Sometimes. Most products ship directly from the factory where they are made, as soon as they are available. If multiple items are shipping from the same factory at the same time, we will group them together to reduce shipping costs and carbon emissions.
Orders ship directly from our network of factories around the world. Depending on the item you purchase and where it is made, your order may ship in partial shipments from several locations.
For orders being shipped from Asia to the United States, we offer three options prioritized by lowest cost and lowest emissions, to highest cost and highest emissions.
We do offer partial shipping via air upon request, in cases where you may need a smaller quantity of units shipped urgently. Whenever possible we recommend using the first option (ocean freight to the nearest port) to minimize costs and carbon emissions.
Maybe. International orders often incur VAT (Value Added Tax), import fees, or customs processing fees. International fees vary depending on the size, value and destination of your package.
International fees are not included in our shipping costs. When your order arrives in your country, you might need to pay additional fees to receive it.
Large orders (over 130 pounds) typically ship via freight services. This means that we deliver your products on one or more pallets.
We coordinate with freight carriers to deliver your order within the estimated delivery window. Receiving freight is more complicated than parcel shipments, so here’s how to prepare:
Cost Freight shipping is usually billed separately. You will receive a freight shipping invoice once the shipping weight, dimensions and delivery details have been finalized.
Tracking When your order ships, you will receive an email notification containing all the available tracking information. Please note that some freight carriers have less detailed tracking information than parcel carriers such as UPS or FedEx.
Space Pallets are usually 40 by 48 inches and stacked up to 6 feet high, so make sure that you have room to store them. If you would like more precise specifications, contact us to find out how many pallets you should be expecting.
Receiving You have to be present to receive a freight order. If you’re not available, you are responsible for redelivery charges.
Receiving a pallet requires some special equipment. To unload your delivery from the truck and into your space, you will need one of the following options:
Please let us know if you need a liftgate to unload your order. If we don’t know, you may get hit with last-minute shipping charges.
When you accept a freight shipment, you will receive a Bill of Lading (BOL). This acts as a receipt. Don’t sign it until you’ve looked over the shipment for any exterior damage. If you see any damage, note it on the BOL, take photos, and contact us ASAP.
3PLs Third Party Logistics (3PL) providers have specific shipping instructions. Before shipping to your 3PL, please send us their shipping instructions. It’s a simple step that could spare you extra fees from the freight service or 3PL
Customs Some products are manufactured outside of the country they will be delivered in. When products ship from one country to another, they pass through customs.
Unfortunately, customs can be unpredictable and opaque. We do our best to estimate customs processing time but are not responsible for any delays that may occur at this stage. We cannot refund or discount orders that exceeded delivery estimates due to customs. If you are wondering if your product will go through customs, contact us.
If you place two orders on the same day and shipping to the same address, we will try to ship them together provided those items come from the same factory.
This means that the postal carrier has not scanned your package into their system yet. Sometimes this happens when the post office is really backed up. Hold tight! Your order has been shipped and it’s on its way to you.
If you are outside of the U.S. and select USPS First Class International, tracking is not available. Contact your local post office with your tracking number to see if it has reached customs.
Expedited shipping is available for most orders. For orders shipped internationally we offer air freight which significantly speeds up the shipping time compared to ocean freight, however it is around 10 times more costly. Please note that faster shipping does not speed up the lead time needed to manufacture your item.
Reach out to us ASAP. We ship several products same day, so contact us with your updated address right away.
No. Products are typically delivered by freight truck, for that reason residential addresses are not accepted. Read more about receiving freight shipments.
When planning your order, consider holidays which may cause factory closures. If your product is manufactured abroad, consider that some ports and customs offices are closed during holidays, which may add to the delay.
The lead times published in our Catalog and Delivery Schedule take into account delays caused by the holidays listed below. You can also find deadlines to receive packaging by Black Friday in our peak season deadlines tracker. Keep in mind that every manufacturer has specific lead times that will only be visible to you once you receive a quote.
United States
Asia
Shipments traveling overseas must pass through customs which can sometimes be a cause of unexpected delays. Passing through customs can lead to delays because the ports can be backed up, particularly during busy times of the year (see holiday calendar). Furthermore, some ports in the US have been slowed down by port worker strikes.
Yes. Factories operate on a first-come first-served basis. Starting in July, volume increases significantly which means your order will be placed in a queue that is 1-4 weeks longer than other times throughout the year. The deadlines in our holiday calendar take this difference into account.
It depends on the details of the order. We recommend that you request a quote or get in touch.
To ensure that your order progresses rapidly we recommend that you prepare your artwork ahead of time, and make sure it is properly formatted for manufacturing. See our formatting guidelines for instructions on vectorizing your designs and converting fonts to outlines.
The clock starts ticking once you approve the final production-ready artwork. You can save time by having it ready to go.
The Port of Los Angeles is often one of the first U.S. stops on the way from Asia. To get to New York from there, ships go south, through the Panama Canal, and up the coast, making the Port of New York and New Jersey one of the last stops.
Although Florida is technically closer to the Panama Canal than New York, the ships traveling to Florida take more stops than those traveling to New York—think local vs. express trains. Often, our logistics team may choose to ship your items through a different port (Los Angeles or New York and New Jersey) and truck orders to Florida, because it’s that much faster.
Most container ships traveling from Asia to the East Coast of the U.S. travels through the Panama Canal, and it only allows one ship through at a time—you can watch a livestream on their site. Maybe you’ll see the container that holds your order!
International ocean freight is an immense undertaking involving many companies, governments, and countries. Here are the steps your goods go through when they travel on a cargo ship across the ocean:
1. Loading up a cargo ship
Goods are at the origin port’s container freight station (CFS) for 3-7days (depending on if the goods are a full container load (FCL) or less than a container load (LCL)) prior to vessel departing.
Shipping LCL takes more time since pallets from multiple places need to be grouped to fill the container and get it on the ship. FCL goods are already loaded into the container and ready to be loaded onto the vessel.
Occasionally, China has crackdowns at their ports which can delay departure up to a week.
2. Ocean transit
Cargo ships travel at a speed around 24 knots (aka 27 mi/hour). Typically, a cargo ship coming from China to the Port of LA will take about 14 days in transit.
Depending on the time of year, port congestion can cause delays at the beginning or end of a trip.
3. Unloading a cargo ship
After they’re unloaded, It takes about a week before goods can be picked up and trucked to their final destination. The first five days are spent getting the container cleared through customs, then the goods go to a warehouse to be sorted.
In the U.S., random customs checks can add up to a week.
4. Last mile transit
Lumi will arrange the last mile of your shipment. We’ll coordinate with a local courier to get your goods onto a truck and on their way to your warehouse.
In the U.S., this last leg of transit can take up to a week from coast to coast. Shipments may take longer if other goods in the container aren’t processed with the right paperwork.
