Shipping Information
ORDERS PLACED AFTER 12:00 P.M. PST WILL NOT BE PROCESSED TILL THE NEXT BUSINESS DAY 
You can see your shipping options and the cost by using our Shipping Estimator, located on the "view cart" page. You get to choose which shipping option you want during checkout. To get an accurate cost estimate, you will need all the products you would like to eat in your shopping cart, and you will need to know the State and zip-code of where you will be shipping to. Your pricing will vary depending on what you order, how quickly you need it, and where your package is going. Shocked by the cost of Shipping? Be really shocked - click here to see the retail published rates with UPS ChefShop.com flat-fee shipping We have a “flat” fee for shipping UPS ground packages within the "continental" (referring to the lower 48, the 48 contiguous states of North America, sorry Alaska and Hawaii. For info on Alaska, Hawaii and internatonal shipping, see below.) United States. The flat rate is $10.99 for up to 11 pounds of ship-weight or dimentional-weight* - which ever is more. The more items you buy, the lower the per item cost. However, bulky items may have a heaver "dimentional weight", if they are air-y or bulky products. This pricing is subject to change at any time. The details on how it works: So what does this mean? It means that if you buy one small, light-weight item, like Dark Ancho Chile Powder, shipping won’t be a good deal. In fact if you ask us, we would encourage you not to order one small item. Unless you are panicked and need the item for a special recipe, or a cooking competition like the chef in New Zealand who needed one jar of red olives (we overnighted it to him!) we just don’t recommend placing small, light orders. On the other hand, if you add more items to your order, flat-fee shipping becomes a pretty good deal for you (and us to). The shipping and handling charge is determined through a combination of weight, volume (dimention), package costs, and where it's going. Though we rarely charge handling fees it can happen and don't worry you need to approve before we do!
Shipping to Alaska, Hawaii or outside US
Yes, we ship international (and to Hawaii and Alaska) too. But pricing is hard to predict. We only us the US Post Office (USPS) to ship outside the continental US unless you specially request otherwise. So, make sure you select USPS when checking out to get the best price. BUT ALSO, if we can get a better price, or if your items fit in a flat-rate box, we will do our best to charge less than the amount on your original order - and will make adjustments before finalizing the order. If you have a hard time setting up an international account (which happens frequently...), feel free to call (206.286.9988) or email (shopkeeper @ chefshop.com) and we can help you.
Transit Time
Shipping time is determined by the day your box is shipped (when it leaves the warehouse, not when you place your order) is the day that determines how long it will take to get to you. Read on to see how the shipping companies count. Ground shipping takes 7 to 11 days depending on location and how far you are from Seattle. - If shipped on Monday, your package will arrive the following Monday - unless you live in Seattle, then you will get it the next day. Be sure to check the zone map some places are quick! Click here to see the Zone Map 3 DAY AIR - arrives on the fourth day. If shipped on Monday, it will arrive on Thursday. 2 DAY AIR - arrives on the third day. If shipped on Monday, it will arrive on Wednesday. NEXT DAY AIR - arrives on the second day. If shipped on Monday, it will arrive on Tuesday. We can not guarantee shipping times to you, as they are estimates. There are too many variables outside of our control. This includes, but is not limited too, the weather, the shipping carrier, and incorrect ship-to-addresses. How we are billed by United Parcel Service: additional charges * Our pricing is based on the UPS DIM (Dimentional) pricing system. A confusing but simple comparison of actual weight versus dimensional weight. A few things you should know: 1) Actual weights are rounded UP to the closest pound. [Note that we have recently changed our packaging materials and moved away from packing peanuts and plastic bubble wrap (light), to paper and giame(tm) honeycomb paper wrap (recyclable but heavy). That change will also be reflected in the final order weight.]
2) Dimensional weight is calculated by using the cubic size of the box used to ship your items, divided by a "DIM Divider" - usually 133 - then the "DIM Weight" is rounded up to the nearest pound. Whichever "weight" is larger (actual weight vs dimensional weight) is the “weight” we are billed for. [Note that we have recently changed our packaging materials and moved away from packing peanuts and plastic bubble wrap, to paper and giame(tm) honeycomb paper wrap (recyclable but more bulky and heavy). That change impacts box sizes and will also be reflected in the final order weight.]
BOTTOM LINE: Estimating the weight of a complete order is more an art than a science. It's not a simple as putting a product on the scale and putting the weight of the product in the system - it requires measurements, plus the addition of weight and bulk to cover the weight and bulk of the packaging material. We do our best to make sure product "weights" in the system reflect the "weight" that we will get charged -- but we are not always perfect. Note that we will never do "free shipping" - because sadly we don;t have a billion dollar server business to subsidize our shipping costs any more than we already do with our flat-rate shipping policy.
The UPS add-ons: All packages also have “additional” charges based on service type and delivery location. These include: Fuel surcharges - which change and are updated monthly. For detailed information about Fuel Surcharges click here Residential surcharges - which vary, start at $2.90 for ground, $3.40 for air and up per package. Special location, Extended surcharges - vary from $2 to $48. Changes of Address: Everyone makes mistakes from time to time. We are as likely as anyone to get ship-to address wrong. If you notice that you have made a mistake, please contact us right away. Hopefully, we can make the change before the order leaves our warehouse. If the package has left our warehouse, then that's a different story. Correcting those mistakes costs us not only time, but money. UPS charges us every time we have to call and re-route a package. So, we encourage everyone to make sure that the ship-to address listed on the order is correct and complete. If not, we reserve the right to pass that UPS surcharge onto you. Of course, if it is our mistake, we will not charge you for re-routing your package, typically this does not happen as we do not change the information once you enter on the website. About our Search for the Perfect Packing Material, or . . . . Why We Use Those Awful, Annoying, Packing Peanuts! All of us are concerned about the environment, and many have asked about our practice of packing your orders with polystyrene peanuts. We’re concerned about the environment, too - so let’s talk nuts. The good: strong for their weight; good cushioning properties; inexpensive; water resistant; good thermal blockers; and use less manufacturing energy than paper products. The ones we use are 100% recycled polystyrene, a relatively low energy and waste production. And it is a good use for all those plastic soda and water bottles! We also accept and recycle clean polystyrene peanuts from our local neighborhood. So, you may also see, from time to time, a mix of packaging peanuts inside your box. The bad: pain, pain, pain to have around and to store; litter easily and last for decades. Though not good for the environment if we dump them into the landfill, the peanuts are just fine if we recycle them into another shipping box. We use recycled peanuts that we get from customers and other retailers who get lots of stuff shipped to them. We also purchase peanuts that are made from recycled plastic bottles and thus are 100% recycled. And . . . . those pesky peanuts don’t collapse when a box with a bottle of oil and a bottle of jam inside is dropped from the back of a truck (not too often we hope); or more often gets crushed during the rapid sorting process necessary to move your box from here to there. (Did you know that UPS moves 14.8 million packages every day?) Also, the cost is good, which keeps your costs down. Lighter packages mean lower shipping costs to you - and now with our (almost) anywhere for a flat fee, weight is important! A quick response to why we don’t use ... Cornstarch Peanuts; rodents love to eat them; when they get wet they’re like little glue blobs everywhere; and when they’re crushed flat (like when we ship heaver items -- such as olive oil), they do not "come back", leaving lots of empty space inside the box for those precious bottles of olive oil to rattle around and break. Some now even have rodent deterrent chemicals on them - another word for "poison." Air Systems; mostly not suitable for what we ship, and the machines required use virgin/newly manufactured plastic. Call for Help! Have you seen a packing material that knocked your socks off and think we could use it? Let us know, as we are always looking for the next best option! If we like and use your idea/find, you’ll get free shipping for a year! Click here to see the Zone Map