Shipping Terms & Conditions

Please note: In any conditions, LowPowerLab has no control over deliveries or delivery dates. Packages are handed to USPS or DHL, beyond that point there is no way to change the course of delivery, speed up delivery, determine "where the package is" or "when it will arrive".

LowPowerLab can take no responsibility for delays or lost packages, at this or any other time, and will not file any claims with carriers on behalf of customers.

USPS is the regular postal service. Once it leaves the USA a package is transferred through exchange to the destination country's postal service (ex. Royal Mail in UK). We've observed that during the pandemic the tracking service has proven to be less reliable than usual, sometimes incomplete. You should be aware that if you order through USPS (ie regular mail), delays are possible. For any inquiries USPS will require 6 weeks to consider a lost package.

For sensitive/high-value/urgent international deliveries we recommend choosing DHL EXPRESS at checkout.

 

Shipping cost is a flat rate:

   USPS FIRST CLASS:

  • $6.95 for US-continental ordersIncludes tracking ID and online delivery confirmation.
  • $21.95 for international orders (not insured, only tracked to select countries, see below). Includes a customs tracking ID which will only show tracking while on US territory, and delivered status for some countries (see below).

   USPS PRIORITY:

  • $9.95 for US-continental orders. Includes tracking ID and online delivery confirmation. For international priority use DHL.


USPS PRIORITY EXPRESS:

  • $27.95 for US-continental orders onlyIncludes tracking ID and delivery confirmation.

   DHL EXPRESS (international destinations only)

  • Quotes can fluctuate based on several factors but pricing is usually $30-40 to most EU countries. Remote areas designated by DHL add a $36 "remote destination fee". Transit time of 2-5 days to most destinations with end to end tracking and delivery confirmation. Note that based on each country's import laws you may be charged import duty tax for all imported goods. Additionally, in some countries DHL may charge an additional fee for customs clearance and delivery.

When does my order ship and how long does it take?

  • Orders are shipped within 1-2 business days  (Monday - Friday).
  • No shipping on weekends and federal holidays. If you place an order Friday after 12PM EST it will likely only be shipped Monday (or Tuesday if Monday is a federal holiday).
  • Low stocks may delay a shipment but this should be very rare.
  • Weather events can delay shipping and/or delivery for several days.

USPS First Class mail is usually very reliable and fast, should take 2-5 days across continental US. However First Class USPS is a "best effort" service. Very rarely some orders may take longer or can get lost/misdelivered, unfortunately that is not something LowPowerLab can control.

USPS Priority is a better and faster service.

USPS Priority Express is the fastest service and it has a "guaranteed" delivery date.

LowPowerLab cannot:

  • take responsibility for lost parcels
  • offer insurance or guarantees of delivery
  • mediate or open cases with USPS for tracking a package

Returned parcels (Undeliverable or Return to Sender (RTS), Unclaimed, Unpaid Due Customs Fees)

Any undelivered or returned parcels will require new postage to be covered the customer. You are responsible to pay customs duties, if any, and provide a valid address, otherwise your parcel may be returned to us. Regardless, if the parcel is returned for any reason outside of our control or our fault, you will need to re-purchase postage.

International orders

List of countries we ship to

Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belarus, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Korea, Republic of, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Reunion, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Virgin Islands (British), Virgin Islands (U.S.)

IMPORTANT FOR INTERNATIONAL ORDERS:

  • The order processing is automated and the checkout value of the order is declared for international orders. Shipping costs are not dutiable and not included in the declaration.
  • Customs/import taxes and duties are the responsibility of the customer.
  • Your parcel may be held by customs for any reason, indefinitely, they are the mail police. Usually it's because there are charges to be paid.
  • No international PO-BOX delivery addresses, please provide a non PO-BOX address or your order may be delayed!

International First Class mail is usually delivered within 10-14 days. , but on rare occasions may be delayed for up to 6 weeks at customs in the destination country. There is nothing we can do to change this.  Some EU countries (with the exception of Germany and a few others which have extremely terrible customs) have an excellent delivery time - for instance UK will deliver in as little as 5 days! That's not to say that it can take longer. Sometimes the customs will hold the item longer.
The provided tracking ID is a customs ID, meaning you will see entries until US customs clears the item, and for most destination countries no more tracking beyond that point, with several exceptions - see below. Do not panic, this is very typical. I have had several orders that were delayed for up to 3 weeks (most likely in the destination country customs). If your country's customs will hold your order, there is absolutely nothing LowPowerLab or the USPS can do, and we take no responsibility for delayed or undelivered mail in your countryWe cannot call your country's customs or postal service trying to look for your package so please don't ask about this. If the mail system in your country delays or loses first class mail, it's likely that it will do the same with more expensive/priority shipping services.

Tracking - My package seems to be stuck in CHICAGO!

International parcels usually get forwarded through the CHICAGO USPS hub. That is the last entry you will see before the item is delivered in your country, with some exceptions - see below. Here's an example of what your complete tracking should look like, if you see this, it means the item is somewhere on its way to you, if it's delayed a long time it may be in customs in your country:

Countries with full tracking and delivery confirmation

According to USPS there are a handful of countries that will show full tracking. Shipping labels to these countries will have the following logo.
See this link for details and a the most up to date list of countries with full tracking and delivery confirmation.
UPDATE: Recently USPS announced cancellation of delivery confirmation service to some countries (strike through ones):
 

Australia, Belarus, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Iceland, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Lebanon, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Georgia, Romania, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom

Here's an example for the UK, package is delivered just 6 days after dispatch:

USPS First class can be FAST!

Note - this is PRE COVID information. A UK customer reported that he got his order just 4 days! after placing it. A customer from Sweden reported that he got his package delivered within 5 days after placing the order, including a weekend in between. Another in France got his after 6 days from placing the order. That's very good for First Class. But it's not the norm. Delays can be normal, especially if your customs office decides to hold the order for an undisclosed reason.