International Orders

Please Note: We are sorry to say that with some international orders we may require advance payment in the form of a wire transfer. In these situations, credit cards will not be accepted. Depending on the item ordered and its destination, we may or may not require this advance payment. As a result, it may be best to send us an email asking if this would apply with your order.

However, this restriction usually will not apply with United States  military and certain company employees using APO or FPO addresses. In these cases, we will usually accept domestically issued credit cards in lieu of a cashiers check or money order.

Unfortunately, we have had some difficulties with several recent international orders resolving frivolous complaints. We have found that shipping outside the United States simply makes it too difficult to resolve problems with unscrupulous individuals who attempt to take advantage of their distance from the States by trying to “beat the system”.

In addition, all sales involving orders leaving the Continental United States will be “final”. No refunds will be given. This includes orders going to Canada, Alaska and Hawaii. We sincerely regret if we have to adopt this “advance payment” policy with your order. It’s sad when improper behavior of a few affects honest people. However our company has made a corporate decision to reduce the risk that is associated with international orders.

We understand that this “advance payment” policy with certain international orders might very well cause someone not to want to place their order. We realize that few people will want to send a money order to a foreign company that they know nothing about, especially with no chance for a refund.

However, if you read some of the customer testimonials under the “Testimonials: Why Buy From Us” link, you can see that many, many people enjoy doing business with us because of our integrity and the quality of our products.

In addition, we will be glad to send you the email addresses of a couple of our international customers who would be more than happy to recommend our company. They will have all paid in advance with a cashier’s check or money order. Please email us (here) if you would like these names.

Different Shipping Rates Apply for International Orders

(We consider anything outside the 48 Continental United States as “International”. This includes Canada and all United States territories, states, and possessions, such as Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico. In addition, even though APO and FPO shipments are first sent to a U.S. address, they are still considered as “international orders” as explained below.)

Normally, with local orders inside the United States, UPS comes by our office every day to pick up our orders. The whole process of “packing and sending” takes less than 5 minutes.

On the other hand, many international, APO and FPO orders are shipped using the United States Post Office and are priced according to the weight and destination of the package.

Because of the additional handling on international orders a special handling charge of $5 may be added to the actual postage for all international orders.

Please note: The shipping or postage charges that you will be paying is the actual amount the post office will charge us, plus the $5 extra handling fee if it applies to your order. If you have ordered things from the United States before and if you know the weight of your package, you will probably have some idea of what the postage will be. If you want the weight of your package, please contact us here.

The shipping charges that we charge will not cover any duties or other charges that Customs or other agencies may charge.

As a reference for those shipping to APO and FPO addresses, a ten pound box will cost $30-$35; Canada will be $40-$50; and most other international countries will be $90-$100.

International Refund Policy

We are sorry to say that our normal refund policy does not apply with international orders, APO or AFO orders, or any other order sent outside the continental United States. As a result, all sales involving items shipped outside the 48 continental United States are final; no refunds will be given on any such order.

Quality Is Rarely An Issue

We can understand how someone might not want to order something if they are not allowed to return it, especially when they have paid so much postage.

Fortunately though, “quality” is rarely an issue. 99% of our customers love our products. Out of hundreds of orders each year, we have only a handful of returns, with the vast majority of those simply being a size issue.

Constant Communication

To help ease one’s concerns, before we would actually send out your international package, we will probably have emailed each other at least 3 or 4 times. We are usually in constant email communication with each and every one of our international customers.

Our last international customer was in Japan. We probably had 10 emails back and forth before we actually sent their package.

Rest assured, before we ship out your product, we will have eliminated most, if not all, concerns about ordering from us.

Occasionally, we will actually attempt to ‘talk’ some of our customers out of ordering because we feel that they will not be satisfied with the product  for some particular reason. Whether it’s size, practicality, or whatever, if we even remotely think our customer will not be satisfied, we will try to persuade them from ordering.

Customers are Confident that they  will Like The Product

Rest assured, that before we actually send you something, there will be little  question or hesitancy on your part that you are making the right decision.

We would prefer not sending the item if our customers are not 100% sure that they are going to like it. So far, we have a perfect record! Every one of our international customers has been more than pleased with our products or services. You can also purchase our cowhide rugs at retail pricing at www.cowhidesinternational.com.