What’s your privacy policy?
Privacy: We respect it! Your information is used solely within the company to fulfill your order or improve our service to you. We ask for your email address and telephone number for shipping purposes and to contact you if there is a question about your order. You can read the full Terms of Service and Privacy Policy here.
Is my credit-card transaction secure?
We use Secure Credit Cards through Simplify, a division of MasterCard International, and Stripe, our backup processor: You may see either the name Simplify or Stripe on the check-out page. Both companies accept MasterCard, Visa, Discover, and American Express. Both maintain a gateway for safe and secure credit card processing. Both Stripe and Simplify are certified to the most stringent level of certification for online transactions. Our site also employs 128-bit Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology to encrypt all of your private information when an order is placed and transmitted to our system. We do not share credit card information with third parties except for the purpose of processing payment for products you’ve ordered and as required by law. In fact, we do not see your credit card number at any point. Either Simplify or Stripe processes the numbers and give us a code when it is approved. The only data we get is your name, address, email, phone and shipping information.
Why should I set up “My Account”?
You should set up an account to streamline ordering and keep track of your order history. Your information is stored as a cookie (which allows us to recognize you), allowing you to skip typing in your name and address each time you shop. You can always update or delete your personal information. Simply click My Account in the menu, log in, and edit or change your information. If at any time you would like us to delete any of your personal information on file, use our Contact form. Please be sure to include your full name, email address on file, and mailing address.
Do you charge tax?
Texas Sales Tax only: We charge sales tax on all orders from a billing address within the State of Texas and/or deliveries to addresses within the State of Texas, at the current rate (varies by county between 8% and 9%), which only applies to the order sales total, not to shipping and handling fees. No tax is charged for other states.
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During the holidays, we recommend ordering by December 1 to guarantee delivery outside the USA, and to Hawaii and Alaska. For shipping to addresses within the continental United States, and since many of our items are handmade, please order no later than December 16 so we can process your order and ship it before the deadlines posted by the United States Postal Service (USPS) and shown in the chart above.
When will my order arrive and what are shipping fees?
NORMAL Order Processing and Shipping: Allow about 3-7 business days for your order to arrive within the U.S. Canadian and European shipments may take from 2-4 weeks, though they usually arrive in 1-2 weeks. Orders leave our shop within 1-3 business days, and ship by USPS First Class or Priority Mail. The chart under the SHIPPING tab on our main page shows the rates and options. We currently ship to the United States, Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom. (Also, if there is a delay in our processing we’ll email you. Please allow extra time for postal holidays and shipping in December.) We try to keep shipping costs low, and you can calculate the shipping and handling cost in your Shopping Cart before checking out.
Note: if an item indicates it is backordered, we cannot guarantee the date it will ship. You can ask us for more info on your backordered item via our Contact form. Include the invoice number if you have one.
What if I need my item earlier?
Priority mail arrives in 1-3 business days and is already an option at check-out. If you need it to be delivered within 1-2 days (in the U.S.), you will need to contact us via email to set up a Custom Order with overnight Priority Express. Priority Express prices range from about $20 to $45 or more. Also, if we know you’re on deadline for a birthday or event, we’ll do our best to speed things up on our end; no guarantees, but we’ll try really hard.
What about product cancellations, returns, and refunds?
Cancellations: If you cancel an order before a USPS tracking number has been assigned, you will receive a full refund on your credit card. If you cancel an order after a USPS tracking number has been assigned – meaning we have paid the USPS for your shipment – you are responsible for the shipping and handling fees to and from our location, but other fees (the sales amount and tax, if applicable) will be refunded to your credit card.
Refunds: Unused products in their original packaging may be returned within 14 days for a refund; buyer pays shipping and handling expenses, except in the case of a product defect or error on our part. If the shipping package is damaged in transit, save it and contact us for instructions.
USPS Delivery Issues: Once the USPS issues a tracking number and picks up a package from us, the USPS is fully responsible for delivery. We ship all items with a USPS tracking number, which the buyer pays for in the shipping fees. If an item does not arrive, is missing or late in arrival, or damaged, the buyer should contact the USPS directly with the tracking number and ask for a Case Number to be assigned. (NOTE: In our experience, once a Case Number is assigned, we have found that in most cases, the USPS finds the missing article.) Also, let us know and we will try to help in whatever ways we can — but the USPS must confirm the status of an article with a Case Number before we can take further action. Information for contacting the USPS is available at USPS.com. We are not responsible for incorrect shipping addresses, or for a package after it’s been delivered.
The USPS does not consider a First Class Mail package lost until after seven business days. You can submit a search request for a missing package after seven business days here:
https://www.usps.com/help/missing-mail.htm
Verified Addresses: To make sure your package arrives at the proper destination, we only ship to USPS verified addresses. If the United States Post Office cannot verify your shipping address, we will email you and request a corrected address. If we do not hear back from you within three days, we will cancel the order and issue a full refund. If you ask us to ship to an unverified address anyway and the shipment is returned to us, we can refund only the cost of the product, not the shipping cost, as long as the product itself is in good condition.
If you request that we ship your order to an address outside the United States via First Class Mail, the shipment will be tracked but NOT insured unless you request it. You will be asked to pay an additional charge for insurance. If you request and pay for Priority Mail, your shipment will receive US $50 of insurance as part of the shipping charge. Any additional insurance must be requested.
If the USPS confirms that your tracked and insured shipment shows as delivered to the destination address but you or your recipient have not received it, you must notify us within 3 days of the delivery date shown on the tracking page for the package. We are not responsible for replacing shipments that the USPS declares delivered to the correct address.
If the address you provide to us is not accurate (you moved, you gave us the wrong street number, etc.) and the Post Office returns the item to us, we will cancel the order and refund your order amount LESS shipping. If you wish, you can reorder.
If a product is defective, we’ll replace it at our expense; email cat_AT_starkravingcat_DOT_com within 3 days of receipt for instructions.
Catnip Toy Safety Note: We want all cats healthy and happy. Catnip toys that are used or exposed to a cat cannot be refunded; we appreciate your understanding. (Not every cat reacts to catnip: if your cat isn’t catnip-happy, don’t blame her: it’s a genetic thing.)
How do I reach Customer Service?
Use our Contact Form. Include you full name and, if you have one, your invoice number.
ABOUT THE PRODUCTS
What is catnip and how does it work?
Catnip is an herb in the mint family. Nepetalactone, the essential oil in catnip, makes most cats wildly giddy and playful. Not all cats respond to catnip (it’s a genetic thing). According to the Humane Society, “The most intense catnip experience is an olfactory one—your cat smells the herb and promptly goes nuts. Researchers aren’t sure what the neurological explanation is, but it’s thought that catnip mimics feline ‘happy’ pheromones and stimulates the receptors in the brain that respond to those pheromones. When eaten, however, catnip seems to have the opposite effect: the cat may become very mellow.” The crazy-cat effect is most intense for 15 minutes or so. Allow a couple of hours for the cat to then “reset” and become ready for catnip again. Stark Raving Cat toys are packed with intensely aromatic, premium catnip. Our videos show how cats love to mouth, chase, and roll all over the Catnip Joints and our other catnip toys. To retain freshness, store catnip in an airtight container in the freezer. Or, roll the toy in some of our “refresher nip” to reboot the catnip oil on the outside of the toy.
A Note About Products and Product Safety
Stark Raving Cat products are handmade in the USA and may vary slightly from their photographs. We use only premium catnip, grown in North America. We believe in pet safety: As with all toys, our products are meant to be used under supervision. This is important: Pets should not be left unattended when playing with toys; the toys, including fabric, yarn, threads, cords, and embellishments added for playful engagement, are not to be ingested. (Licking and slobbering of catnip toys is okay, and encouraged.) When a play period is over, remove the toy until the next play session. For more about product safety, please read the full Terms of Service.
Can I share your images, content or videos?
We love to have you spread the word about Stark Raving Cat, and here’s how to do it responsibly: Link directly to the page on StarkRavingCat.com. Do not modify, copy or post the content for your own commercial use or profit. If you can, please say nice things about our products. We’re a small independent company and take pride in our quality. The more business we get, the more fun, new products we can create for all the stark raving cats and people in the world. (See more details about copyrights and trademarks in the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.)
What are the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy?
To use this site, you need to read and agree to the complete Terms of Service and Privacy Policy here. The complete legal blah-blah-blah applies to anyone using this site. But in a nutshell: Our terms of use are compatible with the generally accepted practices for most websites. We don’t share your personal information with third parties, and we use secure e-commerce technology. We also ask that you respect our intellectual property. Property, Copyrights and Trademarks of Start Raving Cat website include all print and digital formats, and are protected by U.S. and international copyright and trademark laws: This includes the Stark Raving Cat name and logo, Catnip Joint, and all text, product design, graphics, logos, button icons, images, audio clips, videos, digital downloads, data compilations, and scripts. Be sure to read the full Terms of Service and Privacy Policy before using this site.