  SHIPPING AND RETURN POLICY  
Please Scroll down for shipping rates, including Mexico, UK, Australia (midway on page) |
SHIPPING AND RETURN POLICY
Please Scroll down for shipping rates, including Mexico, UK, Australia (midway on page) |
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OUR STANDARD SHIPPING RATES (2-6 Business days in the USA lower 48 states) ARE AS FOLLOWS:
Eastern States are all USA States (except Territories). 2 Day Air can be added at the end of checkout for the 50 USA, however we cannot accept 2 Day Air shipments (via this calculator) for bulk purchases such as our special for (12) Via Aqua 305 Pumps (as well as certain other purchases where additional funds would be requested to ship via Air) Please note that 2 day air gives time guarantees that ground does not, however please note (via the map in the sidebar to the left) that many Western States Locations are already 2 days via ground albeit not guaranteed. *Additional charges may apply for shipments larger/heavy shipments to AK, HI & USA Territories (as well limits on some heavy low profit items such as liquid treatments may apply). Fedex 2 Day is also available to the above locations generally for about 40-80% more $, however Fedex offers guarantees that the USPS does not (and which we also cannot guarantee USPS Parcel Post), please contact us for a quote if interested. *You must use “United States” in the address for addresses in the USA. Placing another nations address in the checkout will default out of the correct shipping charge (this is also a common scam that we are well aware of). If we have to correct this, we will send another PayPal money request and this will include a $1 service fee or simply refund your purchase if we suspect a scam and refuse future sales. We now have shipping calculations to CANADA, UNITED KINGDOM, AUSTRALIA, FRANCE, & MEXICO: Via USPS Priority or First Class Mail as well as FedEx if additional costs are agreed to All other locations, please read further
*Customer is responsible for all duties, tariffs, taxes applied to international shipments by their government *Additional charges may apply to larger/heavy shipments. *Please note that our intentions of shipping internationally are to provide unique products not often available in international locations, not to ship large quantities of products, hence additional charges for larger orders and most specials (such as Via Aqua Pumps and Sponge Filters) limited to the lower 48 USA *Additional Charges will apply to purchases over $250 to Canada, as well there is positively no shipping guarantees to Canada unless shipped via FedEx instead of Canada Post (a custom invoice can be requested for this)., so please consider this before purchasing a fragile item (even a filter!). Please contact us via the Contact Form (with an itemized list) for a custom invoice if interested. *Additional Charges will apply to purchases over $200 to Mexico *Additional Charges will apply to purchases over $150 to UK, France or Australia *Unfortunately no shipment guarantees via Canada, Mexico, UK, or Australia Post (or other international Destinations unless the FedEx is used, which is often extra $) We do work with customers to resolve these issues though, please read further for more on this subject. We will guarantee International shipments if the buyer opts for the much higher Fedex Shipping (please contact us for a quote) *Please Note that all our electrical devices are 110-120V, so these pumps, filters, Sterilizers, Lights, etc. will not work in the UK, Australia, etc. unless you have step down transformer and all returns for this reason will not include shipping and be charged a 15% re-stocking fee *Shipping time is generally 10-14 days via International First Class (packages under 4 lbs/ 1.8 kg); 7-10 days for Priority International (packages over 1.8 kg) *All shipping quoted is via either USPS First Class or Priority Mail (First Class under 4 lbs) and is the cheapest methods we can ship. We can also ship via Fedex, but this costs more (better guarantees and time though). However there is no convenient cheaper method, as time to arrange shipping by ship is too time consuming and honestly is not worth the time, which is part of the reason we are slowly pulling back from international shipping, due to constant bartering to save a few $ on shipping costs but costs us time in shipping and time answering these types of emails (due to constant requests that do not respect the small profit margin we make, which is already lower with the time spent with customs, time to ship). Emails of this sort for which we get volumes of that want to barter, will be sent to spam and ignored FOR INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING (Outside of UK, France, Mexico, Australia) We no longer ship outside the USA, Canada, UK, France, Mexico, or Australia due to the many hassles, costs, and rude customers that expect free shipping. *We may make exceptions if we are emailed prior to purchase If making such a request, please provide exact products and quantities and do not send multiple emails with different requests, these requests take to much time to weight and re-weigh and any such request that wastes our time “fishing” for prices will be immediately rejected due to the cost of time! The bottom line is International shipping is a hassle that generates little revenue (& costs additional employee time), and those sending multiple emails attempting to “barter” for lower shipping rates or other discounts that will be rejected and future sales will not be considered (this includes phishing requests that often request so-called distribution of our products in international locations)! Otherwise ALL International shipments other than Canada, UK, France, Mexico, or Australia, will be refunded immediately! See our Contact Form *Please note for ALL International Sales; we stand in line and directly hand off all shipments to ensure scans, however once shipments leave the USA we have no way of tracking the package other then delivery. Although the vast majority reach there destination, we have absolutely no control over these shipments unlike those in the USA, therefore there is NO guarantee on these shipments (even when insurance has been purchased we have Never received payment for lost packages, even with the primary offender; Canada Post). However we always attempt to make it “right” with our customers, but please understand that we sell at 10-20% margins & unlike Fedex here in the lower USA, we bear all costs of poor handling (certain fragile items we may refuse to ship internationally, or in the case of Canada strictly enforce the no shipping guarantee policy unless shipped via FedEx) . *Please make sure your address is correct as the few international that have been returned was due to incorrect address Back to Domestic & Shipping in General: *Additional charges may apply to shipments over 2 lbs. to PO boxes. PLEASE try and provide us a regular shipping address whenever possible. WE DO NOT GUARANTEE purchases shipped to PO boxes, although private mail boxes work fine for ALL shipments and I personally recommend them (from experience) over Postal Mail Boxes (PO Box). • Our preferred shipper is Fedex Ground due to guarantees, customer service and reliability. Please see this link for ground time in transit to see if you need expedited shipping: "Fedex Ground Delivery Map" • Most of our packages between 1-2 lbs. are shipped Priority Mail in the USA, and will generally arrive in 2-3 business days (Mon. – Sat.), so next or second day is not generally necessary for these (although we often have requests for next day air of aquarium medications). • Larger packages (over 2-3 lbs.) are shipped Fedex Ground (our preferred shipper) which is 1-5 business days. • Often Rural packages over 2 lbs. are sent via Parcel Post which can take up to 9 days, so our apologies ahead of time for these shipments, however we are charged $2.40 extra for these shipments (which we do NOT pass on to the buyer) and this is the only economical way to handle these shipments (if you have a rural address, other arrangements can be made for a fee is you contact us) • International Shipments ship via USPS International First Class or Priority Mail (depending on weight) • Very light packages are shipped via First Class (which is usually 2-5 business days), night lights, UV bulbs, in particular ship better in First Class than Priority Mail (less broken night lights/UV Bulbs). • First Class costs us less, as due other light packages, However our retail prices reflect that we often make money for shipping on lighter packages and loose money for shipping heavy packages. As well there are box costs and time (labor) costs since it often takes as long to ship a light bulb at $10 as it does a Cleaning Machine at $185 For example heavy items such as the Cleaning Machine have a retail price that reflects losing money in shipping while light bulb has a lower than normal retail price that reflects the usual profit in shipping. • Limit [2] Azoo Plant Grower Bed (12 lb.) per order due to shipping costs incurred by weight. *Google Checkout is for purchases in the lower 48 USA (in part due to higher international transaction fees and shipping costs). Also Google Checkout has the shipping charges already added. Google Checkout does NOT accept Debit cards! • Anytime Google Checkout is used for multiple sales, we will try to combine orders whenever possible and give a PARTIAL refund of shipping. • The bottom line is Google Checkout is for Google account holders or those wishing to have a Google Account to purchase here or at other sites on the internet. You must use a credit card (not debit) and set up an account to proceed with Google Checkout you will be first directed to set up a Google Checkout account (which many users enjoy and provides an alternative to other checkout methods on the internet). If you live in the USA and would like to purchase an item or items via Google Checkout that is not offered via Google Checkout, please email us and we can send a Google Invoice. *We try to ship every order by the next day whenever possible (sometimes the same day), If there is any delay, we will email you. (See our feedback page). We accept checks and money orders, please allow extra time for clearance of the check and please leave us your email or phone number so we can let you know your purchase is on the way. *If you need to send any of our products as a last minute gift, email us at info@americanaquariumproducts.com and we will let your recipient know their gift is on it's way. For our business partners webpage: Great Links | Payment Confirmation | Additional Shipping | Subscriptions | Fedex-Ground | Return Policy | | Return Home | Downloads | Shipping and Return Policy | Contact Us | Great Links | Aquarium_Information | Privacy-Policy | |
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