It’s that time of year and many of us are rushing around trying to finalize our on-line Christmas gift purchases. Please read up on the latest delivery updates and deadlines from our shop.
I’d like to say that 2021 has shown improvement over the situation in 2020, but the general angst pushed by the fear porn industry, of variant viral outbreaks and other global catastrophe, has continued to snarl supply chains – with major impacts to both domestic and international shipping. I can’t help but think that a collective effort to unplug from the fear pimps, would go a long way towards solving the bulk of our society’s ills. Despite all of this doom, gloom, and delay we are keeping a positive outlook and doing our very best, to fill and ship your orders in a timely manner. That said, we ask that you kindly take the same positive attitude and extend a bit of grace to both our staff and our holiday couriers who find themselves buried by the exceptional high 2021 holiday shipping volume. Consider maybe leaving some cookies out for your carrier rather than Jolly ol’ St. Nick.
Accessory Orders: Orders containing hobby supplies and accessories are shipping daily with no delay. Our shopping cart reflects the current inventory as accurately as possible.
Kit Orders: Orders containing our in-house manufactured, laser-cut kits are typically shipping within 5-7 business days of order placement and sometimes same day! Obviously we attempt to keep inventory of all of our kit products, but this time of year we sell through stocking inventories quickly. Given the volume of orders and supply chain shortages, there can be real issues getting production through the shop swiftly. If you place a kit order, it may ship same day, then again… there’s a good chance that you may have to wait up to 7 business days prior to shipping, for that kit to complete our manufacturing process. Please allow ample lead time, to ensure your product will ship in time for holiday delivery. We suggest that all Laser-cut kit orders intended for Christmas deliver, should be placed no later than December 10th. If you have a question or a concern about current product availability – please contact us prior to placing your order.
Domestic Shipping: This year, USPS is reporting a domestic delivery drop-dead shipping date of December 17th* and 18th* for First Class and Priority Mail Shipping. And if you buy that line from USPS, I’ve got some cheap ocean front property for you – here on the eastern plains of Colorado! Last year we saw many USPS packages, that were shipped will in advance of the USPS self-imposed cut-offs, delayed some 40+ days from shipment to delivery. Based on last years experience, we’ve been attempting to ship more packages by UPS (which offers better on-time delivery and tracking). We encourage you to select UPS as your carrier upon checkout. If you still insist on having your package delivered by the most affordable means or by USPS, you are rolling the dice and likely should have had your order in to us by Mid November – to ensure a timely Christmas delivery.
*A repeat of 2020! Regardless of the parcel carriers claims, we have already seen an above average number of shipments dispatched in late November and early December both delayed and mis-routed. Given that knowledge, we think it best to suggest that our holiday shoppers not push their luck and make the following plea: Please do your best to submit your order to us well in advance of the USPS cut-off dates. That said, we will still work to quickly fill all orders placed between now and our official close of business for the year on December 24, 2021.
International Shipping: As of 10/22/2021 and until further notice USPS has suspended shipping to the following countries. If you find yourself attempting to order from any country in the following list, please contact us first to arrange for another carrier to handle your delivery. In some cases we can still deliver to these locations using UPS international services.
- Australia
- Afghanistan
- Bhutan
- Brunei
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Cuba
- French Guiana
- Guadeloupe
- Lao People’s Democratic Republic
- Liberia
- Libya
- Martinique
- Mongolia
- New Zealand (Priority Mail Express International packages are still accepted)
- Papua New Guinea
- Reunion
- Saint Pierre and Miquelon
- Samoa
- Sierra Leone
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Syria
- Tajikistan
- Timor-Leste
- Turkmenistan
- Yemen
Please have patience! And remember, all products will ship F.O.B. our facility in Calhan, CO – USA. This means that you, the customer, will take control of the products, ownership and risk of loss of the products that are transferred to you, once the products are loaded with the freight carrier at our facility. As always, we are happy to work with both you and the freight carrier, to process freight related claims and communicate tracking details. You have a choice of parcel service options at checkout, if you select “Standard Ground” delivery – we will choose carriers that provide the best shipping rate to your destination (typically this is delivery by your local postal carrier). You also have the option of selecting “UPS Ground” this is a premium service provider that offers more robust tracking and better on-time delivery. Ultimately, we can’t control what we can not control – once an order leaves our facility it is in the control of the freight company.
Thank you for your consideration, our prayer is that you and your family have refreshing and blessed Christmas holiday. Our family looks forward to serving your modeling needs through this chaotic holiday season and again in 2022 (and beyond!). If you have any questions or concerns, we will be monitoring support e-mail over the holidays and through our closure into the new year, please use our on-line contact form for the quickest service while we are closed.
-The Stevens Family
Don’t forget the gift cards!
Our E-Gift Cards are always available for Christmas Delivery! Delivered instantly via e-mail in gift amounts of $10 – $200.
It is with a heavy heart that I must inform our United Kingdom customers that Stevens AeroModel can no longer fill orders for UK delivery, generated at stevensaero.com – please read on for our understanding of the matter.
As of 11:59P PST 01/10/2021 Amazon login and Payment services will be removed from our web our store. This change to our site does not impact transactions processed with traditional credit card payment methods (including those funded with your Amazon issued credit card).
