What is the cost of shipping and handling?  The Orange Shop's shipping and handling charge is a uniform rate of $11.95 per package because we ship in bulk, rather than one package at a time.  

 

How do you ship the fruit?  We ship most of our packages through our cooperative, the Florida Gift Fruit Shippers Association.  The Association was formed by our Dad and a number of other Gift Fruit Shippers back in 1946 to deliver fruit quickly and safely.  We truck the fruit ourselves to locations near the delivery point, then the US Post Office makes the final delivery to the door.  By using this method, we bypass a lot of the stops your packages might make if we sent them through normal channels, so the fruit arrives more quickly, and protected from freezing and damage.  Click here to see more about the Florida Gift Fruit Shippers Association (it's a very unique story). 

 

How long does it take to deliver my order?  On the day you place your order, our product is in the "warehouse" of Mother Nature, meaning that it's still hanging on the trees.  Each day we send harvesting crews to the groves, and they pick enough to fulfill the orders.  After trucking it to the packinghouse, we "run" the fruit through our packinghouse, where it is washed and sorted according to size.  We pack the fruit into special shipping containers, then truck it down to Orlando where it is sorted and shipped by the Association.  The time of delivery from there depends on the distance from Orlando.  When you add the harvesting, processing, and delivery together, expect a minimum of about 6 days to the East Coast up to almost 2 weeks for West Coast destinations.  Since we want the fruit to go out very soon after it's picked, we don't harvest too far ahead.  It's the best way for you and your friends and family to get the freshest fruit possible.  We can sometimes accommodate rush jobs if we have enough fruit already picked, so contact The Shop if you need it in a bigger hurry, understanding that there are still limitations.

 

Can you ship to Citrus-producing states?  Yes, on a schedule, during December and January (Holidays and Honeybells).  Every gift fruit shipper in Florida ships on the same trucks to speed up delivery.  We don't have that many orders going out there, so we need to gather them up.  After January, it isn't really feasible for us to ship to Citrus Producing States -- there just aren't enough orders to justify going through rigamarole that these states impose to limit competition with their own fruit.

 

Why can't I track my package on your web site?  Since we ship the packages most of the way through our Gift Fruit Shippers Association and then hand them off to either Fedex or the Post Office, there is no single tracking system that applies to all packages.  We can track your packages in our office, though, so the best way to check on the delivery status of your gifts is to give us a call at 800-672-6439.  We'll be very happy to quickly check on things for you.

 

Can I send fruit to Canada?  We do ship to Canada on a certain schedule.  For the remainder of the 2009-10 season, we'll ship to Canada every Wednesday in February and March, and on April 7th and 21st.  The fruit has to be shipped by ground all the way since it has to clear customs at the border.  Arrivals to eastern Canada are on a par with the US Northeast or Midwest.  Shipments out to British Columbia are risky, however -- the time required is a week to 10 days -- a long ride for perishable fruit in cold weather.

 

How about Alaska?  The only way to get fruit to Alaska is the US Postal Service.  We tried a new twist this year using the USPS Flat Rate boxes, and it's worked well!  The largest size box they have is equal in size to our 3/8 bushel, so that's the size to order.  Since it's a flat rate shipping, there's no extra charge!  So far arrivals have been good -- so we've hit on a great solution.

 

 

For Christmas Arrival,

Order By:  12/14 for Western US and Canada

                 12/16 for Remainder of US

 

For orders received after these dates, we will do our best to have them delivered by Christmas.  We recommend using a gift message of "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year" or "Happy Holidays" in case a gift doesn't make it -- it'll look like you planned it that way!