Shipping and Returns

This page is about outbound shipping of MicParts products. If you are looking for information on sending your own microphones in for upgrades, see our Mic Mod Service Policies page.

Domestic Shipping

We strive to ship in-stock items within 1 business day of receiving your order.

Flat-Rate Shipping

We offer a subsidized shipping option called "flat rate." We would pick the carrier. This option has no insurance and no signature requirement. Choose this if you accept responsibility for loss or damage in transit, or porch theft.

The "Flat-rate Shipping (Signature req'd)" option requires signature for delivery. This is strongly recommended for apartment deliveries. Please be aware that carriers do not insure against porch/lobby theft, so a signature requirement is the best way to prevent such loss.

Shipping Carriers

During the check-out process, you can choose from a variety of discounted shipping methods: USPS, UPS, FedEx. We recommend FedEx, which offers the best rates and daily pick-up service.

We no longer recommend the USPS, due to persistent issues with slow delivery service, especially for the east coast and Midwest. The service generously named "Priority Mail" requires 7-14 days for cross-country packages. 

Porch Theft Is Not Covered By Insurance

Carrier insurance does not cover porch theft. The best ways to prevent porch/lobby theft are:

1. Ship to an address that is staffed during business hours.
2. Require a signature for delivery.

To require a signature for the delivery, choose the "Flat-rate Shipping (Signature req'd)" option. If you need express delivery and prefer insurance or signature options, contact us for a custom shipping quote.

We strongly recommend the signature option for all apartment deliveries.

Shipping Costs

Shipping costs are calculated during checkout, based on the weight and size of your items. You can add items to your shopping cart to preview shipping costs without committing to purchase.

Because the website sometimes under- or over-charges for shipping, we occasionally need to amend shipping fees, or rebate excess shipping fees.

Local Pickup

Customers can pick up orders at our facility in Santa Rosa, CA. Choose the "flat rate shipping" option, then enter the code 'LOCALPICKUP95403' to omit shipping charges. We will notify you via email when your order is ready to be picked up at our Santa Rosa HQ. Find the address on the Contact page. 

Important note for human readers: the quoted all-caps text in the above paragraph will not work until you separate the two words by a dash, and then add another dash before the ZIP code. Scammy coupon websites regularly publish this code (despite our "cease and desist" requests), causing customers who don't know how to read to be surprised when they realize they've saved $13 on shipping but are expected to drive 1000 miles to pick up their order.

International Shipping

All orders placed via this website will be shipped from California. We ship to every country on the planet that is currently serviced by UPS or FedEx. Some countries, e.g. Brazil, have special requirements; see below. As of late 2023, carriers are not offering delivery services in areas of active conflict, including Ukraine and Russia.

Multiple shipping options are presented during the checkout process. See country-specific notes below.

Carrier Recommendations

We do not recommend USPS (postal mail) shipping at this time. We have seen significant delays in postal mail routing and delivery. We have seen many cases where postal tracking fails, even when the package finally appears at its intended destination.

FedEx Economy is our preferred choice for export shipping. We have negotiated significant discounts with FedEx. You will see these discounted prices during the check-out process.

We ship via FedEx every weekday. We do not ship via UPS daily. Allow 2 business days for UPS shipments to leave our shop.

If the website significantly under-charges for shipping fees, we would contact you to discuss options.

Forwarding Restrictions

Customers who ship to a domestic US address (whether a friend, family member, or freight forwarder) are advised to have the contents of the kit thoroughly inspected prior to exporting. Should any parts be missing, we would ship them to the original domestic address on the order.

Customs Value Declaration

We are not able to declare orders as "gifts" or mark incorrect low values on Customs declarations. This is considered fraud by the US Government.

Import Fees/Duty/Tax

If your country of residence imposes import fees, duty, VAT, GST/HST, etc., you would be responsible for paying those fees. The carrier (postal service, UPS, FedEx, etc) would inform you of any fees at the time of delivery. MicParts does not collect or pay import fees, and claims no expertise on this subject. If you are not familiar with your country's import policies, please research the matter before placing your order.

A possible way to reduce FedEx fees

FedEx would collect any applicable import taxes, then remit them to the local government. FedEx imposes a collection fee in many cases -- e.g. CAD $10 for Canadian deliveries. In many cases, this fee is waived, and Customs processing is expedited, if the recipient has a FedEx account. That allows FedEx to invoice whatever payment method is on file, rather than issuing an invoice or collecting money at the time of delivery.

We mention this as a public service only. Said another way, we're not getting commissions from FedEx by encouraging anyone to sign up for an account. We ship via FedEx because they've been the lowest cost and most reliable option for the past several years. We became aware in April, 2023 of FedEx' "ROD fees" (Reimbursement on Delivery), and simultaneously learned that it is possible for recipients to avoid them by registering for a FedEx account prior to delivery.

Special Handling Required for Brazil

We can ship to Brazil only by special request. The Brazilian government began rejecting/destroying import shipments that lack proper tax identification on January 1, 2020. Please contact us to provide your Tax ID and to arrange export shipping to Brazilian addresses.

Ground Options for Canadians

We no longer offer UPS Standard, UPS Ground, or FedEx Ground options. All of these options carry brokerage fees that will be charged to the recipient at the time of delivery. The brokerage fees can be CAD $54 or more -- that is, more than the cost of UPS Expedited or FedEx Express services, which include brokerage fees. We recommend FedEx services for deliveries to Canada.

Tracking

Our label generating software sends a shipping confirmation email with tracking information at the time your order is processed. Occasionally, the email is not sent due to an intermittent communications failure between the label system and the order processing system. If you have not received tracking information within 48 hours of placing the order, contact us via email to request the tracking number. Note - if you also did not receive the order confirmation email, then it is likely that both of these emails were sent properly, but routed to your 'spam' folder.

All outbound shipments have tracking numbers, whether for USPS, UPS, or FedEx.

If you use a "throwaway" or "burner" email address for online transactions, you will not receive the tracking number. For security reasons, we cannot share tracking numbers to other email addresses. We do not sell or share your email address, so we recommend using a real email address on your order.

Please note that USPS tracking information is often inaccurate and/or delayed, especially regarding international shipments. USPS "1st Class" tracking stops at the US border. If you desire door-to-door tracking, especially for international shipments, please request FedEx International services during checkout.

Returns

Capsules and kits that have not been installed can be returned within 14 days for a refund, less a 15% restocking fee. Buyer pays return shipping. The fee covers covers the costs of checking products back in to inventory, plus outbound shipping, plus nonrefundable transaction fees. Incomplete and damaged products would be assessed repair/restoration fees prior to the refund.

Microphone grilles and cables in new condition can be returned within 30 days. The refunded amount would be reduced to cover expenses from the sale, including outbound shipping costs and non-refundable transaction fees.

Custom built microphones and power supplies will be accepted for return for 14 days following delivery. Customers are encouraged to audition these devices immediately. The refunded amount would be reduced to cover expenses from the sale, including outbound shipping costs and non-refundable transaction fees. Worn, used, or abused items will be assessed a fee for repair/refurbishment.

Our microphones and other completed electronic components (including power supplies) are warranted against defects for 30 days.

Find our return address on the Contact page. We strongly recommend using tracking and insurance for return shipments. As of August, 2020, we no longer recommend using the US Postal Service for return shipments.

Cancelled Orders

Orders cancelled by the customer prior to shipping will be refunded, less the "gateway fees" assessed by the customer's credit card bank (if applicable). In plainer English, this means that we pay 3-5% in fees for every credit card order, including orders that are  cancelled and refunded. Those fees would be deducted from the refunded amount.

Additional terms

Please see our Terms and Conditions.