Shipping policy

Stage Stop Candy Shipping Policy

Updated October 2026

Order Processing & Fulfillment

We strive to ship orders within 1-2 business days. During holidays and times of reduced staffing, there may be additional delays. If you have questions about when an order will ship, please contact us by email (support@stagestopcandy.com) or by phone (508-394-1791) for assistance.

Shipping Carriers & Delivery Times

All orders are shipped using either the United States Postal Service (USPS) or United Parcel Service (UPS). Delivery times are calculated during the checkout process and are an estimate of when a shipment would be expected to arrive.

Guaranteed delivery: Only a few carrier services come with a delivery guarantee: UPS Next Day Air (Early, standard, and Saver), UPS 2nd Day Air A.M., and USPS Priority Mail Express. Every other shipping method comes with an estimated delivery time only. If your order has to arrive by a certain date, choose one of these guaranteed services or call us and we'll help you pick.

If a guaranteed shipment arrives late: Contact us within 5 days of delivery and we'll file a refund claim with the carrier for you. If the carrier approves it, we'll refund your full shipping cost. The decision is the carrier's, not ours. Carriers suspend their guarantees during severe weather, holidays, and other major disruptions, and USPS does not guarantee Priority Mail Express to Alaska or Hawaii. If the carrier denies the claim, the shipping cost is not refundable.

Please note: Once a shipment has left our building, Stage Stop Candy does not have control of the package or the ability to change the delivery timeframe. Shipping times cannot be guaranteed by Stage Stop Candy, and we do not have control over delays once a package has been transferred to a shipping carrier.

Our Shipping Options

SSC Ground Shipping (no ice pack)

Our lowest flat rate, for orders of $20 or more. Ships in a standard box with no ice pack, typically 5 to 10 business days.

  • $7 to most of the United States
  • $10 to Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, and military (APO/FPO/DPO) addresses

When it's available depends on what's in your cart and where it's going:

  • Every item is heat-safe (see the list below): available all year, to every state.
  • Your cart includes chocolate or anything else that can melt:
    • Most states: October 1 through April 15
    • Alabama, Arizona, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, South Carolina, and Texas: November 1 through March 31, because fall and spring stay warm longer there
    • Florida and Hawaii: not available, because it's warm enough there year-round to melt chocolate in transit

If SSC Ground isn't available for your order, it won't appear at checkout.

The $20 minimum is measured after discounts and before shipping.

SSC Expedited Shipping

A $20 flat rate for orders of $20 or more that include chocolate or other items that can melt. Typically 2 to 5 business days. Available all year, to every state.

Choose Your Carrier Service

Choose your preferred carrier and service level for more control over delivery timing:

  • USPS Priority Mail (typically 2-5 business days)
  • USPS Ground Advantage (typically 3-10 business days)
  • UPS Ground (typically 3-5 business days)
  • UPS 2nd Day Air
  • UPS Next Day Air

Rates are calculated at checkout based on package weight, dimensions, and destination.

Shipping Chocolate in Warm Weather

Chocolate can soften or melt in transit, and no shipping method can guarantee it won't. What changes from one method to the next is how much we do to protect it.

SSC Expedited and carrier services you choose at checkout: we check the weather before your order ships and add an ice pack when it's warm. That helps, but it can't promise a solid arrival. Melted chocolate isn't eligible for replacement or refund, but if your chocolate still arrives melted, contact us within 72 hours of delivery and we'll work with you.

SSC Ground Shipping (no ice pack): ships exactly as named, with no ice pack and no weather check. We only offer it for chocolate when and where the weather is usually cool enough, but a warm spell can still soften chocolate on the way. By choosing it, you take on that risk, and items that arrive melted or softened from heat on an SSC Ground order are not eligible for replacement or refund. If your order includes chocolate and you want that extra protection, choose SSC Expedited or a carrier service at checkout.

Warm Weather Shipping Schedule

From May 15 until September 30, Stage Stop Candy typically ships Monday through Thursday only, so packages don't spend the weekend in hot trucks or postal hubs.

Heat-Safe Items

These items travel well in any season:

  • Fudge
  • Fruit slices
  • Salt water taffy
  • Freeze-dried candy
  • Gummi candy
  • Hard candy
  • Stuffed animals

An order made up entirely of heat-safe items can use SSC Ground Shipping all year.

If Your Chocolate Arrives Soft

Due to the delicate nature of chocolate, Stage Stop Candy does not guarantee that chocolate will arrive in a solid condition. See "Shipping Chocolate in Warm Weather" above for what we do on each shipping method.

If your items are melted or soft upon arrival:

  1. Leave them in a cool (air conditioned) room for 2-3 hours.
  2. Chocolate and all of our candy will return to solid form if the temperature is between 65 and 72 degrees.
  3. Melted chocolate is still perfectly safe to eat and enjoy. It may just not look as pretty as it did when it left our shop.

Shipping Rate Calculation

Shipping rates are based on:

  • Where your order is going
  • The shipping method you choose
  • What's in your cart (heat-safe items or items that can melt)
  • The time of year
  • Package weight and dimensions (for carrier services you choose at checkout)

All shipping costs are displayed at checkout before you complete your purchase.

Questions or Special Requests?

If you have specific shipping needs, timing requirements, or questions about which shipping method is best for your order, please contact us:

  • Email: support@stagestopcandy.com
  • Phone: 508-394-1791
  • Hours: Thursday through Monday, 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM Eastern

We're happy to help make sure your Stage Stop Candy arrives exactly when and how you need it!

Summary of Key Points

  • SSC Ground (no ice pack): $7 to most states, $10 to the West, Texas, Oklahoma, North Dakota, Alaska, and Hawaii. $20 minimum. Heat-safe orders all year; chocolate orders in the cool months, with shorter windows for warmer states and not available to Florida or Hawaii.
  • SSC Expedited: $20 flat for orders with chocolate, all year, $20 minimum.
  • Carrier services: your choice of carrier, rates calculated at checkout.
  • Chocolate and heat: no method guarantees a solid arrival. On Expedited and carrier services you choose, we check the weather and add ice when it's warm; SSC Ground ships with no ice pack. Melted chocolate isn't eligible for replacement or refund on any shipping method.
  • Orders ship: typically within 1-2 business days.
  • Warm weather schedule: May 15 to September 30, Monday through Thursday shipping only.

Last updated: October 2026