Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to frequently asked questions regarding orders, shipping and more.

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Pre-Orders

All infomation you need regarding your pre-ordered items.
1

When will my pre-order ship?

Pre-order items will ship once the item is in stock. Pre-ordered items will ship automatically once they are in stock. You will be notified by email once the pre-ordered item has shipped. An estimated date of shipment is provided on the pre-order page and the order receipt, noting that this is an estimate and the actual shipment date may vary depending on a number of factors. Should there be any major delays, we will reach out directly with updates.

Please note that pre-ordered items will always ship separately to non pre-order items when combined in the same order. All other items will be shipped as soon as they are available, without waiting for the pre-ordered item to be ready.

2

I need to change my address for a pre-ordered item?

Should the pre-ordered item not have shipped yet, we can certainly update the shipping address. Please contact us and include your order number and pre-order details here.

Please note that that any additional shipping costs to a new address are the responsibility of the buyer to cover.

3

When will my pre-ordered item be ready to ship?

We provide an estimated date of shipping for pre-orders however this is an approximate date only. Pre-Orders will ship when they arrive in our warehouse. Manufacturing and shipping of products is complicated and can run into many delays that may be unexpected or unforeseen (such as a ship getting stuck in the Suez Canal or a global pandemic). We do our best to ensure we provide an good estimate of shipping date, however there may be some unforeseen delays in receiving or shipping the product.

Should there be a significant delay, we will ensure to keep you updated via email as to delays and estimated delivery dates if available.

Shipping Information

Everything you need to know regarding shipping and delivery of your order.
1

Will there be duties, taxes, brokerage and other customs fees?

For international orders (Outside of the United States), customers may be subject to additional customs taxes, duties and other import/brokerage fees. These fees are determined by your local government or the courier as result of the import process and are not part of the shipping cost we charge.

These fees must be paid by the recipient, and the specific policies can vary widely between countries. They are the responsibility of you to pay promptly to ensure you receive your order. We recommend checking with your local customs office for details on import fees before placing an order, especially for items like clothing, textiles or for plushies.

The local customs agency will usually contact you via phone, email or a physical note sent to you. Sometimes they do not send you a notification and you need to follow up yourself. This varies significantly from country to country and we cannot provide any infomation on this procedure.

Should these duties/taxes be left unpaid, the package will usually be disposed of by the local customs agency after a short period of time, in accordance with local postal rules. We generally do not receive the package as a return to sender in this case, as it is destroyed.

We can't control these charges and we're unable to mark packages as gifts, as this would be against regulations. Please be sure you’re aware of any customs costs that may apply to your order to avoid surprises upon delivery, and that any payments are made promptly to ensure successful delivery.

2

Will Canadian orders also be charged customs fees?

Yes. Canadian orders generally will have extra charges like import duties, taxes, and courier brokerage fees. These are not included in our shipping cost and must be paid by you directly.

These are not always predictable, as the rules vary all over Canada.

Couriers like UPS sometimes charge a brokerage and disbursement fees for customs clearance into Canada (sometimes referred to as customs processing fee, broker fee, and clearance entry fee by other couriers). We select shipping carriers to best minimise brokerage fees for the customer where possible, but in some cases these brokerage fees are unavoidable.

You may be able to avoid some of these brokerage fees by self-accounting: you potentially can pay duties and taxes directly to the CBSA and provide your receipt to the courier to receive your shipment without extra brokerage charges. More info can be found here. Taxes and duties will generally always be payable by the customer, regardless of minimisation of brokerage fees.

3

How much does shipping cost to my country?

Shipping costs are automatically calculated at checkout based on your location and the items in your cart. If your order is destined to be split into multiple shipments, the cost and details of each parcel will be clearly displayed on the checkout page.

For international orders, customers may be subject to additional customs taxes, duties and other customs and import related fees. Packages are sent Delivery Duty Unpaid. and it is the responsibility of the customer to promptly pay these costs.

4

When will my order ship?

Most items are processed and shipped within 2-3 business days, including plushies, handmade stoneware mugs, select clothing items, beanies, pins, keychains and some other products.

Some select products may take slightly longer, usually shipping in 3-5 business days. In some cases this could be slightly longer during busy times. This includes such as certain clothing items, posters, and ceramic cups (non-handmade).

Shipping times may be slightly longer in the lead up to major holidays. Please note that during peak periods, like the lead-up to major holidays, processing times for all orders may be slightly extended.

Pre-order items will ship once the item is in stock. Pre-ordered items will ship automatically once they are in stock. You will be notified by email once the pre-ordered item has shipped. An estimated date of shipment is provided on the pre-order page and the order receipt, noting that this is an estimate only and the actual shipment date may vary depending on a number of factors. Should there be signifigant delays, we will keep you informed of your order status.

5

Are all orders shipped using carbon-neutral shipping?

Yes, all orders from The Merch Guild are shipped carbon-neutral. We understand that eCommerce deliveries have a large carbon footprint, so we cover the cost of carbon neutral shipping on behalf of the customer.

We use the Shopify Planet service to calculate the carbon footprint of every delivery (based on its weight, shipping method, and distance traveled) and neutralize these emissions through purchases of verified carbon removal credits from carbon removal initiatives including a mix of nature-based carbon removal solutions such as reforestation and soil carbon sequestration with engineered solutions, such as direct air capture and mineralization.

We also host our store on the Shopify platform, which advertises itself as a 100% carbon-neutral platform.

6

Where is my order coming from?

We operate globally to bring our wares to adventurers everywhere. Here's how our shipping usually works:

From Our US Warehouses:

  • Plushies, Clothing, Pins, Keychains, Hats, Beanies, Handmade Stoneware Mugs, and Water Bottles are dispatched from the US. In some cases, beanies may also be fulfilled from the EU.

International Fulfillment Centers:

  • Posters, Patches, Phone Cases and Porcelain (Non-Handmade) Mugs ship from various locations worldwide, including the US, Canada, EU, Australia, and Japan, depending on your location for quicker delivery.
  • Enamel Mugs are shipped from warehouses in the US, EU and Canada depending on your location for quicker delivery.

In some rare cases, your order may ship from a different location than noted above to assist in a quicker delivery to you.

Please contact us should you want to know more infomation regarding where a specific product is being shipped from.

7

How long will my package take to arrive?

Delivery times vary by destination and shipping method. Estimates are provided at checkout, however these are estimates only.

Pre-order shipping dates are estimates only,.

8

How do I track my order?

Order tracking infomation is sent to you automatically via email once your parcel has shipped. You can also view shipment details and tracking by logging in your user account on this website, or using the tracking links on the order and shipping emails sent through to your email address.

Please note that sometimes your order may be split into multiple packages, and you will be provided by a seperate tracking number for each package. You will receive a separate email and tracking number for each of these packages, as they ship.

9

My package is marked as delivered, but I haven't received it.

This is the most common issue that we have. In most cases, the package is either still being delivered and has been marked as the wrong code by the post office, or the package has been delivered to a different member of the household, a neighbor or the building mailroom.

  1. Contact your local post office with your tracking number. They will be able to tell you if it has been delivered, and often have a photo of delivery location. In some cases, the local post office may be holding your package for you.
  2. Check with other household members, the building mail room/reception and with neighbors. Some postal carriers are permitted to leave packages with other household members, building staff or with neighbors. Please confirm that no-one else has inadvertently picked up the package without informing you.
  3. Double-check that the shipping address you provided is correct and complete—especially details like apartment numbers that may have been omitted. The address can be found in the order confirmation email. The address can also be found when you log in to your account on this website.
  4. Wait a bit longer for delivery—some local carriers mark the package as delivered before it actually has been. This is the most common cause of this issue, particularly in non-english speaking countries where the mail codes don't directly match the US mail code system. These packages usually are delivered within the next 3-5 days after this notification is received.

In many cases, a misplaced package will turn up within a week. However, it’s possible it may have been lost or even stolen. Shipping fees are non-refundable once an order has been shipped. If a week passes and your package hasn’t turned up after taking these steps, please get in touch with us for further support here.

Orders

Everything you need to know about the contents of your order.
1

What if I received the wrong item, or something is missing or damaged?

Contact us immediately with your order number, details and a photograph of any issues. We'll resolve the issue promptly. Contact Us Form

Should an item be damaged, please send an email with photographs of the damage to info@themerchguild.com.

2

Can I make changes to my order?

If you send an email to info@themerchguild.com as soon as possible after ordering we will try and make any order changes happen. If this is within an hour, there is a good chance that we will be able to make this happen.

Once we have started the process of fulfillment of the order (or part of an order) we will no longer be able to make changes to the entire order. This depends on how fast our warehouse is processing orders, and may be less than an hour after ordering in some cases.

3

Can I cancel part or all of my order?

If you send an email to info@themerchguild.com as soon as possible after ordering we will try and sort this out for you. If this is within an hour, there is a good chance that we will be able to make this happen.

Once we have started the process of fulfillment of the order (or part of an order) we will no longer be able to make cancel part or all of the order. This depends on how fast our warehouse is processing orders, and may be less than an hour after ordering in some cases.

Please note that gift cards are not refundable.

Discounts

Discount codes, free shipping coupons and more.
1

Can I get a discount code?

Yeah sure - 10% off your order for signing up to our newsletter. Check the footer of the every page for a sign up link.

Otherwise we generally advertise discounts in a banner at the top of the page or sometimes in email newsletters. You can also find more discounts on specific items in our On Sale and our Bundles collections. The discounts and sales rotate - so check back regularly!

These all applies only to products sold on The Merch Guild website directly - our externally hosted stores (eg. The Wandering Inn Store) have their own codes/discounts!

2

Do the discounts combine?

Generally no for order discounts or free shipping discounts (in any combination). Product discounts sometimes can combine.

In some cases we may specifically allow it (check the fine print under the discount)- but if it doesn't work in the checkout, then it's generally a no go.

Wholesale and Business

Business and wholesale enquires.
1

Do you do wholesale?

Yes - we can provide wholesale to established businesses and bookstores. Refer to our wholesale page here.

2

Can I re-sell items from this store?

All products sold in this store, or on any connected platform, are for personal use only (outside of our separate wholesale programs). Resale, redistribution, or any commercial use is not permitted without our prior written consent. Refer to our Terms Of Service for more details.

Wholesale enquiries can be made here.

3

Other business enquiries

Get in touch with us at info@themerchguild.com for all other enquiries.

About Us

Stuff you probably weren’t curious about, but here we are.
1

Who even runs this place?

While most items ship from our US warehouse to keep things speedy for customers, we’re proudly a small, independent Australian business.

The Merch Guild began as a half-serious art hobby that spiraled out of control during a Covid lockdown—mainly as an excuse to buy new paint brushes.

Since then, it’s grown into a slightly chaotic operation juggling illustrators, manufacturers and making merch for some of our favourite creators. Along the way, we’ve picked up some oddly specific skills—like exactly how many plushies fit in a shipping container, and how many identical orders one person can pack before losing their mind.

We’re still a tiny team, just a bit more organised now… with better systems, sturdier shelves, and way more packing tape than anyone ever plans for.

2

Is this officially licensed merch?

Yep! We work directly with (or for) the authors and creators we make merch for—we don't sell any knockoffs or weird bootlegs. Just cool stuff made with actual permission and too many lawyers. The products are officially licensed, so the creators earn money from every design that’s purchased.


What they spend it on is entirely out of our hands. We just assume it involves snacks, caffeine and a hand-forged fantasy weapon they wrote into their story specifically to justify the purchase to their accountant.



3

So... why do you ship from the US?

Because Australia is, unfortunately, on the other side of the planet from most of our customers. To keep things quick and affordable, most orders ship from our US-based warehouse—so your stuff arrives faster*, and no one has to wait three weeks for customs to decide if they like web fiction.

* Unless you’re not in North America, in which case... the opposite may apply. Our strongest and most sheepish apologies.

4

Shouldn’t you spell it 'color'?

Australians spell it 'colour'. Sometimes. Other times we forgot. We will die on this inconsistent hill.

Still Need Help?

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