Shipping & Handling Updates
AUSTRALIA – Victoria and parts of NSW suffered extreme weather events last month. There are some ongoing network disruptions as a result which may be causing some delay with final deliveries. Heavy rain and flooding have closed the Sydney-to-Perth rail line. The Melbourne-to-Adelaide rail link was closed due to damage caused by a train derailment and reopened on 21 November, however delays are expected due to a backlog of freight. Western Australia continues to see extended delivery delays as a result.
CANADA – Delivery delays continued in Saskatchewan(S Postal Code) due to the Heavy snow and freezing rain most of last week including Friday so you will see delays in that area.. Also you will see delays in Swift Current(Postal Code S9H,) for last week but things are back to normal now. Sault Ste Marie( P0S and P6A Postal Codes) experienced delays last week so watch for delivery challenges affecting on time deliveries. Things are now back to normal as of today.
- Potential Transportation Delays:
- None reported
- Processing Facility Challenges
- All plants are open and operating with no issues.
FRANCE – There have been some localized fuel shortages, which are ongoing and may cause some delivery delays - 1 to 3 days.
GERMANY – Deutsche Post of Germany has informed that due to increasing COVID-19 infections among staff, it is currently encountering challenges in delivering items within promised delivery timescales. These challenges are mainly at local or regional levels rather than nationwide but may affect different parts of Germany with delays. As a result, minor delays may be experienced for items destined for Germany until further notice.
HONG KONG – Hong Kong post advise services are now back to normal following the damages from tropical storm NALGAE.
ISRAEL – The post advise they are clearing backlogs caused by staff shortages – they still have COVID 19 restrictions in place.
For the full, world wide list of Service Disruptions, please click here.
Hurricane Ian update:
Thank you for visiting our site. We are in the process of updating inventory from losses incurred during the storm and are about finished. That being said you may order something we later find it unavailable. We will notify you if the order needs to be refunded/cancelled. Apologies in advance for this and thank you for your understanding.
Shipping & Delivery
Shipping is determined by weight and destination. The US Postal Service is our preferred vendor for domestic orders. Shipping and handling charges are applied to the cost. See more under "Ordering" for handling time.
UPS Ground is only available for hazmat (hazardous materials as determined by shipping vendors-in our case usually paints/thinners/washes/etc.) items or orders including these items. For larger quantities, we choose the most economic shipping method and for smaller packages that include hazmat items Parcel Post (USPS ground) is used.
International Shipping: Due to the constant fluctuation of international shipping rates Victory Models has eliminated the flat service fee option and our items are now shipped using calculated rate pricing (weight vs destination). We will verify the weight of the package and refund excess shipping charges due to the system weight miscalculation (most likely for books or very heavy items that tend to require extra packaging material to prevent damage). Another scenario is when you have purchased a resin part and the system calculates 4 ounces, then you buy 3 and the system calculates 12 ounces. If they are similar size and weight most likely the package will fall under the 5 or 6 ounces category, therefore a refund is due to combined weight calculation. Restricted countries will be shipped via a traceable option only. If you are under one of these countries you will not be able to check-out.
Both, First Class International Airmail and Standard Int'l E-Packet offer tracking for most countries and delivery can take up to 4 weeks or, although rarely, longer. We are able to provide *Standard Int'l E-Packet at a discount for certain countries by choosing to skip the handling by the local distribution office, and ship all the international packages directly to the New York distribution center. What this means is although you received a tracking# it may not show any updates for up to 7 days. If you wish to track your item immediately and it makes you feel warm and cozy to see "almost" daily information, Priority mail is your best option. We reserve the right to apply Priority Mail with tracking to countries with challenging postal services. (You will be notified prior to this and your approval will be necessary or the order will be cancelled and your money refunded.)
Buyers are responsible for import duties, taxes, and additional fees that may be applied to the order by your import offices. Please consult with your country's Customs department for details on these fees prior to buying. We are prohibited from marking merchandise below value or marking items as "gifts."
Please note, on some international orders we may have to adjust your shipping cost. This usually happens when a few books (weight) are ordered. We will notify you first and await your answer for the adjustment before processing your order. We will ONLY notify you if there is a significant difference.
Finally, as most of you are now aware, all international orders must go air mail and any over 4 pounds in weight must go Priority Mail. Again, we will contact you beforehand if we need to make changes and see if you are still interested on proceeding with your purchase.
Folks, we are just an e-mail or phone call away. Don't hesitate to contact us!