Touchstone Gallery Shipping Policy

1. We Ship Both Domestically and Internationally.  We are not duty and cultural law experts, so international customers are responsible for any import duties required in their respective countries. Our international customers are also responsible for ensuring that importing our products are not regulated by their respective national laws. In some cases countries regulate the import of fossils which our international customers should consider before placing an order. For large value international orders, our customers are advised to consider retaining an import broker who is familiar with the respective country’s import laws and duties structures. 
   
   
2. Order Processing.  We process and deliver orders Monday through Friday. At this time we do not offer shipping or deliveries on weekends or holidays. 
   
   
3. We charge for shipping equal to our costs.  We will organize crating or packaging, shipping and insurance on any of the products offered on our website. Many of our products require special crating to protect the products from the shipping process. In many cases the products are physically heavy and as a result we recommend that our customers consider the somewhat higher cost of “white glove” service where our shipping partners uncrate the piece and place it inside of your home or office. We charge for these services in order to recover our costs and to ensure that our standard retail prices can be as low and fair as possible. Many shipping related costs vary based on your location and the exact kind of delivery service requested. To keep the costs of these services as low as possible, many of the physically large pieces have descriptions that ask you to contact us with your shipping details so that we can find the lowest cost solution that meets your needs. 
   
   
4. Limited Items Ship Free.  For a few of our small, easily packaged products, we offer free shipping and insurance. In these cases we will always choose the lowest cost shipping service that will safely deliver your purchase to you. For international shipments most of the time this means we will use the US Post Office and its respective postal partner in the country of delivery. The Postal Service does a great job of securely delivering your purchase, but it often takes a longer time period to finish delivery. If you need faster delivery on these items please contact us to make appropriate arrangements. 
   
   
5. We Ship as Quickly as Circumstances Allow.  We only offer items for sale that we have in our inventory. As a result we ship as quickly as the crating and packaging process allows. Almost always this means the product will ship 1-4 days after you place your order. If crating or packaging will take longer than that we will advise you by email to the address you provide upon making an order. 
   
   
6. For Parcel Shipments.  For small and medium sized parcels we use the US Post Office’s “If It Fits It Ships” service, First Class Mail, United Parcel Services or Fed Ex Ground services depending on who gives the best service at the lowest price. 
   
   
7. For Large Item Shipments.  For large and very heavy items we use specialty crating and shipping partners. These shipments generally travel by truck freight and as a consequence it can take a week to ten days to receive these types of products domestically. These kinds of products ordinarily travel by ship to international destinations, so transit times are highly variable, but almost always more than a month. 
   
   
8. Expedited Delivery.  As a very small business with unusually shaped products, we do not routinely offer overnight delivery services. If you are interested in rapid delivery of a large value order (greater than $500) please contact us and we will endeavor to meet your needs. 
   
   
9. Email Notification.  We will notify you by email when your purchase ships. We will charge your credit card at the time of shipment. Your order may be delayed if your billing and shipping addresses vary so that we can ensure the security of your credit card information.