Shipping and delivery

What we can tell you today

These are big, heavy, flat-packed objects, and they don't ship the way a parcel ships. Each coop leaves the warehouse that stocks it, not a single building of ours, so handling and transit times differ by model. Rather than print an average that's wrong for half the catalogue, we confirm your model's window in writing after you order, and we hold ourselves to it. Everything below is either a fact we can stand behind or an honest statement that we don't have the number yet.

Where your coop ships from

Coops ship direct to you from the warehouse that stocks your model. Transit time therefore depends on which coop you buy, which is why we confirm your window in writing rather than printing one national average that would be wrong for half the catalogue.

How the timing works

Two clocks, and they're different things:

Stage What it is Who controls it
Handling The cartons are picked, packed and handed to a carrier The warehouse
Transit Carrier moves the cartons to your address The carrier
Your window Handling + transit, as a date range Confirmed to you by email after you order

We email you your model's confirmed window after your order goes through.

If we can't ship within the window we told you, we'll email you, and you can cancel for a full refund. That's not a courtesy — under the FTC's Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule we have to ship within the time we stated at the point of sale, or within 30 days if no time was stated, and offer you the cancellation if we can't.

Chinese New Year, and why January to March is slower

Chinese New Year falls on 6 February 2027. Factories and warehouses across the supply chain close around it, and the backlog runs for weeks either side. Any coop ordered in that window ships on the longer number, not the normal one, and we'll publish per-model order-by cut-off dates before it starts. We'd rather cost ourselves a January sale than miss a February delivery.

What shipping costs

Shipping is calculated at checkout and shown before you pay. There are no fees added after that point.

What the delivery day actually looks like

Coops arrive flat-packed in heavy cartons. The panels are the heavy part, and one carton is generally a two-person lift. Plan for someone able-bodied to be there, and for the cartons to be left at ground level rather than carried inside.

Before you sign for it, or as soon as you find it on the step:

  1. Photograph the cartons before opening them, including any crushing, tears or punctures.
  2. If the damage is obvious and you're signing for the delivery, note it on the carrier's paperwork before you sign.
  3. Open and check the contents against the parts list while the packaging is still intact.
  4. Keep all packaging until you're satisfied — carriers and manufacturers both require it for a claim.
  5. Email us with the order number and the photos.

Split shipments

Some orders travel as more than one carton and, occasionally, more than one delivery. If your order splits, we'll tell you which items are on which delivery rather than leaving you to guess whether something is lost. A missing carton is a claim, not a wait — email us.

Address changes, PO boxes and delivery area

Address changes are possible before the order is released to the warehouse. Email contact@moveablechickencoop.com with your order number as soon as you can; once cartons are with a carrier, the address is fixed.

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