Sweetwater is one of the best online retailers for musical instruments and accessories. But if you’ve not ordered from there before, you may be wondering how long it takes for your order to actually arrive on your doorstep.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the shipping and delivery options available.
Table of Contents
Free Shipping
Sweetwater pride themselves on having the best shopping experience in the industry, and of course that includes shipping and delivery options. It’s no surprise that they offer free shipping on most of their products. And, most orders ship the same day.
The cutoff time for same-day shipping can change, but it’s generally recommended to get your orders in by noon, or 1 pm EST to ensure they get out ASAP.
There are a few exclusions. Free shipping is only available in the contiguous United States. Addresses in Alaska, Hawaii, or international addresses will require different shipping solutions.
Special orders and oversized or overweight products are unfortunately excluded from free shipping offers.
Small items (13 oz/28 g or less) will be sent via United States Postal Service First Class Mail, and should arrive within 2 – 4 days. Orders sent via USPS are also trackable.
Larger items (150 lb/68 kg or more) will be sent via FedEx Ground or UPS Ground, and typically take 1 – 5 days to arrive.
If you have an APO (Army/Air Post Office) or FPO (Fleet Post Office) address, you also qualify for free shipping, following the same weight/size restrictions.
Sweetwater also offer refunds on any shipping costs if your order is returned.
Free shipping may not always be applicable if there are other offers or discounts being used.
FedEx Hold at Location
Sweetwater, in conjunction with FedEx, offer a brilliant service wherein you can arrange for your order to be shipped to a secure location of your choosing for you to collect at your own convenience.
There are over 11,000 locations to choose from, so it’s highly likely that there’s an official hold location near you.
Simply select the FedEx Hold at Location option at the checkout, select your desired location, and collect your order in your own time.
Items must be collected within 7 days of their arrival at the secure location. Secure locations include FedEx Offices, FedEx Ship Center, Walgreens, and Kroger, among others.
And best of all, this service is free!
Other Shipping Options
If your order doesn’t qualify for free shipping, then don’t worry, there are plenty of other affordable options available.
Costs
There is no baseline price for shipping. That depends entirely on your location in relation to the Sweetwater fulfillment centers, which are located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Glendale, Arizona.
The size and weight of the item(s) in your order will also dictate the price, with larger, heavier items obviously incurring more of a cost.
To find out how much it will cost for you to get the items you want delivered, simply add them to your Sweetwater cart and proceed to the checkout. You can choose from a number of different shipping options, and this will show you the variance in costs for each option.
Shipping Options
Let’s take a look at some of the shipping options Sweetwater has to offer. All the below options are only available in the United States.
- FedEx Ground
Delivery within the contiguous United States within 1 – 5 business days. Delivery before the end of the business day.
- UPS Ground
Delivery within the contiguous United States within 1 – 5 business days. Delivery to Alaska and Hawaii within 6 – 7 business days.
- FedEx Express Saver
Delivery within the contiguous United States within 3 business days. Delivery to businesses by 4:30 pm and residences by 7 pm.
- FedEx 2Day
Delivery within the contiguous United States within 2 business days to most areas. Delivery to businesses by 4:30 pm and residences by 7 pm.
- FedEx Standard Overnight
Delivery within the contiguous United States (outbound only service to Hawaii) by next business day. Delivery by 3 pm to most addresses; by 4:30 pm to rural areas.
- FedEx Priority Overnight
Delivery within the contiguous United States by the next business day. Delivery by 10:30 am to most addresses; by noon, 4:30 pm, or 5 pm for rural and remote areas.
Signed-For Delivery
All of the above options can be arranged with a signature required, meaning you have to be present to sign for your delivery, so it won’t be left on the doorstep. This will add to your shipping cost, but not much, and it’s extra peace of mind for your new gear.
Sweetwater also makes it clear that if you’re placing an especially large order, containing multiple or heavy items, you can call them at (800) 222-4700 to work out the best possible shipping arrangement for you.
International Shipping
Unfortunately, manufacturer restrictions make shipping internationally pretty much impossible. There are some ways it’s possible. For example, if you have an APO or FPO address, you can get items shipped overseas.
Sweetwater will also ship to Puerto Rico and other countries with a US postal zip code such as Guam and The Virgin Islands.
As before, the Sweetwater team is helpful and willing to answer any questions regarding international shipping (as well as anything else) and urge you to contact them via phone or email for more information.
To Summarize
Shipping from Sweetwater is fast, cost-effective, and simple. As well as all the different options listed in the article, they also offer SweetTrack, a tracking service that provides by-the-minute information about the location of your order.
The only aspect that remains unclear is the cost of regular ground shipping, but that’s because it all depends on your order’s size and weight, and your location relative to a distribution center. So, the best way to find out how much it will cost is to put it in your bag and proceed to the checkout!
And, as you’ll see on their website, they’re more than happy to help over the phone, so if you’re unsure of anything, give them a ring on (800) 222-4700.
Happy shopping!
