Help
Shipping
buyamerican.mom is a marketplace. Your order ships from the workshops that made it, not from one warehouse, so an order of three things can arrive as three parcels, on three different days.
-
Calculated at checkout
Each maker sets their own rate. Enter your address and you will see the real cost before you pay.
-
Ships from the maker
Independent workshops pack and send their own orders. Multiple makers means multiple parcels.
-
[X-Y] business days to make
Processing happens before carrier transit. Made-to-order and personalised work takes longer.
Read this first
Why your order may arrive in several boxes
We do not hold stock. When you order a bottle of hot sauce from California, a cutting board from Indiana and a flag from Ohio, three workshops each receive their part of your order and ship it themselves. Nothing is wrong, this is how a maker marketplace works, and it is why your name reaches the person who made the thing.
Step one
You order once
One cart, one payment, one order number. You are charged a single time at checkout.
Step two
Each maker is notified
Your order splits behind the scenes. Every workshop sees only its own items and gets to work.
Step three
Parcels arrive separately
You get a tracking email per shipment. A missing item is usually still on its way, not lost.
Buying a gift or ordering for a date?
The parcel that arrives last sets your delivery date. Check the processing time on each product page before ordering to a deadline, and allow extra time for anything personalised.
Rates
What shipping costs
There is no flat rate and no free-shipping threshold. Every item on this site is shipped by the workshop that made it, and each workshop sets its own rate based on what you ordered and where it is going. You see the real number before you pay.
Priced by the maker
Weight, size, packaging and distance all count. A 5 fl oz bottle and a cast-iron skillet do not cost the same to send.
Quoted live at checkout
Enter your address and each maker's current rate is fetched and shown. Nothing is estimated after you pay.
Charged per workshop
Items from three makers carry three shipping charges, because they travel as three separate parcels.
Keeping shipping down on a large order
Buying several things from the same maker is cheaper than buying one thing each from several, since items from one workshop ship together on a single rate. Each product page names its maker.
Timing
Processing, then transit
Two separate clocks. The first is the workshop making and packing your item; the second is the carrier moving it. A delivery estimate at checkout covers transit only.
Processing - [X-Y] business days
Set by each maker and shown on the product page. Most small-batch food and goods makers aim to dispatch within two working days.
- Made to order — Allow [X] additional days.
- Personalised or engraved — Allow [X] additional days.
- Weekends and holidays — Not counted as business days.
Transit - [X-Y] business days
Carrier time once the parcel leaves the workshop. Varies with distance, since makers ship from across the country.
- Carriers used — [USPS / UPS / FedEx - confirm]
- Alaska and Hawaii — [X] additional days, and some makers do not ship there.
- PO boxes and APO/FPO — [Accepted? Confirm.]
Holiday ordering deadlines
Order by [DATE] for delivery by [HOLIDAY]. Carrier volume and maker capacity both rise through November and December, so earlier is safer, particularly for anything made to order.
Destinations
Where we ship
Shipping is handled by the workshop that made your item, not by us. Each maker sets their own destinations and their own rates, so where an item can travel is the maker’s call. Every maker on the site ships within the United States; past that it varies. The cart is the final word, an item that can’t reach your address won’t return a rate.
The lower 48
Every maker on the site ships to the contiguous 48 states. Your parcels come from workshops spread across the country, so distance affects both cost and transit time.
Coverage Everything on the site
Alaska and Hawaii
Some makers ship there, some don't, and those that do charge more and take longer. Enter your address to see which of your items can make the trip.
Coverage Varies by maker
Outside the U.S.
Most of what we carry is sold to American households, and international shipping depends entirely on the individual maker. Enter your address at checkout to see whether anything in your cart can travel.
Coverage Rarely available
If a maker can’t ship to you
You’ll find out at checkout rather than after you pay: an item the maker won’t send to your address simply won’t return a shipping rate. Remove it to continue, or ask us and we’ll check whether that workshop can make an exception.
Food and perishables
Chocolate, cheese, fudge and fresh goods
A quarter of this catalogue is food. Heat-sensitive and perishable items travel under their own rules, and they are the orders most likely to go wrong if nobody is home.
-
Which days do perishable orders ship?
Perishable orders ship [Mon-Wed] so nothing sits in a depot over a weekend. Confirm per maker.
-
Is there warm-weather packaging?
Insulated packaging and cold packs are used where the maker offers them. They are not added automatically to every food order.
-
Do I need to be there for delivery?
Bring perishable parcels indoors promptly. We cannot replace food left on a doorstep in the heat.
-
Can I return food?
Perishable goods cannot be returned, but a damaged or spoiled delivery is always put right. See the return policy.
After you order
Tracking, and when something goes wrong
A confirmation email arrives straight away, then a separate tracking email for each parcel as each maker dispatches it. Several tracking emails for one order is expected.
Following your parcels
Each shipment tracks on its own. A missing item is usually still being made rather than lost.
- No tracking yet — The item is still being made.
- Tracking not moving — Allow [X] business days before it scans.
- No email at all — Check spam, then contact us with your order number.
Damaged, lost or wrong
Tell us promptly and keep the packaging. Do not send anything back before we reply, because the maker may need photographs first.
- Damaged — Photograph the item and the box before unpacking further.
- Marked delivered, not received — Wait [X] days, check with neighbours, then tell us.
- Wrong item — Do not open or use it. We arrange collection.
Shipping questions
-
Part of my order arrived. Where is the rest?
Almost certainly still in transit from a different workshop. Each parcel has its own tracking email.
-
Can everything ship together?
Not across makers, since each ships from its own workshop. Items from one maker usually travel together.
-
Why is shipping more than I expected?
Your cart probably spans several makers, and each charges for its own parcel. Buying more from one maker is cheaper than one item from several.
-
Is there express or overnight shipping?
Only where the maker offers it. Faster services appear as extra options at checkout when that workshop supports them.
-
Can I change my address after ordering?
Contact us immediately. Once a maker has dispatched, the address is fixed and the carrier decides.
-
Can I ship to a different address from my billing address?
Yes. Enter the delivery address at checkout; gift orders are common here.
Need to send something back?
You have 30 days from delivery. We send the return label. Perishable food, personalised work and personal-care goods are the exceptions.
-
Our sourcing standard Three tiers, stated plainly, including when a product is only partly made here.
-
Independent American makers Every listing is traced to a U.S. workshop before it goes live.
-
Ships direct from the maker An order from several workshops arrives in several boxes, each with its own shipping.
