Christmas Shipping Cut-Offs

Sorry I couldn't think of a more poetic title...And sorry I'm talking about Christmas in early November! But if last year is anything to go by (and this year, for that matter!), things are going to get very busy between now and December, so I think I should pass out some pertinent information now.

Last Recommended Postage Dates

All my international orders are sent by International Standard Airmail. The current recommended last shipping dates for overseas orders are as follows:

• Friday 4 December - Africa, Middle East 
• Monday 7 December - Asia, Cyprus, Far East, Japan, Eastern Europe (ex. Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia 
• Tuesday 8 December - Caribbean, Central & South America 
• Thursday 10 December - Greece, Australia, New Zealand 
• Monday 14 December - Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Poland 
• Tuesday 15 December - Canada, Finland, Sweden, USA 
• Wednesday 16 December - Austria, Iceland, Ireland, Portugal, Spain 
• Thursday 17 - December France 
• Friday 18 December - Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Switzerland

These are just recommendations, and please keep in mind that I cannot guarantee delivery dates, only shipping dates.

All my UK orders are sent by Royal Mail First Class, and the current recommended last shipping date for UK orders is:

• Monday 21 December - 1st Class and Royal Mail Signed For® 

Please keep in mind that my production times prior to shipping are 5-7 days for oils and 1-2 weeks for solids. I work a full-time 9-5 job at a hospital and I have two books due to be published between now and the end of the year, because apparently I just can't handle having free time O_o All of which is a roundabout way of saying that I get very busy.

Now, last year I got completely overwhelmed with orders, and unfortunately some did go out a bit later than scheduled. I do my best, but I am just one woman (and my cat is no help at all). This year, in order to try to avoid late shipments and preserve my own sanity, I'm going to close the shop on Friday 11th December and re-open in January. This should help ensure that all international orders are sent out in plenty of time for their respective cut-off dates. It will also give me plenty of time to work on new scents for 2016 over the Christmas break.

I know this doesn't give people much time to think about shopping for presents, but I think it's the best way to keep my order queue under control and get everything posted in a timely fashion. If you need your order by a particular date, please contact me and we'll get it sorted.

Shy Saliana will remain open, as I will naturally have fewer orders coming in there, but my current processing time for Shy Saliana is 1-2 weeks, just in case you were thinking of shopping there.

Whether the shop is open or closed, I am always accessible! You can reach me via Etsy's convo system or on the Facebook page. So if you have questions or problems, or you just want to say hello, don't hesitate to get in touch! If I don't reply, it's because I'm asleep :)