Within a few days of each other, two customers asked the same thing in different words. One wrote "When will this be shipped?" The other, who had ordered 3 Sets in September, wrote "when is this going to ship???" with three question marks, which is fair when a page has said nothing for weeks. So here is the whole stretch between paying and the first FedEx scan, step by step.
The short answer
A pre-order ships once that size and color is back in stock in Seoul. The date next to the size is the day we commit to having it packed and on its way, and it is not the earliest day. Payment, shipping and US duties are all taken at checkout, the same as a regular order. Once the parcel leaves Seoul, delivery takes about 7 to 14 business days, counted from the ship date rather than the order date. In between there is a quiet stretch where nothing on the tracking page moves, and that stretch is normal for this route.
This applies to the HOUT Pet Fence Basic Ver 2 and the All-in-One 2-in-1 Pet Fence, which are the two products that go on pre-order when a batch sells out.
What the date next to the size means
The fence is made in batches. When a size sells out, the product page keeps it on sale but marks it "Pre-order" and puts a date next to the size, for example "[Ships after Oct 8] Sand". That date is the latest day we expect to have that batch packed and handed over. When a batch reaches us ahead of it, orders go out as they are packed, and some of the sand orders placed in September were delivered before October 8. We would rather give you a date we can keep than a hopeful one.
The date is set per color, because sand and khaki come from different batches. Two colors in the same drop-down can show two different dates, and the later one is not a mistake.
The five steps, and what you see at each one
- Order confirmed. You get a confirmation email with your order number and a link to your order status page. Your card or PayPal is charged now, with shipping and duties included.
- Waiting for the batch. Nothing changes on the status page. This is the longest quiet, and it ends on or before the ship-after date.
- Packed in Seoul. Within three business days of the batch arriving, your order is packed into one box. The status page changes to shipped.
- The air leg. The box is handed to our export partner, flies to the United States and clears customs there. The FedEx number is issued when the parcel is checked in on the US side, and for a few days the FedEx page may only say "Shipping information received". That line is the one that worries people most. It means the label exists and the parcel is in the queue for its first scan.
- Inside the US. From the first FedEx scan to your door is the last leg. The 7 to 14 business days above covers the whole trip from Seoul, and this leg is the last part of it.
Where the tracking number is
It is on your order status page, the link in your confirmation email, as soon as the FedEx number exists. It is a 12-digit FedEx number and the link opens on fedex.com. If the ship-after date has passed and you do not see a number there within a few business days, reply to your confirmation email with the order number. We will look it up and send it to you, and we answer within two business days.
Questions we get
I moved, or my PayPal address is old. Can I change the address before it ships? Yes, as long as the parcel has not left Seoul. Reply to your confirmation email with the full new address. PayPal orders ship to the address on the PayPal account, so check that one before you pay.
Can I cancel a pre-order while I wait? Write to us before the ship-after date with your order number and we will sort it out from there. Once the parcel has shipped, the 30-day return policy applies instead, and an international return is slower and costs more than a domestic one, so it is better to ask before it leaves.
Will it come as one parcel? One box per order, whatever the size. What is inside the box for each size is here: How do 2 Sets and 3 Sets arrive? Who carries it inside the US, and what to do when the page says delivered and the box is not there, is here: Do you ship to Alaska and Hawaii? And who actually delivers it
If your question is not here, reply to your order email and include the order number. That thread is the fastest way to reach the person who packs your box.