Shipping and Return Policies
We make no representation to the legal rights of anyone to ship and import wines into any state. The buyer (YOU) are solely responsible for shipment of alcoholic beverages and assume all obligations for compliance with your State's laws. By placing an order you authorize us to act on your behalf to engage a common carrier to deliver your order to you. Alcoholic beverages may be sold and delivered to persons who are at least 21 years of age. In placing your order you represent to us that you are at least 21 years of age and that the person to whom the delivery will be made is at least 21 years of age.
ALL SALES ARE FINAL. Returns will only be authorized in the following instances providing that The Pearl Wine Shop is notified within 48 hours of the delivery being received:
- The wine that was shipped is different to the wine that was ordered
- The wine is damaged or broken, and the problem was reported to the carrier at the time of delivery.
Tips for safe shipping of wine
Why invest in fine wines and then take the chance of ruining them due to environmental factors during transit? In general, faster and safer delivery isn't much more expensive.
We discourage you from selecting Ground Service as your shipping method unless you live on the same coast as the store you're ordering your wine from. During the winter and summer months, weather conditions fluctuate and longer delivery times can often result in the spoilage of your order. We don't make an additional profit on accelerated delivery, but we frequently recommend faster shipping options to our customers outside the West Coast.
You must be 21 years of age to order or receive alcoholic beverages from The Pearl Wine Shop. Any shipments containing alcoholic beverages are sent with an "Adult Signature Required" sticker, and the carrier that delivers our merchandise is required to ask and check for identification upon delivery. This means that you will have to be present at the time of delivery.
We ship by ground or air. Our prices include packaging materials. Insurance may be available for an additional charge.
Delivery Considerations
We attempt to get your wine to you as soon as possible. Your wine will be shipped in 1 - 3 business days. However there are a few scenarios that may prevent your order from making its way onto a delivery truck immediately.
Lag Time
It takes us some time to pull your order together and get it to our merchants, where it is packed, labeled and shipped. The time between when you place the order and when it is pulled and packed can vary from a couple of hours to a few days, depending upon order volume.
It's important to remember that if you have selected a specific shipping method such as 2-Day Air, your order may not necessarily arrive within two days. This is due to the lag time between packing and shipping. Your order will be sent via 2-Day Air service after it is picked up by our carrier.
It is extremely important to evaluate the time your order spends in transit, where we have no control over the environmental conditions.
Holding Orders
If any items are temporarily unavailable (but due in within a few days), we may hold your order in our warehouse and wait for the out-standing items to arrive. We attempt to have our customer service department contact you if this occurs.
Temperature Control & Severe Weather
We attempt to ship wines at the beginning of each week in order to get shipments to you before the weekend. This is because we have no control over the temperature conditions at our freight carriers' warehouses, especially during severe weather conditions (mostly in the summer and winter months). The result may be that your shipment doesn't go out the day that you place an order. Please understand that during business hours, your orders are immediately packaged and scheduled for delivery, but may be delayed until ideal conditions for shipment arise.
Futures & Pre-Arrivals
If your order contains "futures" or "pre-arrival" items, they will not be immediately delivered. These products are explicitly indicated as "pre-arrivals" or "futures" on our website, along with the expected arrival dates. We will notify you by email when your "pre-arrivals" or "futures" have arrived and are ready to be shipped. You will be given the opportunity to coordinate the proper shipping address and method (we won't automatically ship out pre-arrival wines when they arrive).
