The shipping fees shown (prior to check-out) are an estimate because we are assuming you are in the continental USA. If you are an international customer, or outside the lower 48 states, they will be higher than the estimate.

Your desire to learn more about our shipping fees is taken seriously by us. And we understand that "shipping fees" have become a sore point with everyone. Either companies charge exorbitant shipping fees to make up for discount prices, or they offer low shipping rates because they already jacked up their product prices.

Both of those policies make customers angry. That's why we don't do either of them. As you know by reading our "About Us" page, we try to keep our prices fair to what we provide customers, and we try to charge the actual amount of shipping. Our goal is to "break-even" on shipping, which means that the customer paid the right amount.

Our shipping prices are based on the "order total." We do this because it makes it simpler to calculate the shipping prices, especially for customers to get an idea prior to placing their order. For the most part, our estimated shipping system works fine, because we have fine-tuned it over the years to get pretty close to the actual shipping fee. In other words, our system has worked to keep shipping prices low.

But it can fail when the actual item is large or heavy. For those items, we have to charge an extra shipping surcharge, which is added to the shipping total. You will see the extra shipping charge listed on the item page of the specific items. That shipping surcharge is based on the difference between the normal shipping charge and the actual shipping, and is usually just a few dollars difference.

Again, please be aware that the shipping fee listed on your online-order is only an estimate. If our shopping cart estimate of the actual shipping fees is too low, we will contact you to let you know the actual shipping, so that you can authorize the extra fee. We do this so you will not be surprised by an extra charge on your credit card. We desire to keep you informed.

If you place your order on our web site before 2 p.m. Mountain Time Zone in the USA (GMT -6 hours), we'll ship it out that same day, or we'll refund you half of the shipping cost.

Exclusions and additional conditions (I hate having to add conditions, but I think you'll see the logic in them):

1. The orders must be placed by phone or via our web-site store, because we keep our site up to date on back-order status. Obviously, I can only guarantee to get it out that same day if we have it sitting on our shelves. Therefore, the guarantee does not apply to fax orders (such as school purchase orders or vendor orders).

2. The guarantee does not apply to reloadable or loadable motors. We are required by law to verify the person purchasing the order is 18 years old or older. This delays things because of the time it takes to contact the customer to get the ID. We will still make every effort to get it out the same day if we can. To assist us, the first time you order a reloadable motor, you can automatically fax a copy of your ID to 719-534-9050, so that there is no delay!

3. Orders that come in over the weekend or postal holidays will be shipped the next business day.

4. PayPal eCheck orders are also excluded, because there is a waiting period for the check to clear before we can ship. This restriction is waived for our Rocket Rewards customers. To find out how to become a Rewards customer, click here.

For speed, convenience and security, we urge you to use our secure shopping cart system whenever possible. For mail or fax orders, please download the online order form. Item prices are clearly posted on our web site for each product we sell. If it is not listed, the item may be on back-order. The order form may be mailed or faxed to us at (719) 534-9050.

Make checks payable to "Apogee Components". We ask that you provide payment in the form of a money order whenever possible. Apogee reserves the right to delay orders paid for by personal check to allow sufficient time for processing. No Stamps or C.O.D.'s accepted. International orders must be paid via credit card, an International Postal Money Order, or with a check drawn against a US bank. Click to see the shipping fees.

If you have any questions, please call our customer service line: (719) 535-9335.

Schools wishing to use a purchase order:

All orders must be in writing (we cannot take the PO number and the order information over the phone). Please fax, email or mail the order information to us on your school's official P.O. letterhead.

Make sure there is an "attention to" name or department on the shipping address, to prevent the shipment from being lost or delayed at the school. Also include the name, email and home address of the teacher so we can contact you if there are any problems with the order (we have had a hard time tracking teachers down at school, so we request a home address too - all information is kept in the strictest confidence). Our fax number is: 719-534-9050.

More info on Purchase Orders and download a form

USA Purchases:

In order to keep costs down, Apogee Components uses the United States Postal Service to ship out most packages. Unfortunately, there is very little tracking that can be provided. We can offer you "Delivery Confirmation" for most domestic packages for an extra fee of 75¢. Sometimes (when the postal service feels like it), this does provide a location of the package. If you would like this additional service, please add it to your shopping cart when checking out.

Apogee uses "Priority Mail" for most packages within the USA. Generally, the shipping time is around 3 or 4 days after it leaves our warehouse. If the package is under 12 ounces, it is classified as "First Class Mail". The delivery time is approximately the same as for Priority Mail. For larger packages, UPS may be used. If you are unsure which method may be used, please provide both USPS and UPS addresses, or make a note in the comment field to specify. IF YOU HAVE A STRONG PREFERENCE ON SHIPPING METHOD, PLEASE LET US KNOW IN THE SHIPPING COMMENT FIELD. We will contact you if there will be additional costs involved.

Rocket motors are shipped via the Postal Service "Parcel Post" (ground transportation). This is a federal law, and there is NO way we can ship them by aircraft to get them to you faster. We really wish we could, but it is a law we cannot break. Shipping times for Parcel Post can range from 5 to 15 business days. If you wish to split up the shipment so the motors are sent separately, please let us know in the comments section of the order form. Additional shipping fees will be charged for this service, and we'll let you know prior to shipping the packages what they are. This is recommended if your rocketry project has a fast-approaching deadline. We do now also offer FedEx Ground Hazmat shipping, for which delivery is usually within 1-6 days of ordering. See HAZMAT shipping below for details.

Military APO addresses:

YES, we can ship to you. The exception is rocket engines, which we cannot ship to APO addresses. Why? Because APO mail is sent by aircraft via Priority Mail and rocket engines cannot be transported by aircraft (it is a federal law... sorry).

The shipping fees for APO addresses will be the domestic charges listed in the chart below.

International Shipments:

These are sent via "Air Mail." If you wish to expedite your order, please let us know in the comments section of the order form. Additional fees may be added for extra services.

Additionally, rocket motors cannot be shipped outside the USA.

It is our policy to let you know via email when your order shipped, and by which method. Please make sure your email address is correct when placing your order.

HAZMAT Shipping:

Even though they are not classified as explosives, all Cesaroni and several Aerotech, and some Estes motors currently require shipment through a certified HAZMAT carrier (such as FedEx-Ground, or UPS-Ground). This is because the motors either contain more than 30-grams of propellant, or because they are not certified to be shipped through the US Postal Service.

Both carriers require the motors be marked as HAZMAT, and because of that, they charge a $25 per box HAZMAT fee. Unfortunately, we cannot do anything about this, even if you order just one single motor. Sorry, but the the per box fee is the same.

Because of this, it makes sense to order as many large motors as possible to leverage the HAZMAT fee. You may ask your friends in your club if they would want to go in with you on your order to minimize the effect of the HAZMAT fee.

The good news is that FedEx-Ground and UPS-Ground are quicker shipping boxes to you than is the government. And it is far easier to track it trough the system from our dock to your front porch.  There MUST be someone 18 years of age or older at the time of delivery to sign for the package. If there's a chance you won't be home, have it delivered to your place of work.

When you order these motors, you will automatically be charged one HAZMAT fee per box. Most boxes can fit 6 motors in them, although in the shorter sizes we can fit more. If additional HAZMAT fees are required, you will be contacted by our staff. If you have any questions, you are welcome to call us at: 719-535-9335.

NOTE: We cannot ship HAZMAT outside of the United States, to Hawaii, Alaska, or any US Protectorate.