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Ground and Freight Shipping Information

Ground Shipments

We ship most orders the same or next business days via either FedEx Ground or the USPS, depending on the size of the order and when the order was placed.

If your order was placed after 2 PM EST, on the weekend, or on a holiday, your order will be shipped on the next business day. In most cases, you will receive a tracking e-mail within 48 hours of placing your order.

Some items (i.e. North Star Equipment, medium to large-sized kilns, pugmills, kiln parts/ elements, etc.) are drop-shipped and require additional processing time.  We do not ship orders to hotels/motels.

Ground Shipment Damages

If your ground shipment is found to be damaged, please call us right away. We will handle the claim process for you and re-ship the item as soon as possible.

Damages MUST be reported to us within three (3) days of receiving your shipment, NO EXCEPTIONS.

All products are shipped out from one of the Clay-King.com shipping locations. Clay-King.com drop-ships some products and ships direct others.

All ground shipments are shipped via USPS, UPS, or FedEx.

All damaged items must be reported to the shipping carrier immediately, and you must notify Clay-King.com within three days of receiving your order.

Shipping Costs

Our shipping costs are to contiguous U.S. addresses ONLY. Some areas/cities of the U.S. may require Additional shipping fees. If you are in Alaska or Hawaii, your shipping costs will be higher.

Freight Shipments

When ordering and receiving a freight shipment from us, please be aware that this is for kilns and large shipments only.

 Freight Delivery Checklist for Kilns that Weight Over 200 Lbs.

  1. Freight shipments are heavy and will likely arrive on a 53 foot tractor trailer – make sure that you can receive a truck this size and have plenty of help on hand to receive and inspect the package!
  2. Make sure that your shipment arrives in good condition and that the number of boxes listed on the bill of lading corresponds with the number of boxes on the pallet in front of you. If there are any irregularities, note that with the driver and on both copies of the bill of lading. DO NOT SIGN THE BILL OF LADING WITHOUT INSPECTING THE PACKAGE. Once you sign for and take possession of your shipment, you agree that it has arrived in acceptable condition and you waive your right to file a damage claim. If you see any damage to the packaging, let the driver know about it, document the damage and request to inspect the contents. If the driver is unable to stay for inspection, note the damage to the packaging on BOTH copies of the bill of lading and that acceptance of the package is approved, pending inspection.
  3. The delivery driver will most likely not back up your drive way or bring your package indoors for you. Drivers are only contracted to unload your kiln from the back of the truck at the end of your driveway, so be sure you are prepared and able to move the equipment inside.
  4. If you discover any sign of damage during inspection, please note the extent of the damage on both copies of the bill of lading and take plenty of pictures. If the damage is minor or merely cosmetic in nature, you may accept the delivery. IF YOUR SHIPMENT ARRIVES IN UNACCEPTABLE CONDITION OR IF THE EQUIPMENT HAS BEEN RENDERED UNSUABLE, PLEASE REFUSE THE SHIPMENT and immediately call the freight company and Clay-King to report the damage.

**Covid-19 and the resulting social distancing guidelines may require the carrier to perform a contactless delivery, which will not require a signature. You must still verbally accept or refuse the shipment and document the damage. If the driver is unable to stay for inspection, have them make a note ON BOTH COPIES of the bill of lading stating that the shipment arrived damaged and will be accepted and approved once inspected.

Failure to acknowledge and adhere to the above shipping requirements will significantly hinder your eligibility for approved damage claims and Clay-King’s ability to provide you with a satisfactory resolution.

Additional Freight Service Information

If you are ordering online and require the additional freight services outlined below, please contact us before placing your order online. Freight companies often charge much higher rates for these services than we do and will require a separate cash payment upon delivery!

Many of the kilns weighing over 100 lbs. on our website require delivery via a freight carrier (18-wheeler). Here’s what you need to know:

  • Home delivery is a basic service that DOES NOT include kiln setup, placement, uncrating kiln, or disposal of crating and packaging materials.
  • Additional delivery charges could incur for delivery addresses that are not accessible by lift-gate truck or commercial vehicles.
    • An example of this type of situation would be a mountain cabin located on a winding dirt road on the side of a mountain.
    • If you need a smaller delivery vehicle, you will need to make arrangements with the freight company when it is scheduled, and it could include an additional fee.
  • Lift-gate service is included in most of our kiln, pottery wheel, and equipment shipments. Lift-gate service is a tailgate elevator that lowers your kiln, pottery wheel, or equipment to the ground from the truck. It is required for areas without a loading dock or forklift for curbside delivery.
    • Some kilns and large front-loading/car kilns may require an additional fee for delivery. We will notify you if any additional fees are required.
  • In order to qualify for lift gate service, the delivery address must have a paved smooth driveway in order for the delivery service to be able to move the kiln and pallet! The freight company will deliver your kiln as curb side delivery. They are not obligated to move your kiln into your studio, house, etc.
  • Please note that your shipment will arrive on a 53-foot 18 wheeler. These trucks cannot access every road in the US and cannot travel on gravel or dirt roads. In these remote cases, you may have to meet the driver and receive your kiln at a remote location.
  • Attention residents of NY (Brooklyn and NYC), California, Montana, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, North and South Dakota, parts of Arizona, parts of Colorado, Wyoming and Oklahoma, as well as islands off of the contiguous US: Freight charges to your area can be up to four times higher than shipping rates given on our site. We will e-mail shipping quotes to you for approval before processing your order.
  • Please understand the carrier will not set up, install or put the unit in your house/building, they will only do curbside delivery and they do not go up/down stairs and steps. Freight shipment is very expensive, if you simply refused the shipment or if they cannot contact you, they will send the item back to us. They will charge us the return shipping fee, and if that happens, we will refund minus the minimum amount of $300 for the shipping fee both ways.

Freight Shipment Damages

Always inspect your shipment before signing for it. Discrepancies and damages must be reported within three days of receiving your shipment!

Freight shipments are shipped via R&L Carriers or TForce. Special arrangements may need to be made for international orders and oversize packages. All damaged items must be reported to the shipping carrier immediately, and you must notify Clay-King.com within three days of receiving your order. If these steps are not followed, your shipment may not be able to be a candidate for the insurance claim.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Once you sign for receipt of a shipment, Clay-King.com can no longer be held responsible, monetarily or otherwise, for any damages which may occur or become apparent afterwards; nor can we be held responsible for any additional shipping or repair charges which may be required to rectify the situation. If you do find concealed damage after signing for receipt of a shipment, you should immediately begin a ‘concealed damage’ claim with the shipping company.

International Orders

Shipping outside of the contiguous US will be higher than our shopping cart quotes. Please email international@clay-king.com with a list of items you would like to order or a screenshot of your shopping cart. One of our sales team will get a shipping quote for you to make sure you would like to proceed with the order.

If an international order is placed online without going through a sales rep, we will contact you with the additional amount due to ship to your location, as well as a PayPal money request to make that payment. The additional charges are based on the location, weight, and size of the package. If you would prefer to cancel the order, we will refund your order less the PayPal processing fee. We ship to foreign locations to our discretion and are not obligated to process foreign orders if we have experienced issues in the past. We do not ship kilns or wheels outside of the contiguous U.S. – no exceptions.

Warehouse/Retail Locations

Most online orders can be picked up at our Retail Location. If you are planning to visit us, our retail location is located at:

310 Gossett Road
Spartanburg, SC, 29307

Our retail location is open Monday – Friday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. EST and Saturday 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Any large orders for Clay, Raw Materials and Equipment (kilns, pottery wheels, etc.) will need to be picked up at our Warehouse location. Our office hours are Monday – Friday 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. All orders that have to be picked up at our warehouse need to be picked up before 3 p.m. EST. Please refer to our In Store Pick Up page for more information.

Also, we do not keep all items we sell on our website in stock at our warehouse. Please call us beforehand to check on this, especially if you’re making a long trip.

How to Contact

If you have any questions or concerns regarding a freight shipment, please contact us by phone at 1-888-838-3625 or by email at info@clay-king.com.

Thank you for your business– we greatly appreciate our customers and want to make sure that your transaction goes as smoothly as possible!

Shipping and Order Policies

BACK-ORDERS: We stock thousands of items at our warehouse, and while we prefer to ship all orders complete, there are times when we do not have all items in-stock. If there are items that are unavailable, we will typically ship the order less the unavailable item, which will ship when it is back in-stock at no additional cost. This applies to orders shipping within the contiguous U.S. only.

CATALOG: In an effort to keep our prices as low as we can support, we do not print a catalog.

FREEZE POLICY: Glazes, wax resist and clay, will freeze and ruin. Neither Clay-King nor the shipping company we use will be held responsible for items received damaged due to freezing temperatures. Please take your local weather into consideration when ordering items that are vulnerable to freezing temperatures. If you live in locations that experience long periods of freezing weather, consider delaying your order until warmer weather is expected.

GLAZE DISCLAIMER: We do not issue refunds or credits for fired glazes that do not yield desired expectations. Variables such as application method, kiln load and firing temperature all determine how a glaze will fire.

ORDER DISCREPANCIES: Unfortunately, they do happen from time to time. Please call or e-mail us as soon as possible with order discrepancies and we will correct them as quickly as possible at no charge to you. Order discrepancies MUST be reported within THREE (3) days of receiving your order.

OUT OF STOCK ITEMS: Out of stock items may be refunded to your account or back-ordered. If you are missing an item and your order receipt included in your box does not mention it was refunded or back-ordered, please contact us.

PACKING FEE: There is a base $5.50 packing fee for all glazes, bisque, tools, equipment, shelves, posts and for any item that is not advertised at a ‘delivered’ price. This fee is in addition to the individual item shipping cost calculated when items are added to the shopping cart. This is a one-time (per order) fee and covers the cost of packaging materials (boxes, packing paper, bubble wrap, tape, etc.) required to ship items properly. If you are providing your own shipping account information, you will still be responsible for paying this $5.50 packing fee.

PAYMENT: We accept Visa, Master Card, Discover, American Express, PayPal, Checks, Money Orders, Bank Drafts, and Cashier’s Checks. If you do not want to put your credit card on our secure web site, please select the ‘Call for Credit Card Number’ during check out and we will call you for your payment information.

If you select the ‘Check/ Money Order’ or ‘Certified Check,’ your order will not ship until we have received your payment, no exceptions. Mail payments to the address listed below. If you pay via a personal check, we will not ship your order until we have received the check and it has cleared the bank.

PURCHASE ORDERS: Clay-King accepts purchase orders from schools and government-sponsored organizations only. Purchase orders should be submitted by fax or email (sales@clay-king.com) and should include your organization’s letterhead, a bill-to address, a ship-to address, a list of the items needed, the total amount approved, a copy of our quote (if you requested and received one), and a signature from your purchasing agent. Payment is due Net30 (30 days from ship date) unless otherwise stated, and Clay-King has the right to assess 1.5% monthly finance charges on any past due invoice. By submitting your purchase order for processing, you agree to and are bound by these terms. Clay-King has the right to change these terms without notice. Please fax your school/government issued Purchase Order to (864) 579-1756.

PRIVACY POLICY: Your privacy is very important to us. All transactions on our web site are 128-bit encrypted. We do not sell, give away or rent any of our mail or e-mail lists. We do not spam anyone. We do not retain any of your personal information and will not give your information to 3rd parties.

All transactions are carried out on a pre-payment basis and are billed within 48 hours of receipt of your order (no COD’s, no exceptions). All of our web prices are very competitive and we do not tack on any hidden extra charges like credit card or handling fees. What you see on our website is what you get. SATISFACTION GUARANTEED! Occasionally we will have an error on our website and an incorrect price will be shown. We reserve the right to cancel orders / items when this occurs.

CANCELLATION POLICY: All cancelled orders will incur a 3% processing fee deducted from the refund. Orders of in-stock items may be cancelled with no further fees before the order ships. After shipping, customer will be responsible for processing fee, shipping costs, and possibly restocking fee. Custom equipment and decal orders cannot be cancelled after they have been processed.

RETURN POLICY: We want you to be happy with your purchase. You may return most unopened and unused items within 30 days of receiving them for a refund less 3% processing fee and shipping & handling costs. We cannot accept returns on any used equipment or kiln parts and electrical items. If you have an issue with any used equipment, you will need to contact the manufacturer for warranty claims.  You may return most unopened and unused items within 3 months of receiving them for a refund less shipping & handling costs and a 20% restocking fee. If items are returned not in their original box or packaging, a 25% restocking fee will be applied to your return and less the shipping and handling. Built to order items such as: special order kilns, pugmills, clay mixers, and other equipment cannot be returned. You will be responsible for shipping costs when returning items to us for refund unless it was a shipping error made on our part. After 90 days items may not be returned at all. No refunds can be issued after this period.

Please call 888-838-3625 for a return authorization number. Always include your invoice # and the reason you are returning the item(s) with your shipment. If this information is not included with your shipment, we cannot guarantee you will receive a refund. Send returns to the following address:

Clay-King.com
125 Ben Abi Rd.
Spartanburg, SC 29307

If you are returning equipment items (i.e. kilns (that ship ground), wheels, slab rollers, extruders, etc.) PLEASE INSURE YOUR SHIPMENT! If your item is returned to us damaged, you will be responsible for collecting your refund from the shipping company via a damage claim.

If you wish to return items that were shipped to you via freight carrier, please contact us. We cannot guarantee that we will accept these items if the original packaging (pallet, straps, box, crate, etc.) is no longer available.

We do not accept returns of books, DVDs, videos or any other copyrighted material.

We do not accept returns of commercial-sized or custom kilns, no exceptions!

SHIPPING: We ship most orders the same or next business days via either FedEx Ground or the USPS, depending on the size of the order and when the order was placed. If your order was placed after 2 PM EST, on the weekend, or on a holiday, your order will be shipped on the next business day. In most cases, you will receive a tracking e-mail within 48 hours of placing your order. Some items (i.e. North Star Equipment, medium to large-sized kilns, pugmills, kiln parts/ elements, etc.) are drop-shipped and require additional processing time.  We do not ship orders to hotels/motels.

SHIPPING COSTS: Our shipping costs are to contiguous U.S. addresses ONLY. Some areas/cities of the U.S. may required additional shipping Fees. If you are in Alaska or Hawaii, YOUR SHIPPING COSTS WILL BE HIGHER.