Shipping policy

This Shipping Policy is tailored for your specific logistical setup—specifically addressing the longer lead times required for refurbished or on-demand titles and your streamlined carrier options.

Shipping Policy

Last Updated: [Insert Date]

Thank you for supporting Cooperative Publishing. We take great care in producing and refurbishing our titles. Because we utilize both small-batch inventory and print-on-demand (POD) technology, please review our shipping timelines and services below.

1. Processing & Production Timelines

Our fulfillment time is split into two categories depending on the type of product ordered:

  • In-Stock Items: Orders for unique creations currently held in our inventory typically ship within 3–5 business days.

  • Print-on-Demand (POD) Items: Our refurbished editions and certain specialty titles are printed specifically for you. Please allow 2–3 weeks for these items to ship. This window accounts for professional printing, binding, and quality inspection before the item is handed to the carrier.

Note on Mixed Orders: If your order contains both in-stock and POD items, they may ship separately. You will receive a notification for each shipment.

2. Shipping Methods & Services

To keep logistics simple and reliable, we currently offer two primary shipping methods through the United States Postal Service (USPS):

  • USPS First Class: Used for lightweight envelopes (typically single zines, pamphlets, or small paper goods).

  • USPS Ground Advantage: Used for all books, bulkier items, and multi-item orders.

At this time, we do not offer expedited shipping or alternative carriers. We appreciate your patience as we prioritize sustainable, artist-centered fulfillment.

3. Shipping Rates

Shipping costs are calculated at checkout based on the total weight of your order and the delivery destination. We utilize Shopify’s real-time calculation to ensure you are charged an accurate rate based on current USPS pricing.

4. Tracking Your Order

Once your order has been handed to the carrier, you will receive a shipping confirmation email containing a tracking number.

  • POD Tracking Note: If you ordered a Print-on-Demand title, your tracking number will not be generated until the 2–3 week production window is complete. Please do not be alarmed if you do not receive a tracking number immediately after your purchase.

5. Address Accuracy & Risk of Loss

Please double-check your shipping address at checkout.

  • Incorrect Addresses: We are not responsible for orders shipped to an incorrect address provided by the customer. If a package is returned to us, the customer will be responsible for additional shipping charges to resend the item.

  • Delivery: Once a package is marked as "Delivered" by USPS, Cooperative Publishing is no longer responsible for the package. We recommend shipping to a secure location.

6. Damaged Items

If your book arrives with significant damage (e.g., crushed spines or torn pages), please contact us at publishcooperative@gmail.com within 7 days of delivery. Please include photos of the damaged item and the original packaging so we can facilitate a replacement.

Pro-Tip for your Shopify Setup:

Since your POD items take 2–3 weeks, I highly recommend adding a "Production Lead Time" note directly on the product pages for those specific items. This reduces the number of "Where is my order?" emails during that 21-day window.

Would you like me to draft a short "Shipping Disclaimer" snippet you can paste into the product descriptions of your POD items?