We have decided to restrict our FAQ to general questions about Suburban Geek and our apparel. For answers to the following very specific questions (1-6) please go to SHIPPING DELIVERY USA or SHIPPING DELIVERY WORLD, whichever is relevant for you. The questions answered are:
- Does Suburban Geek collect Sales Tax & Customs Duties?
- What Shipping Company does Suburban Geek use?
- How long will delivery take?
- How do I check the status of my Order?
- What if your order never arrived?
- What is Suburban Geek’s RETURN & EXCHANGE policy?
What brands are Suburban Geek using for our t-shirts?
Most of our t-shirts used to be American Apparel but since their recent business problems, we have decided to use a number of popular brands. Each item’s page should contain relevant details about the particular brand, colors available & sizes.
Will my t-shirt look exactly like its image on the web?
No, though it will be close. Although we use state of the art technology, DTG (Direct To Garment) printing simply can’t presently replicate all the intensity of the various shades & hues of the color spectrum. Further, in the transition from illustration to a wearable garment, the textures of the various materials that we’re printing onto, may also subtly change the look. However, we assure you that you’ll receive the best individually printed product that modern technology can presently offer.
NOTE: As with all machine-washed items, you should expect a gradual fading of the intensity of colors over time.
How should I care for Suburban Geek T-shirts?
All Suburban Geek’s t-shirts, tank tops & hoodies should be washed inside out, in COLD water.
Of course, as with any clothing, you should machine-wash WHITES separately from COLORS.
For tumble drying, please use a LOW HEAT setting. If you desire more specific INFO, please refer to the washing instructions printed on the inside label of our garments.
NOTE : Sometimes when you receive a Suburban Geek t-shirt, it may feel a little sticky or you may even be able to see an off-white residue. Don’t worry, that’s almost certainly a little bit of the liquid that we spray onto the shirt before printing, which enables the ink to stick to the fabric and cure permanently. Your shirt should feel normal after a wash in your washing machine.
Is Suburban Geek’s apparel Eco-friendly?
All of our shipping products are either 100% recyclable or fully biodegradable. For our apparel, we use eco-friendly, water-based inks, which actually make our products feel softer and more comfortable to wear than traditional, screen printed t-shirts, while still remaining just as durable.
Is Suburban Geek’s packaging Eco-friendly?
We try very hard to to keep our packaging Eco-footprint to a minimum. Presently, our bubble wraps are made from a minimum of 15% recycled plastic & 10% post-consumer content.
Our mailing tubes are made from 70-100% post-consumer recycled content (America’s most popular brand only contains 42%, apparently) and 0-30% secondary recycled content. Of course, the tubes are also reusable!
Where is Suburban Geek based?
We operate from a gorgeous, beach-side suburb 50 miles/80 km south of Sydney, Australia, called Wollongong, about a 3 minute walk from Wollongong Harbor. However, we use an intermediary to actually handle all our production & warehouse duties. They now produce & ship by from three centers:
- Los Angeles, California, USA
- North Carolina, USA &
- Latvia, Europe
Long term, the gossip is that an Australian center is due next.
With Suburban Geek products now being created in the USA and the EU, any of our customers who order online and want our products to be delivered within those geographical areas should NOT have to pay any import duty. However, it’s presently a little bit trickier than that. The European center is not fully up and running and some European customers may have to receive products from the American facilities – which may or may not generate import duties.
NOTE: All customers outside of the USA & the EU e.g. those from Canada, Mexico, Norway or Australia WILL probably incur import duties, which they will have to pay in order to receive our goods.
What are Suburban Geek’s business hours?
Suburban Geek functions exclusively as an online business, so, we don’t have strict business hours. Nevertheless, we’re usually online 16 hours a day, 7 days a week, so it’s likely that we’ll be able to quickly address any problem that you might have.
What E-commerce Payment System does Suburban Geek use?
Our present online payment gateway is Paypal, for which you will require a Paypal account. We hope to soon also have Credit Card facilities provided via Paypal, which will NOT require you to have a Paypal account.
If you used Paypal before, you’ll know that you’ll be debited or charged the moment that your order is accepted and you’ll immediately receive a confirmation email to that effect. If, for some reason, Paypal doesn’t receive the relevant funds from you (e.g. your credit card is out of date), they’ll email you to let you know there’s been a problem and we will have to wait until you’ve got everything sorted out, before initiating your order.
Can I Change My Order?
Maybe. Suburban Geek is not a bricks & mortar store, so, we don’t have a warehouse of products – each item that you order will be created, individually, to your specifications. If you can contact us within 15 minutes of ordering and the order has not yet been sent to the warehouse for fulfillment, then YES, we can hopefully stop the production process. If it’s later than 15 minutes, the answer is probably NO.
I ordered but forgot to use my DISCOUNT coupon!
Please see Can I Change My Order, directly above. If you’ve missed out, please contact supportATsuburbangeek.com (and of course, change the AT to “@”). We’ll keep your email on file and when you order next time, email and remind us and we’ll reimburse you via Paypal for the discount you would have got on the original order.
The item that I purchased yesterday / last week / last month is now on sale. Can I get a discount?
Unfortunately, no – that’s the whole point of a sale, it’s date reliant. Anyway, you wouldn’t ask that of a bricks & mortar store, would you?
Does Suburban Geek offer Gift Cards?
Unfortunately, no – but we hope to offer them in 2018.
Does Suburban Geek offer discounts for BULK orders?
Since there are a number of variables involved, it’s impossible to provide a general answer but YES we do, if the order is large enough. Please contact us via email at supportATsuburbangeek.com (and of course, change the AT to “@”) to discuss your requirements.
Will Suburban Geek print my design for me?
Unfortunately, no – we don’t print custom orders.
Does Suburban Geek accept designs from site visitors?
Yes we will but NOT presently and it would ONLY be on the proviso that you offer to sell Suburban Geek ALL legal rights to the design (see also: Does Suburban Geek offer co-ownership deals for designs, directly below)
Does Suburban Geek offer co-ownership deals for designs?
No. Intellectual property law is, understandably, very precise and can quickly become very complex. Its full (and proper!) application in a co-ownership deal would need thorough, ongoing legal advice for both parties, placing it, financially, way beyond the scope of our business.
