Shipping Policy

Shipping methods

The following shipping methods are used for Great Lakes Taping Tools orders:

  1. USPS Ground Advantage Shipping
  2. USPS Priority Shipping
  3. FedEx
  4. UPS
  5. XPO Logistics

Note: Some items will require signature confirmation for delivery. The customer is responsible either to have someone available at the residence to sign for the package, or to contact the carrier and arrange a pick up.

# Free shipping

Individual Items marked "Ships FREE" qualify for free shipping within the continental US.  Some of those smaller items qualify for free USPS Ground Advantage shipping but can be upgraded to faster Priority shipping at the time of checkout. Shipping rates apply for Hawaii and Alaska.

We also offer:

  • Free USPS Ground Advantage shipping on all orders of $75 that weigh less than 16 oz
  • Free USPS Ground Advantage shipping on all orders over $200.

# Tracking

You will be automatically emailed when tracking information becomes available. For Drop Shipments, it's usually the day after the order ships, but can be longer depending on the distributor or manufacturer. On orders that ship direct, tracking information will be made available shortly after the shipping label is generated. Tracking information will also be stored in your account, when you click on each individual order. 

# Fulfillment

We are always aiming to get in-stock orders out the same day they are ordered. Most in-stock orders deliver to the customer between 3-5 days from the time they are ordered, when they are placed within the continental US. It's not uncommon however for the order to ship out on the following business day because it came in later in the afternoon, or for other reasons. The following factors affect fulfillment times:

  • The time of day that the order was placed (Eastern Standard Time)
  • The shipping method selected
  • The address we are shipping to
  • If we need to verify a transaction that was flagged by our system

# Back orders / Pre-order status

Some products, or products within a set might be on back order from the manufacturer, or temporarily out of stock. We have a flagging system in place which changes the text of the Add to Cart button to "PRE-ORDER". Clicking the "PRE-ORDER" button simply adds the item to the cart, but notifies you of the delay.  The products marked for PRE-ORDER are considered sold to you out of the incoming inventory that we have coming from the factory, placing you in a queue based on the time of purchase. If you purchase a tool set which contains products that are on back order, we will try to ship whatever of your order is in stock immediately, and contact you via email to give you an estimated time of arrival on the remainder of your order. You can also feel free to Contact us if you want any info on estimated lead times prior to placing your order.

Sometimes we forget to mark an item as "PRE-ORDER", or we mark it as available before it's in stock because we know it is in route to us. In the event that we are out of stock on something that is not marked "PRE-ORDER", we try to notify the customer immediately of the delay. With Canadian manufacturers like NorthStar and Columbia, that wait can be a little longer.

# Drop shipments

Some items ship directly from the factory or distribution center. The customer is responsible to be at the residence or make accommodations to pick his item up from the carrier that the factory or distribution center uses.

# Returned shipments

Shipments that are returned due to incorrect address information can be resent to the customer, but there will be shipping charges for the second shipment. The initial shipping charge only covers the initial shipment. Free shipping only covers the initial shipment as well. If the customer decides they want to return the item instead, the initial shipping charge is not refundable.

# Shipping to Canada

We do offer international shipping to Canada from our website. Orders under $400 can be shipped via the United States Postal Service (USPS) and will arrive to you via Canada Post. Orders over $400 will ship via FedEx Ground. FedEx Ground can get very expensive on large packages, so we would encourage you to contact us as we might be able to provide you a shipping discount on larger orders. 

International shipping

We can also cater to other international customers on an individual basis. If you need to place an order and have it shipped internationally, and you are not a resident of the USA or Canada, please contact us for a freight quote, and to arrange a payment method. 

Any questions? Contact us.