We all love FREE shipping. We’ve also gotten very used to it.
But there’s one important difference when you shop with us:
We’re not Amazon. We’re a small, local business—and shipping is expensive.
At Merle Norman Cosmetics & SophistiKids Boutique, orders of $75 or more ship FREE. For orders under $75, we charge a flat $8 shipping fee.
And that $8 isn't a profit center. We frequently spend more than $8 to get your order safely to you.
What Goes Into Shipping Your Order?
Every order is carefully packaged in an appropriately sized padded mailer or box, with tissue and additional protection when needed.
Our basic packaging and shipping label alone average approximately 85¢ per order—before tissue, tape, printing costs, packing time, or postage.
Because we ship throughout the United States, postage varies based on weight, package size, and destination. We use Pirate Ship, a discounted shipping service, to keep those costs down.
For perspective, an 8 oz. shipment can cost around $8.50 on a national-average basis once basic packaging and postage are included. A 1 lb. 10 oz. shipment can be around $11.
Yet, our shipping charge remains $8.
Why Not Just Mail It The Cheapest Way?
Because we want your purchase to arrive safely.
We provide tracking and insure our packages. We’re simply not willing to put merchandise in an untracked envelope and hope it gets there undamaged.
If a package is lost or damaged, we need recourse—and you deserve to know where your order is along the way.
Free Shipping Isn’t Really Free
Someone always pays for shipping. It’s either us or you.
Large retailers have enormous shipping volume and resources that small independent businesses simply don’t have.
We try to strike a fair balance:
Sometimes that $8 covers our cost. Often it doesn’t. And when your order qualifies for free shipping, we absorb the entire cost.
Another Way To Get Free Shipping
We know our clients love free shipping, so we created another opportunity to get it through our Beauty & Boutique Loyalty Rewards.
You earn points every time you shop, and at 200 points, you can choose Free Shipping as your reward—even if your order doesn’t reach $75.
It’s one more way we can thank our loyal clients while still keeping our shipping policy sustainable for a small business.