Shipping
CANADA POST STRIKE...(OVER?!?)
Canada Post announced on Friday November 15, at 12:01am, that they will begin a national strike. Canada Post’s operations will shut down during a national strike, affecting millions of Canadians and businesses across the country. Items are expected to be stopped if entered into the system, and held until the strike ends. Unfortunately we will have to temporarily stop shipments to the US, and cannot guarantee any delivery times during the strike. Canada Post is the only company that can deliver to rural Canada and to PO Boxes and Flex Delivery addresses, and other shipping companies aren't taking on the Canada Post business to support the striking workers.
We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience and wish small businesses weren't used as pawns or leverage in a negotiation, especially during the busy Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and holiday season. But this is the world we live in...
UPDATE NOV 21: We have set up a UPS account set up and can ship orders right away. The UPS Standard, Expedited, and Express shipping options are now available at checkout. If you have already placed an order and would like to switch to UPS instead of waiting out the Canada Post strike, please contact us and we'll get a quote for you. We are getting the UPS shipments out within 24 hours of confirmation (Monday to Friday). As soon as the CP strike is over, our usual shipping options will return to normal. For now, free shipping is unfortunately unavailable.
Please note, UPS does not ship to PO Box, Flex Delivery, or Rural addresses.
UPDATE DEC 13: The Mister of Labour has forced the postal workers back to work, despite not having negotiated a new deal. Small businesses have been destroyed over the last 4 weeks, and for absolutely nothing.
We have reintroduced the option for free shipping with Canada Post, as well as their expedited, express, and priority services. The option to use UPS will still be available for those not wanting to deal with the inevitable backlog of parcels that will be awaiting Canada Post upon their return to work. Please note, that if you select the free or Canada Post option, it will be shipped when they officially back to work. We are expecting this to be during the week of December 16th.
UPDATE DEC 17: All orders placed over the month long strike have been packed, labelled, and shipped. Delivery times are not at all guaranteed at this point. If you selected Canada Post as the courier (paid or free shipping), your order will likely deliver just before or after Jan 1. Parcels entered in the CP/USPS system will begin moving on December 19.
If you selected UPS your order will likely be delivered by the estimated delivery date. If you need anything before Christmas, only UPS will be able to provide a package in time.
🇨🇦 WE SHIP TO ALL CANADIAN PROVINCES AND TERRITORIES 🇨🇦
🇺🇸 WE SHIP TO ALL 50 STATES (Including HI, AK, & DC) 🇺🇸
Lightning Fast, Same Day Order Processing!
Speed is the name of the game when it comes to shipping, and The Herb Cafe is as fast as they come! Orders placed before 4:20 PM EST will be shipped same day, Monday to Friday* using Canada Post, no matter the order total, and a tracking number will be provided by email. The delivery estimate is provided directly by Canada Post at checkout and is not a guaranteed delivery date.
We offer FREE Shipping on orders over $100 CAD, before tax, across Canada*.
Orders are packed and processed in minutes after completion, so please be sure of the shipping address and that all items required are added to the cart before checkout. We're unable to change, edit, or cancel orders once they've been submitted due to the speed of order processing.
Please note, some postal codes where the first number is a zero (specifically postal code beginning with A0, B0, T0 and V0) the minimum order value for free shipping is $160, before tax, due to the extremely high shipping rate to these remote addresses. We will contact you after the order is placed for the shipping fee if it was not covered on orders under $160.
Expedited, XpressPost, and Priority shipping options are also available to add to your order if you need your item in a rush. Please note that same day shipping times may be delayed during high traffic sales periods like 4/20, Black Friday, and Boxing Day.
Please Use Interac e-Transfer (Email Money Transfer) for any of the following:
- PO BOX address
- FLEX Delivery address
- Recently Moved (credit card billing information not yet updated)
- Purchasing a gift for a friend/family and shipping to them directly
- Shipping to your work address
- Away for school or working remotely
We are happy to accommodate shipping to PO Boxes, Flex Delivery, new home address, work address, or to a friend's house provided that the order is paid by Interac eTransfer (Email Money Transfer). This policy is fraud prevention measure implemented by BMO Bank to protect themselves, The Herb Cafe, and the cardholder from theft due to the increasing volume of online fraud. Manually entering a different shipping address when using a credit card may result in your order being delayed, or even cancelled, if we are unable to verify if a stolen card was not used. Orders must be shipped to the card holder if a credit card is used to pay for an order.
How Long Will It Take To Get My Order?
Delivery date estimates and total costs are supplied directly from Canada Post and are based on the weight of the order and the distance from our warehouse to your requested shipping address. The delivery time begins when the order is picked up by Canada Post, not when the order is placed.
*Rural parts of Canada may require an added shipping cost and may not be included in the free shipping promotion. Please note, some postal codes where the first number is a zero (specifically A0, B0, T0, and V0) the minimum order value for free shipping is $160, before tax, due to the extremely high shipping rate to these remote addresses. We will contact you after the order is placed for the shipping fee if it was not covered on orders under $160.
For customers ordering in the United States, the delivery estimate provided at checkout can be affected by US Customs. It may add a day or two to the anticipated delivery date. Most orders are sent across without delay, but border services will randomly pull packages for inspection. Please wait until it is released to the United States Postal Service for tracking to update.
Same day order processing may not be available in certain situations such as Canada Post holidays, service outrages, or on the big 4 holidays (BlackFriday/CyberMonday, Christmas/Boxing Day, April 20, October 17).
If the wrong address is entered by the purchaser and returned to us, there will be a return shipping fee. It is normally the same cost as it was to send it out, but can be more, especially with Priority and XpressPost shipping. The Return fee can be up to $100 CAD, or more, depending on the weight, value, and distance traveled for an order. There will also be the initial shipping cost to send it again to the correct address. The Herb Cafe is not responsible for an incorrectly entered address. This also applies to orders not accepted or refused at the door. A return shipping fee will be charged to us and credited from your order automatically and the balance from the order will be refunded to the original payment method used. The Herb Cafe is not involved in the checkout process, and any error occurring from this process is caused by the customer entering the information. We will not be financially responsible for any transaction that has to be shipped back due to the recipient's error.
The purchasing party is responsible for all shipping costs on cancelled or returned orders. If free shipping was chosen on a returned order, the shipping cost will be deducted from the refund.
If you are using a community mailbox and do not inform us of this and your parcel is stolen from the box, we are not responsible for the lost order. It is up to the recipient to inform us (by leaving a note at checkout) of this so we can request the item be picked up from the Post Office instead of left behind where anyone in your shared property can have access to it. High value orders will come with a do not safe drop instruction, and during the pandemic, will require a signature, possibly at the post office. If you'd like to avoid this, please use Interac eTransfer and leave a note at checkout. We cannot safe drop a high value order that was paid by credit card for obvious fraud prevention.
All shipping quotes are provided by Canada Post and the US Postal Service. These anticipated delivery dates are an estimate and not a guarantee. If the courier is unable to reimburse for a late delivery due to any extenuating circumstances, we are not able to refund any shipping costs. Shipping estimates are provided in business days, which do not include weekends or holidays.
*Monday-Friday (Canada Post does not pick up on weekends and holidays). The same day shipping gurantee may not apply during high volume sales weeks (BlackFriday, Boxing Day, 4/20). Please refer to the Canada Post shipping schedule to see when they are off for statutory holidays. The CP Shipping Schedule can be found here: CANADA POST HOLIDAY SCHEDULE
Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you!