Shipping policy

Shipping Policy

Effective date: September 12, 2026

thePodiumsStore builds podiums and lecterns to order in Raleigh, North Carolina. A pulpit is a large, heavy, awkwardly shaped object, and getting one to a church or a school gymnasium is a different exercise than mailing a box. This policy explains how it works, what it costs, and who is responsible for what.

1. Order processing and lead times

In-stock units. Items shown as available and unconfigured generally ship or are ready for pickup within 1–3 business days of your order.

Made-to-order and configured units. Podiums built to your specifications — your wood species or color, your logo, integrated lighting, or any other configured option — are built after your order is placed. Current production time is 2–4 weeks from the date your order and artwork are approved, plus transit time. Your order confirmation will state your estimated ship date.

The clock starts when your order is complete, not when it is placed. If we are waiting on your logo file, a color approval, or an answer to a question about your configuration, production does not begin. We will contact you promptly if we need something.

Lead times are estimates, not guarantees. Delays caused by material shortages, supplier backorders, carrier disruption, weather, or other events outside our reasonable control do not entitle either party to cancel an order already in production.

Ordering for a specific date? Tell us before you order. If you need a podium for a dedication, a graduation, or a conference on a fixed date, email sales@thepodiumsstore.com with the date before you check out and we will confirm in writing whether we can make it. We would rather turn down an order than miss a Sunday morning.

2. Shipping cost

Shipping is not free and is not included in product prices. You pay the actual freight cost to your address.

We do not mark up shipping and we do not average it into product pricing. A lectern going to Durham and the same lectern going to Spokane cost very different amounts to move, and building that difference into the sticker price would mean overcharging every nearby customer to subsidize the far ones.

How the cost is determined depends on the item:

Freight (most podiums and pulpits). Quoted per order based on crated dimensions, weight, destination, and the service level you choose. On larger or configured units we may quote freight after the unit is built and final crated dimensions are known. We will confirm the freight amount with you in writing before we book the shipment and charge it.
Parcel (small items, accessories, hardware). Calculated at checkout by live carrier rates, or quoted on your invoice.

Crating is a real cost — a purpose-built crate for a solid wood pulpit is a piece of woodwork in its own right — and appears as a separate line item where it applies.

Tax-exempt organizations (churches, schools, government buyers): send your exemption certificate to sales@thepodiumsstore.com before you order so we can apply it. Freight itself may still be taxable in some jurisdictions.

3. How your order gets to you

There are two ways to receive an order: pick it up, or have it shipped.

Shop pickup — Raleigh, NC

You are welcome to collect your order at our Raleigh shop at no charge. Pickups are by appointment only — email or call to schedule once we notify you your order is ready.

Bring adequate help, an adequate vehicle, and adequate tie-downs or moving blankets. Our crew will help you load, but you are responsible for securing and transporting the unit once it leaves our floor, and our responsibility ends at that point. The same applies if you send your own mover or freight carrier: once the unit is loaded onto their truck, it is in their hands.

1053 East Whitaker Mill Road, Suite 115, Raleigh, NC 27604

Freight shipping

Larger units are crated or blanket-wrapped and moved by an LTL freight carrier. Two service levels are available:

Curbside delivery. The carrier brings the shipment to the curb or driveway at your address. Getting it inside is your responsibility. Plan on two or more able people. This is the default and the least expensive option.
Inside or white glove delivery. The carrier's crew brings the unit into your building, places it in the room you specify, and removes the packaging. This costs more and must be arranged in advance. We recommend it for anything over roughly 150 pounds, and for any delivery where the receiving party is one person.

A liftgate is required if your location has no loading dock and no forklift. Most churches and schools need one. Tell us up front — a liftgate added at the terminal after the fact costs more than one booked with the shipment.

Freight carriers deliver by appointment. They will call the phone number on your order to schedule a window. Answer that call. If the carrier cannot reach you, your shipment sits in a terminal and accrues storage fees, which are your responsibility.

Parcel shipping

Smaller and lighter items ship via UPS or FedEx Ground. Tracking is emailed when the label is created.

4. Where we ship

We ship throughout the 48 contiguous United States.

Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. territories, and international destinations are handled case by case and quoted individually. Contact us before ordering. For any international shipment, all duties, import taxes, brokerage fees, and customs charges are the buyer's responsibility and are not included in our quote.

5. Delivery access — tell us before we ship

Confirm before your unit ships that it can actually get where it is going. Check the path: doorways, hallways, stairwells, elevators, and any turns. Tell us about narrow gates, unpaved or steep driveways, gravel lots, low clearances, loading dock restrictions, and any building access rules or delivery windows.

Semi trailers are 53 feet long and do not fit everywhere. If your site cannot receive a full-size truck, say so and we will route the shipment accordingly.

If delivery fails because the site could not receive it, because access was not as described, or because no one was there to accept it, you are responsible for redelivery, storage, and any return freight.

6. Inspect your delivery before you sign

For freight deliveries this matters a great deal. Once you sign a clean delivery receipt, the carrier's liability for visible damage is effectively over, and so is our ability to file a claim on your behalf.

At delivery, before the driver leaves:

Inspect the crate or packaging on all sides for punctures, crushing, or water staining.
If anything looks wrong, write a specific description on the delivery receipt or bill of lading before you sign. "Crate crushed at left front corner" is useful. "Subject to inspection" is not.
Photograph the packaging and the unit before and during unwrapping.
Contact us within 48 hours of delivery with the photos and the noted receipt.

For parcel and pickup orders, inspect and contact us within 5 business days.

We will work with you and the carrier to repair, replace, or refund a unit damaged in transit. We cannot do that if the damage is reported late or the receipt was signed clean.

7. Title and risk of loss

Title and risk of loss pass to you when the goods are delivered to the carrier for shipment, or when the unit leaves our shop with you or your agent at pickup. Freight shipments are insured for invoice value unless you instruct us otherwise in writing.

8. Address accuracy and failed deliveries

Provide a complete, accurate shipping address and a phone number the carrier can actually reach — a monitored number, not a church office line that goes to voicemail on weekdays. We ship to the address on the order. Address changes after a shipment is booked may not be possible, and any carrier reconsignment fee is yours.

Shipments refused at delivery, or returned because the carrier could not complete delivery after reasonable attempts, are subject to return freight charges and, for non-custom items, our standard restocking terms. Configured and personalized units refused at delivery remain your property and your financial responsibility.

9. Returns

Shipping and returns are separate topics — see our Refund Policy for return eligibility. Note that configured, personalized, and logo-branded units are not returnable. A pulpit with your church's name inlaid in it has exactly one home.