We would like to take a moment to explain how this pandemic is still impacting not only shipment speeds, but also product availability from many of the manufacturers we carry. Here at DI, we remain committed to getting you your package as fast as possible. Our warehouse is working hard and most days we are still shipping orders right up until our 1 PM ET cutoff (Monday – Friday). If we are not, it is due to high volume and that information is communicated on our Shipping Info page and during checkout to help you make an informed purchase decision.

General Delays

Starting off, the pandemic has hurt manufacturers as well. Many are having issues sourcing raw materials to make products within their product line. We work hard to provide accurate backorder dates and ETA’s on when we expect these items to be back in stock, but note that these dates are changing more frequently. Many times these dates are provided by the manufacturer and change due to issues with raw materials, manufacturing, importing, and just general shipping delays from trucking companies. We do not know 100% when an item will be in stock until the shipment is in our warehouse and checked off by our team.

When you are on the site looking to place an order, the estimated ship dates that we show on the checkout page are our best estimate based upon the information that FedEx and USPS provides us, however there is now an increased likelihood of your package being delayed. If you are pressed for time, avoid USPS shipping options and FedEx Ground Economy as these options are slower. FedEx Ground or Express have been much more reliable with their estimates overall.

When the package is in transit delays can happen due to FedEx and USPS working with smaller crews and a large increase in online shopping. Local hubs can be backed up for a variety of reasons. One day or week the hub can be fine, the next they might see an increase in volume that slows them down. It makes shipping delays hard to track and while FedEx and USPS are working hard to reduce the delays, unfortunately they are still happening due to the pandemic.

Due to these delays, we have suspended our Guaranteed Delivery until further notice. Once delays reduce, we hope to bring this back.

Since the start of the pandemic we have hoped for supply chain issues and shipping delays to greatly reduce, but after some time it looks like this is not going to be the case anytime soon. Below are some tips we have for ordering for the foreseeable future.

Ordering & Shipping Tips

1. We recommend placing your order as early as possible to account for any potential delays. The earlier you place your order the better.
2. We offer many shipping options from both FedEx and USPS. Overall FedEx has been much more reliable and we recommend choosing FedEx as your shipping method when possible on the checkout page. On top of that general rule of thumb, shipping options like USPS First Class and USPS Parcel Select and FedEx Ground Economy are great as they come at a great value, however, they are by far our slowest shipping options. If you are pressed for time, we strongly recommend FedEx Ground, FedEx Home or FedEx Express.
3. Items that are not in stock have a backordered alert listed in red on the top of the product page. This alert contains a date on when we expect to have the item back in stock, however, please note that this date is only an estimate and can change at any time. Due to the issues listed above, these dates have been getting pushed back and many items are out of stock for much longer than usual. If you are pressed for time we highly recommend avoiding backordered items as they will hold up the shipping of your entire order. You can also always place a new order for the backordered items, which will “hold your spot in line” for that item. This way this item will ship out once it is back in stock and you do not have to keep checking the site for it to be back in stock.
4. We love our PR and HI customers, but when ordering certain restricted items, please note that USPS Parcel Select is the only shipping option we can provide. This is due to these items needing to be kept on the ground/water and can not be shipped in the air. This method to these locations estimates 1-3 weeks in business days. Keep this in mind when placing an order if you are located in PR or HI and if possible, avoid USPS Parcel Select.

When Delays Happen

As mentioned above, most orders are being delivered on time but when delays happen we respectfully request waiting 1-2 weeks before contacting us. If an order is delayed, most show up within a week but it is certainly something you want to keep an eye on. When you reach out we will be sure to help look into what is going on and take care of you asap.

We thank you for your patience and understanding during these difficult times. We understand this is frustrating. It is frustrating for us too. We are anxious for shipping speeds to return to pre-pandemic speeds. In the meantime, don’t hesitate to Contact Us if you have any questions about your order.