Shipping and Returns FAQ

We occasionally offer Free Shipping or Flat Rate shipping promotions (good only for the contiguous US states) but generally we do not offer free shipping.  We believe in being transparent and offering customers the best competitive pricing on items we sell with both product and shipping costs known with no fine print.   We don’t treat shipping as a sales gimmick.  PIWC philosophy is the same as it has been since 1964 - charge only the carrier’s rate plus handling calculated as close to cost as is reasonably possible.  Our goal and commitment is to get items to our customers as effectively and inexpensively as possible.

See our Wine Shipping FAQs page for information about Wine Shipping.

No. Wine orders must be placed separately from winemaking supplies or equipment due to legal regulations governing alcohol shipping. Simply place each type of order on its own.

UPS is our default carrier and we typically ship orders via UPS Ground Service which covers all 50 States and Puerto Rico.  Other methods and/or carriers are available upon customer selection in the shopping cart or by request. Please contact us if you need other shipping options.  For special situations we may suggest and use alternative methods if mutually agreed upon with the customer. UPS offers expedited 3-Day Select, 2nd Day Air and Next Day Air service at extra cost.  

US Postal Service (USPS) is another possible carrier option that may be beneficial for certain orders, particularly lightweight orders.  USPS Ground Advantage service is available with 2-5 day transit times and tracking capability. USPS Priority and Priority Express Mail are available with 1 to 3 day transit times and tracking capability.

Contact us about availability and rates if you need any of these services. Alternate carriers can be requested but we will need to contact you before shipping to confirm shipping costs. 

Most orders ship within 1–2 business days of receipt. Orders during harvest season (August–October), orders with temperature-sensitive items, orders with Special Order items, orders with out-of-stock items, and complex or very large orders may take a bit longer to ship. If you provide an e-mail at checkout, you’ll receive an email with tracking details once your order ships.  Shipping times vary by selected shipping method.

•    Standard: UPS Ground (default shipping method); shipping times vary between 1 and 6 business days from ship date depending on delivery location relative to our facility in North East, PA, 16428.  The vast majority of locations east of the Mississippi River have transit times of 2 days or less and all locations have transit times of 3 days or less.  The vast majority of locations from San Antonio, TX and points east have transit times of 3 days or less.  Refer to the UPS Transit Times Map for typical transit times.  
•    Expedited: UPS 3-Day Select, 2-Day Air, and Overnight Air (by request); shipping time 1 to 3 days depending on selected method.  3-Day Select shipping may be a beneficial option for shipments to the Pacific states.
•    USPS: Ground Advantage (by request) has 2 to 5 day shipping time; Priority & Priority Express Mail (by request) have shipping times from 1 to 3 days
•    Motor Freight: Shipping times vary by order and carrier quote; contact us to confirm shipping times

Our website is configured with our default carrier’s shipping calculator app to determine carrier rates.  The shipping calculator determines shipping cost based on item weights, shipping service option, and shipping destination. A nominal handling charge of 15% of carrier’s shipping charge is added to cover packaging costs.  Certain large, heavy items require crating and truck shipping and such products are identified on their product pages with crating charge noted.  For such items we will work to find the most economical carrier and will contact you prior to shipping to confirm shipping cost.  Careful effort is put forth to package each order in as few boxes as possible to keep cost to the customer down. There are occasions, however, when an order includes items that cannot be packed together and when this occurs we endeavor to keep the number of necessary packages to a minimum.

Note that rarely but occasionally our online shipping calculators get flummoxed by order information that is not programmed and generate an erroneous shipping amount. Some observed examples have been when the order includes larger items that cannot be shipped in one package under the carrier’s maximum pounds per package limit or the item is too large to ship via standard carrier or USPS or when orders contain a large number of small, light items.   

If you feel the shipping cost for your order is excessive or may be in error, please contact us immediately and we will verify it and correct it if necessary.  Our commitment is to work with you to find the most economical and accurately priced shipping option for your order and we apologize for any inconvenience from errant shipping app calculations. 

If the online shipping calculator significantly under-calculates the correct shipping cost we reserve the right to adjust it and we will contact the customer to explain and confirm acceptance prior to shipping.

All UPS, Fedex, and DHL shipments are insured for up to $100 per package as part of the shipping rate.  Additional insurance for higher value packages is available for extra cost.  We reserve the right to insure packages up to actual value if we deem it necessary and prudent and include the additional insurance cost in the shipping and handling charge.  USPS shipments using Ground Advantage, Priority, and Priority Express have $100 package insurance included in the price. 

The insurance is with the carrier and claims must be filed with the carrier.  Although our responsibility for the package ends when we have delivered your order to the carrier, we are willing to assist with the handling of claims. It is your responsibility to report damage upon delivery or discovery. It is also always a good idea to photo document the concealed damage in the context of the packaging. E-mail or call PIWC and we will assist you with your claim to the best of our ability.

We try to keep items other than Special Order items in stock to best serve our customers and avoid backorders, but backorders can happen.  Our website shows inventory status for each item and is configured to allow you to select out-of-stock items for orders so you can get the products you need.  If an item is out of stock, we’ll contact you with estimated fulfillment time and discuss options to ship what’s available now, wait for all items before shipping, suggest available substitutions for out-of-stock items, or cancel the unavailable items. If we don’t hear back within 3 business days, we’ll ship the available items and put the remainder on backorder to avoid further delays in getting available items to the customer. When backordered items are received we will contact the customer before shipping to confirm they still want the items and whether they wish to add items to the order to maximize benefit for the shipping costs.

See the FAQ above regarding insurance on packages.  All available shipment options include standard insurance up to $100 per package; additional insurance is available for additional cost.  We’ll work with you and the carrier to resolve issues quickly and fairly and get replacements for damaged items to you.  If you are present for delivery, inspect all deliveries immediately, preferably while the delivery company’s driver is still there. Note any missing parcels or visible damage on the bill of lading, have the driver acknowledge the damage in writing on the bill of lading if still present, and take photos of damaged packaging.  You should not refuse the damaged shipment. If you refuse damaged shipments, matters become more complicated and reduce the carrier’s liability.  You should inspect the shipment contents as soon as possible after receipt for concealed damage and photo document any damaged items and notify the carrier immediately.  The longer package inspection and notification is delayed on the receiver’s part, the greater the chance becomes that a claim will not be allowed by the carrier.  Contact us BEFORE sending anything back—either call (814) 725-1314 or email info@piwine.com with your order details. 

Our packing staff is very diligent and proud of their work but occasionally we make mistakes. If we make a shipping mistake, we will correct the problem. Please e-mail or call us immediately if you believe we have made an error – wrong product, missing product, incorrect quantity, incorrect color, etc. - and we will work with you to resolve the problem in the most advantageous way.  Call (814) 725-1314 or email info@piwine.com with your order details.

We stand behind the products we sell and our goal is that our customers be delighted with our products.  If you have problems or dissatisfaction with any of our products, we will work with you to resolve the issue including accepting returns if necessary. Please DO NOT RETURN goods without first checking with us. Give us details of any problems or dissatisfactions. We may be able to resolve the matter without further shipping costs to either party. Please e-mail us at info@piwine.com or call us at (814) 725-1314.

Special Order Items are items that are ordered less frequently and are more economical to provide on an as-ordered basis rather than keeping in stock all the time.  With our supplier network and relationships, we can generally get these items for our customers reasonably quickly.  Special Order items are clearly noted on their product pages.  If Special Order items are selected and not in stock, they will go to backorder.  We will contact the customer to confirm estimated fulfillment time.

Yes, we happily accept and ship international orders so long as the customer is willing to accept the shipping and duty costs and pays in full by credit card. We ship orders to Canada with some frequency and occasionally we have sent items to APO’s and other countries. Out-of-country customers should contact us for details and to confirm shipping and duty costs. UPS offers service to Canada and for a fee will act as the Customs broker. Canadian customers should check with them for rates; a phone number must be included with the order.

Yes.  Such products have these special shipping requirements and considerations prominently identified on their product pages.  Examples are large, heavy products that require crating and shipping via truck freight, temperature sensitive items that can only be shipped when freezing temperatures will not be encountered during shipping, and items that are prohibited from being shipped via air.  Additionally, certain heavy items such as bulk bag chemicals can only be shipped one per package under the carrier’s maximum pounds per package limit.

Wine orders have special procedures to comply with legal requirements associated with purchase, shipping, and delivery of alcoholic beverages.  Read our separate Wine Shipping FAQs page for more information about wine shipping.