Frequently Asked Shipping Questions
What are the deadlines for having my packages delivered before Christmas?
What are the latest drop-off times for express mailings?
What are the size and weight limits for mailing?
Can I ship perishable items?
How do I send a package to a Military APO address?
How long will a typical FedEx ground delivery take?
What are some typical Ground Shipping Rates?
What is declared value on a shipment?
How long do I have to file a claim for lost or damaged shipments?
What items can you NOT ship?
What are the deadlines for having my packages delivered before Christmas?
Since Christmas is on a Friday this year, all major carriers will be delivering packages up to and including Thursday, December 24, 2009. Only Santa Claus delivers on Christmas Day. All major carriers will resume their
normal schedule of deliveries on December 26.
For packages shipped with DHL and Federal Express within the continental United States, the last
published "safe day" to provide adequate time for the package to be delivered before Christmas for the different types of services is:
Ground shipments: Thursday, December 17.
Second Day Express: Tuesday, December 22.
Next Day Express: Wednesday, December 23.
The U.S. Postal Service suggests the following deadlines:
USPS Priority and First Class letters or cards in the US is December 11.
For Overseas APO of FPO:
USPS to an APO or FPO address items sent as USPS Parcel Mail is November 13.
USPS Priority and First Class letters or cards is December 11.
These "last recommended" dates are based upon packages going to the farthest
zone within the 48 contiguous states. International shipments, shipments to
Alaska, Porto Rico, and Hawaii will take longer and may have earlier
"recommended" shipment dates. Packages going to locations within or closer
to Florida, have later "safe" shipping dates, depending on the destination
zone and actual shipping date.
Please check with our store for more details about your holiday shipping needs.
What are the latest drop-off times for express mailings?
Federal Express picks up by 5:30pm, DHL picks up at 5pm daily and noon on
Saturday. We do not offer USPS Express mail as there are over 200 zip codes
they do not offer this service to, and we do not have access to those zip
codes to determine if your package qualifies.
What are the size and weight limits for mailing?
First, we want to let you know that while there are some size and weight limitations to each method of mailing and shipping, chances are, we have a solution for you.
Size/Weight limits:
USPS - 70lbs
Federal Express - 150lbs and 119" in length
Federal Express Ground - 150lbs and 165" in length
Federal Express Home - 70lbs and 108" in length
We offer Freight service as well. Contact us for info on items over these weights and sizes for a shipping quote.
Yes! Most types of perishable or frozen food items are eligible to be shipped within the US. Restrictions on international shipments of perishable or frozen food items vary depending on each countries unique rules and regulations. For frozen fish, meat and similar products, we recommend shipping only with Next Day Delivery. We have special insulated boxes and use dry ice to preserve the products during shipment. Non-frozen food items can be shipped using ground service from the carriers.
Under current federal regulations, all shipments of fresh citrus are prohibited from leaving Florida unless they meet certain requirements, including:
· Inspection of the grove within 30 days of harvest
· Treatment of the fresh fruit with a special decontaininant
· Issuance of a federal limited permit that must accompany the fruit
· Clear marking on the packages to indicate the fruit is prohibited from being delivered to other citrus producing states.
Under no circumstances may Florida citrus be shipped to the citrus producing states.
Also please note that there are no damage claims allowed for perishable items,
should they be delayed or damaged in shipping.
How do I send a package to a Military APO address?
United States Postal Service (USPS) is the only carrier eligible to deliver
military mail to APO/FPO addresses. Parcel or Priority Mail are the most
commonly used methods. Delivery confirmation is available on both services. All
packages require US Custom Form 2976-A to be completed and signed by the shipper prior to mailing. To
see a table of active APO and FPO addresses and mailing restrictions by
individual APO/FPO ZIP Codes™, click here.
More information can be found by clicking here.
What are some typical Ground Shipping Rates?
Ground shipping rates are determined by using several factors: Size, weight, the distance it has to be shipped, whether it is going to a residential or commercial address, and whether the destination is in a urban, suburban or rural area. Each Carrier has a map showing "shipping zones" similar to the Federal Express map attached here.
Zone 1 is our "local zone" and zone 5 is the farthest. A common size box we ship many times is 16" x 16" x 16" weighing 20 pounds. The shipping costs for this box using DHL Ground to a residential address to several cities is:
(1) Miami $27.00
(2) Atlanta $21.00
(3) Dallas $$24.00
(4) Phoenix $38.00
(5) Los Angeles $38.00
(6) Salt Lake City $38.00
(7) Chicago $25.00
(8) Cleveland $24.00
What is declared value on a shipment?
Neither the Shipping Depot nor the private Carriers (DHL and Federal Express) are allowed, licensed, or authorized to provide "insurance" for your packages. Instead, the Carriers provide "declared value protection" for the items being shipped to provide compensation if the items are lost or damaged as the result of mishap while it is being transported.
Federal Express include up to $100.00 of declared value protection as part basic cost of shipment. Additional amounts of declared value protection are available at the rate of $1.00 for each additional $100.00 in protection.
For any package having a declared value of $500.00 or more, the additional service of a signature by the receipent is required.
Maximum available declared values are:
Federal Express - $50,000
USPS - $5,000.00
How long do I have to file a claim for lost or damaged shipments?
Federal Express: Damaged shipments - 21 days from delivery to file claim. Service Failures 15 days from ship date.
Federal Express Ground: Damaged shipments - 21 days from delivery to file claim, 9 months to
supply support documents. Service Failures 15 days from ship date.
As each carrier has specifics, if in doubt contact us and we can look it up for you. Most carriers will not allow Alcoholic Beverages, Firearms or Ammunition, Live Animals, Irreplaceable items such as Collectibles or Human Remains, Furs, Hazardous Materials, Plants, Adult-Content Media, Tobacco.