Shipping policy

There are a few things to cover here. You can scroll down to find ones that apply to you.

Shipping:

I ship your orders using Canada Post shipping with tracking and insurance.  I prefer Canada Post  because Canada Post will deliver to post office box numbers and into apartment buildings and to rural areas.  Other shippers require orders to be picked up at pick-up depots if house addresses are not available for delivery.

A Threaded Needle ships to anywhere in North America. The cost of shipping to other countries makes it impractical for customers in other countries. 

About the cost of shipping:

• I know the cost of shipping is hard to swallow, especially if you only need a small item.  I'm sorry for this. I get a bit of discount from Canada Post and I pass that on to you, but I know it doesn't help much. 
• If I offered free shipping I would have to build it into my product prices so it would come to the same thing. I choose to keep my prices as low as I can and to charge you exactly what the post office charges me for your order, and I have no added handling or packaging charges.
• If I shipped very large volumes of packages, the Post Office would give me very large discounts and I could absorb the cost of giving free shipping, but I don't so they don't :-) 

The best suggestions to reduce the cost of shipping I have to offer are:

• Wait to place your order until you have several things you need because the shipping rates for Canada Post parcels starts at a flat rate and goes up from there by weight increments. This means you can usually order a sizeable amount for the same shipping cost that you would pay for some threads and a pack of needles. (I know, it seem wrong- but it costs the same for the trucks and employees and so forth to move a letter from one place to another as it does for a shoe box size package, for example)  
• Another option (which uses the same logic as the first :-D) is to order with a friend, or with your quilting guild or you sewing/stitching group and share the shipping cost.  

For local customers: Why I don't offer local pick up: 

• I regret very much that I can't. Basically I'm too small and too niche a business to afford the rent and overhead to pay for a storefront location. Instead, I work from a strata situation. This means  insurance doesn't cover customers coming here, and by-law won't allow extra traffic. 

Shipping to the USA: Until last August this was the easiest thing because trade agreements between our countries let us buy and sell to each other on small value orders (under a few hundred dollars) with no fees. President Trump ended this agreement Aug 29. This means if you are ordering from the USA you will be charged a duty fee (a tax) that is required by your government.  You will see the amount on your invoice along with the amount of your order and your shipping cost, and it will be collected when you complete your order process.

This means you won't be hit with unexpected charges or delays when your order passes through border customs.  The duty fees you pay will be remitted your government by my shipping company (Canada Post).

Delivery Times:

I try to get orders out within a couple days but it isn't always possible so allow 4 or 5 before you worry.  Once your order leaves here you will be able to follow the tracking. I have no control over delays once the order leaves here but you can always email me if something seems wrong. 

It is the nature of this sort of business that it cannot be structured to put 'efficiency' first :-). I do my best to give good customer service  It is my livelihood of course, but  in the way of 'old fashioned' business started and owned by one individual person, it is also my creation, and it matters to me to keep the unique identity in it. At most there is only ever two people at work here, and in order to find interesting and different products I search out lot of smaller supplier and sources, which is never a streamlined or efficient process. And I try to use and review the things I sell, which means most of the time I write the descriptions and take the photos for the website.  

Wrong Address Disclaimer

Please double-check your shipping address before placing your order, if you have your order sent to the wrong address there is nothing I can do. Canada Post insurance will not cover packages lost for this reason.

If you realise there's a mistake in your address after ordering, please email me and I will try to catch the order and change it, but often orders are packed and gone before I see my emails. 

If a package is returned to me due to an incorrect address or failure to claim, I can resend it.  You can pay the shipping to have it resent or I can refund the order (minus the original shipping).

Delayed, Lost or Stolen Packages

 I have no control over delivery of your package after it is handed over to the Canada Post. I send your order with tracking and insurance and if it doesn't arrive I will do what I can to help have it traced or to claim insurance for the items in it. However I can't refund or replace lost orders, it is Canada Post's responsibility.

If your tracking shows “delivered” but you haven't received your package, please:

• Check with neighbours or building management
• Please check the front and back of your house, garage or nearby mailboxes
• Contact the carrier directly, and then email me. 
  

I can request the post office trace the package.  I have been sending a lot of packages with Canada Post for over 20 years and it hardly ever happens that one doesn't arrive.  When it does happen, most often the the package is found and delivered.