Orders and Shipping

Return Policy:

We guarantee that our handcrafted artisan teas will leave our facility in peak condition. If you are unsatisfied with your products we will gladly issue a store credit for your purchase price, excluding original shipping charges, on merchandise returned to us within 30 days of delivery. Art of Tea is not responsible for the return shipment costs for returns based on personal preference or non-quality related issues. Please note that wholesale orders are subject to a 20% or higher restocking fee, depending on circumstances. For more information, please contact us at http://artoftea.com/contact or 877-268-TEAS.

Countries We Ship To:

Please note that we currently only ship to the US and Canada. The Tea of the Month subscription program is available to US residents only.

Processing Times:

Orders are processed in the order they are received and usually take 3-5 business days to produce before they ship (this does not include weekends, holidays, or otherwise specified days of closure).  Shipments originate in the Los Angeles area, and transit times vary depending on the where packages are being delivered to.  Please keep in mind that if you place your order after 11am PST on Friday, your order will not process or ship until the following week as Art of Tea is not open for business over the weekend. This includes all orders that require expedited shipping (ie: Next Day Air, 2-Day Air, 3-Day Select).

Holiday Processing Times:

During the holiday season (November 1st-December 31st), orders can take up to 10 business days to process prior to shipping. Orders are processed in the order they are received. Please keep in mind that if you place your order after 12pm PST on Friday, your order will not process or ship until the following week as Art of Tea is not open for business over the weekend. This includes all orders that require expedited shipping (ie: Next Day Air, 2-Day Air, 3-Day Select).

Shipping Methods:

UPS

All orders shipped within the Contiguous US are shipped via UPS Ground or USPS unless otherwise specified. UPS does not ship to P.O. boxes so a street address is required in order to ship a package via this method. A UPS tracking number will be emailed to you upon shipment of your order.

UPS Worldwide

UPS Worldwide shipping is available for Canada orders; please note that it is the customer’s responsibility to take care of any taxes, fees or dues upon receipt.

UPS Ground

Orders shipped via UPS Ground can take 1-5 days for delivery depending upon your location.

Expedited Shipping

Expedited Shipping (ie: Next Day Air, 2-Day Air, 3-Day Select) is available for all orders shipped within the Continental US and Canada. Please note an order processing time of 3-5 business days still applies to packages shipped via this method.

US Mail

This method is available for shipment to PO Boxes, Military Addresses & Canada Orders.

While our shopping cart does not allow one to choose the military states (ie: APO, AE, FPO), we can still ship to these addresses. Please enter a real physical street address as a “space-filler” in the Shipping Address section. In the box marked “Add Comments About My Order”, please type “Ship to this Military Address”, followed by the correct shipping address. Please note that when you select your shipping method, the cost estimate displayed will reflect shipping to the “space-filler” address, not the APO, AE or FPO. The new shipping cost will be manually recalculated and processed in-house by customer service and will be reflected on the final invoice.
Please allow 5-7 days for delivery via this shipping method. International orders can take up to 14 business days for delivery.

Note on Turnaround Times

Process and delivery times expressed are based upon normal business volumes. Please note that during peak seasons and holidays, order process times may increase. (Refer to Holiday Shipping Policy below for more details) You may choose to upgrade the shipping method for faster delivery however, please note that this does not affect order process times. Not all delivery methods are available to all areas.

*** Please note we do not deliver to P.O. Boxes ***

Shipping Cost:

The shipping and handling cost for your order is based on the total weight of the order.

Shipping Liability:

Art of Tea is not responsible for packages that are undeliverable due to wrong addresses, missing information or not having someone present to receive packages. If there is a suite number, apartment number, or building number, please be sure to include that on your order.

UPS has permission to leave packages at the recipient address if no one is there to sign for them; however UPS drivers may also leave a UPS notice for a 2nd or 3rd delivery attempt at their discretion. Art of Tea is not responsible for packages stolen or damaged after they are delivered to the address specified by the customer. We highly recommend that someone be home to accept the package or that it is shipped to a workplace or office address when possible.

If you select "Signature Required for Delivery", your package will not be delivered unless it is signed for. If no one is present, UPS will make two more attempts before they return the package to us.

If your order is undeliverable and returned to us, you will be issued a store credit for your order, minus the shipping cost. If you wish to send the same items again, a new order is required. You may also need to provide an alternate shipping address, as UPS may flag the undeliverable address on all future deliveries.

Art of Tea is not responsible for delays caused by weather, mechanical failure or other acts beyond our control.

Special Shipping Methods

Art of Tea does not drop-ship at this time with the exception of Corporate Gifts.

If you require special shipping instructions, such as Saturday delivery, or a specified delivery date, please feel free to call us at 877-268-TEAS and we will do our best to accommodate your request.

Coupon Codes:

Please note that no special offers, discounts or coupon codes apply to Tea of the Month Club purchases or shipping. 

Coupon Codes cannot be applied to the purchase of gift certificates.

Wholesale Minimum Order Requirements:

All Art of Tea wholesale status purchases are subject to a $175.00 minimum purchase per order. This makes it easier for us to devote 100% of our energy towards your order with a quicker turnaround, as we pack your purchase only when we receive it.

Wholesale Sample Request Requirements:

Qualified Art of Tea wholesale customers are welcome to order samples in order to facilitate selecting and expanding upon their business’ tea offerings. Up to 10 single samples or 3 sampler packs may be selected per order. Samples are offered complimentary, with the request that the cost of shipping be covered by the customer. If the customer wishes to order other items in addition to tea samples (i.e., loose leaf tea, teaware, etc.), all wholesale minimum order requirements will apply to the order.

Return Check Policy:

Returned checks must be paid by cash, money order, cashier’s check, or credit card. All checks returned to Art of Tea, LLC because of insufficient funds, the account was closed, or for any other reason will be subject to a returned check fee of $30 per returned check.

Wholesale Order Payment Policy:

Wholesale orders are paid upon shipment via credit card (Visa, Mastercard, or American Express - provided at the time of order, or kept on file, per customer request). Art of Tea may pre-authorize the credit card for the subtotal amount at the time of order, and capture the final amount at the time of shipment.  

Wholesale customers have the option of payment via Credit Card, ACH, QuickPay or Bill.com. Orders will be shipped once payment has been received and verified. Please contact customer support for more information.

Corporate customers may apply for Net 30 payment terms. Please contact customer support to obtain a credit application. Please note that minimum monthly orders may apply, and credit approval is based on prompt payment history with credit references. Incomplete applications or insufficient credit history will result in declined credit terms.

Payment on approved accounts is due within 30 days of the invoice date.
Any past due balance on a wholesale account must be paid in full prior to any new product being released.
Art of Tea reserves the right to deny or revoke Net 30 terms at any time. Three or more late payments may result in revocation of Net 30 terms.