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CK Swagworks is a small online fashion store operated by entrepreneur Victoria Dreyer. We are based in the lovely town of Turangi, which is located right at the bottom of Lake Taupo.
Our orders are currently shipped via CourierPost. Please read below for more information.
GENERAL SHIPPING FAQS
Q. "How often do you ship orders?"
A. One of our important business goals is to get all our orders out the door as soon as physically possible, because we believe it's important that you get your goodies fast.
Our home town (Turangi) has one courier pickup run per day, which takes place between 9am and 12pm every weekday. The store owner, Victoria, lives with Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder and chronic fatigue, which means that she's most alert and awake at night, so we've combined those two facts to maximise efficiency getting orders out the door.
Orders placed before 11pm on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, are guaranteed to be packed and on the courier the next morning. We also aim to process any orders that come through between approximately 11pm and 4am on the same courier, but that depends on the volume of orders the previous day, and also Victoria's health.
Orders placed after 11pm Thursday night are generally guaranteed to be out the door first thing Monday morning (or Tuesday morning if there's a holiday on the Monday), though we do strive to ship them earlier if we can.
Q. "How long will it take for my order to arrive?"
A. CourierPost estimates 1-2 business days to metro addresses, though that can vary depending on local conditions at both ends. If there's a snow-storm going on or something, you may experience delays! They also advise to allow an extra 3 days on top of that for deliveries to rural addresses.
Q. "Will my order be sent tracked?"
A. Yes, all of our orders are tracked.
Q. "Will my order be sent signature-required?"
A. No. The vast majority of our customers prefer for their items to be sent non-signature, so we send all items non-signature by default. If you want your order to be sent signature-required, please Contact Us.
Q. "What kind of packaging material do you use?"
A. We primarily use eco-friendly compostable courier bags and paper mailers from R3Pack. We also use reused bubble wrap, to try and limit the amount of waste going to landfill. If you'd like to know more, please click here.
Q. "Can I pay extra for same day or express shipping?"
A. Sadly, no. We already use the fastest service available in our town, and there are no faster options available. You are welcome to collect your item if you happen to be passing through on your way to your destination, though! We're just a couple of minutes off State Highway 1, so it's only a tiny detour if you're taking the main trunk line from Auckland to Wellington.
FREE SHIPPING FAQS
Q. "Which items qualify for free shipping?"
A. As a general rule, Factory Direct items and Local Items priced over $9.99 qualify for free shipping. Smaller items do not qualify for free shipping by themselves, but if you purchase any local item that has free shipping on it then free shipping will apply to your entire order.
For example, let's say you purchased a pair of Asuka Cherry Blossom Stud Earrings ($19.99, free shipping), and a couple of pairs of extra butterfly backs ($0.50, standard shipping) to go with them. Because I can put these in the same courier bag, if you buy them on the same order then the site will automatically give you free shipping on both. Yay!
Q. "Is there somewhere I can view all the local items that qualify for free shipping in one place?"
A. Yup, there sure is! Click here to view all the local items that qualify for free shipping.
Q. "Do Factory Direct items qualify for the contagious free shipping thing mentioned above?"
A. No, they do not. Simply put, you can get the contagious free shipping thing because your items can share the same courier bag. Factory Direct items go straight to you from the factory, so I can't put them in the same bag.
Q. "Why don't ALL your items have free shipping?"
A. Great question! I'm all about the honesty, so let me explain. In order for me to offer free shipping to my customers, I need to be able to cover the cost of shipping within the price of the item itself. To put it simply, I use the profit from your purchase to pay for shipping instead of charging it to you separately, so I have to make sure I price the products enough to cover the cost of the courier for an item of its size and weight.
But, that doesn't work for items you tend to buy multiples of. I'd have to charge you too much per item, and that would make me feel kinda icky. I am a sole trader and it's really important to me that I try to operate fairly, for the sake of my customers. So, I made the decision to split my products into two groups: Items you tend to buy just one of, and items you buy in bulk.
For the items that you tend to buy just one of, I've included shipping in the price of the item. For the items you tend to buy in bulk, I charge the shipping separately so that I can keep the price of the individual items down. It's not a perfect solution, but it's one that I'm always thinking about and working to perfect.
It sounds super sappy, but there's no fun in it for me unless we're both happy with the deal. My goal is to make sure that we both get a fair deal and come away smiling. I never, ever want to make a profit at your expense. There's no joy in that!
Q. What about clearance items?
When something goes on clearance, I price it at cost + 15% and round it up to the nearest neat figure, so they do not include free shipping. But, contagious free shipping absolutely does still apply to them!
FACTORY DIRECT FAQS
Q. "What are Factory Direct items?"
A. Factory Direct items are items that I do not hold in stock in my local warehouse in New Zealand, usually do to a prohibitively high cost price. I am a very small business and I have limited investment capital, not to mention limited storage space - I'm literally running this shop out of a spare bedroom in my house.
There are some items I desperately want to stock because I love them and I think they're awesome, but I can't afford to buy all the colours and sizes up front, or I don't have space, or they're just a really big risk for me. So, I offer them via Factory Direct orders instead.
When you order a Factory Direct item, I contact the manufacturer for you and ask them to make the item for you, and then have it shipped directly to your door. Hence, the "factory direct" part.
Doing it this way means they take longer to arrive, but it gives both of us access to a larger range of stock that we otherwise couldn't have, which is always a good thing!
Q. "How long do Factory Direct items take to arrive?"
A. Timeframes vary, depending on a few different factors. The biggest one right now is COVID-19. The virus has had a huge impact on global trade channels around the world, and all of our factories are overseas or rely on parts that come in from overseas.
Prior to COVID-19, the delivery timeframe was usually about 14 days. Right now, it can be anywhere up to 60 days. But, it has been showing improvement in recent weeks, so hopefully we'll be back to normal soon! Fingers crossed!
Q. "If I have a problem with a Factory Direct item, who do I talk to?"
A. Me! I handle everything for you and am your sole contact in everything. Well, aside from your local courier or postie, of course! But for any issues, you just contact me and I sort it out for you.
Q. "I've heard horror stories about items you get on the internet. Am I going to get an item that's weirdly sized or totally different to what's advertised?"
A. Nope! Part of the service I offer is that I only sell items that I have personally purchased myself and examined closely. The factories I buy from are ones that I have tested myself to make sure that they are legitimate. Before I list anything up for Factory Direct orders, I have bought myself one and examined it with a fine-tooth comb. In short, I get lots of horror story internet duds, so that you never have to.
It also means that if something does go wrong, you know that you're dealing with a New Zealander who has New Zealand ethics and is bound by New Zealand laws. You never have to worry about your money vanishing into the great void of cyberspace, because I am right here and if I tried to scam you, you could rock up to my house and beat me up. I mean, I would prefer you didn't, but... the point is, I'm acting as your agent in this exchange, so if anything goes wrong then I absorb the costs so you don't have to.