Shipping Information
Shipping Information

Shipping Information

WE GET SHIP DONE

We are proud to provide some of the fastest turnaround times in the telescope industry.

  • Nearly every order received by 1:00pm PST ships the same day*

  • Free ground shipping to the lower 48 states on SELECT PRODUCTS

  • Depending on your location relative to OPT (Carlsbad, CA), ground shipping is a 1-5 day service

  • Expedited shipping methods are available worldwide

  • Warehouse accuracy is 99.95%

We use UPS for most items, and USPS for smaller items. The carrier used is at OPT’s discretion. Some items are too large to use either companies, in these cases we will have to use a freight company in which you will be contacted from us for the shipping charges if applicable. Orders shipping to California will be charged the legally required sales tax.

* If all products on your order are IN STOCK by 1:00pm PST and ship with USPS, your order will most likely go out that same day. Used products may take an additional day to ship. If you order by 2:00pm PST and ship with UPS, your order may go out that same day. If you choose next day air after 2pm PST, your order will most likely be processed that next day unless it is after 2PM PST on Friday or the weekend, in which your order will ship on Monday.

Additional Shipping Information

If for some reason we are out of stock on an item and that fact was not displayed on our website, we will be in contact with you via phone or e-mail as quickly as possible. The vast majority of items on this website will ship from OPT, yet there are a few items that will drop-ship directly from the manufacturer.

Pre-Orders

When an item is displaying the Pre-Order button, this means that there is an extended back order.  Pre-ordering this item will reserve your space in line to receive this product when it becomes available from the manufacturer.  OPT makes every effort to maintain accurate back order dates on these items.  You will be charged at the time of purchase for these orders. 

Domestic Orders

OPT will ship all of our products to destinations within the United States. We offer UPS Ground, 3-Day Select, 2nd Day Air and Next Day Air options to most areas within the 50 states. All UPS options are fully insured and have tracking numbers. OPT also offers United States Postal Service (USPS) shipping options including USPS Priority and USPS Parcel Post. These USPS options do not offer tracking and tend to be slower than UPS options. They can be less expensive on some shipments and are also a good option for PO boxes. 

International Orders

OPT is pleased to support the international astronomy community and is one of the largest international telescope dealers worldwide! We can ship most of our products overseas, yet there are some restricted items that we cannot ship outside of the United States. Some of these restrictions are complicated, so if you have any questions, please feel free to call us or send our Internet Sales Department an e-mail: internetsales@optcorp.com.

OPT can ship ALL used items internationally, even if there are restrictions for new items. So if you are looking for a Meade or Celestron telescope, please check out our used telescopes for great prices on products we can ship anywhere in the world!

OPT uses multiple companies to ship products internationally. Our main carrier is UPS. UPS has three international shipping options, Express (2 to 3-day delivery) Saver (2 to 4-day delivery) and Expedited (4 to 5-day delivery). UPS also offers a Canada Standard shipping method for our customers in Canada. This is a ground option and can be cost-effective for some orders. UPS shipping is very accurate and extremely fast but is more expensive than some alternative options.

OPT also offers shipping options from the United States Postal Service or USPS. USPS offers International Express (3 to 5 days) and International Priority (6 to 10 days) for those looking for less expensive shipping options.

Please note: International USPS tracking numbers will be updated until the items exit the United States. Once it is outside of the United States, it is the responsibility of the local postal service of the receiving country to update the tracking number, as USPS can no longer track the order.

Customs fees/tariffs are not included in shipping calculations and are not the responsibility of Oceanside Photo & Telescope. For these fees, please contact your local customs office.

Manufacturer Warranty does not cover international shipping costs for warranty returns. If you need to return defective product, please contact us immediately.

Free Shipping

OPT offers free shipping on a large number of products on our website. Free shipping is available to customers in the 48 contiguous US states. OPT will make every effort to provide free shipping to Alaska, Hawaii and to APO/FPO addresses, though we cannot guarantee free shipping for all items to all locations.

Most free shipping items will ship via UPS Ground with full insurance. UPS Ground will be the default free shipping option during checkout. However, OPT reserves the right to use the United States Postal Service (USPS) or a drop-shipment directly from the manufacturer when necessary. If you have any questions, please contact our internet sales department: internetsales@optcorp.com.

Orders sent with a signature required are at our discretion. If you need a signature required stipulation, you can enter the request in the comments section or email internetsales@optcorp.com. Please note that a signature required will be an additional fee of $4 per box shipped.