Shop F.A.Q.

What’s up with the new Shop page?
We’ve been wanting to update the Shawnimals shop for a while now, and finally got around to it. While we don’t want to bore you with the details, suffice it say the whole experience will be a little more cohesive between the shop and the rest of the site, and hopefully browsing, buying and checking out will be easier and more efficient all around. Of course, we welcome and comments or criticism you may have. Just give us a shout!

Is this site secure?
You can use credit cards at the Shawnimals online shop with confidence. We’ve partnered with Authorize.Net, a leading payment gateway since 1996, to offer safe and secure credit card transactions for our customers.

The Authorize.Net Payment Gateway manages the complex routing of sensitive customer information through the credit card and electronic check processing networks (see how payments work here). The company adheres to strict industry standards for payment processing, including:

  1. 128-bit Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology for secure Internet Protocol (IP) transactions.
  2. Industry leading encryption hardware and software methods and security protocols to protect customer information.
  3. Compliance with the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard.

For additional information regarding the privacy of your sensitive cardholder data, please read the Authorize.Net Privacy Policy.

What are these things made of? And are Shawnimals safe?
Shawnimals are manufactured in a factory in some cases and is always noted on the tag if so. In other cases, our items are handmade, and as such should be considered a collectible, and used as decoration. In all cases, they’re made with all-new materials – acrylic felt, synthetic fleece, plastic eyes, thread and a poly-fill material for stuffing. As the tag says: All New Materials. CHOKING HAZARD – Small parts. Not for children under 3 years. Shawnimals is considered a Small Batch Manufacturer.

As for safety, in short, yes, but we should note some important facts: First, some Shawnimals are handmade with the utmost care and are meant to be loved, but since Shawnimals are as much decorative artworks as they are stuffed things – and contain fragile stitching and potentially hazardous plastic parts – they are not intended as play things, pet toys or for children 3 and under. Second, the manufactured plush are made by the most current toy regulations and are tested by a third-party lab to ensure safety. However, Shawnimals LLC, any of its affiliates and Shawn Smith cannot be held responsible for any harm or injury that may be caused by improper use of any of the products featured on this site.

When will my order be shipped?
Orders placed from Shawnimals.com are typically made Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (holidays excluded). Domestic orders are generally shipped within 3 to 5 business days after the order is placed, although during times of high volume orders can take as long as 5 to 10 business days to process. If you need something sooner, please do let us know.

Once the order is shipped, Priority Mail/First Class Mail to a U.S. address usually takes about 3 business days to arrive. The post office will not guarantee any of these time-frames and packages can take longer (especially during times of high volume such as December). Please note: online tracking is not available for packages shipped via First Class. 

Packages shipped via Fed Ex Ground take between 1-5 business days to deliver once the package has shipped.

For orders placed from the Shawnimals Threadless Artist Shop, shipping times can vary greatly depending on the product order and time of year (particularly if it's a highly sought-after product). Many of such items are made to order. Having an issue with an order from our Threadless Artist Shop? Send an email here with your order number.

INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMERS Please note:
Packages shipped via USPS First Class International can take up to 30 business days to reach the country of destination. This does not include time spent in customs or in the hands of the local post. First class packages to some countries can even take much longer than this time frame (I'm looking at you Australia....) and will occasionally take over 30 days to deliver. Furthermore, USPS will not take steps to trace a First Class International package until it is 30 days out. If you need an international package in a certain time frame or need tracking on your international package- we suggest upgrading to priority mail.

Packages shipped via USPS Priority International take about 10 business days to deliver to most countries. For more information about your specific country, please email us! This option includes online tracking.

How does express shipping in the US work?
Express shipping orders can be subject to the same processing time as first class and priority shipping orders. That said, we try our very best to get express mail orders out the very next business day (sometimes same day if order is placed early enough). We are a small team- thank you for your understanding!

How does express shipping for other countries work?
While Express often suggests next day delivery, this is often not the case for countries outside of the US, due to Customs and other factors. However, express services will often get there considerably faster than USPS Priority Mail or other such services.

How do I change my shipping address for an order?
If you already placed your order and realized the shipping address that was sent to us is incorrect, please email info@shawnimals.com immediately. Orders generally ship the next business day after they are received and once your order is shipped there is no way for us to change your shipping address! Once your order is placed, please look over your confirmation email carefully! Please note: Any address changes may also delay shipment of your order. 

Can I pick up my order? 
Unfortunately, we are generally unable to provide pick up at our location. If you are a local Chicago customer and absolutely to pick up your order rather than have it shipped- send us an email and we will try to figure it out! :)

Do you offer bulk discounts?
We sure do. If you’re a company or individual (not a store) looking for higher quantities of any of our products, we can work with you on special pricing in most cases. Contact us here and let us know what you’re interested in, and how many. Stores should check out our Wholesale info here.

Can I find out more about Wee Ninjas?
Yes, you can! Check out: http://www.ninjatown.com/

What is your return policy?
Most sales are final. Why? Simply put, because the items that are featured on Shawnimals.com are often handmade and/or made in limited quantity. They lie somewhere between art, craft and stuffed animal. Slight variations – especially in factory made items – are to be expected, whether in size, shape and color. Should you find a major imperfection in your item, please contact us we’ll be happy to assist you if at all possible. If you would like to return an item please contact us first! Refunds can only be made on items that are currently for sale on the Shawnimals site and for items that are returned to us in new condition. Unfortunately, we cannot refund postage for items that have been shipped. Wrong shirt sizes can be exchanged for a different size, but shipping the returned item is your responsibility and shirts must be returned unworn and unwashed.

I hate taxes, but you charge them. Why?
Sorry, but Illinois residents (and orders placed outside of Illinois but shipping to an Illinois address) will have the appropriate sales tax automatically added to any order. Customers outside of Illinois do not pay tax to us, but may be liable for tax in his/her own state. Check with your local taxing authorities regarding this matter.