Shipping policy

Last Updated: August 16, 2026

At Melanated Elevation, many of our products are made to order. This means your product is produced after your order is placed before it begins its journey to you.

We work with third-party manufacturing and fulfillment partners to produce, package, and ship your order.

1. Production Time

Because many of our products are made to order, your order must first go through production before it is shipped.

For small-volume orders, production is generally expected to take approximately 3–7 business days, although actual production time may vary depending on the product, order volume, customization, fulfillment location, and other circumstances.

Production time is separate from shipping transit time.

During holidays, promotions, high-volume periods, or other circumstances, production may take longer.

2. Shipping Transit Time

After production is complete and the order has been handed to the carrier, shipping transit begins.

Current Tapstitch shipping estimates include:

Shipping Method	Estimated Transit
U.S.A. Special Line	Approximately 5 days average; 95% within 7 days
Special Line	Approximately 10 days average; 95% within 15 days
Special Line Pro	Approximately 7 days average; 95% within 10 days
International Express	Approximately 5 days average; 95% within 7 days
Standard Shipping	Approximately 25 days average; 95% within 30 days

These are estimated transit times, not guaranteed delivery dates.

Transit estimates do not include production time. Actual delivery times may vary based on destination, carrier, fulfillment location, customs, holidays, and other circumstances.

3. Estimated Total Fulfillment Time

As a general planning guideline:

Production: approximately 3–7 business days
+ Shipping transit: approximately 5–30 days depending on shipping method and destination

Your actual delivery timeframe may be shorter or longer.

We strongly recommend ordering in advance if your purchase is needed for a specific date or event.

Melanated Elevation does not guarantee delivery by a specific date unless an express delivery guarantee is explicitly provided at checkout.

4. Fulfillment Locations

Depending on the product, destination, availability, and fulfillment settings, an order may be produced and shipped from a U.S.-based or international fulfillment facility.

Tapstitch currently supports U.S. Fulfillment and International Fulfillment, with the fulfillment location selected according to the applicable fulfillment settings and product availability.

Customers may therefore see different shipping times or shipping methods depending on the product and destination.

5. Shipping Rates

Shipping charges vary depending on factors including:

Destination
Product
Package weight
Number of items
Fulfillment location
Shipping method
Carrier
Current shipping rates

Applicable shipping charges will be displayed at checkout before your order is completed.

Shipping rates may change over time due to carrier pricing, fuel costs, customs requirements, fulfillment changes, or other circumstances.

6. United States Shipping

Orders delivered within the United States may be fulfilled through a U.S.-based fulfillment facility or another available fulfillment location depending on the product and fulfillment configuration.

U.S.-based fulfillment may provide faster domestic delivery when available.

Not every product is necessarily eligible for U.S. fulfillment.

7. International Shipping

Melanated Elevation ships internationally where shipping is available for the applicable product and destination.

Certain countries, regions, or products may have shipping restrictions.

Shipping availability is determined by product, destination, fulfillment capabilities, carrier availability, and applicable regulations.

International shipments may take longer due to:

Customs clearance
Local carrier processing
Import requirements
Holidays
Transportation delays
Destination restrictions

8. Customs, Duties, and Taxes

International orders may be subject to customs duties, taxes, tariffs, import charges, or other fees imposed by the destination country.

Where applicable, certain charges may be incorporated into the checkout shipping cost.

However, customs rules vary by destination, and Melanated Elevation cannot guarantee that an order will never incur additional governmental or customs charges.

Customers are responsible for complying with applicable import requirements.

9. Order Tracking

Once your order has shipped, tracking information will be provided when available.

Tracking may not immediately display movement after the shipping label is created or the package is transferred to the carrier.

Please allow reasonable time for tracking information to update.

Each order is generally assigned tracking information that can be used to monitor delivery progress.

10. Shipping Delays

Shipping estimates are not guarantees.

Delays may occur because of:

Production delays
Carrier delays
Severe weather
Holidays
Customs
Transportation disruptions
High shipping volume
Incorrect shipping information
Incorrect contact information
Destination restrictions
Other circumstances outside our reasonable control

We will make reasonable efforts to assist when an order experiences a significant shipping issue.

11. Incorrect Shipping Information

Customers are responsible for entering accurate shipping and contact information.

Please verify:

Recipient name
Street address
Apartment or unit number
City
State or province
ZIP or postal code
Country
Phone number when required

Incorrect or incomplete information may cause:

Delivery delays
Failed delivery attempts
Returned packages
Additional shipping charges
Replacement costs

Tapstitch states that customers may be responsible for additional shipping costs when an order is returned because of an incorrect address or similar customer-provided information.

12. Address Changes After Ordering

If you realize that your shipping address is incorrect, contact us immediately at:

support@melanatedelevation.com

We will determine whether the order is still eligible for an address update.

Address changes are not guaranteed.

Depending on the fulfillment method, an order may no longer be eligible for changes once production has begun or the order has partially shipped or shipped. Any applicable difference in shipping charges or taxes may also be recalculated.

Once an order has shipped, the shipping address generally cannot be modified.

13. Packages Marked as Delivered

If tracking states that your package was delivered but you cannot locate it:

Check your delivery area.
Check with household members.
Check with neighbors.
Check your mailbox, mailroom, or building management.
Review any delivery instructions or carrier notes.
Contact the carrier directly.

A package marked as delivered does not automatically qualify for a refund or replacement.

Tapstitch currently states that it does not cover reshipping or refunding orders when carrier tracking confirms delivery but the customer reports that the package cannot be located.

Melanated Elevation may assist in reviewing the available order and tracking information, but a refund or replacement is not guaranteed in these circumstances.

14. Lost Packages

If a package appears to have been lost in transit, contact us as soon as possible.

For packages confirmed as lost, claims should generally be submitted within 7 days after the estimated delivery date so that the shipment can be investigated promptly.

We may request additional information before determining the appropriate resolution.

15. Returned or Unclaimed Packages

Packages may be returned to the fulfillment provider because of:

Incorrect addresses
Missing address information
Incorrect phone numbers
Failed delivery attempts
Unclaimed packages
Customs issues
Refusal of delivery

If an order is returned because of customer-provided information or failure to claim the shipment, additional shipping charges may apply if reshipment is requested.

16. Damaged Packages

If your package arrives visibly damaged, please photograph the package and product before disposing of the packaging.

Contact:

support@melanatedelevation.com

as soon as possible and provide:

Order number
Photographs of the packaging
Photographs of the product
Description of the damage

This information may be necessary to investigate the issue with our fulfillment provider.

17. Multiple Packages

Items from the same order may occasionally be produced or shipped separately depending on product availability, fulfillment location, production requirements, or logistics.

You may therefore receive multiple packages or tracking numbers for one order.

18. Shipping Compensation

Tapstitch currently maintains certain internal delayed-shipment compensation provisions for qualifying small-volume and bulk orders. Eligibility depends on the applicable fulfillment circumstances and exclusions.

Melanated Elevation does not guarantee compensation for shipping delays unless we specifically confirm that a particular order qualifies.