Shipping in the Time of COVID

  • Which carrier do you use for shipping and how could that carrier impact order delays? 

    I rely on USPS for many of my shipments due to cost effectiveness for my small business. I do use FedEx for larger shipments and if requested. To contextualize your shipping concerns you may have, and in the interest of transparency we have outlined a few barriers to consider when processing your order. 

    Because we see “due to COVID delay” a lot, but what does that truly mean?

    All shipping services have been impacted by COVID. Delayed deliveries that impact both our in-house processes and supply deliveries and your personal deliveries have been caused by:

  • Residual pre-election strain due to targeted dismantling of internal structures and sorting systems by the federal government which remains an ongoing concern even a month after the election: https://www.businessinsider.com/us-postal-service-crisis-mail-in-ballot-funding-2020-8

  • In addition, businesses nationwide are adapting to the pandemic by transitioning to e-commerce to stay afloat adding a higher volume of shipments to an already strained system.

  • Many businesses have had to adapt to increased sanitation and distancing standards meaning they may have fewer employees on their floors or have had to lay-off employees due to low revenue. We use candles, hand-dyed paper, mat boards, specific rope, large shipping envelopes—many of our materials are coming from different areas and impacted businesses. If supplies are slow to get to us, we’re slower to process orders. We remain patient with our suppliers because we will not compromise on the quality of delivering a beautiful print.

  • In addition, increased online holiday shopping.

    Updating tracking information sporadically (uncommon):

  • In some instances, packages remain in “pre-shipment” for the term of its journey to you. This means the item may arrive at your door while tracking on the USPS interface is still pending. We have spoken to USPS staff personally and have been told, in the interest of moving packages along faster, some facilities forego scanning.

    USPS has experienced, overall, packages also sitting in sorting facilities longer than usual which has been covered broadly in the news since the holiday season began.

  • How can you personally assist with delayed shipments? 

    We are not able to view any more tracking information beyond what USPS communicates on their tracking interface. The USPS has been more diligent in communicating when an item is delayed which we are grateful for. However if you are concerned that your package may be lost, please email us directly to troubleshoot.Please reach out to me if you experience extensive shipping delay with no update past the “pre-shipment phase.”