Shipping policy

In working to understand how individual decisions map to transit & product emissions for much of the last decade, three key truths have emerged. We have rebuilt our business model from the ground up - using granular emissions data for strategic and tactical decision-making alike, so as to function within the constraints of a finite and warming planet while we wait for the rest of the market to catch up.

We're willing to swim upstream because the story is compelling:  the most sustainable materials possible are the ones that already exist, and air freight generates roughly 9x more emissions than truck or train on a pound for pound, mile for mile basis. Sticking to the premise means little for a single package, but the impacts are significant at scale, and finding economies of scale is the essence of building a viable business. 

100% secondhand packaging:

In a time of hyper-speed, cheapest-possible, fossil-fueled everything, we're working to flip that script.

We use 100% secondhand shipping materials (including post-consumer sourced tape, labels, boxes, packing paper, etc.) for the same reasons we offer exclusively secondhand and post-consumer-produced products: each item reused extends the useful life of an existing resource while also delaying waste and avoiding the pollution/emissions generated in manufacturing new replacements.

A note about plastic:

If your purchase from us comes wrapped in plastic, you can feel good knowing you're helping to keep it in rotation (we don't dig it, either - but when it reaches us, we reuse it).  Plastic is the hot potato of our time, and responsible stewardship involves keeping each piece from disintegrating/leaching into our food, water, and soil systems for as long as possible (consider it a collective preservation of embodied energy for best and highest use). 

slower house service levels - by design:

Since we're not shipping high-urgency items like Epipens or perishables, we typically make a couple of car-free trips to storage each week. Shopify doesn't allow us to offer a 5 day service level (It's our standard on Etsy and works well for the model), so we'll be making some adjustments as the site launches to ensure we're honoring these new terms. On the other hand, same day shipping is infrequent -- coincidental at best.

If you need something more urgently than the system's estimated delivery range, please reach out *before* purchase to make sure we will be able to accommodate a swifter turnaround (often, we can - but proactive communication is key).

ground shipping only:

Our shipping protocols are designed for exclusively ground-shipped commerce. We have determined that we can reliably ship First Class and Flat Rate without involving jet fuel within a (roughly) 250 mile radius of Minneapolis -- specifically, within 3 shipping zones as defined by USPS.  Beyond this region, we leverage Media Mail for anything we can ship domestically using that classification, and Parcel Select for everything else.

Ground shipping generally runs more slowly and can be more expensive than air mail options for small items. On the other hand, ground freight is exponentially more efficient from a fuel/emissions standpoint. After watching two day/two hour delivery become normal for even the most banal of purchases during the last decade, we couldn't imagine further cementing that expectation with those who trust us to model good choices. :) 

 

If you have a time sensitive need, please reach out ASAP - prior to purchase - to make sure we can deliver on your timeline. UPS Ground is the speed option in our world, and it usually reaches buyers within 3-4 business days of pickup (whereas Media Mail and Parcel Post remain technically within service level for two full weeks).

We do not ship online orders via emergency/express shipping modes: there is nothing on shopjunket.com that's so urgently needed that it can't make its way via efficient ground-based delivery. If someone else is breathing down your neck, send 'em our way and we'll be glad to reinforce the boundary.

Thank you!