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We get plenty of questions about shipping at SpeedCubeShop.com, ranging from “do you ship to my country” to “help what do I do?! My package has been lost”. This FAQ will cover some of the most commonly asked questions about shipping.
Do you ship to my country?
The short answer: yes!
SpeedCubeShop offers worldwide shipping to anywhere with an address, including PO boxes! This includes the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and India - not only the United States.
How much does it cost to ship to my country?
The shipping cost of an order will depend on the weight and shipping service you choose.
To view available shipping services and the cost, you can add all of your desired products to your shopping cart and then proceed to checkout before entering payment information.
Conveniently, SpeedCubeShop.com automatically detects your local currency based on your geo-location (if enabled) and offers a wide range of currencies for you to shop with.
Why is my package taking so long?
The time that it takes for you to receive your order depends on your location and the shipping service you select. SpeedCubeShop offers several shipping options which we’ll touch on a bit later.
When judging fulfillment speeds, something to keep in mind is whether or not your order contains a custom item, service or backorder. Don't forget to refer to the estimated ship date listed on the product page, during checkout, order confirmation, order history and shipping status email!
How does customs clearance work?
When shipping across borders, packages go through various steps and places before it can reach its final destination. Examples include going through customs - the agency in your country that is responsible for controlling the goods that come in, including your cubes. The customs clearance process typically consists of 4 steps:
- The mail carrier gives the package to the Border Services Agency, or BSA, for customs review.
- The BSA inspects the package.
- The package contents not on the country’s prohibited items list and not subject to duties or taxes are released for delivery. If your package is held for duties or taxes, the recipient will be required to pay any outstanding fees before the package is released for delivery. Packages that require a deeper inspection or duty and tax assessment are held for further review. SpeedCubeShop is not held liable for any possible duty or tax fees - we’ll touch on this in a second.
- Once your package has cleared customs, it’s handed over to your country's local mail carrier for delivery. Your tracking will usually be updated to indicate a customs release assuming customs isn’t getting lazy ;)
What are International Customs Duty & Import Taxes?
Customs Duty is a tax charged by your country for all eligible products that are imported into your country. Fortunately, per the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, 2019 Edition, there are no duty fees for "puzzles of all kinds; parts and accessories thereof". Some countries handle duties differently so we cannot guarantee that you will not be charged duties.
To make things cheaper, more convenient, and faster for you, we display any applicable duty and/or tax estimates for your package during checkout and include them in the shipping cost for applicable services!
If you pick a shipping service that allows you to pre-pay for duty and tax charges such as FedEx, you end up saving around 10% on the customs fees as a prepayment “thank you”.
Just to clarify, the customs fee amounts shown during our checkout process are the discounted rates.
What is VAT?
VAT or "Value Added Taxes" are taxes that may or may not be placed on your imported shipments depending on the value of your shipment. VAT charges will vary from country to country and are calculated based on the value of your shipment. For more information regarding VAT we recommend checking with your country's customs agency.
Who is responsible for paying Import Taxes?
The importer, be it a person or a business, receiving the shipment is legally obliged to pay for any and all import VAT placed on their package. It's important to understand that we do not set the tax rate that you may or may not be charged upon entry into your country, your country does.
Why wasn't I notified about Import Taxes ahead of time?
Import VATs and fees are charged on a case-by-case basis and do not affect all international shipments. Whenever possible, you will be contacted in advance by the shipping company or a customs agent with an estimated Import Tax cost prior to your package being assessed. Please note that this is not a guaranteed service by the shipping service and they are often not aware of any applicable charges until after the package has been delivered.
Why isn’t my tracking number working?
If your tracking number is not returning any updates, please wait for 24 to 48 hours. Sometimes the mail carrier will miss a scan or have a back-log but this does not mean that your order is delayed or not in transit to you. If after 48 hours your tracking still is not returning updates, contact our customer support and we can take a look!
If your tracking number says something like "In Transit to Destination" this means that your order has left the United States and is awaiting clearance from your country's customs.
What’s the difference between shipping services?
SpeedCubeShop offers several shipping services at different price points and transit times. Some carriers, such as FedEx, are more reliable than others such as USPS. A general rule of thumb is that the less expensive a shipping service is, the slower and less reliable it is.
You can always run a shipping quote during checkout on SpeedCubeShop.com and view costs, transit time estimates, and any applicable duties and taxes for different shipping services.
More information about different shipping services can be found here.
Do you offer FREE shipping?
Yes! We offer free shipping worldwide! If your order qualifies for free shipping, it will be available as a shipping service during checkout.
Free shipping details:
- USA: Free 2-5 day delivery: Order subtotal must be at least $59 USD to qualify.
- USA: Free 2-day delivery: Order subtotal must be at least $99 USD to qualify.
- US Territories: Free 2-day delivery: Order subtotal must be at least $59 USD to qualify.
- Asia: Free Priority Shipping: Order subtotal must be at least $239 USD to qualify.
- Australia: Free Priority Shipping: Order subtotal must be at least $179 USD to qualify.
- Canada: Free Priority Shipping: Order subtotal must be at least $119 USD to qualify.
- Western Europe: Free Priority Shipping: Order subtotal must be at least $159 USD to qualify.
- United Kingdom: Free Priority Shipping: Order subtotal must be at least $129 USD to qualify.
- Major EU/AS/LA: Free Priority Shipping: Order subtotal must be at least $169 USD to qualify.
- Rest of Europe: Free Priority Shipping: Order subtotal must be at least $169 USD to qualify.
- Rest of World: Free Express 2-5 day delivery: Order subtotal must be at least $199 USD to qualify.
- Latin America: Free Priority Shipping: Order subtotal must be at least $219 USD to qualify.
- Middle East/Africa: Free Priority Shipping: Order subtotal must be at least $249 USD to qualify.
Still have questions?
If you still have questions, feel free to send an email to service@speedcubeshop.com and have your question answered by one of our friendly customer support team members!
