Policies
Policies
WARNING! - Our products are not intended for use by children under the age of 14 years due to choking hazards and sharp edges on some of our products.
Table of Contents
Ordering Policy
Terms
U.S. Shell, Inc. is a wholesale-only distributor of seashells and related items.
As a wholesale distributor, a minimum of $100 is required for any initial order or re-order.
We are open to the general public. Same minimum required.
All orders shipping to Texas will be charged a state sale tax
unless customer provides a copy of their
Texas Sales and Use Tax Permit
via email or fax.
All orders shipping to California will require a copy of their California Sales and Use Tax Permit via email or fax.
Click here for Texas State Tax Form
NO EXCEPTIONS
U.S. Shell, Inc. is a wholesale distributor, therefore, a minimum order amount of $100 is required.
All Online orders require a purchase to be made with a credit card. We accept —
- Visa
- MasterCard
- Discover
- American Express
– and –
- PayPal
We do not accept checks.
For Domestic and International orders please contact us at sales@usshell.com to place your order(s).
Credit
Open account terms may be established. Please fill out our credit application and return it to our credit department:
• Please note that "Credit Accounts" cannot process orders online.
| Email: | Mailing Address: | |
| sales@usshell.com | U.S. Shell, Inc. 1 Runnels Rd. San Benito, Tx 78586 Attn: Credit Department |
Business Permit/Tax Number
- General Form
- Texas Residents
International Orders
*Please Note that a $5,000 minimum is required for all International orders (excluding Canada).*
Payment methods for international orders can only be made via:
- PayPal, or
- Wire Transfer
*Credit cards are currently not accepted for international orders.*
We can ship to International locations. Please be advised that your country has its own laws and requirements for importation of seashells and it is your responsibility to acquire all the necessary licenses and permits. U.S. Shell, Inc. will comply with all governing agencies for the import/export of our product lines such as U.S. Customs, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, and adhere to the policies, guidelines and regulations of CITES.
Due to the high cost of freight, international orders placed through the website will not be processed. This does not apply to orders we receive from Canada. If you want to place an international order, please contact us directly at sales@usshell.com
Shipping & Return Policies
Shipping Times
U.S. Shell, Inc. normally ships within 3-5 business days from receipt of order, sometimes sooner. Rush services are available, please contact your sales rep the Order Department via email sales@usshell.com and discuss your needs. We suggest you specify a specific ship date, cancel date or an “arrive on” target date and we will do our best to accommodate your request.
We cannot guarantee a specific arrival or performance by the carriers once a package leaves our facility. Prices on the website are approximate and may be adjusted to allow for oversize boxes, home deliveries and/or other factors not allowed for by limitations of our eCommerce shopping cart system.
We use the following shippers:
- Federal Express (FedEx) click here for tracking information
- USPS Priority Mail (U.S. Postal Service)
U.S. Shell gives you, the customer, the choice of shipping carrier. Our preferred carrier is FedEx, but we let you choose the most convenient and economical shipping method available. For any time critical orders we offer expedited services like Next Day Air, 2nd Day Air and Three Day Select. Please contact us directly for any expedited shipments, in order to assure a timely processing of your shipment, RUSH order requests MUST be made by 10:30 AM CST. If required a certain date arrival, please note on comments towards the end of order. All orders will have any applicable shipping charges added to the invoice. Any and all RUSH order requests made AFTER 10:30 AM CST will rollover to the following business day. Due to the nature of the product, shipping charges cannot be estimated at the time the order is placed. If you have any issues with the freight charges, feel free to contact us and we can give you a quote once the order has been filled. From the time an order is placed, shipping time is between two and three business days.
Damaged Goods Claims
At U.S. Shell, Inc., we take extra measures into the care and packaging of our products for shipment. However, due to the delicate nature of some of our shell items we cannot be held responsible for breakage. It is not cost effective to replace these items due to shipping costs. If we unintentionally damage a product prior to shipping, we will not package it and instead we will replace it at our expense.
After a shipment has left our facilities, the responsibility of your shipment is transferred to your delivery carrier(s). We DO NOTreplace damaged goods after it has left our facilities. In the unlikely event of any unfortunate mishandling of your shipment resulting in damages, breakage or lost merchandise all claims must be made immediately with your delivery carrier(s). Make sure you save ALLdamaged items and retain all original shipping boxes/cartons and packaging materials. Please DO NOT throw anything away so that your delivery carrier(s) may thoroughly inspect the shipment to your claim.
We at U.S. Shell, Inc., strive for you to receive your ordered merchandise in an excellent state. As with all parcel carriers, your shipment may be subject to normal transit handling. If you have any shipping related questions or concerns with your order please feel free to email our Shipping Supervisor at rosie@usshell.com.
If you encounter problem with any of your shipments from U.S. Shell, please do the following:
- Inspect packages before signing for them. Have the driver report on obvious damage.
- Call U.S. Shell, Inc. and report and damage or shortages
- File a claim with the carrier
Returns
If you have items you need to return to U.S. Shell, Inc. please follow these steps:
- Contact our Customer Service department at sales@usshell.com
- Invoice details
- Items to be returned
- Reason for return
- Obtain an RA# from Customer Service
We at U.S. Shell, Inc. want you to be happy with your order. If for any reason, you are not happy with the merchandise received, you may return the merchandise to us. Please Contact Us within fifthteen (15) business days after receipt of your order for authorization to return items shipped in error; shortage claims must be made within five (5) business days. Restocking fees do not apply for any orders that were shipped in error, however, all other returns will incur a 25% restocking fee plus freight charges applied to any merchandise being returned. You will be responsible for any related return shipping charges. In order to expedite your credit, please Contact Us to receive a Return Authorization Number (RA#.)
U.S. Shell, Inc. Privacy Policy
www.usshell.com is owned and operated by U.S. Shell, Inc.
This privacy notice discloses the privacy practices for www.usshell.com and all other websites operated by U.S. Shell, Inc. This privacy notice applies solely to information collected by this web site. It will inform you of the following:
- Identify the personally identifiable information is collected from you through the web site, how it is used and with whom it may be shared.
- Detail the choices that are available to you regarding the use of your data.
- The security procedures in place to protect the misuse of your information.
- How you can correct or modify any inaccuracies in the information, and keep that information updated.
Information Collection, Use, and Sharing
U.S. Shell, Inc. is the sole owner of the information collected on this site. We only have access to/collect information that you voluntarily give us via registration, email or other direct contact from you. We will not sell or rent this information to anyone.
We will use your information to communicate with you, regarding the reason you contacted us. We will not share your information with any third party outside of our organization, other than as necessary to fulfill your request, e.g. to ship an order.
Unless you request us not to, we may contact you via email or telephone in the future to tell you about specials, new products or services, or changes to this privacy policy. Our various newsletters, specials, and other notifications require your opting in during registration, or by editing your account preference.
Your Access to and Control of Information
You may opt in or out at any time by accessing your account settings via the website, sending an email to sales@usshell.com and speaking to a Customer Service representative. You can do the following at any time by contacting us via the email address or phone number given on our website:
- See what data we have about you, if any.
- Change/correct any data we have about you.
- Have us delete any data we have about you.
- Express any concern you have about our use of your data.
Security
We take precautions to protect your information. When you submit sensitive information via the website, your information is protected both online and offline.
Wherever we collect sensitive information (such as credit card data), the information is encrypted and transmitted to us in a secure way, using SSL systems. You can verify this by looking for a closed lock icon at the bottom of your web browser, or looking for "https" at the beginning of the address of the web page.
While we use encryption to protect sensitive information transmitted online, we also protect your information offline. Only employees who need the information to perform a specific job (for example, billing or customer service) are granted access to personally identifiable information. The computers/servers in which we store personally identifiable information are kept in a secure environment.
If you feel that we are not abiding by this privacy policy, you should contact us immediately via email at sales@usshell.com.
Orders
We request information from you on our website order form. To buy from us, you must provide register and provide contact information (like name and shipping address) and financial information (like credit card number, expiration date) and other data required in order to do business with U.S. Shell, Inc. This information is used for billing purposes and to fill your orders. If we have trouble processing an order, we'll use this information in order to contact you.
Cookies
Our website utilizes “cookies” in order to facilitate faster service. A cookie is a piece of data stored on a site visitor's hard drive to help us improve your access to our site and identify repeat visitors to our site. For instance, when we use a cookie to identify you, you would not have to log in a password more than once, thereby saving time while on our site. Cookies can also enable us to track and target the interests of our users to enhance the experience on our site. Usage of a cookie is in no way linked to any personally identifiable information on our site.
Sharing
We do not share aggregated demographic information with anyone. We use a credit card processing company to bill users for their orders. These companies do not retain share, store or use personally identifiable information for any secondary purposes beyond filling your order.
Links
This web site contains links to other sites. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the content or privacy practices of such other sites. We encourage our users to be aware of when they leave our site and to read the privacy statements of any other site that may collect personally identifiable information.
Environmental Policy
It is the strict policy of U.S. Shell, Inc. to adhere to all U.S. and International laws. All shells that are sold are carefully inspected and cleared by the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife. We have obtained all necessary permits and exemptions from the corresponding country of origin of all products that we carry. We also follow all rules and regulations of the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) International Agreement.
Most of our products are natural by-products of the food and fishing industry. There are a few exceptions like sanddollars and some of the sealife items. These are closely monitored and our vendors are required to have the necessary permits as well. Starfish are mainly collected from areas where they endanger the reefs or they are purchased from sea farms where they are grown as a crop. Sanddollars are collected from huge colonies and only a very small fraction of sanddollars are harvested and in no way endanger the colony. We work with responsible suppliers and require them to be in compliance with acceptable gathering procedures.
There is always the growing concern about the environment and whether what we are doing is controlled and managed properly, the gathering policies and practices of our suppliers are always of our utmost concern. Our family has been in the seashell business for over 55 years and we want to ensure our future generations a business for them to continue. This means responsible management and a deep concern for the environment, laws and regulations.
We welcome inquiries about our business policies and procedures so we can discuss and educate you about the overall business process. Communication is the key to understanding and we want to take the time to make sure we can address any concerns you may have. It has been and should always be our great pleasure to provide you with these wonderful treasures from the sea.
Each and every shipment is governed by a number of Federal and International agencies and or watch dogs. Once they arrive they are thoroughly inspected by U.S. Fish and Wildlife and cleared by U.S. Customs. We have a solid relationship with the agencies involved and do our proactive best to maintain our good standing and adhere to current laws and regulations and prepare for upcoming changes to laws, policies and procedures.
Legal Disclosure
IMPORTANT LEGAL INFORMATION REGARDING THIS WEBSITE:
Your use of this website is subject to the conditions and qualifications described below. By using this U.S. Shell, Inc. website, you agree to accept such conditions and qualifications.
No Warranties; Limitation of Liability. This website includes information, documents, and materials (collectively, the "Contents") that are subject to change without notice.
U.S. Shell, Inc. expressly disclaims any obligation to keep Contents up to date or free of errors or viruses, or to maintain uninterrupted access to this website. This website (including all Contents) is provided "AS IS."
U.S. Shell, Inc. assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in any Contents, including Contents that are referenced by or linked (by hypertext links) to third party websites. U.S. Shell, Inc. makes no representations or warranties of any kind whatsoever for the Contents or third party websites or for any products or services mentioned or offered in the Contents or in third party websites.
U.S. Shell, Inc. shall not be liable for any errors contained herein or for any damages whatsoever arising out of or related to the use of this website (including all Contents), including, without limitation, direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, whether under a contract, tort, or any other theory of liability, even if U.S. Shell, Inc. is aware of the possibility of such errors or damages.
No Offer or Solicitation Regarding Securities. This website includes Contents relating to certain U.S. Shell, Inc. securities, including offering documentation, Contents referenced in offering documentation, and other materials.
Terms of Securities
The terms of any particular issue of securities are governed by applicable documents establishing such terms. In the event of any inconsistency between the information in Contents regarding an issue of securities and the terms specified in, or determined pursuant to, the documents establishing the terms of such issue, the terms so specified or determined shall prevail.
Reservation of Rights
All Contents (including, without limitation, the graphics, brands, icons, and overall appearance of the U.S. Shell, Inc. website and the Contents) are the property of U.S. Shell, Inc. U.S. Shell, Inc. does not waive any of its proprietary rights therein including, but not limited to, copyrights, trademarks, and other intellectual property rights. This website and the Contents are intended only for the individual, non-commercial use of website users. No user of this website may resell, republish, print, download, copy, retransmit, or display (by use of an html "frame" or otherwise) any portion of this website or the Contents without the prior written consent of U.S. Shell, Inc., except that reasonable copying or printing of the Contents for individual, non-commercial use is permissible where permitted by law. The availability of any Contents through this website shall under no circumstance constitute a transfer of any copyrights, trademarks, or other intellectual property rights of U.S. Shell, Inc. to any website user or any third party. This website and the Contents are protected by U.S. and international copyright laws, both as individual works and as a compilation. You may not delete any copyright or similar notice from any Contents you obtain from this website.
Seashells are made by God and each is unique. As they are of natural origin, no two shells are alike. The product that you receive may not be 100% identical to the one pictured in our online store. Although seashells may contain naturally made blemishes, rest assured that all seashells are of impeccable quality.
We want to have a responsible business that will last many more generations in our family. We are a part of the environment and enjoy the beauty of these seashells and want to share these with our customers. Responsible practices and participation will carry us on for many years to come.
Copyright © 2018 U.S. Shell, Inc.
No part of this website may be used without the expressed written consent of the company. If you would like to use images or content from this website please contact us at sales@usshell.com. SHELLABRATION™ is a trademark of U.S. Shell, Inc..
