Section 1: Website Policies, Ordering, and Shipping
Has my order shipped / When will my order ship?
All shipping notifications are sent via email. If you have not received a shipping notification email, your order has not shipped. Thank you for your patience! We promise we have not forgotten about your order. We're working diligently to process all orders quickly and safely. You'll receive an email when your order ships.
How do I place an order?
We process all orders through our online store, where you are now! To place an order, simply find a piece of pottery you'd like to purchase, add it to your cart, and check out as you normally would on any other shopping website. Our checkout is secure. You can also call us to place an order.
Help! A piece arrived broken. What do I do now?
Broken Pottery
In the unlikely event of pottery breaking during shipping, broken pottery will be replaced or refunded (excluding shipping) pending product availability. If pottery is broken upon receipt we must be notified within 2 days of delivery.
We require the following to file our shipping claim:
1. A photo of the broken item
2. A photo of the packing materials used in the shipment
3. A picture inside of the box as received
4. A picture of the exterior of the box as received.
These photos must be sent via text message, or email, to receive a refund or a replacement. Please include your name, and order number in the message or email with the photos. You can text photos to (440) 941-4430.
If you are unable to take these photos for any reason, you will have to fill out a shipping claim affidavit, and your refund or replacement may be delayed, depending on the outcome of the shipping claim.
We will take responsibility for filing all claims with our shipping partners.
If pottery has been in your care for more than several days, you may be delayed in receiving your refund or replacement, pending the outcome of our shipping claim.
Unfortunately, even if an item arrives broken shipping costs are nonrefundable.
Can you give me a shipping estimate to XYZ zip code?
Our shipping prices depend solely on order value. Here are our current shipping rates:
Shipping to Alaska, Hawaii, and international orders is calculated at checkout.
Why don't you offer free shipping?
Just as there's no such thing as a free lunch, there is no such thing as "free" shipping. Shipping is a very large expense for us as a small business, costs have nearly doubled in the last 5 years. To prevent us from raising prices, we charge shipping. This allows us to keep our prices competitive and transparent on the pottery you love. This also allows us to ship your pottery quickly, safely, and fully insured. Our rates are only designed to break even on the cost of shipping, and do not include packing materials, or labor. We'd rather be transparent and honest with you about costs (ex. charging $60 for a plate, and $13.95 for shipping) than charge $75 for a plate with "free shipping".
What are your shipping policies?
Please visit this page for more complete shipping information.
What is your order processing time?
All orders are processed and shipped within five (5) business days, Monday-Friday, excluding holidays. However, our average shipping time is 2-3 business days.
Orders placed after 10am on any given day will not begin their processing time until the following business day. For example, if you place an order on a Tuesday at 11:30am, it will be shipped by the following Tuesday at latest. Please note our average processing time is much faster than that. :)
If for whatever reason orders can not be processed within the normal 5 business day the shipping delay will be posted on our website homepage.
Can you make sure my order ships tomorrow/ before a certain day?
Orders are shipped in the order they are received. We do not "rush" orders, or skip other orders to ship orders by a certain day. Our guarantee is to get your order out within 5 business days, but processing times are typically only 2-3 business days. If you need shipping delayed on your order for any reason we are happy to do so. We cannot guarantee shipment on a specific date (ex "I need my order to ship on May 10th) as there may be unexpected and unavoidable changes in service. However, we will do our best to accommodate requests of this nature.
I don't love my order, can I return it?
Absolutely! Please check our full store policies for more details regarding how to send us a return. Orders can be returned up to 10 days after delivery. However, please note that per our store policies all items that are discounted more than 40% are final sale.
I need to cancel my order, can I do that?
Once placed orders cannot be altered or cancelled. If you contact us immediately after cancelling your order, we may be able to prevent it from being shipped. Cancelled orders result in a 5% cancellation fee, to help cover the cost of transaction fees which are not refunded to us, even if an order is cancelled. Thank you for understanding as a small business we are not able to absorb those fees.
Section 2: Pottery Questions
What is the difference between Traditional and Unikat?
Unikat patterns have the pattern number stamped on the back, as well as the artist's name who designed the pattern. Unikat patterns typically take much greater amounts of time to paint, are more intricate, and are therefore more expensive. Traditional patterns are any patterns that are not Unikat. They do not have the pattern number stamped on the back.
Can you help me find the pattern number for a piece I have?
Of course! Send us a message on Facebook (Polish Pottery Westlake), or use our contact page (found below) and we will be happy to help. Please note, we only carry Ceramika Artystyczna in large quantities and for that reason can only help find information regarding pieces from that factory. In most cases, but not all, we can provide referrals for where to find information for other factories.
Can you help me find X piece in Y pattern?
We certainly hope so! Feel free to ask and we will do our very best to find exactly what you are looking for :)
Can you hold X item for me?
We are so sorry, but we do not hold items.