Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

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Q. How quickly are orders processed and shipped?

A. We ship orders placed before our daily cut-off time the same day they are placed (with a few exceptions). Our daily cut-off time varies depending on our current order volume, but is generally 1PM Eastern or later. To see when you can expect your package just add items to your shopping cart and use our shipping calculator tool. It will provide you with shipping prices and delivery dates!

Q. How much does shipping cost?

A. Shipping prices are based on our actual discounted rates, which depend on the package weights and the distance they must travel. Our website is capable of providing shipping rates for orders up to 1,500 lbs. Just add the items to your cart and use our shipping estimator tool. No personal information is required, just your city, state and zip code.

Q. How long does shipping take?

A. Ground shipments take between one and five business days for delivery. Faster shipping is available. Add items to your cart and use our shipping estimator for an exact delivery date quote! Or, visit our Shipping Policy page for more information.

Q. The shipping seems expensive, why is that?

A. We usually get this complaint from customers ordering beads. Beads are heavy! Our shipping prices are based on UPS & FedEx rates, which are based on weight and distance. We do not use the shipping and handling charges to increase profits, unlike some other Internet businesses. In fact, we pass on our discounted shipping rates to the customer. However, for those customers who live hundreds or thousands of miles away (California, for instance), shipping a 30 or 40 pound box can be quite expensive. Fortunately, you're saving a bundle with our hugely discounted merchandise prices!

Tips for reducing your shipping cost:

  • Use ground services whenever possible -- they reach most of the country within 3 business days! Coupled with our lightning fast order processing, our ground service is as fast as many companies express service!
  • Orders over 200 lbs get special "hundredweight" prices which make the per-box prices much more reasonable, so order as much as possible at once to save the most money.
  • Finally, shipping to a commercial (business) address is always cheaper than shipping to a home (UPS and FedEx both charge "residential delivery fees"). Ship to a business whenever possible. Delivery will be more reliable and less expensive.

Q. What is your order minimum?

A. With the exception of orders being paid for by a purchase order, we have no order minimum.

Q. If a product is out of stock, when will you have more?

A. This really depends on the time of year and the item. We try to keep most items in stock year-round, but because we must order in very large quantities from our manufacturers in China, we are sometimes unable to restock for months at a time. If you are interested in a particular item feel free to e-mail us for an estimated back-in-stock date. Also, you can sign up to be notified by e-mail when the product comes back in stock from the product detail page.

Q. How can I get my tracking number?

A. Your tracking number will be automatically e-mailed to you soon after your order ships. We ship every day until about 7:00 PM Central Time, so don't worry if you haven't received notification before that time. Occasionally a glitch or e-mail filter will prevent automatic notification of your tracking number, in which case you can login to your account to track your order in our website. If you do not have an account (guest or phone orders), please e-mail us for tracking information.

Q. What is your return policy?

A. Our return policy is detailed here.

Q. Do you offer a print catalog?

A. No, our products are only available online. Due to the constantly changing nature of our product line, a print catalog would be obsolete by the time it was printed. We suggest printing our website pages if you need to show our products to others without access to a computer.

Q. Do you accept Purchase Orders?

A. Sorry, as of 2020 we no longer accept purchase orders.  All orders must be pre-paid.

Q. Can I pay by check?

A. Sorry, but we no longer accept checks.

Q. We are tax exempt, will you charge us sales tax?

A. We do not charge sales tax to any order being shipped outside the state of Louisiana. If you are tax-exempt and in Louisiana, please fax (225-208-1053) or e-mail ([email protected]) us your Louisiana Sales Tax Exemption form. We can set your account to no longer collect tax.

Q. We are a non-profit organization, can we get a discount or donation?

A. Our prices are already discounted, as are our shipping charges. Due to the tremendous amount of requests we get, we are unable to provide any further discounts or donations.

Q. Can I get a better price than what is listed online?

A. Possibly. If you are ordering more than $1000.00 worth of a single item please call or e-mail us for a quote. Please note that for many products our prices are already as low as we can go, so we will not be able to provide further discounts for all orders of this size. Throw beads are generally not discounted below the listed quantity discounts on our website.