HOW WE DO IT

Even with all the best laid plans, things can still happen. Parcels get dropped or lost. Drivers can make mistakes. Accidents happen. If your order has arrived with less than what you paid for (either missing items - because we make mistakes too - or dead on arrival), please follow these steps: 

1. Take pictures of the contents and the condition of the parcel immediately upon receipt. 
2. If it's a caterpillar kit, open the kit and take pictures straight down into the cup so we can see the caterpillars and the condition of the food. 
3. Email us with the pictures, your invoice number, and a description of the issue. 

We issue immediate replacements or reshipments for orders that arrived with less than the suggested amount of invertebrates in them. 

Shipping issues must be reported within 24hrs of receipt/delivery to be considered.

We need minimum 5 business days notice prior to shipping to cancel an order. Evenings, weekends, and holidays are not considered valid days within timeline for notification. All invoices are considered confirmed orders: if you have an invoice, you have an order. 

• Invoices must be cancelled in writing via email. 
• Failure to provide adequate notice of cancellation will cause restocking or rehoming fees of 50% to apply. 
• If your order has already shipped, full costs related to items and shipping will apply, as well as any fees related to returning your animals to us.

Remember: your actions affect living animals that we believed had a home, and it is a worst-case scenario if we ship a live animal who will arrive at a destination where there is no one to care for it. 

Please see full terms and conditions of sale for our Cancellation policy.

Our flagship and best-known project for parents, teachers, and educators of all kinds, the caterpillar kits are available for only a brief window in the spring. Dates are first come first serve, and can sell out at anytime. 

Please check out the item listings in our caterpillar shop for up to date availabilities as they change rapidly, this list is not a guarantee of availability.

2024 SHIPPING DATES

Monday April 22 - schools only

Monday April 29 - schools only

Monday May 6 - schools only

Monday May 13

Tuesday May 21

Monday May 27

Monday June 3

If you are located in lower mainland BC, we can accommodate an early April 15 date providing your weather is compliant. The cutoff date for that is extremely early: you must have your order in by March 15. Make the request in special instructions.

We need minimum 5 business days notice to make changes to your shipping without interrupting timelines. Evenings, weekends, and holidays are not considered valid days for notification. We can usually reschedule you, though it may be based on the availability of the animals.

• If we do not receive adequate notice, we will still try our best but cannot guarantee success. It is possible your order will still be shipped as originally agreed. Full costs will still apply, as well as any further charges should you conduct a return or re-shipment.
• If your order has already shipped, you will need to contact the courier personally to conduct an address change. 

Shipping too costly? Get a few friends or colleagues together, and place a group order to combine your delivery fees into one. We can fit 10-12 caterpillar kits in a box before shipping rates go up:

• All items must be going to the same destination. 
• Rates don't change until the box becomes bigger than 12x12x12".  That's 10-12 caterpillar kits, but less if there are large items such as Red Wiggler Worms or Hatchlings Kits. 
• We cannot split the order up or invoice separate participants individually. All items in a combined or group shipment must appear on the same invoice. 

To place a group order:

• Choose a contact person. Usually this is the person receiving the box. They will be handling the communications with us and will be handling the order.
• All items on the order must be submitted together.
• You will receive one invoice that totals your bill.
• Our email payment system can accommodate multiple payments on one invoice, but we cannot invoice items separately.
• Existing orders can be revised only by the contact person who placed the order. We cannot approve changes by someone other than the official contact on the order. Please do not tell people they can phone us and add onto an order to get shipping discounts: we cannot authorize this.
  

Subsequent replacements and warranty claims must be reported through the original contact person on the group order.

PLEASE ACT FAST. 

We consider a normal (non remote-location) order to late/of concern if it has not arrived within 2 business days. 

Example: for orders shipped on a Monday, this means midafternoon Wednesday.

STEPS:

1)   Check if it's truly late or still on track.

• Check your "SHIP DATE/SHIPPING DATE" on your invoice or right in the invoice email we sent. That is the shipping date, not the delivery date. Remember: unless you are in Edmonton, there is no way for it to arrive the same day it ships. 
• Most urban destinations arrive the next day, though about 5% experience mechanical delays. 
• Remote locations might take a day or two longer. 
• There is no way for us to predict precisely what time of day a parcel will arrive. 

2) If it's Purolator, track your parcel. Purolator PINs (tracking numbers) are issued the week before your shipping date via email and often end up in your junk folder. This will be the fastest way to get an update on where your parcel might be. 

• No tracking number? Email us. Please provide your invoice number as reference.
• If it's not Purolator, email or phone us directly for assistance.

3) In the event that your parcel is still missing, or there is a note on the Purolator tracking indicating a delay or issue, email or call us immediately. 

• 780-462-1839
• Email bugs@butterflyab.com and title your email "ATTN: Missing/Late/Delayed Parcel"
• Have your invoice and tracking number ready and provide them in any email
• It's generally more efficient to contact us before trying contacting Purolator. We are very good at tracking down missing parcels and have an excellent relationship with them. 

Typically, we can recover parcels and get them to you within a single business day. 

Do not delay contacting us: problems must be solved FAST as many of our animals are on a survival clock. Problems can only be solved on business days as Purolator does not work on weekends. It is often critical for the animals that we find them before the weekend. 

That being said, we do provision all caterpillars for 5-7 days of food in event of emergency. 

Nobody is perfect. Some of our items are produced in partnership with work experience programs, and although we batch check everything, it is possible for us to miss something when we ship out an order. There are a lots of teams involved and we areall human!

If you are missing something, it falls under a shipping guarantees: whether it's posters, a net, accessories such as lids, vials, food, or entire kits: we can reship immediately at no charge. 

That said - please move quickly! These items are often critical for caterpillar survival: shipping issues must be reported within 24hrs of receipt/delivery to be considered. As with our warranty policy, photos must be provided - include any damage/problems/issues, and if it's caterpillars, take a picture of the caterpillars in the cup.

The goal is always to nourish and protect as many lives as possible. Time is of the essence: we cannot help if it is too late for the animals. 

We do not offer pickup.

Orders are shipped on Mondays except by special arrangement (live adult butterflies for special events, or warranty replacements).

Your shipping date is not a delivery date.

The following rates are based on standard boxes and do not include oversize boxes* (greater than 12"x12"x12"):

Within Edmonton City Limits   $18.00
(local courier: delivery is same day as shipping)***
Within 40 KM of Edmonton        $20.00
(allow minimum overnight for delivery, usually arrives within 2 days)

Calgary                                            $30.00

(allow minimum overnight for delivery, usually arrives within 2 days)

Elsewhere in Alberta:                  $35.00
(allow minimum overnight for delivery, usually arrives within 2 days)
MB, SK, BC                                       $45.00 
(allow minimum overnight for delivery, usually arrives within 2-3 days)
Ontario, Quebec                           $55.00
(allow minimum overnight for delivery, usually arrives within 2-4 days)
NS, NB, PEI:                                     $70.00
(allow minimum overnight for delivery, usually arrives within 2-4 days)
NL**, Yukon, NWT, Nunavut:         $90+

(allow minimum overnight for delivery, usually arrives within 2-5 days. If you are remote and require Buffalo Air, we will quote your shipping more precisely)

*Depending on the kit you order (they are different physical sizes) we can usually fit 10-12 of most types into a standard size box before shipping fees increase.

**Any customers ordering live insects in Newfoundland and Laborador will be asked to provide the required provincial import permits for handling wildlife.

***Mechanical delays and natural disasters are rare but can cause occasional shipping delays beyond the recommended timelines listed above (examples: downed planes, flat tires, flood, fires).

Purolator has different polices depending on the type of delivery destination:

• If the order is addressed (with business or school name) to a commercial location, it will be signature required. Delivery occurs within your business or school hours. 
• If it is a residential address, delivery can occur until 9 PM, and they are within rights and likely to leave it at your door.
• If a business or school name is not provided, it will be assumed residential. This can lead to delivery outside of your business hours, or even failure to deliver due to recipient information not matching physical location. We cannot be held liable for the consequences of these events.

Purolator:  Purolator PINs (tracking numbers) are issued the week before your shipping date via email and often end up in your junk folder. Once you have your tracking number you can sign up for email notifications. Tracking your parcel personally and signing up for notifications is the fastest way to get an update on where your parcel might be. We do not track your order on your behalf, nor do we send notifications personally: that is all automated by Purolator.

• Track your parcel. 
• No tracking number? Email us. Please provide your invoice number as reference.
• If it's not Purolator, email or phone us directly for assistance. Delivery routes are based on the parcel load a driver has. There is no way to predict the precise time a driver will be in your neighbourhood or on your street.
• Purolator mostly delivers within business hours for any non-residential address (providing hours are posted). They may deliver up to 7 PM for residential shipments. 
• 
  

Edmonton Local Courier: delivery occurs between 10 AM and 2:00 PM on the same day your order ships. There is no minute by minute tracking available as driver routes are based on parcel loads. If you need a shorter shipping window, there are faster "direct shipping" options you can inquire about, but they tend to be extremely costly.

*If your shipment is commercial (to a school or business) be sure to provide us with that information, as your delivery is subject to your destination's business hours. 

Neglecting to provide the following information accurately and in entirety will lead to cancellation, delay, or failure to deliver your order. 

• Name of recipient/delivery addressee
• Name of the school, facility or business location if non residential
• Emergency/Daytime phone number
• Email
• Physical Address (PO boxes are not valid)
• Your preferred shipping date (we will confirm if it is available)

We ship live animals, which requires more precision than you may be used to. Butterfly Wings N' Wishes cannot be held accountable for shipping failures due to lack of or inaccurate information provided by the customer.

Please request a date from the drop down on the items. We will confirm your actual ship date via invoice once we can review your order. As a general rule, orders have to be in by Wednesday at noon in order to be fulfilled on the next available Monday.

Shipping dates are confirmed ONLY via invoice once we have time to process online orders, which can take several business days:

• Look for your SHIPPING DATE on your invoice, under "SHIP DATE." 
• We ship on Mondays* unless otherwise noted. We ship throughout the winter with few exceptions, based on species. Many species are seasonal.

Live animals take time to feed and prepare: shipping timelines can be slower than you may be used to as result, please bear with us as our actions are based on ethics, not convenience:

• We ship the following Monday providing your order was placed by Wednesday at noon of the previous week. 
• Sorry, shorter notice order requests cannot usually be fulfilled even if they are available on the listing. 
• We do our best but you must wait for an invoice confirmation and let us know right away in writing if there is an issue with your confirmed ship date.

Preorders and Caterpillar Kits:

Choose your preferred shipping date from the drop down menu. Otherwise we will advise exact shipping date on your invoice. 

*If Monday is a holiday (STAT or CIVIC), we ship the following business day. 

We are primarily a insect breeding lab, and our team is comprised mostly of research and lab staff. We don't have a storefront or retail permitting. 

Our lab is a small, closed site and currently not permitted for guests due to the regulations which apply to insect breeding sites. Think of us like the Wonka chocolate factory but with... a bunch of bugs :)

We take our shipping seriously, and we don't cut corners. We ship fast and gentle, which isn't cheap. Our packages are often heavily insulated and padded to protect the precious cargo. Many organisms require heat packs or ice packs to ensure temperatures are habitable on their journey. There are no extra fees for those items. 

You`re paying for speed and careful handling of precious cargo: living beings. Any less, and the well-being of the animals is at risk. 

Too Expensive? 

• Check out our list of Retail Partners. Perhaps there is already someone in your neighbourhood providing local access to our projects! If there's no one close by, we love recommendations of local stores we can reach out to.
• Scroll down to read more about Group Orders and how to save on shipping by combining orders.