Is there a risk in ordering through Indri's Vanilla Bean Group? 

We've worked with our suppliers long enough to generally know what to expect, but there's always a bit of inherent risk when purchasing something from overseas without being able to see or handle the product. 

Here's some things that may potentially happen:

 The beans may have some splits, may be a little bit dry, or may be less than 13 cm in length - in other words, not meet the definition of grade A.

• The delivery may get delayed.
• You may be surprised that the smell of the beans, upon arrival, is not what you expected from descriptions in our Vanilla Bean Profiles.
• Whether due to moisture loss during transit, or difference in scale calibration, there may be a fraction of an ounce difference in purchase amount and the amount you receive. We try to mitigate this by sending a few extra beans in every order.

 Things that will NOT happen:

• You will not lose your money. We will refund you if something catastrophic happens.
• You will not get moldy beans. We never ship something that has spoiled, and if it spoils in transit to you, we will refund or replace your order.
• You will not be shorted a full ounce or more of vanilla beans that you ordered. If your beans do come in underweight, please contact an administrator immediately and, after we've verified your scale calibration and whatnot, we'll make it right.

Sorry, in the event we get hit by a freak meteorite or attacked by zombies, we can't guarantee we'll get you your beans. Pretty much every other eventuality, though, is covered.

What happens if my order is damaged or has quality issues?

We guarantee the beans will arrive to you without mold. If they do have mold on them upon arrival - the day you get them from the mail - take a picture and contact Sara Fifield Anderson and we will find you a solution (either re-ship the beans or offer a refund). We ship via USPS First Class mail for all shipments less than 15 ounces, which does not have insurance, but is significantly more affordable than any other shipping option. Due to the lack of insurance, we will cover the beans if they are permanently lost in transit or arrive damaged. Typically, we will issue a refund if they are lost or damaged.   If you have damage, please send a message right away.  We will need photos, so don’t do anything to the beans until we have gotten back to you.  Please note, the package your beans arrive in (usually a zip top bag) is not intended for long-term storage so plan to take your beans out of the packaging as soon as they arrive. 

What should I do if I didn’t get the amount I ordered?

We try very hard to make sure orders are accurate, weighing them at least twice before they go into the beloved purple mailer.  All orders are filled using kitchen scales. By ordering, you accept that the scales used are - to the best of our knowledge - accurate. We check the calibrations on them regularly, but they are still standard scales. Moisture loss is something that does happen, especially in warmer weather. If you have beans that have lost more than ½ ounce per 4 ounces of beans in transit, contact Sara Fifield Anderson. If your order is short, you must contact the admin team for a solution prior to processing the beans. We will need photos and/or videos, so don’t do anything until we have gotten back to you.

What if my beans get lost in the mail?

If your order seems to be lost in the mail (tracking has not updated for a while), please contact your local post office first and file a missing package report with USPS. If the package goes a full 3 weeks (6 weeks for International Orders) without a tracking update, contact the admin team and we will look into it further. We have found that very often, as soon as we issue a refund, the package will arrive. It is much easier for you to send the payment back to us than it is for you to send back an extra shipment of beans. Rest assured, if your beans don’t arrive, you won’t be out the money. We will cover them. We ship via USPS First Class mail for all shipments less than 15 ounces, which does not have insurance, but is significantly more affordable than any other shipping option. Due to the lack of insurance, we will cover the beans if they are permanently lost.

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