International Shipping

• Western Europe, UK USPS Shipping Options: our current shopping cart offers United States Postal Service Global Priority, Global International Express or USPS Global Express Guaranteed.  UK Customs establishes the UK duties, taxes and brokerage fees on items shipped to the UK. Duty is charged on the purchase price of the goods and can be as high as 30% of the total purchase price if the item is valued at over $20. Goods arriving in the UK from outside the EU are liable to Customs Duty, Excise TAX, Import V.A.T charges, Carrier Brokerage Surcharges.

• Australia, Puerto Rico, Guam, US territories UPS Shipping Options: our current shopping cart offers United Parcel Service International to Puerto Rico and US Territories, USPS Global Priority, USPS Global Express or USPS Global Express Guaranteed elsewhere. Australian duties, taxes and brokerage fees are set Australian Customs. Duty is charged on the purchase price of the goods. GST is charged on the total of the purchase price, plus the customs duty, plus the freight and insurance paid or payable for transporting the goods. The current GST is 10% and is subject to change.

• Canadian Shipping Options (UPS and USPS): we offer UPS Canada Ground, USPS Global Priority, or USPS Global Express.

• UPS CANADA GROUND is quicker than United States Postal Service, orders can be tracked to your location and they generally handle parcels with less damage. However, there are import brokerage fees charged by the carrier that must be paid before they can release the order. To avoid or minimize those fees, you can clear the package through customs yourself or select US Postal Service shipping on your order. 

• Canadian duties, taxes and brokerage fees on items shipped to Canada are established by Canadian Customs. Anything over $20.00 CAD will be subject to customs fees. Taxes, PST & GST, will vary based on the province to which the items are shipped. The duty is based upon the value of the merchandise as set by Customs. As part of the NAFTA Trade Agreement, all items that are made in the USA will be duty free but subject to PST & GST taxes.
• International Import Brokerage Fees . Any shipment valued at $25 or more requires the use of a customs broker and may also incur import/duty charges by your government. UPS, DHL, FedEx all act as their own customs broker and charge you a brokerage fee which could be 35% or more of the value of your package. Please note that we do not charge this fee, can not calculate or collect it in advance and receive none of it. You may be able to avoid import brokerage charges by following tips mentioned at the websites below. These links lead to information prepared for our Canadian customers.

1. Canadian customs charges: http://canadaonline.about.com/cs/customs/a/shopshipcanada_2.htm

2. How to get around Canadian carrier brokerage fees: http://www.cbc.ca/consumers/market/files/home/courierfees/steps.html  
3. UPS Canadian brokerage charges: http://www.ups.com/content/ca/en/shipping/cost/zones/customs_clearance.html    
4. Canada UPS Zones and Rates: http://www.ups.com/content/ca/en/shipping/cost/zones/index.html?WT.svl=SubNav
5. If you are close enough to a UPS customs center and wish to clear customs yourself, let us know. The package must be marked so when we ship it. UPS will not deliver it to your home. They will call you to notify you that it has arrived.
6. Visit the FedEx website for more information about their import brokerage fees.

UPS Brokerage Fees: All shipping carriers except the US Post Office charge a brokerage fee which amounts to a charge to clear your package through customs and deliver it to your home. We do not charge this fee, can not calculate or collect it in advance and receive none of it. However, you may be able to avoid import brokerage charges (see item 2 above.) Or select USPS shipping on your order.

Tariffs, Fees, Taxes in Your Country: You are responsible for any tariffs, import taxes, fees, import brokerage fees charged by the carrier or your country after your order arrives. These fees will be collected by your country or the carrier at or before the time of delivery. The shipping charge you pay us covers shipment from the warehouse to the border of your country. Should you refuse an order because you do not wish to pay the brokerage fee, duties, tariffs, taxes and fees charged by your country, we will deduct the outbound and return shipping charges from your refund.

Things International Customers Need to Know:

1. We can not/do not ship to a post office or post office box - US or international. Please include a street address on your order.
2. Most of our floor height trees 40" or taller can NOT be shipped to international destinations because the shipping cartons exceed the maximum allowable box size. UPS and FedEX charges would be prohibitive.
3. The following size limits apply to Global Priority Mail and Global Express International packages sent to most destination countries:

   • Minimum length and width: 5 –1/2 inches by 3–1/2 inches/  Maximum length: 42 inches
   • Maximum length + girth (width of all four sides x 2) combined: 79-84 inches

4. To see how much it will cost to ship to your location and shipping options, enter the item into the cart, enter your country, leave the state blank (unless you are from Canada) then enter your postal code and click "Continue". USPS and UPS options will be presented on the following page. Select the method of delivery and click "Add shipping" to add the amount to your order.
5. For most countries, packages valued less than $20-$25 do not incur a duty, taxes or import fees. For customs, the value of your package will be the total value of all items on the order before shipping charges.
6. The rates quoted by UPS on their website or those used by our shopping cart do not include import brokerage fees! You can clear the package through customs yourself and avoid the fee. Please go here for more information about UPS import brokerage charges.
7. UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE (USPS): US Postal Service Global delivery dates as shown on their website and used by our cart are optimistic. You should allow a minimum of 2 weeks for delivery even if you request and pay for Global Express or Global Express Guaranteed. Allow 60-120 days and place a Christmas order by October 1st if you can. 
8. We cannot guarantee timely delivery of an international order after it leaves our facility. We pack it, label it and put it in the hands of the post office. After that it is up to the US Postal service and the postal service in your country to get your order to you in time. In short, order early!! :-)

9. Go here for the internet address for the postal service in your country.  (http://www.upu.int/pls/ap/www_sites.display_sites?p_language=an  )

10. Our electrical and battery operated products (rotating stands, Halloween tree lights, ceiling/wall mounted spinners and trees, Ornamotors, Ornamotions) are intended for use in the United States. USA approved batteries and/or a converter/ transformer may be required. Please read our product descriptions carefully and order at your own risk. We can not guarantee that they will work in any other country and assume no liability. Please visit our Decorating Centre for more information about the international electrical requirements and use and care or our products.
11. A signature will be required at delivery if:
    • the "ship to" and "bill to" addresses are different;
    • you are using an unconfirmed Paypal address;
    • the order triggers our security scan;
    • the order exceeds the pre-set maximum.

If you have any questions, please use our Contact Form linked to in the Customer Service area at the bottom of each page. Thanks for shopping at Ornament Trees.com. We appreciate your business.