrectly. Check the address at checkout; it is easier to fix before the label is printed.
Sales tax
Sales tax, where it applies, is calculated at checkout by Stripe from your shipping address and shown before you pay. The terms of sale cover the rest of what a purchase involves, and returns and refunds covers sending something back.