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Important Notices
Payment and Shipping Advice

Important Notices

1.  Production speed:  Models are normally made within 1 week of ordering.  Orders are printed on a first-come, first-served basis.  We carry no stock.  Orders for many models and orders for very large models such as 1/200 scale Titanic smokestacks, 1/32 scale Beaufighter cockpit sets, and 1/96 scale turrets may take longer than 1 week to make.  3D-printing is a very slow process and we have limited production capacity.

2.  Shipping speed:

  • US customers, normal delivery is within 1 week after production. Please allow up to 2 weeks after production for unusual delivery conditions.

  • International customers, normal delivery is within 2 weeks after production.  Please allow up to 8 weeks for unusual delivery conditions.  International customers continue to report long postal and customs delays and tracking system errors.  If you cannot wait 8 weeks, please consider requesting delivery by UPS or FedEx or do not order.  If you prefer UPS or FedEx shipping, please contact us before ordering.  Be advised that international shipping by FedEx or UPS is extremely expensive.  See the international shipping section below for instructions to obtain a UPS or FedEx shipping cost estimate.  Our location is not served by DHL.

    T
    racking may pause while your models are held for inspection by customs officials in your country.

3.  International shipping status as of 1 May 2023:

  • Africa:  Yes, to most locations!  Click here for exceptions.

  • APO, FPO and DPO:  Yes, to most locations!  Click here for exceptions.

  • Asia:  Yes, to most locations! Click here for exceptions.

  • Australia:  Yes!   We do not collect GST.  Your country may require a GST payment before delivery. 

  • Caribbean and Central America:  Yes, to most locations!  Click here for exceptions.

  • Europe:  Yes, to most locations!   We do not collect VAT.  Your country may require a VAT payment before delivery. 

    • Belarus:  No service - international sanctions.

    • Italy:  Yes but tracking may stop after your package leaves New York.  Expect 6-8 weeks for delivery.

    • Malta:  Yes but tracking will stop after your package leaves New York.  Expect 6-8 weeks for delivery.

    • Portugal:  No service - Portuguese customs officials reject our packages.

    • Russia:  No service - international sanctions.

    • Ukraine:  Yes!  Local delivery may be delayed or not possible due to armed conflict. 

  • Greenland and Iceland:  Yes!   We do not collect VAT.  Your country may require a VAT payment before delivery.

  • New Zealand:  Yes!   We do not collect GST.  Your country may require a GST payment before delivery. 

  • North America:  Yes!

  • Pacific islands:  Yes, to most locations!  Click here for exceptions.

  • South America:  Yes!  Brazilian customers, please provide your CPF or CNPJ number when ordering.  Brazilian customs officials may reject or destroy your package if no CPF or CNPJ number is provided.

4.  International import taxes and duties: Model Monkey does not collect VAT, GST, import duty or other foreign government taxes at checkout.*  Your government may require you to pay taxes and other fees before your models will be released to you.  If you refuse to pay your country's taxes or fees and officials in your country return your models to us, we will refund the cost of the models to you but not the shipping cost.  The shipping cost pays for postage and packing materials and is not recoverable.  See the "International Shipping" section below.

5.  International customers, please do not ship through a third-party shipping agent in the US.  If you choose to have us send your package to an agent in the US, for example in Miami or New Jersey, etc., for reshipment to your country, your package is not protected from damage or loss.  Your package is only protected from damage or loss if we ship directly to you in your country.

 

6.  All sales final.  As a Covid-19 precaution, and for other reasons, we do not accept returns.  We do not re-sell products that have been handled by other customers.

7.  Problems checking out?  Try these fixes:

  • disable your browser's adblocker

  • clear your browser's cache

  • refresh the Model Monkey webpage you are viewing

8.  Problems contacting us by email?  You haven't received a reply within 24 hours?  Copy and paste modelmonkeybookandhobby@gmail.com into the address bar of your email program.  If you send us an email through Outlook.com, we will receive your message but may not be able to reply to your Outlook.com email address.  Please use another email service.  Please make sure your inbox isn't full.  Customers' email service providers often report that our messages to customers can't be delivered because the recipient's inbox is full.

9.  Large or unusual orders: as a protection against scammers, if you place a large or unusual order, we may contact you by email or telephone to confirm that you authorized the payment.  If we can't confirm that you placed the order, we will assume that someone else fraudulently placed the order without your authorization.  We will then cancel the order.  If we cancel your order in error, please contact us.

10.  Custom requests: except for new nameplates, we do not accept requests for new models or alterations to existing models.

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Payment and Shipping

How do I pay? 

We accept:                                                                               Alipay accepts: 

PayPal accepts:

Credit or debit card:  check out with PayPal.  Pay Pal will accept your credit or credit card payment.  You do not need a PayPal account to use your credit or debit card.

PayPal: your order will be shipped to the mailing address recorded by PayPal.  Please ensure your PayPal mailing address is correct before ordering.

WeChat Pay:  checkout using Alipay.

When do I pay?  Your credit card, debit card or PayPal account will be charged when you place your order.

Do I have to pay tax? Model Monkey does not collect any tax for models sent to addresses outside North Carolina, USA.*  

  • North Carolina, USA addresses: 7.25% sales tax is collected at checkout.

  • International customers: you may be subject to your country's taxes (VAT, GST, etc.), tariffs, import duties and other fees.  See the "International Shipping" section below for more information.

 

When is my model made?  Most models are made within 1 week of you placing your order.  But orders for many models and orders for large models such as 1/200 scale Titanic funnels and 1/96 scale battleship turrets may take longer to make.  Models are "made-to-order".  This means your models are 3D-printed after you place your order.  We carry no stock.  Production time varies according to workload.  We make models on a first-come, first-served basis.  3D-printing is a very slow process.  Each model typically takes several hours to print.  Large models can take an entire day to print.

How is my model shipped?  Via the United States Postal Service (USPS).  USPS is closed on Saturday afternoons, Sundays and US Federal holidays (click here).  There is no shipping on those days.

When is my model shipped?  The next business day after 3D-printing is complete.  When we buy postage and create the shipping label, you will receive an automated email notification in English stating that your models have been shipped.  The message will include a tracking number.  We deliver your models to the local post office the same day the shipping label is created.  The shipping label creation date is the actual mailing date.

 

Will you combine shipping?  Yes.  Upon request, we can combine shipping for multiple orders that have not yet been shipped.  If you do not request combined shipping, we may ship your multiple orders separately.

From where is my model shipped? 

Gray resin models are printed by Model Monkey with our own Formlabs 3D printers and shipped from the Model Monkey workshop in North Carolina, USA.

White acrylic plastic models, nylon models, metal nameplates, and very large models too big for our own 3D printers are sold and shipped by a separate company called "Shapeways".  Shapeways ships from their factories in New York, USA or Eindhoven, Netherlands.  Normally, your Shapeways-printed model will be printed in the Shapeways factory that is closest to you and shipped to you from that factory.  Shapeways may use shipping carriers other than USPS.  When you buy Model Monkey-designed products from Shapeways, you are actually buying the model from Shapeways, not from Model Monkey.  Models and nameplates printed and shipped by Shapeways may be subject to sales tax, VAT, GST or other taxes and fees.  For models bought from Shapeways, please contact Shapeways customer service (click here) for Shapeways' printing, tax and shipping questions.