Shipping, Delivery & Backorders

Almost always. Contact us to confirm the delivery date and additional shipping charges (if necessary).

Almost always. Contact us with the details and to confirm the delivery date.

It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes an item is on backorder. If there's an anticipated delay with your order, you'll receive an email notification. You can choose to wait for your item, or you can cancel it (no fee).

If you ordered online, you'll receive an email, along with the tracking information, when your merchandise ships. If you ordered via purchase order, you must include an email address in order to receive a shipping notification by email.

Shipping notifications are automated and only allow for one tracking number. In most cases, all items ship at the same time, even if there are multiple boxes. If your items are shipped at different times, you'll receive a notification each time merchandise ships. If you'd like us to email a list of all the tracking numbers, just contact us.

Shipping charges are calculated based on several factors, including:

• Point of origin - where your item(s) ships from. If you order multiple items (different brands), they may ship from different points of origin.
• Destination - where your item is delivered. It's often cheaper (and more convenient) to ship merchandise to a business location, rather than a personal residence.
• Carrier - including FedEx, UPS, USPS or freight. Carriers are selected by the manufacturer, although you may contact us if you prefer to use a different carrier.
• Level of service - currently, all of our orders are shipped ground. If you would like to upgrade your level of service for faster delivery, just let us know.
• Quantity of items - high volume orders, especially those with larger merchandise like our teaching easels, are often cheaper to ship freight. If your item qualifies, we'll notify you via email.
• Weight and size - just like when you mail packages, items that are heavy or odd-shaped cost a little more.

We always do our best to ensure your delivery charges are as close to actual shipping charges as possible — with no markup. But currently, our shopping cart software doesn't support shipping from multiple warehouses (points of origin) using different delivery methods (FedEx, UPS, USPS and LTL) — making it difficult to calculate your shipping charges exactly to the penny. In most cases, the difference is only a few cents or a couple dollars more or less than what we're charged — especially if you are purchasing items from a single brand. But if you order multiple brands, sometimes the shipping charges may get a little wonky.

We'll have a more accurate, automated solution soon. In the meantime, if the shipping charges in your cart seem wrong, you're ordering multiple brands of merchandise, or you'd just like to double-check, please contact us. We'll be happy to provide a quote so you get the lowest possible shipping cost!

Here are some tips to help you determine if your shipping charges are accurate:

• If you are ordering multiple items or in bulk, contact us to obtain a lower shipping rate.
• Review the typical shipping estimates by brand, including costs, time frames and delivery methods.
• Contact us. We will be happy to provide you with a shipping quote. Especially if you are ordering more than one item, this will ensure the lowest possible shipping cost.

Use our calculator. Simply add the item to your cart, and then click "checkout." A calculator will appear in the bottom left that will allow you to display your shipping charges based on your location (state and zip code).

Review our shipping policy and check typical shipping estimates by manufacturer, including costs, time frames and delivery methods.

Sometimes, and especially when delivering larger quantities of merchandise, it's more economical to ship via freight. So if your item needs to ship freight, there's a good chance you've already talked to us. However, furniture and other large items sometimes need to ship LTL. If so, this is usually noted on the product description page. We will always contact you before processing your order if it needs to ship LTL.

If you order by purchase order, your delivery charges will reflect actual shipping costs, rather than the estimated shipping costs provided online. In most cases, the difference is only a few cents or a couple dollars more or less.