Sweet Composites, 6211 Ridge Drive, Bethesda, MD 20816 USA
301-229-2201 – 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern, Mon.-Fri.

The Polyester page also contains several miscellaneous materials including nylon peel ply, fiberglass mat, and dynel fabric, sleeve, and cord. | The WEST System Epoxy page also contains pigments and metal flake as well as a wide selection of fillers for resin.

Last Update: 13 February 2010

Shipping Information

UPS Logo We normally ship via UPS ground service. Three-day, two-day, and next-day air services are also available at increased cost for faster shipment to distant locations. Hazardous materials cannot go by air. We can also ship COD at an additional charge of $9.00 per package. However, NO hazardous or COD shipments outside the US are permitted. To see how long it will take for a ground shipment to reach you, please refer to the UPS time-in-transit map. This map is customized for shipments from our location to any commercial address in the US. All UPS services are now guaranteed. If delivery is later than promised basic shipping charges can be refunded.

Go to the bottom of the page for information on shipments to Foreign Countries.

Electronic tracking service is standard for all UPS shipments. For information about the status of any package you may call UPS at 800-457-4022 from the US or 800-465-6565 from Canada at any time, day or night. You may also track a package and obtain other information from UPS online. In all cases you must have the tracking number for each package you wish to have located. Notification of shipments, which includes tracking numbers and delivery date, can be sent automatically to anyone with an e-mail address.

Approximate charges (in even dollars) for UPS Ground shipments to commercial addresses in urban areas, per package, are as follows:

Region	Min.	10 lb.	30 lb.	50 lb.	70 lb.
Maryland and nearby	6	8	14	19	25
South, New Eng & Midwest	7	9	18	26	35
Rockies & West coast	8	13	27	42	50

Add $2.40 to all the above rates for shipments to a residence, including a business in a home, or $5.05 if the residence is in a rural location or small town. Add $1.60 for commercial shipments outside of larger urban areas. Several other factors can impact shipping charges so use this table as a guide only. Please be realistic about what can be packed together when estimating shipping charges. For example, a bun of Minicel, a gallon of resin, and 10 yd of fiberglass would require three packages. Multiple-package shipments over 200 lb that do not include HazMats qualify for reduced rates in most instances.

Hazardous Materials

There have been recent changes in shipping regulations. Products for which the $30 UPS HazMat surcharge applies are: 5 gallons of vinylester resin, one gallon of acetone, neoprene glue or contact cement, case of 4x1 gallon of Partall #10 mold release, and more than 4 oz. of MEKP. Other Regulated Materials [ORM-D], which do not require the HazMat fee, include quart or gallon cans of vinylester resin or Partall #10 and quart cans of neoprene glue or contact cement and all TR mold products. All WEST System hardeners in the smaller sizes, and 205C, are ORM-D materials. Only the 206C and 207SC units now require the HazMat fee. WEST System 105 resin remains unregulated in any size. All of the above-listed materials, whether HazMat or ORM-D, can be shipped only within the contiguous 48 states of the US. We cannot ship them to Alaska, Hawaii, or to any foreign country. Orders with several HazMat items should generally be shipped by truck rather than UPS.

Size and Weight Limits

UPS has size and weight limits of 165" and 150 lb. Lightweight but bulky items that exceed three cubic feet are charged by dimensional weight, a measure which takes into account the volume of the package. This primarily applies to Minicel larger than one-half bun. UPS also has an “additional handling” charge of $7.50 for packages over 60" in length or over 70 lb in actual weight. This applies mainly to rolls of fabric in 58" or 60" widths or narrower rolls that weigh more than 70 lb. If a package is over 60" and over 70 lb. only one $7.50 fee is added.

Truck Freight

Due to UPS limits, truck freight must be used for some heavy, bulky, or hazardous items. This is the only way we can ship very large rolls of fabric and gallons of MEKP. It is the only practical way to ship uncut buns of Minicel. Truck freight is generally expensive and can be inconvenient for non-commercial deliveries. Please inquire by phone if you are considering an order which UPS cannot handle. No COD shipments by truck.

Placing a mail order

Mail orders with payment enclosed will save the cost and inconvenience of COD. Figure your order from the catalog prices, add sales tax if you are in MD, estimate shipping from the above chart, allow a little for contingencies, and round off your check to even dollars. Send enough money; we will refund any overpayment or credit your account as you prefer. Please refer to our terms of sale for more information.

Returns

Aside from defective goods, returns are accepted only under limited circumstances. All returns must be preauthorized, are subject to a minimum 15% restocking charge, and must be in new condition. A higher restocking charge may be imposed for some products. HazMats may not be returned for any reason. Respirators may not be returned. No returns of cut yardage of fabrics or custom materials under most circumstances.

IMPORTANT!

For both UPS and truck freight we need a deliverable street address. A Post Office box is NOT acceptable. An RD box is OK if you also give the name or route number of the road it is on. For example:

RD 2, Box 15, Valley Road

HCR 4, Box 305, US 220 South

are satisfactory addresses.

We MUST have this information to assure proper delivery and to avoid add-on charges by UPS. Whenever possible, ship to a business address to avoid problems.

Foreign Shipments

Small shipments outside the USA and Canada must go by UPS air services or, in some instances, by Express Mail Service [EMS]. Larger orders will ship via air freight or ocean freight. Express mail is often less expensive than UPS for small packages but it may be slower and complete tracking is not possible. Also, EMS size and weight limits vary widely from one country to another. We will check all options and allow the buyer to decide which is most suitable.

Foreign shipments must be prepaid by wire transfer or money order in US dollars. Payment by credit card for orders under $500 may be permitted under some circumstances. COD shipments are not possible. We cannot ship any hazardous material outside of the USA. Please see the HazMat section above for the materials we cannot ship abroad.

Brokerage Service for Canada

Most businesses in Canada have a brokerage contract with a private firm. If we know what it is, we will put that information on the shipping papers to expedite service. UPS also can handle brokerage. Individuals, who do not usually have their own broker, are often surprised by the cost of this service. For small shipments it can be quite substantial.

Value of Shipment	Brokerage Fee
Up to $20	$ 5.50
$20 to $40	$11.75
$40 to $100	$22.75
$100 to $200	$31.00
$200 to $350	$38.45
$350 to $500	$42.45

Fees continue to rise as the shipment value increases above $500. These fees can be paid by setting up an account with UPS or with a credit card. They can also be paid upon delivery for an additional COD fee of $4. In some cases additional fees may apply, including sales tax. All currency amounts (in this section only) are in Canadian dollars. For reasons unclear to me, shipments via Post are exempt from brokerage charges. Sometimes it will be better to pay more for postage than what UPS charges for standard service in order to avoid these extra fees. UPS Express and Expedited services include brokerage at no additional cost but these services are too expensive for normal use.

Please contact us for more information.

The Polyester page also contains several miscellaneous materials including nylon peel ply, fiberglass mat, and dynel fabric, sleeve, and cord. || The WEST System Epoxy page also contains pigments and metal flake as well as a wide selection of fillers for resin.

Sweet Composites, 6211 Ridge Drive, Bethesda, MD 20816 USA301-229-2201 – 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern, Mon.-Fri.