You're ready to order your Sugar Flowers. You've picked out the best flowers in the coordinating color palette for your wedding, and you've got your credit card in hand. But when you come to the checkout screen, you hesitate. Wait, you ask yourself, which shipping option is the right one for me?
That is the question I'm here to answer today!
How Kelsie Cakes used to handle shipping
If you've read a previous blog post on my website about shipping, you know that you used to select your desired delivery date *and* and your preferred shipping method at the same time. The only problem was this was a very clunky method! You had to select the shipping first and then decide the date from there.
And from my end, it was a complicated back-end process! I had to constantly check product pages on my website to ensure they reflected the right processing times so that everyone knew exactly what to expect.
So, a couple of days after returning from maternity leave, I scrapped that plan. Now, you select your desired delivery date on the product page, so it's very simple! However, you still have to select a shipping option at checkout, and we'll walk through that together in this blog post.
Please note that this blog is specifically written about shipping within the United States. For international shipping, I'm currently working on setting it up for my website shop. For now, I recommend ordering from my Etsy shop, where international shipping is set up.
How to select delivery dates now
For Ready to Ship Flowers
If you order flowers from the “Ready to Ship” category, you can select a delivery date three business days into the future. I explain on that page that if you want your flowers to arrive exactly three days from the day you're ordering, you must select Overnight Shipping. I know this is still a clunky process (in my ideal world, you'd select your date, and overnight shipping would automatically apply to your order but I haven't figure that out yet)
I also have a note that says “if you need your flowers less than one week from now, contact me first” because sometimes life happens and I can't guarantee I'm able to ship orders out the same day or even the next day. Currently my processing time for ready to ship flowers is two business days. And since I'm the only one making and packaging orders, sometimes I need those two full days to get an order out the door and I would hate for someone to expect their flower tomorrow if they're ordering at 5pm on a Friday night. Because I'm not in the office then! If you contact me first, I can confirm shipping details and give you a more accurate delivery date.
For Made-to-Order Flowers
The majority of the flowers in the shop are now made to order. I made this change to accommodate my ever-changing schedule, working from home with two babies, one of whom stays home with me. Having to constantly make flowers to keep in stock was starting to wear me down, and I needed to focus my energy on what customers needed the most. So, I have a limited selection of popular + bestselling flowers that are ready to ship. And everything else is made to order!
The default date will be 3 weeks in the future but you can select a date that is two weeks in the future at a minimum. This will give me enough time to create your flowers and ship them to you!
Rush Orders
For made-to-order flowers that you need sooner than 2 weeks in the future, check the “rush my order” button to select an earlier date. Once you place your order, I will contact you to confirm the delivery timeline. If I am unable to meet your time frame, I will refund your order 100%. It is my goal to meet all deadlines, but sometimes, if my calendar books up faster than I have capacity for, then I won't be able to take those last-minute orders.
Contacting me for a custom order with a custom quote is the best way to ensure I can service your event date since custom orders take first priority.
Local Pickup
There is now a local pickup option, too! If you live in the Tampa area, we can meet up so you don't have to pay delivery fees! We will need to talk beforehand to make sure I'm available at the same time as you, or if I need my husband to step in and help with the pick up orders.
The Shipping Options
This is what the shipping options will look like on the cart page:
You type in your zip code, and then the shipping options are calculated.
this is what the shipping options look like on the checkout page:
You need to type in your shipping address before the options will populate:
Here, we have three shipping options: Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, and UPS next-day air. There's also an option for Ground Select, however it will only populate if your order is smaller than 1 pound (like if you're only ordering one small open rose).
Ground Advantage
This is the slowest option, taking up to 5 days to arrive. It is only available if your order is small enough to fit in a box that weighs less than 1 pound. The weight is automatically calculated so if you don't see this option at checkout, that's because your flowers are too heavy!
Priority Mail
Typically, Priority Mail is the best option for made-to-order flowers. It's the most cost-effective and is relatively speedy. Most places in the US will receive their order within 3 days, although 2 is more common.
Priority Mail Express
One reason you might want to select Priority Mail Express is because they have a guaranteed delivery date that the post office offers. This is the only option with that guarantee!
UPS Next-Day Air
UPS Next-Day Air is by far the most expensive option but it's also the fastest and most reliable! I recommend this option only for last-minute orders.
More Options in the Future
I am always (perhaps obsessively) looking for ways to make shipping easier for you and for me, so I can spend less time calculating shipping and more time making beautiful art!
Right now shipping primarily through the US Postal Service is the easiest, most cost-effective, and most reliable way for me to get flowers across the country. As I learn more about different shipping options, and have more resources to devote to upgrading my website, new shipping options will become available to you!
I'm also able to customize shipping methods when you place a custom order with me.
Final Thoughts
I believe selecting Priority Mail is the best option for most orders. However, I'm happy to answer any questions you may have before or after placing your order. If you select Priority Mail Express or Next-Day Air, I'll contact you to make sure your flowers will arrive when you need them, and if I need to refund excess shipping costs because a cheaper option might be available to you, I'm also happy to do that!
To Learn More
Check out some of these other blog posts about my shipping process:
