Shipping Information

Destinations Inside the US 48 States

Rates quoted in the checkout process are solely to continental US based destinations, i.e., within the 48 states, and are specified in US dollars. The rates quoted are based on the subtotal US dollar value of your order. While the rates quoted in the checkout process are close to the rates that are published in our annual catalog, sometimes they will be slightly more and sometimes slightly less. (The reason is that in the online checkout process, we can only apply a fixed dollar amount for shipping in a given subtotal interval, e.g., $300.01 to $500.00, whereas if you order with a catalog order form, call in or fax us your order, we can apply a fixed percentage to the exact subtotal value of your order.)

We offer only ground shipping because shipment by air is extremely costly for the kinds of materials we offer, i.e., for the most part, relatively heavy and bulky material. Ground rates (by Fedex or UPS) to destinations within the 48 states, in effect from June 23, 2008 and until further notice, are as follows:

Montessori N' Such does not backorder items that are not in stock, however items appearing on our website are almost always available for immediate shipment.

Most orders are processed and shipped from our warehouse within 5-7 working days of receipt of your order. Exceptions to this rule include: (1) off-line orders for which the purchaser has not called in with payment information; (2) orders missing one or more items that are expected from our suppliers within the next five working days; (3) orders having invalid shipping information to which the customer has not supplied corrected information. In addition, orders received during our peak season (July through September) may be further delayed if there is an unusually high volume of orders received.

Your order will be shipped by FEDEX or UPS service from our warehouse located in Virginia. We do NOT post UPS and FEDEX tracking numbers at this time.

MAKE SURE YOU PROVIDE US A CORRECT SHIP TO ADDRESS. If the address you provide is not correct, including an accurate street number and street spelled correctly, and especially including a correct ZIP CODE, we will be charged $11.00 per package by UPS or FEDEX. IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE THAT YOU GIVE US A DELIVERABLE ADDRESS. Any address correction charges we receive because you failed to provide correct information will be charged back to you. For example, if your order requires six boxes, you will be charged $11 x 6 = $66.00 additional. If you have any doubt about the deliverability of the address you give us, please check it out at the official US Postal Service Zip Code Lookup Site as this is the database of addresses that FEDEX and UPS use to determine whether the address is valid.

US Destinations Outside the Lower 48 States

Customers desiring shipping to the following locations: Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico and APO/FPO addresses should place their order online, but select the PhoneFax option during the checkout process, and then call us at our toll free number (800.287.1985) to complete the order. The reason for this is that the online checkout process does not quote the special shipping rates that apply to destinations outside the 48 states. These rates are, however, published in our annual catalog. IMPORTANT: If you submit an order online for shipment to one of these locations and pay by credit card (instead of PhoneFax as we have indicated), we will charge your credit card the additional amount to ship to these destinations. To avoid an unfortunate surprise on your credit card statement, we strongly urge you to select the PhoneFax option during checkout, and call us immediately after placing your order to find out what the shipping charges will be. In general, charges will vary by destination, as well as by the items that comprise your order. Some items, due to size and weight, are not available for shipment outside the US 48 states.

For shipments to Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico and APO/FPO addresses, the following shipping amounts/rates (in US Dollars) become effective July 6, 2010:

US Dollar Interval	Amount/Rate
0 to $40.00	$20.00
$40.01 to $100.00	28%
$100.01 to $300.00	25%
$300.01 to $500.00	19%
$500.01 to $1,000.00	15%
$1000.01 and up	14%

Canadian Destinations

Customers desiring shipping to Canadian addresses should place their order online, but select the PhoneFax option during the checkout process, and then call us at our toll free number (800.287.1985) to complete the order. The reason for this is that the online checkout process does not quote the special shipping rates that apply to Canada. These rates are, however, published in our annual catalog. IMPORTANT: If you submit an order online for shipment to Canada and pay by credit card (instead of PhoneFax as we have indicated), we will charge your credit card the additional amount. To avoid an unfortunate surprise on your credit card statement, we strongly urge you to select the PhoneFax option during checkout, and call us immediately after placing your order to find out what the shipping charges will be. Actual charges will vary by destination, as well as by the items that comprise your order. Some items are not available for shipment outside the US.

For shipments to Canadian destinations, the following shipping amounts/rates (in US Dollars) apply:

US Dollar Interval	Amount/Rate
0 to $40.00	$26.00
$40.01 to $100.00	36%
$100.01 to $300.00	33%
$300.01 to $500.00	25%
$500.01 to $1,000.00	20%
$1000.01 and up	18%

For Canadian destinations that do NOT have UPS GROUND service, other rates apply and the customer should contact us for specific details.

Shipments to Countries Other than the US or Canada

Overseas shipping is expensive and often not cost effective. For overseas customers (other than US or Canada) that wish to buy our products, there are two ways to proceed:

Option 1: You can arrange yourself for delivery to a U.S. destination at which your authorized agent will receive and accept the goods for ultimate transfer to your country. This function can be performed by a commercial freight forwarder. There is no minimum order size if you arrange delivery services with your own freight forwarder. To proceed in this manner, just enter your order as normal, and enter the address of the freight forwarder as the ship-to address. Proceed with checkout and enter your credit card payment information. Note that final inspection and receipt is at the point of embarkation in the US. This means that any claims you may have for damaged items, or items shorted in your order when you receive it in your country, must be filed with the freight forwarder or other commercial carrier you use. Montessori N' Such will not be responsible for reimbursing damage items or shorted items after they leave the US. If you wish us to provide the number of pieces, weight and dimensions of the order so that you can get an estimate from your freight forwarder, we may request a deposit (restocking fee) to cover our costs to pick and pack your order in order to give you this information. If you decide not to go through with the order, this deposit will NOT be refunded.

Option 2: The minimum order value for delivery to countries other than the US and Canada is USD $500.00 if you do not use your own freight forwarder (see option 1 above). You should plan on paying anywhere from 1/3 to 1/2 of the total value of the merchandise for shipping. For example, if the price of your items totals $1,000.00, you should expect to pay approximately $333.00 to $500.00 for shipping. To expedite this process, we will need your complete order and a complete delivery address, including postal code if applicable. If you do not see your country in the drop down list when you enter your ship to address, please provide a complete address in the notes to your order; this will expedite the process of giving you a quote for shipping. NOTE: Any shipping cost estimates shown on your order are NOT valid as our online system cannot quote shipping prices to destinations outside the continental US. Please submit an order online, and go through the checkout process. However, when asked for the method of payment, DO NOT SELECT A CREDIT CARD. Rather, select the PHONE/FAX option, which will send your order without payment to us by email. When we receive your order, we will determine how much the shipping will be. We will advise you by return email with a shipping rate quote. At that time, you can decide whether to cancel the order, or go forward and make payment. If you subsequently cancel the order before it is shipped, we will assess a re-stocking fee of 20% of the value of the merchandise to cover our costs to pick and pack your order.