Shipping policy
At The Playful Collective we know that waiting for online orders can be a bit of a drag, therefore we always endeavor to have orders processed and out the door within 2 business days (with the exception of busier sale periods that extend our normal dispatch times) - and we'll always let you know if there are any unexpected hold ups!
Pre-order items are an exception to this, and orders that include a pre-order item will be sent once all stock has arrived and is ready to go. You will receive a shipping confirmation once your order is on its way to its new home so that you can start waiting excitedly by the window for the postie!
Domestic Shipping
We offer flat rate shipping of $14 within Australia through Australia Post and various couriers (depending on your location) with free shipping for orders above $300 (exclusions apply for bulky items, as per item description, and when items purchased constitute bulky or heavy orders). Express post is a flat rate of $23.95. Please note that choosing Express Post does not mean your package will be processed faster, as all orders are shipped in the order in which they are received. Please get in contact with us if you need your order sent urgently and we will do our best to accommodate this.
We always endeavour to keep prices as low as possible for our wonderful customers, so with this in mind we promise to keep on top of the most cost effective but reliable shipping options available and reassess rates wherever possible.
Please note that orders to PO boxes can only be sent via Australia Post. Any bulky items requiring to be sent via courier cannot be sent to PO boxes and require a physical address for shipment. All parcels will be sent with Authority to Leave (ATL) unless Signature on Delivery is requested at the time of placing an order.
Express post to far or rural locations
Please note that for WA, NT or remote locations our flat rate Express Post for larger/bulky orders is sometimes not available due to incredibly high postage prices. In this case, a bulky item charge will be incurred and the item will be sent via standard post or Courier, or you can elect to pay an additional amount for AusPost Express delivery. This may include NT, WA and remote country locations.
For products sent directly from our distributors
Please always read the product description of the items you are purchasing. For any products held by and shipped directly from our distributor this will be clearly stated in the product description. This information also includes anything you need to know about shipping costs for these items, dependent on your location. Please note that orders sent via external distributors can take a little longer than our standard 2 business days to ship. If you require your products urgently, please get in contact with us before placing your order to ensure that we can help you get your items on time.
Items shipped directly from our distributors = less unnecessary transportation! Direct or drop shipping is music to Mother Nature's ears, as it is an eco-friendly game changer. It reduces our carbon footprint and gives our planet a well-deserved breather.
Drop-ship items sent directly from our Australian distributor Kaleidoscope are sent via Direct Freight. These items must be sent with Authority to Leave. By purchasing a drop-ship item you automatically agree to have your item shipped with Authority to Leave. Please ensure an address is provided with a safe place to leave or where someone will be present, as we cannot take responsibility for packages after they have been safely and correctly delivered. Please note drop ship items cannot be express posted.
Postage costs are unable to be combined with in stock items - all items that are sent directly from our distributors attract their own shipping costs. Please note that due to system limiations you will be charged a base rate of shipping, and dependent on your location and whether there are other in-stock items in your order, you will be invoiced for an additional amount after your order is placed. If you require an accurate shipping quote before placing your order please get in contact first. All orders placed are final and are subject to our refund policy.
Bellbird Kidz Brands including Blue Ribbon, Stanley Jr, Edx Education, EduFun, Wonderworld, Tickit, BillyKidz, TTS and more are sent directly from Bellbird Kidz via courier. Items sent from Bellbird take longer than our standard 48 hour turnaround time, and are usually dispatched within 4 business days. Please see the item description for information on shipping costs for your items sent via drop ship. Please note; if other items are ordered with this item, a separate shipping charge will apply if these items are less than the $300 minimum order amount to qualify for free shipping, or are bulky items.
Bunnytickles: Items sent directly from our Australian distributor, Bunnytickles, are sent via various couriers and freight companies dependent on your location. These items must be sent with Authority to Leave. By purchasing a drop-ship item you automatically agree to have your item shipped with Authority to Leave. Please ensure an address is provided with a safe place to leave or where someone will be present, as we cannot take responsibility for packages after they have been safely and correctly delivered. Please see the item description for information on shipping costs for your items sent via drop ship. Please note; if other items are ordered with this item, a separate shipping charge will apply if these items are less than the $300 minimum order amount to qualify for free shipping, or are bulky items.
Other Drop Ship Items: drop-ship items sent directly from our other Australian distributors are sent via various couriers and freight companies dependent on your location. These items must be sent with Authority to Leave. By purchasing a drop-ship item you automatically agree to have your item shipped with Authority to Leave. Please ensure an address is provided with a safe place to leave or where someone will be present, as we cannot take responsibility for packages after they have been safely and correctly delivered. Please see the item description for information on shipping costs for your items sent via drop ship. Please note; if other items are ordered with this item, a separate shipping charge will apply if these items are less than the $300 minimum order amount to qualify for free shipping, or are bulky items.
Please note that items sent direct from the distributor are not able to be shipped internationally.
Bulky Shipping
Items and/or orders classed as bulky/heavy will incur a bulky shipping rate of $24.00 for bulky and $34.00 for extra bulky items, per item.
Unfortunately due to limitations within our system, orders with more than one bulky item will be charged any additional shipping costs manually after the order is placed, as only one bulky shipping amount is able to be applied automatically during the checkout process. You will receive an invoice for the amount outstanding within 24 hours after your order. Once paid, your order will be shipped.
Alternatively, some items are eligible for our standard shipping charges dependent on location, whereas some locations will attract our bulky shipping fee. This is something that cannot be picked up by our system, however we will be in contact if this charge is applicable to your order. Any items where a bulky item shipping charge may be required are marked as so in the item description but orders that contain many items that altogether constitute a bulky or heavy order will be invoiced after purchase. These are system limitations which we hope will change in time as Shopify evolves and becomes more sophisticated, to make it easier for both you and for us. Until then, we thank you for your understanding!
For large orders, please contact us for an accurate shipping quote. Large orders will incur a freight charge which will be invoiced after your order is placed.
Packaging
Please excuse, we like to reuse! We recycle packaging wherever possible - this means that some of our boxes may be a little bit ugly, but are perfectly fine to keep the contents of your order safe on their journey to your home.
We love our planet at The Playful Collective and try to conserve it as best we can, therefore we do not use any plastic packaging to ship your orders (unless we are recycling packaging from orders that we have received). Unfortunately, some products arrive to us pre-packaged in plastic. We encourage our customers to reuse and recycle the discards of their order wherever possible!
We use recyclable, degradable and compostable paper and honeycomb wrapping as well as 100% compostable and bio degradable bio fill and shredded materials to protect your orders. We also use 100% compostable, bio-degradable satchels to send smaller orders.
Local Pickup
If you're local to us you can skip the shipping fees and click and collect your order from our warehouse in Chirnside Park, Victoria. Simply select 'Local Pickup' when checking out and you will receive an email when your order is ready to collect, with all the information you need including address and office open hours.
Please note: There are some items that are directly sent from our beautiful distributors - this is always stated in the product listing description. These items are not eligible for free click and collect and will incur a separately invoiced shipping fee to be shipped directly to your address.
Local Delivery
We offer a $8.00 local delivery service for our lovely local customers. If you live within a 15km radius of us, and your order is $50.00 and above, we will deliver to your doorstep - contactless! You will see an option for Local Delivery during the checkout process, and we will endeavour to deliver your order within 48 hours. We hope that this service helps families who are unable to travel, or simply lead busy lives and are unable to pick up from our warehouse.
Please note: during sale periods / busy seasonal periods we may choose to deactivate local delivery to enable time and care to be placed into packing and shipping orders as promptly as possible. But don't despair - local pickup is still an option during these times!
Please note: There are some items that are directly sent from our beautiful distributors - this is always stated in the product listing description. These items are not eligible for local delivery and will incur a separately invoiced shipping fee to be shipped directly to your address.
International Shipping
We offer international shipping by request only. Please email us at hello@theplayfulcollective.com.au to arrange a quote and invoice for your order and the shipping charge.