A Solemate order takes longer than a boxed shirt shipped from a US warehouse, for two reasons: nothing is made until you order it, and it comes from our production partner in China. The current windows are on our Shipping page, which is the one place we keep them up to date. This post explains what happens in each of those days.
Day 0: you order
Your order goes to our production partner within minutes. Nothing exists yet. There is no shelf with your size on it. Orders placed after the cut-off start their count the next business day; the cut-off time is on the Shipping page.
Stage 1: production — 3–5 business days
The blank is pulled, the badge is applied and cured with heat so it survives the wash, then checked and packed. If you email or call us during this stage with a new address, we can usually change it. Once production is done we cannot.
Stage 2: shipping — 8–12 business days
The package is handed to the carrier and you get a tracking number by email that day. This leg is international: it leaves China and clears customs before it reaches your local carrier. The first scan can lag 24 to 48 hours behind the email, which is normal.
You pay nothing on delivery. Import duties are already included in the price you paid, so no customs charge, brokerage fee or COD fee is collected from you at the door.
What “business days” means
Monday through Friday, not counting US federal holidays. An order placed Friday evening starts counting on Monday. A holiday week adds a day.
Why we do it this way
Making to order means we never guess how many Mustard 2XLs the world wants, make 200 of them and throw away 150. It costs you a wait. It costs us the ability to overnight anything. We think that trade is fair, and it is the reason we can offer 19 colors and seven sizes on a single design.
When to contact us
- You need to change the address: right away, before production finishes.
- No tracking email after the production window has passed: check spam, then contact us.
- Tracking shows no movement well past the delivery window: we open a trace, then remake or refund. You choose.
Call +1 (214) 688-2316, Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Pacific, or email support@solematekicks.com.
Full details are on the Shipping page. If the item arrives and it is wrong, the Returns page explains the process. And if you are wondering where our products are actually made, this post answers it plainly.