Shipping policy

This shipping policy explains how we fulfill orders, what shipping times mean, where we can ship, and what to do if there is an issue with delivery.

We try to ship quickly, but fulfillment time and carrier delivery time are not the same thing. Fulfillment is the time it takes us to prepare and hand your order to the carrier. Delivery time is the time it takes the carrier to move the package after pickup.

Fulfillment Times

We ship orders Monday through Friday.

Orders placed before 12 PM ET usually ship the same business day. Orders placed after 12 PM ET usually ship the next business day.

Orders placed after 12 PM ET on Friday will usually ship the following Monday. If Monday is a holiday, they will ship the next business day.

Orders placed over the weekend or on a holiday will ship on the next business day.

Chop Shop items take longer because they are custom-produced before shipping.

Fulfillment Time vs. Delivery Time

Fulfillment time is separate from carrier delivery time.

The delivery estimate shown at checkout starts after your order has been picked up by the carrier, not when the order is placed.

For example, if you place an order after the cutoff time, or if your order includes a custom-produced item, the carrier delivery estimate does not begin until after fulfillment is complete and the package has been handed off to the carrier.

Free Shipping Policy

Orders of $175 or more qualify for free shipping when shipped to an address in the United States. This offer applies to USA orders only and does not apply to international shipments.

Shipping Carrier

We ship with FedEx for most physical product orders.

FedEx requires a valid street address. We are not able to ship to PO boxes.

Please make sure your shipping address is complete, accurate, and able to receive FedEx deliveries before placing your order.

PO Boxes

We cannot ship to PO boxes.

If a PO box is entered at checkout, your order may be delayed or canceled. Please use a physical street address for delivery.

Address Accuracy

Customers are responsible for entering the correct shipping address at checkout.

We are not responsible for incorrect, incomplete, or auto-filled addresses submitted with an order. Please review your shipping address carefully before submitting payment.

If you entered the wrong shipping address, email sales@covertinstruments.com as soon as possible with your order number and the correct address.

If your order has not shipped yet, we will do our best to update the address before it leaves our facility. However, sending the email before the order ships does not guarantee we will see it before our fulfillment team processes the order.

We will do everything we can to help if we are given enough notice, but we cannot guarantee an address change before shipment.

Alternative Shipping Locations

As long as the address can receive FedEx deliveries, we can ship to third-party shipping services, hotels, freight forwarders, offices, and other alternative locations.

However, once FedEx marks the package as delivered to that location, we consider the order delivered.

If the package is lost, damaged, delayed, misplaced, or not forwarded after being received by that location, the issue must be handled between you and the third party you chose to use.

Delivered but Not Received

If tracking shows delivered, please start by checking the FedEx proof of delivery photo. Confirm whether the package was left at your address.

If the photo is not your house, see if you can identify the location. It may be a neighbor’s porch, front door, mailbox area, or another nearby address.

If it looks like the package was delivered nearby, please check with your neighbors first. Misdeliveries are often resolved fastest when the package is still close by.

If you still cannot locate the package, you will need to report it to FedEx. Go to the FedEx tracking page, enter your tracking number, select Manage Delivery, then choose Report Missing Package.

Once you have opened the report with FedEx, contact us with your order number, tracking number, and FedEx case number so we can review the next steps.

Lost Package Timelines

Packages are considered in transit until the waiting period has passed.

For domestic orders, the lost package waiting period is 30 days.

For domestic Chop Shop orders, the waiting period is 45 days.

For international orders, the lost package waiting period is 60 days.

For international Chop Shop orders, the waiting period is 75 days.

Replacements may be issued for packages confirmed lost after the applicable waiting period. Replacement shipments may ship using USPS First Class. Chop Shop items are not eligible for replacement.

Damaged Packages

If your package arrives damaged, take clear photos of the package before throwing anything away.

If any products inside the package were damaged, take photos of the damaged items as well.

Email the photos to sales@covertinstruments.com with your order number so we can review the issue.

Missing or Incorrect Items

If your order is missing items, or you received the wrong products, email sales@covertinstruments.com with your order number and a clear explanation of what is missing or incorrect.

Your order number is required so we can locate the shipment and review what was packed.

Split Shipments

Some items may ship separately depending on size, packaging requirements, or how they are fulfilled.

Certain products are too large or awkward to safely ship in the same package as smaller tools or accessories. In those cases, we may split the order into separate shipments to help prevent damage and make sure everything arrives properly.

Clothing and swag items are fulfilled by a third-party provider, so they ship separately from the rest of your Covert Instruments order. These items may also have their own tracking information, fulfillment timeline, and delivery estimate.

If your order ships in multiple packages, that does not necessarily mean anything is missing. Please check all tracking numbers associated with your order, since each shipment may arrive on a different day.

Digital 3D Print Files

Free 3D print products are digital files only. They are not physical products, so nothing will be shipped.

After checkout, you should receive an email with a download link for the file. Once downloaded, you can use your own 3D printer to print the item yourself.

If you do not see the email, check your spam or junk folder first. If you still cannot find it, contact us at sales@covertinstruments.com with your order number and we can help you locate the download.

International Shipping

Not all products ship to all countries.

If your country is not available at checkout, or if the site appears to show all products as sold out, your location may not be eligible for certain products or for shipping from our store.

Even if our products are legal to own in your country, we may still choose not to ship there. In some locations, we have had repeated issues with customs delays, rejected packages, lost shipments, failed delivery attempts, or packages being returned after long delays. When that happens often enough, we may remove that country from our available shipping options.

We are not able to make exceptions for individual orders.

Customs, Duties, VAT, Tariffs, and Import Fees

Shipping charges only cover the cost of getting your order from us to your delivery address.

They do not include duties, taxes, tariffs, VAT, customs fees, brokerage fees, or any other import-related charges your country may require.

For international orders, these fees are the responsibility of the buyer. They are charged by your country, customs office, or carrier, not by Covert Instruments.

These charges are not refundable, including if the order is returned.

During checkout, international customers are required to acknowledge that their country may assess duties and/or import fees on the order. These fees are separate from shipping charges, are imposed by the destination country for importing goods, and are the purchaser’s responsibility.

We also cannot mark orders as gifts or declare a lower value to reduce import charges. All customs forms must accurately reflect the contents and value of the order.

International Packages Returned to Sender

If an international package is returned because of refused delivery, unpaid duties, missed delivery attempts, customs issues, or failure to respond to FedEx, we may refund the item price minus the original shipping charge and a 25% restock fee.

Customs delays are outside our control.

Order Screening and ID Verification

We screen orders for potentially fraudulent activity to help protect both our customers and our business.

For high-value orders, first-time customer orders, or orders where the shipping address does not match the billing address, we may request a government-issued ID as an added fraud-prevention step.

You may redact your photo, date of birth, ID number, and any other information we do not need. We only need to verify that the name and billing address on the ID match the billing information used on the order.

This is a one-time precaution. Future orders are not typically subject to this same check. Large orders placed from .gov or .mil email addresses are exempt from this requirement.

Orders may also be automatically canceled if a previous chargeback has been filed against us from the same customer, account, payment method, billing address, shipping address, or related order information.